The Press. — London, England, 1853-07-23 00:00:00

JULY 23, 1853. and has been sent to join the commander-m-eniet, prv.pa ratory to being sent to Englan d. It is stated that a new screw 90 -gun bhip is to be built at Woolwich, ten feet longer than the Agamemnon, but on similar lines. She is to be called the Edgar, a name well known to fame in the navy. THE SLAVE TRADE.—Captain Cospatrick %title Ha milton, late of the Vestal, in the West Indies; Captain schomberg, who was in Lord Dundonald's Hatt -ship in the West Indies; and Commander Nolloth, late of the Plumper, screw, when in the West Indies, have been summoned to give evidence before the parliamentary select committee at present making inquiries into the slave trade, as carried on between the coast of Africa and Havaunah. APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS. Comatssmeas—Hugh Entwistle and Frederick Lewis, retired, on the hat of 1880. hare been plated on the list of 1816. MAlErsit—Mr. Thomas, to the Impregnable guardship. Marts—W. R. Boalton. to the IVeterioo. 120, Rou.ship, Sheer. nen; T. G. Baillie and S. M. Wilson, to the Terribk, 21. steam. frigate ; H. L. C. Robinson , to the Ajax, 88, strew, Spithead F. Stanley, to the Queen, 16, Plymouth Sound. M A STERS' ASSISTANTS—H. G. Carteret, to the St. Jean tf Acre, 101, screw; J. T. Gowilond, to the Rhesdamanthaa ; J. NV Ashton, t) the Terrible: B. S. Jackson, to the Sybilk ; S. C. Tracy, to the Astpition ; C. Evershed, to the Tribune; W. H. Adiani, to the 6.lte. Luirrvien—Lieut. S. T. Dickens (1846), to the Water/so, 120, flag-ship, Sheerness. Caartairs—The Rev. Francis Hannan, 8.A., of the Imaust, Port Royal, to the Queen, 118. Plymouth Sound, vice the Rev. $. Beal, appointed Chaplain and t.eval instructor to the Terrible, 91, steam-frigate, Spithead; the Rev. J. W. L. Bonfield, to the /memo, 'nee Ifannan. ASSISTANT•SCRDr. Thomas Murray, acting, to the Victory, flag-ship, Portsmouth. CLERKS—Thomas Goodman, to the Hero, bB, screw guardship, $ ASS d. STANT Ettookat—Robert Gray (first chisel, to the Terrible. • The ship which conveyed General Wolfe on his expedi tion to Quebec is still afloat under the name of the Wont and .dnn. She was built in 1759 for a bomb-ketch. and is now engaged in the Honduras and African timber trades. In the Confiance, which arrived at Geelong on April 13 with 415 Government emigrants, twenty-seven deaths had occurred from hooping-cough and dysentery. The ship Winchester, with coals on board, was destroyed by fire in Port Phillip on the 16th of April. and the barque Duke of Wellington wrecked off Cape Liptrap on the 3rd of April ; passengers saved. A letter from Vienna of the 15th, published in the Cologne Gazette, says:—" A domiciliary visit was yesterday made by the police at the residence of the Times correspondent. Several persons have been arrested, among whom are some Italians, the sons of high functionaries. It is said that the persons arrested are charged with being engaged in a conspiracy against the State." A number of Magyars were lately taken into Pesth under a strong escort. They occupied no fewer than seventeen carts. They were arrested upon the statement of a dying man, that they bad killed several Austrian soldiers in their quarters during the revolutionary war. Count Charles Bentinck passed through Berlin on the 17th, on his return from Vienna. It appears that there is every probability of the gallant general's long-contested cue being decided in his favour in the course of the cur rent year. At a meeting of the Submarine Telegraph Company held on Wednesday, the chairman, Lord be Manley, stated that the number of messages sent during the last three weeks was 2,760 ; and the amount received was 1,3151., au average of 4341 per week ; or a gross annual income of nearly 23,00:'1. per annum, which would be at the rate of 151 per cent. on a capital of 150,000/. A comet has been seen by the passengers on board the steamer Singapore, when nearly 500 miles to the west of Ceylon. European astronomers have given us no tidings of this celestial visitor. A gentleman in Anglesea wrote a letter to his servant, desiring to have one of his horses shod immediately. rile man, ignorant of English, had the epistle read to him, ' and shot the animal. This may be taken as an old Joe Miller, but, says the North Wales Chronicle, it is true notwitle standing. The quarterly meeting of the ironmasters of South i Staffordshire, Shropshire, and East Worcestershire ter urinated yesterday week Prices have been and are to be fully maintained. The demand continues to be extremely good, and the prospects of the trade, so far as the manu facturing department is concerned, are highly flattering. A new rifle-practice ground. extending to 1,001 yards, has been formed in the Woolwich marshes, and covered with cinders from the blacksmiths' forges in the Royal Ar senal. Platforms have been put up at every fifty yards of the range, all level with each other, so that the experi menters with the new arms may be better able to judge of the proper elevation when firing. A practice-ground has also been constructed on the beach at Hythe, where it is intended to have a permanent school of instruction, and where detachments from each of the line regiments will assemble during the season for practice. Two young ladies. arrived by a