The Express. — London, England, 1867-12-26 00:00:00

‘l • . , ' i 1 i . , . I 1 , . j i, i ... ' t - 4 i 1 1 I t . 4$ * I .. 4 • 1 • . kittraturc. Th. Trinity 4 Italy; or, the Pop , the 800 bum, and the Victor. Briny 11stor.,,e1 i 6 relotioos of the Past, Present, tflid Flaftre of Italy. By NI ENULIBH CIVILIAN, for eight years in (official Connexion Kith the Court of Naples. Isaidon : Moxon and Co. With a somewhat clap-trap title, this is a work of some ability, of sonic value, and of no little power of eutertaimneut. We do not see that it gives, ur that it could give, sinless the author possessed the gift of prophecy, any " revelations" of the "future . ' of Italy ; but it reflects with con siderable liveliness, and with a good deal of discern ment, the state of Naples during the reigns of the last twu sovereigns of the Bourbon line, and the present condition of the entire peninsula as affected by recent events. The Pope and " the Victor" (by which, we suppose, a pun Is intended on the name of the reigning monarch of Italy) play, however, but secondary parts in the "English Civilian's" volume, the chief hero of which is the unenviably fatuous Neapolitan sovereign, Ferdinand 11.—the Itomb;c" of Mr. Gladstone a pamphlet. This is as it should be, for here t lie au thorspeaks from actual expo renee. He " resided in Southern Italy front the cominencement of the year 1556 to near the close of 1864 ; had the privilege of access to the presence of King Ferdinand 11. of the Two Sicilies up to the commencement of his Majesty's last illness, and was personally acquainted with the various members of the royal family. His intercourse with the ministry, especially with the Ministers of Finance and of Public Works, was frequent and confidential. Having occasion to visit the Adriatic seaboard, he was furnished, by the King's com mand, with a formal ministerial despatch, addressed in quadruplicate to the iutendentes or prefects of the provinces of Salerno, Capitanata, Ravi, and Terra d'Otranto, and enjoyed, in consequence, the hospitality of each of those high officials." It must nut be presumed, front this familiarity with the great luminaries of the Bourbon court, that the English Civilian" adopts anything of a Bourbon tone in his views of Italian politics. The device he puts on his cover—the silver cross of Savoy, as exhibited in the insignia of the Piedmontese Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus—shows to which side ho leans in the struggle of parties and of dynasties. On all these subjects it must be granted that ho writes with great fairness. lie is in favour of the' unity, freedom, and progress of Italy, but he sees bow many are the difficulties besetting the path' on which the nation has entered—difficulties re suiting not merely front the Papal complication, which perpetuates foreign intervention, and de prives the country of its ancient and historic capi tal, but from defects inherent in the Italian cha racter itself, which have been so burnt in by cen turies of division and misrule, that they show no signs at present of yielding to more reasonable characteristics. With equal impartiality he admits the grandeur and dignity of the Latin church, considered as ono of the most ancient forms of Christianity, but exhibits with unsparing hand the moral degradation brought on the lower orders of Italy by their utter subjection to the priesthood, and unfolds in a few pages the historical absurdity of the claim set up by the Popes to be revered as Vicars of Christ, and possessors of infallible power and wisdom. Of the prospects of parliamentary government in Italy he is not very sanguine. The local jealousy universal among Italians, and the distrust commonly felt with regard to any man who distinguishes himself above his fel- ' lows, leading to a violent desire to pull him down, are influences strongly opposed to the ideas and habits of constitutionalism. In addi tion to this the Italian people generally, according to our author—and his testimony is confirmed by , that of other observers—are no great respecters of truth. This fosters a certain skill in diplomacy, but it is fatal to the open and manly virtues of the , parliamentary arena. The allegation, no doubt, is to some extent true of the whole Italian race, but it is especially true of the southern half, among whom a large infusion of Oriental blood aids the almost Asiatic climate in developing many of the peculiar vices of the East. The "English Civi lian's" picture of life in the former kingdom of the Two Sicilies is extremely vivid and interesting. We see the impulsive, emotional, fervid, pas sionate, unreasoning people of the South under all the chief phases of their existence—buying and selling, bribing and being bribed, begging and thieving, assassinating , idling, gossiping, haggling over the law, trembling at the Evil Eye, alternately scoffing at the saints and adoring them, and, above all things, prostrating themselves at the feet of the priests. The work also abounds in many anec dotes of King Ferdinand, and of the several members of his family, which certainly have the appearance of being truthful, and give considerable animation and interest to the book. The late King is de scribed as a tall, portly man, with a dignified bearing, almost equal to that of the Czar Nicholas. The first impression he gave a bystander was ex tremely unpleasant But he had a remarkable way of ingratiating himself with anyone whom he pleased to honour with an interview. On those occasions his manners were absolutely fascinating, so that it was hardly possible to come away front an interview with the monarch without supposing that the object you sought was the very thing dearest to his own mind, and certain to be carried out on the first opportunity. That this was nothing more than systematic treachery, an anecdote illus trating his treatment of the unfortunate Poerio sufficiently proves. Ono day Poerio went to a friend of liberal sentiments, and said, "My heart is full—l must open it to you. The hopes of my life are on the point of accomplishment ; there is a bright future for our country. I breakfasted with Ferdinand this morning ; I now fully understand him. After breakfast we took our cigars together, walking up and down under the orange trees on the terrace of the palace, and he fully opened his views to me. They are all that I could wish. There is a future for us all." That night (adds our author) Poerio was under arrest, and his long and cruel captivity had com menced. His Majesty could also be openly brutal as well as crafty. One evening when he, his first Queen (Marie Christina of Savoy), an English lady, and a Neapolitan nobleman, were playing at cards, the Queen rose fcr a few seconds, during which the King furtively withdrew her chair, so that when her Majesty attempted to sit down again she came to the ground. What makes the matter still worse is that the Queen was at that time in a situation requiring peculiar tenderness and care. On rising she indignantly exclaimed, " I had in tended to m arry n a gentleman ; I find I have married a lazzarone. ' In certain respects, however, the political system of Ferdinand worked well. Brigandage—the old curse of the country, now again rampant—was completely suppressed, and some of the functions of government wore ener getically though despotically performed. On the other hand, the terrible secret society of the Camorra—a society of which the object was plunder, and the means assassination—flourished with impunity ; the highest officials were bribable and bribed, and the King himself is said to have shared the booty ; ignorance and mendicancy over spread the land, and the priests trained their flocks to a belief in the grossest superstitions, and the idlest tales about the wickedness of protestants, and the miseries they suffered by way of retribu tion. Ferdinand himself superintended all the details of his government ; nothing could be done, even to the making of a country road, without his knowledge and sanction ; and he worked with an industry which would hare been commendable had his objects been better. His son had less ability to carry out this system ' and it broke to pieces at the touch of Garibaldi. The " English Civilian," however, thinks that Gari bald i's attempts at govern ing Naples were equally erroneous, and he is cer tainly far from hopeful of the future of the South. His remarks un this head are worth considering, but it is rather as an observer than as a speculator that we value him. His book might have been better put together; but it is a contribution to our knowledge of Italy which we are glad to possess, and which we have read with pleasure. CZYNTAL PALACE. ONE SH ILLINO DAY.