The Sun. — London, England, 1855-12-15 00:00:00

7 ,__________ , MONEY MARKET AND COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. CITY, Two O'CLOCK. In the Liverpool Cotton Market yesterday there was a quiet but steady demand at previous prices. The sales were estimated at 7,000 bales, of which 1,000 were for export. Fair Uplands were quoted 5d., fair Mobile 61, and fair Orleans 6/d. per lb. The Railway Share Market closed flatly, at a decline on Thursday's prices. The Bank of England return, completed to the 9th inst., presents some important changes, but it is not considered unsatisfactory. As regards the bullion, there is rather a large diminution, but this was to an extent expected. In the private de posits there is a diminution, owing to the active demand for money which bas prevailed, and the preparations made for loan instalments and East Indian Railway Company's extension capital. The other securities were lessened considerably ; and this is a favourable feature, as it proves the prompt liquidation of outstanding bills, and a d minution in the advances required. Active Circulation Decrease Bullion .... £18,680,340 394,745 11,079,578 147,529 3,193,028 7,440 4,416,231 Decrease Rest. Increase Public Deposits Decrease Other Deposits Decrease ...• Seven-Day and other Bills Increase Government Securities Decrease Other Securities Decrease Notes unemployed Increase 23,358 11,719,]80 515,608 923,444 40,150 10,264,376 11,104 18,141,269 727,488 5,759,185 253,700 Intelligence from the Foreign Bourses reports an improved tendency at Vienna and Madrid, while that of Paris is dull and heavy. The Aus trian Funds at Vienna have been in demand at a rise of f in the 41 per Cents., and Railway Scrip has risen 3i florins. Bank Shares are a shade lower, and the exchanges on London and Paris rising. - At Madrid the Spanish Stocks are buoyant, at 34 95 for the Internal Debt, and 20 95 for New Deferred. It was stated, on the Bourse, that the Government had refused the offer of a loan of 500 million reals at 6 per cent., which had been made by the petitioners for tho concession to form a new bank on the plan of the Credit Mobilier of France. On the Paris Bourse the fluctuating state of business continues. The 3 per cent. Rentes yes terday fell 15c. for money, and 35c. for the ac count ; and the 4t Stock 45c. for money, with no quotation for the account. In the face of the fa vourable bank returns, all kinds of shares are heavy, at the previous quotations ; and some of the Railway Stocks have fallen. The terms on which the proposed new Russian Loan of 50 million roubles will be contracted are announced as follows :—The interest of 5 per cent to be paid at Berlin, Amsterdam, and Hamburg on two coupons in April and October of each year, and the principal to be repaid by instalments at stated periods, commencing in 1858 and ending in 1875. The Russian Government to have the pri vilege of redeeming all the scrip in circulation at any time. Accounts from