360 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



shows the amount at the end of the year to 

 have been 742,073 ; credited during the year, 

 324,810 ; and debited during the year, 158,- 

 422. The trade accounts set forth "goods" 

 paid for in the year, 14,070,559; cash re- 

 ceived for goods in the year, 16,176,570 ; and 

 the average stock-in-trade, 1,856,397. The 

 total expenses in the year were 714,604, and 

 the interest on share loans and other capital, 

 216,218. Under the head of "liabilities and 

 assets," the entire liabilities were, in the year, 



5,659,035 ; reserve fund, 220,011 ; and the 

 entire assets, 6,199,266. The value of build- 

 ings, fixtures, and land, 1,894,646; capital 

 invested with other industrial and provident 

 societies, 636,400; and the capital invested 

 with companies incorporated under the Com- 

 panies' Act, 538,140. The disposable net 

 profit realized from all sources during the year 

 was 1,248,602 ; the declared dividends due to 

 the members during the year, 1,117,870 ; divi- 

 dends allowed to non-members in the year, 



LOHDOIC AND ITS ENVIRONS. 



18,555 ; and the amount allowed for educa- 

 tional purposes during the year, 10,454. 



Parliament was opened on February 8th, by 

 the Queen in person. The following is the 

 speech from the throne : 



MY LOBDS AXD GBNTLEMBTT : It is with much sat- 

 isfaction that I again resort to the advice and assist- 

 ance of my Parliament. 



The hostilities which, beforel;"Be~ch>Be of last ses- 

 sion, had broken out between Turkey on the one 

 hand and Servia and Montenegro on the other, en- 

 gaged my most serious attention, and I anxiously 

 waited for an opportunity when my good offices, to- 



gether with those of my allies, might be usefully 

 interposed. This opportunity presented itself by 

 the solicitation of Servia for our mediation, the offer 

 of which was ultimately entertained by the Porte. 

 In the course of the negotiations I deemed it expe- 

 dieut to lay down and, in concert with the other 

 Powers, to submit to the Porte certain bases upon 

 which I held that not only peace might be brought 

 about with the Principalities, but the permanent 

 pacification of the disturbed provinces, including 

 Bulgaria, and the amelioration of their condition, 

 might be effected. Agreed to by the Powers, they 

 required to be expanded and worked out by negotia- 

 tion or by conference, accompanied bv an armistice. 

 The Porte, though not accepting the bases, and pro- 