— WEDSLADAY. DE , . 25. --Admissions on payment, 760; ditto by mon ticket*, ; total vinitors, 1,h65. THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 26, 1867. invalids seek it in winter, and there, or at the little Island of Santa Cruz, are soon restored to health. __ _ The outlying islands of the Virgin group are all valuable, in various ways, and capable of cultivation. San Juan and St. Thomas both produce sugar-cane, although the great commercial position of St. Thomas, and the other more easy means of making money, have caused all kinds of agricultural pursuits to be neglected. The people have always been our friends. During the rebellion, when all ports of the French and British West India islands were closed against us, St. Thomas furnished our vessels with supplies of all kind ; gave us information, and turned the cold shoulder to the rebel cruiser. They offered the latter no facilities for preying upon our commerce. The United States can have direct telegraphic com munication with St. Thomas. Wires could be laid from the Capes of Florida scram the shoal water which extends, with some interruptions (of not very deep water), as far as Turk's Island, and thence direct to St. Thomas. The distance would be somewhat greater than to Cuba ; but. comparatively speaking, it would not be an expensive line, as there would be so much shoal water. In tine, I think St. Thomas is the key-stone of the arch of the West Indies. It cotumands them all. It is of more importance to us than to any one else. and if Europe was at leisure, and its attention not distracted by its own com plications, we would not be allowed to get the island on any terms. The chances are that we may not get it yet. The people of St. Thomas may prefer their present independent position to being mixed up with our difficul tiee.—ltespectfully, &c., DAVID D. roma, Vice-Admiral. THE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES OP LANCASHIRE. (From the Manelimier Examiner.) The success which follwed the establishment of the Equitable Pioneers Cooperative Society at Rochdale, about twenty years since, has begotten a host of imitators. Some have failed, others succeeded, the result being that at the close of 186.5, according to the statement of the registrar of friendly societies, 752 of these institutions were in existence, and that 76 were dissolved during the currency of 1846. 264 societies had their rules certified during the latter year. These being new undertakings, would bring the total up to 940 for England and Wales, if we understand Mr. Tidd Pratt'. statistics aright. With regard to their working, we have only the particulars of 436 societies, a large number having neglected to send to the registrar their annual accounts. This negligence for the future will not go unpunished. By 30 sad 31 Vic., o. 117, a penalty of not more than M., nor less than 21., will be imposed on every society which fails or refuses to make out and transmit its annual account. This is a power which the registrar will doebtleu use to the benefit of the public, and for the eompletiou of his yearly reports to parliament. Short as the return before us is of completeness, it yet shows that en the 31st December, 1866, there were 173,432 members of co-operative societies, and that the money "turned over "iu the course of the year was between 4,000,0001. and 5,000,000/.—figures which indicate the growing importance and acceptance of the principle involved in these associations. parliamentary return, running over 60 folio pages, with a few meagre totals at the end, only affords the raw material for a compilation of statistics, but fails in itself as a satisfactory exposition of the principal facts. The king dom is broadly distinguished in character by its counties, but in the document before us no one of the counties is summarised. The reader who wishes to compare Lance d:tire, for instance, with Devonshire or Norfolk, must with laborious detail bring the particulars together for himself. This should not be, for if the whole kingdom is capable of presentment in a brief tabular form, surely its constituent parts are susceptible of a similar treatment. Lancashire us the birthplace and genial home of co-operation ; in our county many societies flourish, though, of course, all do not bear equal fruits. Counting all, there are 144 societies, but many are small. These would occupy in tabulation more space than we should care to bestow, therefore we limit the following selection to such associations as have 300 members and upwards. The Principal Co-operative Societies of Lancashire, as they stood on the 31st December, 1866: N umber et Goods Goods Pronto Registered Office members, bought told realised of Society. 1303. In 18e6. In ISGS. in 1886. Q Accrington Ashton-under-Lynx Bacup Blackburn, York-street 338... 9,705... 10,338... 497 Blakeymoor 445... 12,406... 12,987... fr3s Mickley Bolton, Bridge-street lirickfiehl, near Rochdale 411... 11,683... 13,476... 1,632 Bury, Market-street 4,100...117,395...135,175...16,191 Chorley, Market-place Dalton-in-Furness 428... 8,373... 9,253... 799 Over Derwen Eccles Healey 301... 8,259... 9,020_ 1,124 Failsworth Great Harwood Haalingdea Heywood 858... 28,240... 31,607... 3,725 Hindley Whitworth Halms, Medleekotreet 1,710... 32,642... 38,505 .. 3,576 Lancaster, Newokeet Littleborough MIL 19,044... 21,042 2,353 Manchester, Dantric-et 31,010...174,81:10...175,044... 2,800 Manchester, Downing-st 2,585... 48,182... 55,197... 3,844 Middleton 581... 13,464... 15,859... 1,552 Militrow 3losaley - 37:161.- 3, 5 41 Oldham, Greesacteiehill 1,406... 68,904... 78,671. . . 9,272 Oldham, King-street 2,263... 78,665... 87,614...11,376 l'reetwich 502... 8,419... 9,368 . 1,273 Radcliffe Rarnsbotion_ 21,169... 23,835_ 3,477 Rawteaetall,Lord•ehwet 18,110... 21,579... 3,051 Rawtenstall, Cawl-ter.... 524... 13,924... 15,M4 2,0.14 Rochdale (Rquit. M 00.)... 6,246 -220,Z38...249,122...31,931 Shaw Steeps, near Rochdale 312... 9,141_ 10,188_ 1,074 Tottniortlen Touted 350... 11,977... 14,290... 2,206 Watertoot - - • - In this account there are 40 societies represented. The names are not given becalm they' appear more frequently to be distinguished by their locality than their title. " Co operative • industrial co-operative," " provident," lee. are the favourable' adjectives in their designations. The objects of the respective societies in general are for the sale of groceries, drapery, and clothing. One, with an innocent ambiguity of phrsse, returns itself as engaged in "butchery and clogging." The table exhibits but two or three items, but they seemed best calculated to convey in a brief manner the extent of the business carried on by each store. The selected societies mustered 73,000 mem bers, and they sold goods in the course of the year amount ing to 1,500,000/. and a fraction over ; hence, under the last-named phase, they equalled one-third of the aggregate sales of the kingdom. The accounts aro usually audited once a quarter by members, and occasionally by non-mem bers. In the matter of realised profits, the last column of the statement is probably an unreliable exponent for comparing one society with another, and for this reason, that the price fixed on articles over I prime cost, we believe, varies. The stores may be I distributed at a small advance to cover working expenses and depreciation • or, they may be sold at the mar k e t price of the place, and the members receive their advan tage periodically in the shape of dividends. The profits are usually applied to interest on shares, dividends to members, occanonally to non-members, de preciation of stock, reserve fund, and not unfrequently to the payment