The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1855-08-21 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

LONDON AND NORTS-WESTERN RAILWAY.—The halfyearly meeting of this company was herd on Wednesday, in the Euston-square station, the Marquis of Chandos in the chair. From the report, which was read by Mr. Booth, the secretary, it appeared that tie receipts from passengers, parcels, and mails for the half year amounted to 2680,678, against £710,072 iu the corresponding half year of 1854, showing a decrease on this source of revenue of £29,394. The receipts from merchandise were £670,255—(being an increase of £86,413 over the receipts of the corresponding half year of 1854), making a total of £1,350,933. The working expenses were £563,473. The falling off in the passenger traffic might be attributed in part to the effect of the increased taxation in consequence of the war, but principally to the opening throughout of the Great Western Company's extensions to the north. The report stated that the company had a disposable balance in hand of £542,815 2s. Bd. out of which the directors recommended a dividend of £2 7s. ed.. per cent. for the lastsix month s,leavinga balance of £6,95015. 6d. to be carried to the next half year's accounts.—The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, regretted the falling off of the passenger traffic which had taken place,. even at the stations near London, where they had no competition. They must, however, look to the opening of some new lines competing with them. The amalgamations entered into last year had been, as the directors said they would be, injurious to this company's interests, as the traffic was thereby diluted, and, singular enough, the traffic taken from one line was not always realised on the other lines. After an allusion to the increase of traffic, and the necessity of the reduction of the working expenses, he expressed his regret at the loss of the North Staffordshire amalgamation bill.—After considerable discussion on the subject of the debenture debt, the running of excursion trains, to the injury of the regular Ones, &c., a motion, proposed by Mr. Hadfield, M.P., was agreed to, appointing a committee of shareholders to consult withthe directors.— Several shareholders contended that the fares ought to be increased, and one gentleman suggested that the fare of 30s. to Liverpool should be in^reased to 40s.—On the motion of Mr. Batson, seconded by. _M.P., t,ile Marquis of Chandos was appointed permaf the company, a nent chairmen t a salary of £2,000 per annum. The 1)141304 of the meeting then terminated,  .Dingenes, one of the most successful rivals to Punch, has ceased to exist.  A RAILWAY is to be made from the Danube to the Austrian frontiers in the Buckowina. A RABBIT'S leg was found in the stomach of a ling which was caught, a few days ago, by a Caithnesshire fishing-boat. POSTAGE LABELS of the value of 10d. will no longer be issued. The following are the labels now in use :—Penny labels, twopenny ditto, fourpenny ditto, sixpenny ditto, and shilling ditto. One in every six of the men, women, and children of Newcastle is a pauper, and the total number of paupers in the town exceeds 16,000. THERE has been a serious affray at Reading between the Royal Bucks Militia, quartered in that town, and the police. One of the police has received two or three bayonet wounds, and several others are seriously injured. MR. RICHARD COTTALL, an American gentleman of independent fortune, aged 30, died in London on Wednesday from the effects of an overdose of acetate of morphia. A coroner's jury found that there was no evidence to prove whether deceased had committed suicide or not. The East India Company want tenders, on Wednesday, for the transport of 110 tons of dead weight, and 130 tons of measurable goods, to Madras; also, for about twenty marine boys to Bombay, to embark between the 15th and 29th of September. LADIES of different classes of society in St. Petersburg bare formed themselves into a society for the succour of widows and orphans of officers and soldiers employed in the defence of the capital and the shores of the Baltic. Ax ACT, which received the royal assent on Tuesday, alters the property qualification for officers of militia. The qualifications now are :—Colonel, £6OO a-year ; lieut.-colonel, £4OO ; major, £3OO ; and captain, £2OO. The qualifications are not to apply to the city of London nor to the city of Edinburgh militia.