Madrid state that the floating debt of Spain has been reduced 124,798,038 reals during the six months ending the Ist December, by the wise measures of the Minister of Finance ; a sum equal to about 20 per cent. on the gross amount of the debt on the Ist June. English Securities have ruled rather firmer to day, as there is a more confident feeling in respect to the condition of monetary affairs. This has been produced by the facility with which the Turkish instalment was provided yesterday, and the expec tation that the payment on the Consols Loan nex Tuesday will be easily effected. Consols have been about 881 to / all day, although at one period they were nearly buyers at the latter quo tation. Rather an unfavourable impression was created by the statement that the Russians had demanded an unconditional surrender of Kars, but its influence on prices was immaterial. Ex chequer Bills were 7s. discount, and India Bonds 26. discount. The New 3 per Cents. ruled at 88i to 89, and the Reduced 881 f. Consols for special transfer havd been 891. In Foreign Stocks there has been no activity, but they have generally supported firm quotations. Turkish 6 per Cents. have ruled quiet at 831, and the New Scrip has remained at 3 discount. Spanish 3 per Cents. have been 39i, and ditto Passive 7i, Portuguese 4 per Cents. are 46i, and Mexican 19k. Russian Five per Cents. have shown increased weakness, the price being 95 to 96/. Nothing has been done in Dutch Bonds ; but Brazilian Small Bonds have been marked 99k, the Four-and a-Half per Cants. 91E, and the Five per Cents. (1829) 98i. The following are the nominal prices of foreign stocks Grenada Deferred Bonds, 6.4 to 7 ; Mexican, 192 to 19Z- ; Peruvian, 74 to 76 ; ditto Three per Cents., 52 to 54; Portuguese Four per Conte., 44 to 46 ; Spanish New Deferred, 20i to ; ditto Three per Cents., 39/ to ; ditto Certifi cates, 4k to ; ditto Passivo, 7to Railway Shares have ruled steady, but quiet. The Great Northern are higher. In the other lines the variation has been unimportant. Foreign and Colonial lines have mostly been at nominal rates. In Mining Shares no change has occurred. The Banking Shares have brought full rates, and the Miscellaneous generally have ruled steady. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. ( From the Oficial List.) Business done. 3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities........ BBi 3 per Cent. Consols Annuities Shut S 9 New 3 per Cent. Annuities India Bonds, £lOOO Ditto, under £lOOO 2 d Consols for Account ~ 881 i Exchequer Bills, 24d. £lOOO . £too 5 1 Ditto Bonds, 1858, 36 per Cent 9B A 74 1850 tf ...... 98 7/ PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK. Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Ditto Small Ditt• New, 1852, 41 per Cent. Ditto New, 5 per Cent., 1829 and 1839 9Bi Rezican 3 per Cent. Portuguese Bonds, 5 per Cent., Con. 1841 Ditto 4 per Cent 46i Russian Bonds, 5 per Cent., 1822, St.,, 951 6} Swinish Bonds, 3 per Cent Ditto Passive Turkish Bonds, 6 per cent Ditto for tho Account 832 Ditto New Scrip, 4 per Cent. Ditto Account 3 d Dividends on the above payable in London. TWO O'CLOCK. Consols BB4 20 5 20 18 20 20 10 10 18 17i 20 20 20i 20A -LOO 20i 100 20 20 20 20 20 31i 10 20 1 20 16 20 20 —LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day.) LONDON, Dec. 15.—Wind this day at noon W. , • light breeze and mild weather. RAMSGATE, Dec. 14.—Wind W. to W.S.W.—Arrived —Jenny, from Hartlepool, for Bombay. PORTSMOUTH, Dec. 14.—Wind N.W. —Arrived—Wm. Jackson (tpt.), from Gibraltar. COWES, Dec. 11.—Wind W.—Arrived, Raleigh, from Callao. PLYMOUTH, Dec. 14.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Lady Peel, from Dalhousie; H.M. S. Magicianne, Elsinore. (PER ELECTRIO TELEGRAPH.) SOUTHAMPTON, Saturday Morning. Arrived.—Purveyor and Hopewell, from Swanage ; James and John, Newport • Despatch, steamer, Jersey; Charlotte, Guernsey ; Comet, Caen. Sailed.—Pet, for Newport ; Wonder, steamer, Jersey ; Themis, Shields; Atalanta, steamer, Havre; DeTonshire, Swansea. LIVERPOOL, Saturday Morning. Wind W.N.W. Arrived.—Fox, from Malaga; Tiiniatoria, Buenos Ayres ; Elinsa, Gallipoli; Folita, 13ilb oa. - Bailed.—Cintra, for Lisbon. DUBLIN, Dec. 14. Wind W.N.W. Arrived.—Lubec, from Trieste; Harmonia, Amsterdam; Minerva, Bordeaux. (BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TEL/CORAER.) DEAL, Saturday, 9.13 a.m. Wln 1 ligbt. Passed.—Palmyra, from London, for the Cape of Good Hope. Anchored.—Lydia, from London, for Bombay. s►ailed.—Piquot, for London ; Caroline, screw steamer, for the Crimea. THE SON, LONDON, SA.TITMDA EvigNiNG, DECEMBEA 15, 1855; SHARE MARKETS. (THIS DAY.) RAILWA YS. a".ll,7Ari. Olpoing Prlcai yesterday. B minus dors this day. 10 , 1 t‘berleen 8: Ambg. Nottng. Bost and Eastn.. Junot all Belfast Ballymena all Birming. \Volvo rh Stour V5.11. , y ......... 29 Birl eihd. Lanesl.. dr Cheshire Junet all Do. Cherh. & Birk., £5O and £25 Cons. 19 Do., £2O all myth PiTyna origin& £25 (iced. at £4Fy 100 Bristol and Exeter... 100 Caledonian. ....... ils. Cum. and Caidigan al. Chester & Holyhead. all Cork and Bandon... all Cork, Black, & Pass 18 Cornwall all Do. A Do. B i eS Junction lindrEelfastJune. DUD. P. at Ab+,r. Jnc. Do. New East Anglian Eastern Counties Fart. Union, A SO De., B. Stool Do., New A East Kent East Lancashire Edinburgh& Glasgow Edinb. and Peebles.. Edin. Prth Dur Forth & Clyde Jtn ;. Furness. Do. Extension.. Glasgow /ID S. West • , • - • Great N. of Scotind. Great Northern 100 100 100 130 1 100 100 all 141 ' 100 Do., A. Stock Do., B. Stock Gt. Sth. &West.(lre ) Great Western Do. Stour Val. Rail Gua. Stk Irish South-Es s Lorn Lancaster & Carlisle Do., Thirds Do. New Thirds Lancash. andlrork s: D,., Wet. Riding Un Liv.eraby.&Soutlipt London & Blackwnl Loud. Bright & Lend. and N. Weetn. Do. Paths Do.IOZ. 'Do. Eighths.. London andS. Westn Do., £59 Do., a£4o Ludndrry& Clol era i Lndadrrr. & Enn:sk ganch .Sner. & Linch Do. i Shares, No. I Do. Man. & Lin. Un getrop olitan Midland 100 i )o. & Dori)) all kfidld. G. 