of an item termed `educational,' which we believe is not meant for schooling in the ordinary sense, but for the maintenance and supply of • reading-room- 11 very pleasing adjunct to some of these undertakings. The sums applied to the purpose are generally moderate, varying between 20/. and 50 1 . But in one or two instances they are much larger. The Oldham Society (King-street) devoted last year 217/. to the " educational fund,",and the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers no less than 6811. to "edu cation." The ltawtenstall Sooirty gave out of their profits S.N. for " library and newsroom." The oldest, the most prosperous, and the type followed by other organizations—the Equitable Pioneers—deserves a few more words than we can give to the others. At the I latest date officially published these were the principal air cumstances recorded. Established In 1844, it had 6,246 members on its books at the close of 1866. During the year 1,075 new members joined, and 753 old ones with drew, hence the clear accessions over withdrawals amounted to 920 members. The shares are If, each ; the total received from that source during the society's existence was 51.981.4 The withdrawing members in 1806 took out for their share the large sum of 30,7/. The share capital amounted to 97,489/. ; the loan capital was small, 4184, but the interest I received on loans was 70/. The amount paid by the society for interest during this year was 3,823/. The rate of interest is not stated, but at 5 per cent. this sum would pay for a loan of 70.000/. for twelve months. Cash paid for goods purchased was 220.2384. ; goods sold, 249,122/. ; )refit realised, 31,931/. The profit was thus applied : Interest Dividend on purchases 25,829 Education Reserve fund 252 Depreciation of fixed stock Charities The whole of the working expenses for the year, that is to say, wages, rent, rates, and taxes, and all incidental repairs, &c., was 7,7451., which upon the value of the goods sold is equivalent to 31. 2s. 6d. per cent, The cash in hand, that is, at the banker's, treasurer's, or with other officers, figured at the respectable amount of 25,0;4/. The assets of the society were valued at 99,9891., which, for the convenience of remembering, we will call 100,000!., and the total liabilities at 81/. Credit is neither given nor taken, and the society's accounts are subjected to a quar terly scrutiny by auditors chosen from among th e members. The North of England Co-operative Society counts far more members than the Pioncera, namely, 31,0:10; but their transactions, though very considerable, are less than the Rochdale society by 70,00 W. or more in the year. Of the two or three societies in Lancashire which have entered the field as co-operative manufacturers and capitalists we have said nothing. The distributive societies whose function is to buy goods at wholesale • rices, and then divide them among the members ► ccordi ngto the wants of each individual, require but common prudence, skill, and honesty in working to obtain success. Needful as such qualities are in all business undertakings that are to be remunerative, there is something much beyond them required when workpeople contend as competitors with great capitalists. The co-operative store is a simple prudential arrangement— the co-operative factory must he a much more complex enterprise, the prudence of which in any case actual trial alone can prove. The Rochdale Co-operative Corn-mill shows upon • sale of 292,0001. worth of goods 18,000!. profit, but this society are general dealers also, and what they gained as millers only we cannot say. The Co-operative Cotton Factory in the' same town made sales to the extent of 108,0001. ; the realised profits were 4,6201. This concern appears to be confined to spinning and manufacturing cotton. Within these two or three years the principle of co-operative stores has found favour with certain sections of the middle classes in London. The civil servants of the crown have established two large stores under different committees. The first was formed in the City, and the second at the West-end. The City store is open to the goveniment clerks and to any of their friends whom they may choose to nominate. The West-end society reckons a more opulent class among its members than the earlier institution. Ifembership is strictly con fined to government employes, clergymen, and officers of the army and navy. The moons of both has been great beyond ail anticipation, and the naturalisation of the eo operative principle in buying and selling hell been thus fairly inaugurated with a class in the social ranks above those with whom it originated. For the good lesson Lon don must thank the Rochdale Pioneers, THE PURCHASE OF ST. THOMAS BY THE UNITED STATES. Vice-Admiral Porter, of the United States navy, has written the following letter, describing the value of the island of St. Thomas as a naval station : United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, 51d., Nov. 6, 1867. Sir,—St. Thomas, the principal of the Virgin Islands, holds the most praminent position in the West Indies as a navalandcowtocrcial station. It is situated in latitude lb deg. 22 min. N., longitude 6.sileg.2limin. W., and lies right in the track of all vessels from Europe, Brasil, East Indies, and the Paci fi c Ocean, bound to the W'est India Islands or to the United States. It is the point where all vessels touch for supplies when needed, coming from any of the above stations . lt is a central point from which any or all of the West India Islands can be assailed, while it is impervious to attack from landing parties, and can be fortified to any extent. Nothing can he more beautiful than the town and bay of St. Thomas as sew from the sea, or from the great summit that overlooks them. The hay, at the head of which lies the town of St. Thomas, is almost circular, the entrance being by a neck gu arded by two heavy forts which, although not capable at present of resisting the heavy ordnance now in use, can be so strengthened and protected that no foreign power could ever hope to take it. St. Thomas is a small Gibraltar of itself, and could only be attacked by a naval force. There would be no posit- Witty of landing troops there, as the island is surrounded by reefs and breakers, and every point near which a vessel or boat could approach is a natural fortification, and only requires guns with little labour expended on fortified works. It is ' true that this island was captured by the British in 1807, while under the charge of the Danish governor Van Schotten, but there was not a shot fired, or any effort made to defend the place. This is the only instance where the island has ever been in the bands of a foreign enemy, and the British would have held it to this day, in stead of for seven years, could they have done so with out difficulties. There is no harbour in the West Indies better fitted than St. Thomas for a naval station. Its har bour, and that of San Juan, and the harbours formed by Water Island, would contain all the vessels of the largest navy in the world, where they would be protected at all times from bad weather, and be secure against an enemy. Gregorie Channel, half a mile to the west of the harbour of St. Thomas, is, if anything, a better harbour than St. Thomas, and inaccessible to any enemy if ppropelproperly forti fied. No enemy's vessels can enter these harboan,fortheir entrances are so narrow that they can be completely ob structed by heavy chains agsinst which no ship would I venture to ran, with a number of 15-inch guns firing on her. The harbour of St. John, eight miles to the east of St. Thomas, is a still better harbour than St. Thomas, and has some advantages not possessed by the latter. It is capable of being thoroughly defended with cannon and chain, and in all these harbours forts of single guns can be built up from height to height in such a manner that the plunging shot would destroy any vessel rash enough to approach within range. If it ever should be intended to make agreed naval depot in the West Indies, St. Thomas otters all the advantages and facilities for making diy docks ! coal stations, and arsenals, all under