Preston train at the Warrington junction, claimed protection from the station master, declaring that their father was carrying them off to a convent against their will. The father, who followed them closely, dared the station-master to interfere. One of the county magistrates coming up at the time was also appealed to, but was unable to interpose, and the young laAlie.4 were carried off. The magistrate. it is said, tele graphed to London for advice, and received an answer from Sir Richard Mayne that no law at present in force could sanction interference, unless the persons were paupers. THE PRESS. The Pope has just recovered front an indisposition brought on by ha►i►►g scalded one of his feet. Mrs. Caroline Chisholm, the celebrated female emi gt•ants' pmtevtress, arrived at Rome on the evening of the Nth inst., being anxious to pay a visit tee her son, who is educating as a priest in the Propaganda College, previous to embarking for Australia. A rumour, which the Exeter t7a:etl.• circulates and corro borates. is extensively prevalent of the elopement of the young and beautiful wife of a North Devon baronet with an utileer of the 35th Regiment. Elliot. a betting-I se keeper at Manchester, has bolted. after having pocketed 1,500 t. the produce of the experi ments lee has made upon the cupidity of the people of that city. A royal decree, prohibiting the export of wheat, oats, and barley, was published at Naples on the 12th inst. This measure created co►siderable alanu ; the more ►o as there was every prospect of an abundant harvest. A ease of selling a wife actually and &mei fide happened in a provincial town in which I reside about eighteen years ago. A man publicly sold hie wife at the market cross fir 151., the buyer carried her away. and she lived with him till his death. The woman is still alive, and now claims some property belonging t o ht.!. first husband ( the seller), her right to which is questioned in consequence of her supposed alienation by sale ; and I am informed a lawyer has been applied to in the case.— tiles and Queries. The customs revenue in 18, was •21.312,t01:ii., and the total coat of collection 1:201,4'21/. The number of customs officers was 11,091. An old anchor was lately fished up in Galway Bay. From its appearance it is supposed to have belonged to a vessel of the Spanish Armada, which found shelter in Galway during their slight by the north-west coast of Ireland. Accounts received from various parts of the country all more or less speak of the damage done to the growing crops by the heavy rains. Much grain has been laid, and a large portion is described as being in some places under water. Gold has beenfound at Port Sorrell, in Van Diemen 's Land. and it is also alleged to have been met with in large quantities near Port Frederick, both these places being on the northern coast of the island. The great canal from the Mame to the Rhine will have the water let into it on August 1:►. and will be inaugurated on Sept. 1. The completion of this important work will open direct water communication between the 'thine and the Seine. The London Joint-stock Rank directors' declared on Thursday a lull-year's dividend, at the rate of eight per cent. per annum, leaving 7,i•1OI. to be carried to the credit of the profit and loss account. The reserve fund has been flied at 150,000/., it now amounting to 115,512/. A strange story is told of the disappearance of the Bishop of Orleans from h►s diocese. The Presse Religieuse says he has not been seen since June 2iud, and none of his vicars can give any account of him. This journal suggests that he may have undertaken some pious pilgrimage ineug nit°, but personal friends of the prelate think it more likely that he has gone to La Trappe to seek temporary re tirement, if nut permanent seclusion. A dramatic piece, entitled the Moutons de Punwrgr just produced at the Delassements Combines in l'aria, the produce of the joint labours of no less than twenty five authors, whose names are all printed in the playbills. Fifty years ago France employed at the most 2,0001 work men in spinning 2.000,000 kilos of cotton, Now she every year uses in spinning and weaving 71,000,01X1 kilos, em • ploying more than 6110,0 IN) persons. The workpeople at Glossop and the neighbourhood have turned out for an advance of wages. Doug, Vadat an City I,nitilignat. FRIDAY EVENING THE funds have been favourably affected by the increased probability of peace being maintained ; and the investments on the part of the public, and the rise would have been still greater had the weather been more propitious; in fact, the Consol Market is almost as much affected by the state of the atmo sphere as it is by politics. Large quantities of gold continue to he remitted to the Continent, doubtless for the purchase of wheat, and likewise for the supply of the Russian armies. The effect of this continuous drain would have been very pernicious, bad it not been counteracted by the arrival of large quantities of gold and bullion from Australia and the United States, and the very favour able accounts from these gold•proNlucing regions. As the abstraction of gold, and the consequent reduction of the circulating medium, were the true causes of all former commercial panics and monetary convulsions, we are not apprehensive that any drain will now occur that can affect our present commer cial prosperity : nor do we think that any great harm has at present been done to the crops,the pur chase of corn being principally on French account, which we look on as a matter of precaution on the part of Louis Napoleon's Government. The fact of the navigation laws of France being suspended in favour of corn and flour imported fry n England is probably a beginning of relaxations in favour of an extension of trade with this country, which would tend more to cement the happy political understanding existing between the two countries than aught besides. 