'West. (I re, all Do. Half Shares gll :feweastle&; Carlisle all Nwpt.Aberg. &HIV 8 Newry &Enniskillel all Newry Warreapoinl And Rostrevor ...... 100 lorfolk. all all an 100 20 100 100 31 le . 17i all all lorthn.Countios U n North 8riti5h,,,,.,.. , North Devon, No. 1 Do No. 2 16 00 LOO 21i Do.. A Deferred Do., B Guarantee, N.stern—Berwiek Do. do. Extension Do.do. G.N.E. 'tura to. Leeds Do. York North London N .&S.Wstrn. ,Hamp stead , and City Jn,. North Staffordshire North Western N. S. Westrn. June Nuneaton, Hinckley and Leicester Ox, Wore.. & Wolv. ' Portsmouth SLe. - ,Lish .3cottishhildiaud ihropshire Un'on South Devon "oath Eastern South Wales . -•• • • 3. Yrksh. d Riv. Do itaines, Wok. &Wok tockton & Darlin, itoekton ds Hartlepl Pau' Vale Do. Plef., No. 1... rhamea flay. P.& R. lilverstone & Lancs Vale of Neath Waterfd. & Kilkenny Waterford&Limerick West Cornwall West End of London and Crystal Palace Do. A Do. B West London.— Wimbledn & Croydon 1 FOR Antwerp&Rottardara Do. 5 p. c. Obl,gs. con. in Sh. at par till '64 Ardennes Belgian Eastn. June. Beziers to Graiasessa , Bombay, Baroda , and Central I ndia,Serli Do. Demerara Dutch Rhenish - Eastern of France IDo. New East Indian, g. 5 p. c Do. Ertension.... Do. do. do., '59, do Gd. lik of CanadaA iQ Do. St. Lawrence & Atlantic do. Do. Cert. of Deben. con. into Stk. till '6l Do. Comp. 6 p. c., do Gt. Ccutral of Frane , Gt, Indian Peninsula guar. 5 per cent..., Do. New 5 per cent Po. Extensions...... Great Luxembourg Constituted Share Do. Obligations Gt. Western of Canad Shares Do. New Do. Bds., payable's7, with option till '55 Do. do., '62, p. '56 Do. do., '76, p. '6O Do. do., '73, without option Hamilton & Toro n t o , Do. 6 per cent. Lake Const. & Basle Lierre and Turnhout Lyons and Genova Lyons di Mediterran. iadras Do. New Maria Antonia Do. do. New Namur di Liege (with interest) Do. (ex interest) Northern of France D0.20/.Shs Do. 20/. 3 p. o Bde (fmy.B.drAms.Shs.) NorwegianTrunkPre t Paris and Lyons Ditto Bouds Paris and Orleans Paris and Rouon... ParisCaen & Cliorbrg I Do 'Rome and Frasoati Ronan and Havre Royal Danish Royal Swedish . ..... „ Do. Obligations Sambre and Ileum !Do. 5i p. cont. Prof Sci ode Do !Southern of Franoe.. I St. Andrew's and Quebec (A) West Flanders IDo 5. per c. Pref ,Western of France Do Zealand JOINT-S' kuetralasia Bank of London Bri. Col. Bk.&Ln. C. British N. American. Chart& Bank of Asia Chrtd. Buk. of India, Australia, & China] City Colonial Commercial of Loud ] Eng, Scot. & &us. Cht Lond. Chart. Bk. of Australis Ditto New Irndon and County LocUcE. Bukg. Corp London Joint Stock. Loud. & Weaminster National Pro.of Eng. Do. New National Ireland New South `Vales Oriental Bank of Corporation 'rovincial of Ireland Do. New Royal Australn. kg Or•i! CO. , .royal .ioutli Australia Union of Australis— Do. New Uni9ll 9. London ~! 22 - 31 - ... -- ~. 7i - 8 16 - 15 13 - 14 9 - 8 79 - 81 541 - 64, ii. 7. 12 .•. 