complete protection. Great Krum Bay is a natural dock itself, with a depth of 4 A fathoms, and :an entrance MO feet in width. It would only require tilling up across the mouth, and to be pumped out, to make a tine basin for the largest sized ships. The natural resources of the island of St. Thome. are not great, unless it may he in materials yet undiscovered. Its chief value is as a naval station and a great commercial point. :Its small size is in its favour, because it cannot subsist an army of any kind, and an enemy could not land anywhere without the reach of guns ; the whole area of the island is only 45 square miles, the surface rugged and elevated, and almost devoid of trees, which, having been cut down unspar ingly, have laid the island open to the run, and' caused a scarcity iu the supply of water. This deficiency is, how. ever, supplied by tanks, which are kept filled at all seasons by the reins. No doubt water could be obtained by sink ing artesian wells, as at San Juan there are several springs flowing out of the rocks. The distinguishing characteris tics of at. Thomas are its advantages as a place of trade. • fact evinced by the great number and large extent of the merchants' stores, the immense piles of merchandise the contain, and the number of vessels of all nations which are lying in the harbour. It is the great centre for all the steam lines that run through the West Indies and to Europe, and is the stopping place of our United States line to Brazil. No stronger proof of its being a central point than this circumstance is needed. A steamer comes in daily, and In St. Thomas, more than any other place in the West Indies, can we know what is going on in the world. Nothing can be more delightful than the society of St. Thomas. Hospitable to a fault, all strangers, particularly Americans, receive the greatest kindness and attention. These hospitalities are on a scale commensurate with the wealth and importance of the inhabitants. There are few more beautiful prospects than the splendid panoramic view from the highest point in the island, where the whole town and bay of Sc. Thomas is spread out like a map at your feet, and whence vessels at sea can be seen approach ing at a distance of :10 miles. This is in fact the best look out in the West Indies. Nearly all vessels run for the Anegada passage in making the West Indies, and cannot pass without being seen from St. Thomas. The following named islands are in plain sight from St. Thomas in all wea ther : The verdant island of Santa Cruz and the large island of Porto Rico, also the innumerable small islands of the Virgin group, which make it an enchanting place to cruise in. The trade-wind blows throughout the year over the hills and bay of St. Thomas, although it in rather hot in the town in midsummer. The summit is covered with hand some cottages, where those of the inhabitants who can affordit retire forcomfortandfresh air. The tropical shrubs which abound in this island are especially beautiful, the gigantic cactus and aloe growing in all the wild freedom of unchecked nature, and everything else luxuriating in the most fantastic conformations, forming a scene of much no velty and beauty to a stranger. There is no place where a stranger enjoys himself more than at St. Thomas, and if the island was the property of the United States it would become a popular resort. The inhabitants have traded with us so long that their habits aasimilate with ours. They are republican in their institutions, and would not have to change their actual form of government in coming into the Union. Although in fact belonging to a monarchy, their system is republican. All the officers of the island, except the governor and one or two others, are appointed by the home government. It may be well to mention chat the inhabitants are meetly coloured. but they are extremely well educated. Nearly all the clerks in the stores are coloured. The following I consider the advantages of a naval sta tion in the West Indies :—The great difficulty we have of maintaining a fleet of any size in the West Indies is the want of • station of our own. Were we to have • war with en European Power, the role adopted towards us during the rebellion would, no doubt, again be enforced with the same rigour, and we would have to contend on the meet unequal terms with • powerful antagonist having his naval depot aloft at hand, and who could also, in ease of damage in a fight, go into • port provided with means of repair, while in a similar case we should be obliged to go north. Any one can see the disadvantage • government would labour under that had to withdraw • Sect from before • place for the want of provisions and coal, and there is hardly any place in the West Indies where • vessel in time of war could lie in the open sea and transfer stores to ano ther vessel. In carrying on warlike operations a depot is necessary, and here we have the pick of all the West India Wanda. The expense of going from the West Indies to one of our porta would be a tremendous item, to say nothing of losing the service of • vessel at a time when she would very likely be most needed. St. Thomas, although not the best harbour in the West Indies, is certainly the most important, the proof of which is in the number of vessels that go there for repairs and stores, and it is, for the ma jority of vessels, the most easily reached. There aro so many good points in the harbour of St. Thomas, San Juan, and behind Water Island, that it would be difficult to de cide which would be the hest place at which to establish • depot. The harbour of St. Thomas itself is well provided with all the conveniences of wharves, buildings, and coal depots that world answer , temporarily, for naval purposes. Eve 7 prevision is mule for the cooling of large steamers, and in no part of the \Vest Indies can • vessel be coaled so rapidly as at St. Thomas. If the government do not desire to go to any great expense, and only wish the place as a coal depot, there will be no necessity for further outlay. We, in fact, acquire a elation already established. In time of war it would not be easy to blockade St. Thomas by any force. No vessels would he able to lie within gunshot, nor could they anchor anywhere in front of the port close enough to prevent a steamer, or any number of them, from going in and out at night. There are no intricate channels through which a vessel of ours would have to work her way of a dark night, but she eouldrun right direct for her port with nothing to atop her. This is not the case with most of the harbours in the West India islands. Cuba, Porto Rico, and one or two of the English islands, are the only places where good har bours exist. St. Thomas has hitherto been considered one of the rifest ports of refuge against those dreadful hurricanes, which, however, are so erratic in their course that first one island and then another feels the effects of their fury. St. Thomas has been leas visited by hurricanes than other West India islands, and the harbour of Kul Juan is the resort of vessels during the hurricane month■ as a place of refuge. San Juan, St. Thomas, and behind Water Island may almost be considered one harbour, for neither of them are much further apart than Jersey City and East River, and are all very much safer. There is some doubt about the health of St. Thomas, from the fact that on two occasions there have been fear ful epidemics on the island. This, however, bar been entirely owing to the absence of all precautions against the introduction of disease. Ships from all parts of the world seek that port. Steamen come and go, bringing invalids from infected ports, and the sick are landed at the hotels in St. Thomas without a question being asked as to what is the matter with them or where they came from. The great quantity of English coal landed there of late years has also introduced airiness for the want of coal sheds over it, and the evaporation of the eaten in that hot climate, it is said, cause' disease. This would not happen with American coal. On the whole, however, St. Thomas is as healthy as any of the other islands, and with proper quarantine regulations would be considered quite a