285 We believe that it is the sincere wish of the two Governments to unite England and France by indissoluble ties of mutual interest, and we mention this lest any alarm should arise from the formation of a camp at Boulogne, which we understand is con. templated. Money continues in good demand for commercial purposes, the rate being ;i to I per vent.. but on the Stock Exchange it is very abundant, an d can b e borrowed on stock at 1 per cent. We observe that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has taken the hint, and postponed his Savings batiks Bill until next year. We believe that a measure might be propounded which, while it would g i ve se curity to depositors, would relieve Government from that liability to loss and embamtssinent which the present system would sooner or later entail. The meetings of joint-stock banks have been very satisfactory. The London and Westminster pays et the rate of U per cent., but will declare a bonus of probably 2 per cent. more in January. The London .loint•stoek Bank has declared a di vidend of 4 per cent for the half-year, and has a guarantee fund of about 150,M1/. The London and County Bank is making progress, and will, we mulersttul, pay a dividend at the rate of U per cent. for the half-year, and show a balance of protita which will enable the directors to declare a bonus of 2 per cent., in January next, beyond the dividend. This is most gratifying, as it will enable the di rector.; of these establishments to carry out the wish they have so much at heart—to improve the position of those bees of their establishments, the clerks, who at present are very inadequately paid. The exchanges this afternoon are higher. The telegraph also brings a slight improvement in French mutes. The business in the funds today has been very limited, and prices steady. The closing quota tions will be found below. FOltEltiN FUNDS. There has been but little business doing in the foreign funds during the week; but the markets are thin, and show a tendency to improvement, especially Spanish and Portngtusse stocks. Mission stock has also iniptin ed. RAILWAYS. Nothing can be more satisfactory than the eon. tinned increase of the triliitt' receipts of the various lines; hut, as we have before observed, the working expenses seem to go on in it greater ratio. in order that our reader.; may understand this ►natter fully, we subjoin an Rhstlllet. of the r e ceipt,' and expenditure of the Brighton Railway Company for the first half year of-- --.---- 1810. !NMI. IStil. Isl 4. DOM --- --- lteepts. from irate X210,7110g224,:11 I f 211,7511 £2 18,044 R 205,940 lteeeipla (ream - cults and v.lserrfage 11,502 5.1150 3,801; 5,184 8,0E 1 4 Daimler , from for liner half-year 1,2 3 01 1.415 3,218 1,470 1,1511 —. G rOl4B reecipts 215,2921 120,15 4 9 2:e1,883 250.170 273.004 --- . We irking P %posies 73.3011 el .48r . , t49.3e9 145,93:,, I I 11i,N4 7 Duty. rates, anti Wes Rents and lolls - - Mortgage , nacres' 21,9418 113,•2:1 :II ISO 31,191 3r..21,7 l'refereneo diva. 97,8!0 1 2; mete 211 tan 41, 188 2;.141 - ; ,------.--- ---- - - lirosS ex penditurel 11470.15 159,7 II 0 11'0 i. 1112 1; 4.g4 I I Mil , ri.: '4 Dividends on ordi - Murry staxl .. (a ) 60,927 1111.234 83,1a41 73.8511, 143,0:e I Milano , to next 474 1.1.11. car 4 215,2108 229,11/04 214,5 01 3 1150,17 , 1 273,118 Illvirlen , k for £'l alegre3 (a) 14s. &I. Dm. \ Doi. ins. lea, t L t ~ f M o rtgage debt _11,111,837 50m,,33; 1,62:L 1 1Ni I:.; 1111.112ml:1 0 . 4 1 :ft04 :,7: : :;119 1 11,772,1)1 2 Mortgage debt ..11311,x:171 , It will be observed that, although the reeeipts the present. half-year exceed those of ItsM by no less a sum than 21,000/., the dividend paid per share is precisely the same—the working expenses having absorbed the increased receipts to the extent ots t 17,5i10/.—the increase of the mortgage 4 10,1 ing the rest. We hope, at the approaching meetings, the share holders will most strennow ly insist on the closing,. whenever practicable, of the capital accounts. I toil that is done, we defy any one to lie able to esti. mate the real value of railway • We observe with satit‘ h ex this year made a m ove in the rig , by throwing out every bill which provided for the mixed gauge. This will in some measure check those wars of the gauges which have been attended W*) such ruinous consequenees to the companies and in convenience to the public. We believe the law expenses of the North-Westent line average about 1,00111. per week—the Great Western probably as much. Let the shareholders calculate what they would gain were this sum dibled amongst them in the shape of dividends, and what they lose in the price their stook would bear in the open market. We hear that a very sotisfactory trattie