64 - 11 - 12 8i -8. 27 29 17 - 19 CBf 69. 51, 9k —c) 16i 17 • •• • 77 - 79 6} - 7 88 - 89 73 - 75 120 - 122 102 - 104 50k•- 51 70 - 75 6 - 7 6 - 7 p 76} - 77} 6 61 94 96 93i —94 i ld 1 3 65 F 6 7 i — 6/ 6 5 22,E - Z 3 4 - id 64i 64 36 38 ... 1 7 ii 28§ 29, 67j -68 i 84 7id 5 4an 12 441 45i 92 97 8a 4 4i 5i 22 - 24 100 102 72 • 11' ' 311 513 X .574, • —31 i 5 2d you 34 - ••• -- ~ 13 20 ... - ... 4 - 6 :lON. 7i -- 3 3 --, 2id 2i par v 1 - iit 31/ -35 i 9 - 10 p 203 - 21 i - i r, •• • 8 •• 9i - i 4 15} -16 A GO 65 80 - 85 3 -31 p 5 51 id -- iP 31 - 3i 2i - 3 23i - 241 -24 p 98 - 100 115 - 119 116 120 104 107 22}- 23i 112 - 117 so, ••••• ... - • 6 - r 9 , 2 - 3 4 - -4/ 354 12 - 45 - 4 -51 ii - ii ... pin 18i -- 19 2 -- 4 2 i 2i 2$ -- 84 - 8 i....... i p ••• ." - pm ••• ...... ••• 31 - 4 ... d 294 - 30 18 - 19 1.11 BANKS. 91 -- :-.3 54 - 56 • •• .... ••• ii = i-d 62 7 64l ••• ... 16i -1 6 i 16 -- 17 4 3d par ---. 2p 1,. ...... ... '''' "'" .4.• 36 33 - 39 53 - 54 ... ••••• ... ,• 40 - 42 73 - 75 8 - 9 30 E 81 1 , 11 , 1E8 FfX tti) I'AJ4.' U=V7ATE; 14,4sim Compan C tOotac , rrle. ester !ay. Bedford and Blotchley ... Buckgliarusli. ClydesdaleJc. Col. Stour Vy. Sud. and Hal. F. i.in. r. 6 pc E. Un. 11. Sh. Glas. Barr. & Neils. Direct Do. New 0 lstr.ds Dn. Fr Tlrtlpl. Dk. & Railway Hull & Selby Do. Shares. Do. Shares. Lon. & Greenw Do. Preferen re Lon. , Til., & S. Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent. Do. 6 per et. Manch. Bxtn. and Di - afloat Middlasbro' & Redcar ?rfidld.Bradfd Newmarket Bury Eaten N.& Est.s p. c. Do. 6 near et. Do. Fixeds p Prost. & R yre Do. Stirs. A Roystn.& Hit. Shef.Roth.and Gooleg.s p.c. Shrews. &Her S. Staffordsh. Wear Valleygr 6 per cent Do Wiltse;omrst PREFE Aberdeen Do. N 0.2, 7 p. c. Rlyth andTy ir - 3 I 0 pel c. pref. (issd. at 501 \ & Ex. 4 p. c. St. Do. 4 p. c. Shares Caledonian £lO Chester & Holyhee Guar. 63 per cent.. Do. do. Pref. No. 2 Do. do. Pref. No. 2 Cork dtßandonsip.c Duu.Prth .dt Aber. J E. Anglian Cls. A Sit Do. do. Cls. B 6 p. c. I Do. do Cis. C 7 p. c. Eastern Counties Ex tension, 5 p. c. No. 3 Do. No. 2 Do. New 6 p. c. St. East Un., G. 6 p. c Do. 51., 0 per cent. Do. 111. Debentr.Sh. Do. do. 4 per cent_ East Lanea4.. 6 p.ets r.s z W. York. J. sths I Ed, Prth.&Dun.4p.c I Furness GI as. k S.W. G. 5 p.c. Great Northn. 5 p. e Do. 5 p. 0. Redeem. at 10 p. c. prom Do. 4i p.c Do. 5 p.c. Scrip, Red At 5 p. c. pm.., 10 St. 20 50 all 100 10 6 St. 124 124 10 100 100 100 100 100 100 all all 10,? 100 100 20 12 25 20 St. 100 all all 100 all all 1 i all !E SHARES. 107 - 104 - 80 - 83 90 - 92 93 - 95 15 - 16 • .• '. N s -s • .• ''. P - IF i~# Fl :: 5.6 'll3 - 115 105 - 107 99 -- 101 M.N. of Scot. 14Pre qt. S. !rW. (Ireland) Do. 4 per c. Prof. ST Gt. Westn. (Borks Tints Ex . 5 p. o) po. con, red. 4. p.c 7n. con. red. 4 p. c Do. irred., 4p. a..,. Do. Birni. Pref. Sh Do. Chester 8 p. c.P.S. De. do. 5 p. c. do ' Do. Birm, Gna. Stk D. Ches. Gua. Sh Do, do. do ii p 94 ar i i 6 61 85 87 78 82 78 82 9f 9i 11 161 9i 10 66 63 17 18 8i 9 134 id 130 132 Do. do. do Lan. & York. F. XV' Do. 6 p. o. Stock Lon. &Brie]. G. 5 p.c Do. Pref., 5 p. et. St Do. New Guar.6 p. c Do. do. 5 per cent, Lon. &N. W., Coy. 6 Nuneaton 5 p. at Lon.