salu brious place. I know that American and European AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS. The week opened with a wet and thick day, and the wind variable. Monday proved damp and very mild, with showers at intervals throughout the day ; wind west to south-west ; the thermometer, 54 degrees hexameter, 29.80 inches. Thrashing was suspended with the machine, and anything done in the barns must be much against the condition of the grain, while soft corn is not wanted by either millers or merchants at the present time. Tuesday proved another damp and mild day after heavy gales of wind in the night ; and no out-oedoors' work could be proceeded with on the farms. Our advice. from the Beat Riding of Yorkshire' stated: " Weather is now mild and open, and all signs of winter have disappeared for the present, and navigation with the Lower Baltic and German ports is renewed." From Suffolk it was remarked : ' The weather is become much milder, and unfavourable for grain." From Lan. cashire advice, ran thus : " Though certainly we have bad much milder weather during the past week, rains and damp have not yet ceased." From Northumberland it was stated : " The weather has been mild, but dull and damp, since our hurt, with west and north-west winds ; to-day is fine and frosty." From Norfolk it was written : " The weather during the past week has been unusually mild. To-day is wet, with the wind S.W." Wednesday was fine and brighter throughout, after a slight frost. Thermometer at noon 45 degrees. From the west coast of Scotland on that day it was remarked : " The weather has been stormy and wet." Thursday was • colder day, after a slight frost during the past night. Although the farmers have not had good weather for thrashing, they have delivered a fair amount of their produce. The returns of wheat this week amounted to 60,756 qrs., at 675. :kl., against 62,606 qrs. the previous week at 68e. Id.; the corresponding week of last year returned 71,1121 qrs., at 60s. Al. per qr. The amount of barley returned was 88,470 qrs. at 40s. FBl., against 90,291 qrs. at 40s. 2d. the previous week ; the corre sponding week of the past year was 72,583 qrs. at 45e. 7d. This corn will be pushed to market freely until the end of the year, and we think the supply cannot be kept up to the same extent as during the past few weeks. Maltaters are not encouraged to buy freely, from the complaints of the large brewers of the metropolis having so limited a con. gumption of beer and from their using a portion of sugar in the place of malt. The manufacture of this article pro mises to be less than for the past few years, and the re venue will suffer in consequence. On Friday • return of sharp frost took place, 6 degrees were registered, but being very white, this was the precursor of rain. Such vicissi. tudes in the atmosphere and such sudden changes cannot be favourable to the wheat plant, though there are no complaints, and the lass sown is now up and looking healthy in spite of the alterations in the weather. Satur day proved a very wet day, and from 25 telegrams of the state of the weather from various parts of the United Kingdom, all gave more or less rain.—Mark Lane Express. TRAFFIC RETURNS. Wien Pill- M 41 , Total. Total, 9.421,12472. open. wagers. chandise. 1207. 1666. Week ending Dee. 20. 4 A 4 A Limerick and bulbs Limerick and ropes Waterford and Kilkenny Bl 143 2.43 373 390 Waterford and Limerick Week ending Dec. 21. Cork and Bandon rerobroke and Tenby Week ending Dec. 22. Belfast and County Down 44} 490 293 789 721 Cornwall Lancashire and Yorkshire. 408 16,263 31,246 47,5u9 48,120 South Dtvon llOl 2,750 1,802 4,142 4,701 Clem l6se 1,440 1,285 2,131 3,312 MR. DICKENIe RNAPINGg IN AMERICA.—The Boston Advertiser of Dec. 7 says :—" Lest evening Mr. Dickens first read the adventures of Nicholas Nickleby at Dotheboys Hall,—his meeting with Squeers at the London Inn, the journey down into York shire, the school and its misery, Miss Squeers's tea party, Smile's flight and the filet recapture, the re bellion and the escape of Nicholas and his poor friend. The chapters were considerably condensed. We eould any pert of the novel and not told how Nicholas pounded the schoolmaster. It is the most successful climax in any book which: we now recall. The sympathy of the reader is excited to the highest pitch by the sufferings of the boys, until he feels that there could be no earthly gra tification like that of twitting Squeers's nose from its socket and pounding the face of that wretched pedagogue until it resembled a dish of guava jelly. Just at this moment Nicholas falls upon Squeers—it is the next beet thing to doing it yonrself—drubs him soundly, knocks the whole family right and let Cand rnarchesoff in triumph. And then honest John Browdie meets Nicholas, hears the story, and speaking—in the Yorkshire dialect— what the reader has in his heart, "Beatten t' school measther ! Dang it, I loove thee foil," opens his purse to him, and bids him God speed in his journey. I Now all this is very good to read even in the condensed form, but it loses something, and one has to call up his old hatred of fiqueem to fully enjoy it. Barring this objection, Mr. Dickens was on the whole very successful in reading "Nicholas Nickleby." The Yorkshireman was perhaps the hest defined character—possibly it was the easiest to bring out clearly. Miss Squeers was well done, and so was &meas. Nicholas, who by the bye is less like what is called in theatrical parlance • " walking gentle man" than any of Dickens's heroes, was done naturally, except in the fighting scene. Here he was too boisterous from the first. Nicholas, in • passion, would have spoken quietly, slowly, but very earnestly end distinctly, tugh, his clenched teeth. In Smike, Mr. Dickens was not throughout successful, although the poor half. witted lad's timid eagerness to find if Squeers, on his visit to London, had beard any news of his friends, was well depicted. It is hard to say quite when Smile's lan guage is unnatural, if indeed it ever is, but there is a vain of sentiment in his character as difficult to account for, when his training is considered, as the honesty of Cliver Twist, The tea party was by all odds the beat scene. Mr. Dickens concluded the evening by reading "Boots at the Holly Tree Inn." "The Holly Tree Inn" is one of the Christmas stories. A traveller is supposed to be snowed up at the inn, and to while away his leisure he draws the people of the house into conversation. This is the story which the Boots tells him. It is a charming little tale founded on an odd fancy, which nobody but Mr. Dickens could have carried out successfully. A young gentleman, not eight years old, runs away with a fine young WOM:111 of seven. Boots discourses very qu.iintly of the loves of these "tabbies," and tells how they eloped, and were overtaken and brought back, and it is, as he thinks it, " a queer start." Mr, Dickens was very pleasant and genial as he read it, and the moral reflections of the Boots, and the pretty story which was new to many, sent people home in a very happy frame of mind. HOOKING AN ALLIGATOR.—On the 19th inst., at eight o'clock in the morning, a large alligator well caught by some fishermen in the Sirangoon river. This alligator measured, from head to tail, 14 feet and about I; feet in breadth, and is thu largest one caught for many years in this settlement. The parties who captured it succeeded in a very simple manner. As the alligator was in the habit of coming on shore and basking in the sun at low water, a large sized fishhook was made fast to a piece of rope, and the end of the rope was fastened to a tree on shore. The book was baited with a live fowl, and the alligator, seeing the fowl, on shore, came forth from the water and swallowed the fowl, book and all, when the Malays rushed down in a body with spears and clubs and soon despatched him. For some months past this alligator has been a source of terror to all natives living on the banks of the river, and we think that those Malaya who succeeded in putting an end to him are well deserving of some re• ward at the bands of government. This would moreover, induce them to destroy all the alligators found in different parts of the island.