The Express. — 1867-10-08 (London, England)

SERMONS.—Archdeacon Denison, in one of his speeches at Wolverhampton, said he thought that sermons were very doll things indeed. (Laughter). He was dining the other day in London with an English gentleman, who had been a long time in India, and somehow or other the conversation turned upon preaching. He (Archdeacon Denison) remarked during that conversation that be aimed at preaching ten minutes in the morning. " Dear me, sir, where do you live ?" asked the gentleinan—(much laughter)—" I should like to come to your church every Sunday." (Continued laughter.) He would tell them another little story. He was preaching short time ago in Bristol, and the described him thus :—" The sermon was preacrZerty that sturdy ecclesiastic—(laughter)—who has no eloquence, but is acceptable to some people because he calls a spade a spade." (Much laughter.) He accepted the description. (Cheers.) THE DIVIDEND BOOKS AT THE BANK OF EEOcAno.—ln connection with the payment of the approaching dividends at the Hank of England, a new typographical contrivance will be brought into play, calculated greatly to expedite the pr, and at the name time to impart to it an extraordinary increase of precision, while it will likewise in the end effect a saving of labour. Hitherto in the dividend books the names of all the proprietors of stook as well ss the amounts held by them, and every other necessary particular, have been written in on each half-yearly occasion by the clerks of the establishment, and the extent of labour may be estimated when it is stated that the number of names (each being in full, with their respective amounts against them) was not less than 260,000, and that these had to be entered in three hooka, making a total of about 780000. It has now been resolved to have the whole of these particulars set up in type, and an ingenious arrangement has been devised which will admit of the alterations that occur each half-year from deaths or changes among the proprietary, or from the increase or diminution of their holdings, being effected in the stereotype plates without necessitating the use of new plates. In this way, instead of 780,000 names having to be written each half. year, and the process being subject to the danger of all kinds of clerical errors, only about 46,000 typographical changes will bo required, and the whole of the books will permanently possess all the clearness and exactitude to be obtained from letterpress. To the public the advantage will be considerable, as the clerks engaged in paying the dividends will be able to distinguish each account much more quickly—a consideration which during the pressure of the first days of payment will always be important. The idea of this improvement is understood to have originated with Mr. John Francis, the deputy accountant (well known to the public by his " History of the Bank of England") ; and the mechanical skill of Mr. di hn Coe, of the printing department, has surmounted all the difficulties by which it was beset.—Times. John Griffin, the man who was suspected of having shot his wife in Tralee, and represented that she committed suicide, has been committed for trial on the charge of wilful murder. He was a pensioner from the 7th Human.