Summary Of News For January.

Charles Miller , a private in the Blues , died at Windsor on the 25 th , from hydrophobia , caused by the bite of a dog , twelve months since , in consequence of his squeezing it to make it howl—as he said it AA'as a good imitation of the bag-pipes . JOINT STOCK COMPANIES . On the 12 th , tho Commercial Dock Company declared a dividend of 2 per cent , for the half-year , free of income-tax . On the same day , the East ancl West India Dock Company declared a dividend at

the rate of G per cent , per annum , also free of income-tax , and it was stated the balance in hand would have allowed a larger distribution . The dividend of the St . Katharine ' s Dock Company is at the rate of 4 percent , per annum . On the 17 th , the London and Westminster Bank held its half-yearly meeting , when a dividend and bonus , equal to 8 per cent on the capital , was declared , making , with that declared in Jul 14 cent for the . The earnings amounted to

y , per year within a fraction of 15 per cent . The London Joint Stock Bank held its meeting on the 18 th , Avhen the result Avas equally satisfactorily , the dividend being at the rate of 10 per cent per annum , with a bonus of £ 1 2 s . 6 d . per share for thc half year . The Union Bank of Australia met on the 21 st , when a dividend Avas declared at the rate of 30 per cent per annum , ancl very faA'Ourable accounts given of future prospects .

The London ancl Brighton Railway Company pay a dividend , which makes that for the AA'hole year 5 _ - per cent . The Southwestern at the rate of 5 per cent , per annum—the North Staffordshire , 3 _ - per cent—and Hie -Manchester and Lincolnshire , ¦ } per cent on the original stock . The directors of the Crystal Palace Company propose to pay a dividend of 4 per cent for the past half-rear .

PROVIDENT . On the 1 st , a meeting of the Defender Life and Fire Assurance Company was held , when a report was presented , showing that the fire business during the year had covered property of the value of £ 1 , 007 , 282 , and with indirect insurances , £ 1 , 818 , 045 , being an increase of £ 150 , 763 on the previous year . In the life department , new policies had been issued , assuring £ 34 , 845 16 _ . lid . The foreign business had

also been extremely satisfactory , ancl the losses comparatively small . The report was adopted , and the ' usual dividend declared . The Sovereign Life Assurance Company hold its annual meeting on the 3 rd . The report stated that , notwithstanding the obvious disadvantages under which they had laboured during the past year , tho directors had received 424 proposals , for the assurance of £ 225 , 600 , which would have yielded an income of £ 7 , 500 a year . Of theseproposals 295 had been letedassuring £ 124790 and iving

, , comp , ,, g an income from new firms of £ -1 , 374 5 s- lOd . per annum , being an increase of nearly 100 per cent on the HOAV business transacted in the previous year ; whilst the total _ claims from losses in the twelvemonths only amounted to £ 1 , 663 19 s . lOd . The chairman congratulated the proprietors on the success of the Company , and stated that the annual income from premiums now amounted to about £ 16 , 000 . Although , from the commencement of tho Company , they had received £ 67 , 000 from premiumsthe whole of their losses iu the nine " ' did not exceed £ 11000

, years , or £ 12 , 000 ; ancl these losses had been covered by the premiums received from lapsed policies . The report was adopted , and a dividend of 5 per cent , declared . The Prince of Wales Life Assurance Company held its annual meeting on the 24 th , when a report was presented which stated that " the Directors had to report S 38 proposals for assurance of life , to the amount of £ 227 , 852 Off . 8 ' ! ., received during the past year , and 593 policies issued , assuring- £ 159 . 220 13 * . 4 c ? ., producing premiums to £ 5

amounting , 635 2 s . 1 .-7 . The income of the Company amounted to £ 10 , 498 , and the losses of the year had only amounted to £ 501 Us . 5 < l . The report was adopted , and a dividend declared at tiie rate of 6 per cent , per annum .