--Sia9aport Free Prasj ErricAcr or DR. DR JoNoleg LIGHT-BROWN COD LITER OIL iR DRIGUTT.—TA cases of debility and ems.-ta ttoo the powerful curative influence of Dr de aas~ hh Brown Cod Liver Oil Is well and acientifically denxibeil by ale Henry Marsh. Bart., M.D., Physician in Ordhary to the Queen In Ireland, who, after extemdve use. strongly recommended this preparation. and observed: "1 bass frequently prmtribod Dr. de Jongh's LlMn•Brown Coil Liver Oil. I consider it to be a very pure oil. not likely to create di.gust. and a therapeutic agent of Crest value." This eminent physician remarks: "That in strumous and emaciated patients this remedy tells with peculiar energy. A reviler daily course of this animal oil la capable of bringing about a most remarkable and salutary chango In all the vital functions. It Choi that whirl, la most required: It cheeks the Progress of emaciation, restores the yielding health. rebuilds. ea It were, the tottering frame, and its reviving and reanimating effects are highly satitlactory in all those eases In whii h the general health Is impaired." Sold only in eapauled bottles, m ed., la tel., and 11+., by Dr. de Jonah'. Agents. Amer, Marton!. and co., 77, Strand, London, and chendste—lirware of proposed bstitutiona.—LAdvartnictuent.l THE BRITISH .41VD FOREIGN CORN TRADE, ..y.... (From the Mark-tau Lemma The weather during the past week has been moderate, with but little rain, though at the close with renewal of frost. In France tb spi have had it wild and winterly, so as to obstruct navigation on the canals and interfere with the internal traffic. In North America there have been striking extremes also, first closing, then par tially opening the canals, while the lakes have been ea encumbered with ice as to detain about 1,200 boatloads of grain, with little chance of these being extricated. Our own markets have ruled dull, but with little change of value, the difference being rather in favour of sellers. The damp has seriously affected the condition of samples ; and though this circumstance ought to have brought on a large demand for foreign, which hes been arriving freely, it has only gone off, as millers were forced to buy. Fenian aggression has added to the stagnation of com merce and want of confidence, for bread riots might thus easily be made to assume a political aspect. The more deeply the corn question is probed the loss satisfactory its results appear. We were slow to believe that Germany, that long-established European emporium, could ever fail to feed less productive countries ; but in spite of the pre sent dulness, it now turns out that the attention of nearly all the continent is directed to Hungary as the only store house of grain ; and in anticipation of its abundance being all required for foreign wants, America is anxiously remembered as having promised much in the opening spring, but the maize has failed ; and though the other crops have been well reported, there may be a drain upon them this winter for the fattening of hogs and other cattle, and thus leave but a small chance of heavy arrivals from the far west. The Paris flour trade has given way slightly, as have the country markets, tor wheat, ex cepting in the south, where the wants are most felt ; but in America prices have recovered smartly. The arrivals off the coast since December 13 were 45 cargoes, of which 34 cargoes were wheat, 2 oats 5 barley, 2 rye, 2 peas. Balinese was transacted as follows :—Wheat, 28 cargoes in all, viz. Don Chick& and Ghirka at 58s. t o 69 5 . 6d. Berdianskifffis., Kalafat 64.. 6d., new Danubian 595. 6ce. to 625., Wallachian 62m, Enos 58.. 181., Sakti 54a. 641. to 555., spring American 64.. 6cL to 675. 6a., Banat 63.. 6d., Polish Odessa 665. lid. Maize, 1 cargo, at 46a. Gd. Barley, 5 cargoes, at 335. to 345. The sales of English wheat noted last week were 60,756 qrs., at 675. 3d., against 71,062 qrs. in 1866. The London averages were 68e. 10d. on 4,361 cps. The imports into the kingdom for the week ending December 14, were 1,018,945 cwts. wheat ; 153,519 awls. flour. Monday in Mark-lane commenced on moderate arrivals of English wheat, with very large supply of foreign, more than half of which was from America. The show of fresh samples on the Essex and Kentish stands during the morning was very small, and the bulk of it in very poor condition. The portion that was fine and dry went off steadily at the rates of the previous Monday, but the remainder was unsold. The very mild weather and heavy arrivals influenced the foreign trade so as to make it heavy ; but the prices of really fine qualities, both white and red, were fully maintained, there being some buyers from the country, where markets were dearer. The floating trade was dull. On Wednesday there were 360 qrs. per coast, 13,310 qrs. foreign. The same quiet trad e then obtained, the beat dry samples only being in request, at the previous rates. There was no change in foreign ; extra tine qualities remaining scarce were fully as dear ; ' but the demand for inferior being only retail, many cargoes were ordered to granary. Friday's returns were 1,130 qrs. cosatwise, 34,310 qrs. foreign. The return of sharp frost gave no sti. mains to the market, there being with it so much fog that samples could only be imperfectly seen. Some of Monday's inferior lots then hung on hand. Holders of foreign were firm, but buyers still stood aloof. There was an unusually large supply of country flour on Monday, and very heavy arrivals in American barrels. Tho quantity on offer made the market very dull, and the tendency of prices was downwanis, though Norfolk were generally held l at former rates. Some importers of American were willing to make sales at a reduction of Gd. per barrel, but foreign ' sacks not being abundant were unaltered in value, and so were town-made qualities. On Wednesday there were 720 seeks per coast, 470 sacks 8,980 barrels foreign. With such liberal supplies buyers kept to their immediate wants in the expectation of easier rates, this being the case both with respect to country sorts and all descriptions of foreign. Friday's returns were 1,020 sacks coastwise, 470 sacks 22,260 barrels foreign. The return of frost was welcomed by holders, as giving more firm ness to prices. Still, very little was passing, the fog being against business. There being very small arrivals of maize on Monday, the market was fully as dear, but the demand was very limited, with 3,180 qrs. as the week's arrivals. On Friday prices were steady. There was bat a moderate supply of British barley on Monday, but the foreign arrivals were larger than for some time put. Malt ing qualities, unless very flue, were rather in buyers'favour. Medium qualities were rather lower, and so were foreign sorts for grinding. On Wednesday there were 770 qrs. per coast, 1,010 qrs. foreign. The short supply did not nun the value of malting sorts, which remained dull, and so did secondary and the lower qualities. Friday's returns were 1,170 qrs. oustwise, 2,661/ qrs. foreign. More firm ness was then evinced in malting soda, and buyers could not better themselves on the purchase of inferior de scriptions. The malt trade on Monday continued very dull, but no lower rates were quoted. Almost nothing wasdoing through the entire week, and in the abseuce of trade prices remained nominally the same. There was a good supply of English oats on Monday, and very large foreign supplies very many ports . The demand not being equal to the quantity on offer, prices gave way generally fully 6d. per qr., and at this reduction there was only a partial clearance. On Wednesday there were no arrivali per oust, 650 qrs. Irish, 31,4n0 qrs. foreign. This further in crease in the foreign supply made a still duller market, and sales could only be made by accepting a further de cline of 6d. per qr. Friday's arrivals were 650 qrs. from Ireland, 53,210 qrs. foreign. The trade remained de pressed, but not worse than on the previous day. There was a fair supply of English beans, but very few foreign. Tho trade was very slow, and rather in buyers favour from the excessive mildness of the weather. With frost on Fri day, prices were firm. The supply of home-grown peas was limited, but there were large arrivals from America of white boilers. Hog peas were very little altered is value ; but boilers, both from the almost warm weather and liberal sup plies, were fully 2s. per qr. down. There was more tone is Friday's trade. There was but a limited supply of lin seed, prices of which, as well as of cakes, were fully main tained. 1n cloverseed rather more business had pseud, some fine English having appeared and been taken for the season ; but tares, mustard, and other seeds were much the same. The wheat trade in the country this week was chiefly to be noted in the reduced supplies, which were soon sent off to the large foreign imports. Several markets were Is. per qr. higher; among them were Boston, Bourn, Sleaford, Rotherham, and Gloucester ; hot the general re- I ports left prices at their previous range, with little doing. In spring corn but little change has taken place. Wheat at Glasgow was down Gd, per boll, and beans, peas, and maize were lower 3d. to 641• per boll. At Edinburgh little difference was noted. Dublin noted no change in wheat or barley. At Cork, wheat was quoted 12s. to 16s. per cwt., barley 9s. to 10a, oats Bs. to 9s. 4d. The Paris flour market during the past week has rather given way under the influence of the country wheat trade. The six marks closed at 91f. per 157 kilos. (;AL s d. Per 2801b5.), for January and February they were 89f. (575. 2d.), for the first four months 88f. 50e. (465. 91), for March and April 813 f. (565. 7d.). Type Paris had been dull, and no sales were possible unless at some reduction; the quo- tation for December was 54f. 50e. per 100 kilos. (36.. 6d. per 2801b5.), for January and February 51f. Tic. (56a. 3d.), for the first four months 54f. (55a.). The offers of flour for consumption exceeding the demand prices were easier --eay 92f. per 157 kilos. (595. per 2)431ba.) for extra euali ties, first marks 91f. (58a. bd.), good 901. (575. 101), ordinary to 891. (57e. 2d.). Rye flour was quoted 42f. to 43f. per 100 kilos. (435. to 445. per 2/401ba.). Wheat had also given way 1 franc per 120 kilos., with some quantity in surplus going to granary. The best Richelle white was still held at 521.500. per 120 kilos. (795. ld. per qr.); but white from the neighbourhood was 50f. 500. (76a.), red to 49f. (735. Bd.), ordinary 46f. (n9s. 2d.) Many samples were offering from Marseilles, hut gene rally of inh nor quality, and not in demand. Salonica to 49f. 50c. (745. Gd.), Varna 47f. (70e. Bd.), Hungarian the same, American 49f. 50a. (745. 6d.) Rye was in limited request, at former prices-say to 33f. per 115 kilos. (46e. fled. per qr.) Choice Champagne barley 261. per 100 kilos. (41s. per qr.) Oats were rather cheaper, ranging from 23f. 50e. per 100 kilos. (225. per qr.) for light qualities, to 261. 50c. (335. bd.) for heavy. Cloverseed remained in calm, and was expected to continue so till February. Heavy seed to 1221. per 100 kilos. Trefoil to 36f. per bale. The wheat trade in the country varied, being dearer in the South and cheaper else. where ; but a decline prevailed from 25 centimes to If. 500. per hest. (7d. to Is. 21. per qr.). Bordeaux was without change ; Marseilles rather lower. Between the sth and 10th of December 30 vessels had passed the Dardanelles for Marseilles, and 18 for England. In Belgium, also, the tendency of prre: t had d bez in do a w t nwafds. There had b een a mix . ture of ppoorrttas 13,0170 qrs. wheat, 2,000 qrs. rye, ' 2750 (I m re . . barle With some briskness at first for wheat, the de mand fell off. Native red to 735. 9d. ; Baltic, 74a. 9d. per qr. Rye was very firm, and freely sold ; native to 53... 6d. Barley steady, with 3.55. Gd. paid for Danube. Russian oats 275. lid. Offers exceeded the demand at Courtrai, and wheat was scarcely so dear, the top price being 745. 6d. Liege had given way 9d. per qr., and rye was dull. Wheat to 70s. Linseed also was very well provided, and former rates were difficult to realise. Wheat to 71s. par qr. It was the same at Brussels. There being a large supply of white Zealand wheat at Rotterdam, prices gave way 3s. to ss. per quarter, rates closing at 675. Gd. to 71:a. Oti. Though more foreign red was offered, there was no change of values. Rye was down Is., the top price being 38s. 6d. Barley fell Is. to 2s. ; winter to 38s. 91. ; summer to 365. 9d. Oats were more in demand, at former rates. Beans down Is., and peas 2a. Hambro' prices were rather lower, wheat on the spot being quoted 157 e. ; for January, 61e. 61 per qr. ; native rye, 50s. ; Mecklenburg wheat, 68s. 15d. ; Seale, 68a. Wheat at Cologne was quoted 665. per qr. on the spot ; for all De cember, 625. ; March, 62a. eid. • May, 6.35. ; Rye on the spot, 50s. ; Marsh, 495. ; May, 495. 6d. There was a dul ness in the wheat trade at Frankfort •, native was quoted 64.. to 675. Gd. ; for April and May, G4s. Bd. ; rye, 50s. ; oats, this. per qr. Though supplies were rather larger at Mageane, and prime rather firmer, it was expected the ord,rs on Laud to: wheat would ba execued. Th, opinion was being confirmed that Germany this season Thu, as badly off as France, and that every European market would readily take off this yeses surplus in Hunger) ; I not only so, but require forge imports from America. Lir.. collies of transit from Hungary still existed, but through I Italy the carriage was easy, a fortnight only being r t . quired from l'esth toßlarseilles. Soft native whezt, Banat, 645. Bd. per qr.; barley, 38e. 6d.; oats, 4011 a. per bushel, 2Gs., 351bs. per bush e l, 19s. 6d.; oats witho t : guarantee as to weight, for spring delivery, 20a. per qr. rye, 50s. The same prices were quoted at Henkel:a. TLS scarcity of extra fine quality of wheat at Dant4ic was such that there were no offers below 142 e. • per qr., cart, freight, and insurance, for spring delivery in London, with buyers at 80s. At Valparamo wheat was in calm, at Wit. p et fanega of 1551b5. on small stocks. Flour was dull, an d exports taking pisce, but no difference in prices was :rote.). The hard frosts in the lakesand canals had sent up the price, of breadstuffs at New York, flour being 40 to 60 cents pre barrel higher, and spring wheat 10 to 12 cents per bushel. Rye and peas were very firm. Barley 3 to 5 cents per bushel dearer, and maize 2to 3 cents. Shipping bread, of flour were 8 dole. lec. to 10 dole. We. (275. to 335.) per barrel; No. 1 spring wheat. 2 dole. 38e. per bushel (f.,,.per 4801h5.) • amber, 2 &Is. 40c. (655. 6d.). Sales smount i ng to 200,000 bindle's. Exports from the lit to the .oth of November : Flour, 177,340 brls. ; wheat,1,838,402 bushels , maize, 545,507 bushel.. EAST INDIAN RAILWAY. - The report of the directors to the general meet ing on the 31st inst. has been published :—" The board have still much reason to be dissatisfied with the dew progress made in the construction of the Chord line, DOt withstanding the remonstrances addressed to the colitis. tors on the subject. The requisite works for completi rg the line as a double line between Khanoo Junction and Seeterampore, and between Isickieserai and Allahabad and all other general works of completion, both on di,- main line and Jubbulpore line, are progressing satisfy.. torily. The iron superstructures for the second line of rails over the Keen], the Hullohnr, and the Soane bridge, are in course of shipment from t his country. The open. ing of the Jubbulpore line for public traffic was postponed by arrangement with the government of India from the Ist of June, the date fixed when the board made their last report, until the Ist of August last, since which date Bann have been regularly running. Messrs. Howard Brotben, of Mirzapore having established a dth conveyance be tween Jubbulpore and Nagpore, passengers may now pro. peed from Calcutta and Delhi to Bombay direct, and vier tread, rid Jubbulpore. The entire journey may be per formed in about five days, eta cost of RI. Z 11.2.6. The traffic on the Jubbulpore line must necessarily be small until a junction has been e ff ected between this company' s line and the system of the Great Indian Peninsula Rail. way Company at Jubbulpose, the delay in the completion of whose works is consequently much to be regretted. The locomotives and rolling stock continue to be main. tamed in good order. The permanent way and works have been maintained in efficient order during the half. year, at a cost of Ild. per train mile. Appended to this report is the revenue account for the half-year ended 30th June last ; the working expenses have been 43.97 per cent., against 41.34 per cent. in the corresponding half year. The general returns show that the number of pas sengers earned during the peat half-year was-16,767 first class, 40,024 second class, 1'.13,142 intermediate class, 2,199,353 third olass ; total, 2,449,286, as spinet 2,099,737 in the corresponding half-year. The tonnage in goods and minerals, exclusive of parcels, carriages, and live stock, for the half-year ended 30th June last, was 517,404 toss, against 399,435 tons in the corresponding half-year. The proportion of railway materials included in the traffic re. turns of the past half-year is about 12.76 per cent., against 5.84 per cent. included in the returns of the corresponding half-year. The gross earnings for the half-year ended 30th June last have been 1,2139681. 12s. Id., against 1,067,5421. tin. Bd. in the oorre. spending half-year • end the net earnings, 679,5901. Bs. 10d., as compar ed with 636,218/. Gs. 4d. in the COre► sponding half-year. The net earnings have exceeded the guaranteed interest by Rs. 11,21,844, one moiety of which is payable to the Secretary of State for India in terms of the contract with the company. After providing for Sir M. Stephenson's annuity from the other moiety, the balance—plus the sum of Hs. 7783, brought forward after paying the extra dividend in January last—remains for division amongst the shareholders ; and the board recommend the payment from this source, in January rest, of a dividend for the half-year, in ad dition to the guaranteed interest, at the rate of half per cent, per annum, free of income-tax, leaving a small surplus to be carried forward. A resolution to this effect will be sub mitted to the meeting. The receipts for the first 17 weeks of thecurrent half-year are in excess of those for the ante number of weeks of the corresponding half-year by 7 , ,552./. The whole of this former period, however, has been marked by extreme depression in trade, and the country has been visited by such unusual foods as to render the roads to the railway stations almost impassable for heavy traffic. This company, in common with others, is suffering from these causes in reference to merchandise, but the passenger traffic is steadily increasing. The foods referred to have done no damage to any of the company's works. Acting upon the borrowing powers of the oompany, the board have Soled during the current half-year, for the purposes of auctioned works, one million sterling in de bentures, at 44 per cent. It will be n ecessary to raise a similar sum for th e same object, either In shares or deben tures, as may be agreed upon with tho Secretary of State, early in the ensuing six months. The sanctioned works here referred to comprise those included in the estimates made by Mr. Bendel and Mr. Power, in 1865, and the additiorial rolling stock referred to in the board's I.L.st re port. In that report the board stated that the government of India had sanctioned an ripen• diture of 500,900/.., in addition to those estimates : but u the board are entirely opposed to any expenditure which is not conclusively shown to hr ohm- Intel) , necessary to the successful development of the undertaking, and as they have not been able to satisfy themselves that the expenditure in question comes Iriain that category—or that, if it be necessary, it may not be met by corresponding reduction elsewhere, they hare re quested Mr. Bendel, their consulting engineer, to proceid to India, thoroughly to investigate the whole question on the spot, in communication with the officers of the com pany and the government, and to consider in rcganl to works in contemplation or in course of execution whether they shall be proceeded with or stopped pending a refe rence to the board. Mr. Bendel has accordingly lift for India. and the result of his investigations will Le sub mitted to the shareholders in due course. Tic Nom report with satisfaction that the injury to the company's property is inconsiderable, the damage done being chiefly in work easily replaced ; that the steam ferries al 0 unin jured, and that there has been no interruption to the train service. • resolution will be submitted to the in ceting, consolidating into stook a ll the paid-up shares in Ow com pany which have not already been consolidated into stock." MARKET& CORN.—LEEDS, Dec. 24—The wheat trade is not very active, still there is more tone in it, and millers have to pay alittle more money on the purchases they make. No material alteration in other articles. LYNN, the past week has been very changeable from sharp frost to thaw with rain. There was a scanty show of wheat at this day's market, the best conditioned samples sold at an advance of Is. per qr. on last week's rates, other sorts unaltered in value. Malting barley fully as dear ; grinding samples in request at :fist Tuesday's priors. Beans and oats quiet at late rates. Per imperial qr. to the grower ;—Wheat white, new, tillbs. to 631bs. per imperial bushel, 755. to 80a.; ditto, red, Glib& to 63Ibm, Ws. to 705.; barley, beet Chevalier malting, to 541ba., 43. to 44a; ditto, runs, Chevalier ditto. tithe. to &Sibs., 3fss. to 415.; oats, t0381b0., 250. to 285.; beans, 631bs. to alba., 445, to 47a.; peas, maple,63lbs. to Gabs., 458. to 475. HEALTH RE4TOEHD ET Du BARRY'S FOOD TO THE STORACB, u.rves, lank and liver of old sad yonng, caring, with out medicine or existse, dyspepsia (164144estion , oonstlpation, diarrhoea, acidity, heads,ths, neuralgia, hysteria, palpitation. sleepiemmeas. debility, wasting, cough, asthma, haven, e , [rump Um. low spirits. C 0,090 annual cures which had res: ted all nuxticines, Including that of his Holiness the Pope. It SSISTS fifty thing its coat in other remedies.—Tins, Ilb., S, lid.: ill., Ms. ; 241 b.. 405., or Id. per meat —Do Barry sad Co., 77, Recent quadrant, London : also Fortnum and M• 11011, Piccadilly. and si 61. Gracecburch-street ; 4. Citespside : 63 and 150, Oxford-strum and all grocers and chendstm—iAdveetimmeng BIRTHS, DIARB.IAGIES, AND DEATHS. BIRTHS. BRlGHT—December 23, ac . M 7 C ,, ihounte-rints. Forest•hat, Kcal, the wife of John Meehan* Bdcht , M D , of a.. 3. BROWN. —December 23, ut Aluene-stmt, the wife of Dr . Owe Brown, of a datmltter. HVIWN —December CI, at Peterborough, tho wife ~f C •or:e Rochfort Byron, of a eon. llEWETT.—Decerober 24, at Mace's-road, Upper Te,l• , ,nct.n. 311.1.11eaex, the wife of A. F. Hewett, Esq., of a ion. JONES. — December 23, the w if e of G. F. Junes, 4,43 w. York, of a daughter. SALAMAN.—Decetnber 23, at Upper Westhonrue-terra, Ilc ;r park, the wife of J. Seymour Selaman, Ely., of a .I.L.a.hta MARRIAGES. GRABOWSK Y fIARLAND. December tI, at t'e church. Routhacet, Rent, by the Rey. G. F. t. Graboweky. Elq.. Glaarne, to Mary Recta, daughtei laud, req.. of the Court•lodae. Houthileet. MONROE—MiII2LE —December 23. at St. Mathis , 'huo - n. Rielusood, Surrey, by the Hon. and gee. L . 6.0.1 qn. 2. roe. Kaq.. lOWA', to Wile, daughter of J. S. )kul 4 WllLS—RORN.—Deeember it, by the Rev. R. C. , Wren. Feu . M.A. of Powls.square, Kunsington.rart. daughter of U. W. Horn. Kay.. of Parkplaoa, 1 DEATHS. BELL.—December 23, at Grecian-eottage, NOTlrf , ..' 910 Temple, the wife of J. Bell. Jun., Esq. CLEith.— December 23. at Yentenik.house, near Ediut.urh, the Right lion. Sir G. Clerk, aged no. HAN BURY—TRACY.—Decetnher TS, at Northland'. ham, the Hon. Fratccs Hanbury Tracy, daughter 1.1 Lad Sudeley. MARTlN.—December 23, at Kensington, G. Martin. Fad., epd 77. 111 'HELL—December 7t3. at, Stock Oretwinl-cre., rat. MAT Holloway, Mu Frances Mary Mitchell. NESSAM.—December 24, at Spencerlouse, Nashua, Esq., aped 77. rebated abet Yablisbed by N luaaig ILIOO HALM. oI,•• L.b , hanl-etrv.4, lb* CIO •I Libuio6. nth'," • t 14. Offlce. In l. , ninard•streot. •b• Ytoaieot of Nl..t,:ttaae • DEC 13132.6 26, 1667. r I