& S.W. 7 per ct Londy. & Color. ISh Londy. &Ennis. Sh Man., Shof., & 'n. Now, £lO Do. X 6 kfarypt.& Carl. 4 p e Do. 4i per cent Do.. Mid. Consol.6 p.c.St Do. Consol. Bristol & Birm. 6 per cent , Do. 4i p. c. Pref. St Pref. 4i per cen Do. W. Pref. 4 p. 0 Ditto L. & H. Pref. Si Norfolk Debenture 'Do.Prof. 4 p. a. Stoc; Do. 5 p. a. Ext De. Si per ct. pref Do. Way. Val. 5 p. c INorth British N. E. Berw, 4 p.c. P Do. do. do Do Leeds 6 p.c tNo 1 Do. do. Quarters 4' Do. York El.& S. Pur. North Staffordshire., Oxford, Worcester, A Wolverh.Xls, 6 p.c Bo R. Prof. 10/. Sh. Scot. Cent. ,New Prof South Devon - Do. fixed, 4i per cent S. Eastern (Reading Ann.) of £1 Os. 6d. Do. Pi per cent Do. Fixed 4i p e sh S. Wales Gua. 4 p. c Do. d 0.4 p. c S.Yorksh.4p.c.Gnar Stock.& Dar., 5 p. c Do. do. do Stock. & Hartl. g. 5 p. c. till July 1, '56 IWatertd.& Kilk. 6 pc 121 -12 i I - iP ... - ... ••• -- ... 4i 130 - 132 91 - 93 li - li 4 - 46 97 - 99 8 -9G 21 - 34 ~.• "• i id 93 - 96 13 14 id Par 214 22& Ei - 9i ... .. m ..P ••• - •• i - lir ... 4 " ••• 21 —21 d, MINES. 1 all &gaa Fria 1 all .nglo Austrin. Gold 10s. all ,Auglo Californian — 20 6 Australian 1 all Australian Cordillera ... 1 all Ave Marie 1 all Baden (Gd.Duely 50 all Blamarron Iron and Coal 20 14 British Iron .......... . 4 6 35 26 Bmzilianlmp.(issued at f.:5 pm.) 30 all Do. Co-mes & Cuiab, 21 3 20 15 Do. St. John Dolltey 31) —32 1 j 4 Clarendon Cons. Min, Co. of Jamaica Ad lP 40 all Cobre Copper 64 68 5 1 Colonial Gold — St. all Copper Min. of Eng 30 35 25 all Do. Pref. 71 p. cent. 2d par ... le Copiapo l9 20 2 14 Fortuna — 20 all General l4 — l6 1 all Gt•Nugget,Veinßeg I 44 all Great Polgooth . l4 24 5 all Gt Wheal Vor United 1 - id 1 all Liberty - 3 all Linares 74 74 5 14 Lusitanian p 1 all Niariquita . 1 all Now Granada 1 all Nouveau Monde N all Pontgiband Silver Lead Min. & Smelt. 5 1 Port Philip — 1 all 'uartz Rock 50 all Rhymney Iron 2O 22 224 15 all Do. New 6 8 30 134 Santiago de Cuba 4i 4i 1 all South Australian 4 1 all Do. Scrip. 1 4 Do. 10 per cent Prof 10 I 9 tin Croft .... ......... 41 28i all United Mexican 4 4i 41 1 all Waller 1 all West Mariposa # 1 12s. Wortking Mining of Australia edl Yuba • ••• MISCELLANEOUS. 25 19 Australian Agrictilt. 28 30 le all Australn. Royal Maii 10 81 Berlin Water Works 64 74 50 40 Brit. American Land 50 55 100 '321 Canada l4O 145 St. 1.00 Canada Gov. 6p. ct Jan. ana .7aly lO9 110 110 5 all Crystal. Palace 24 24 24 5 5 Do. Prefcr awe.. . 44 5 4t 4 all Crystal Pal. of Franc. 1 4 Duston Tron Ore ..„ 20 11 Eastern Steam • •• 5 all En.&Aus Cop Sm Co if 11 25 24 Electric Telegraph 2O 21 1 all Electric Teleg. of Ir „„ 5 all Gon. Iron Se Collier 15 14 Gen. Steam Navigat. IL‘ all General Screw Steam ... 154 20 10 Irish Beetroot Sup; 20 10 Magdalena St. Nay. g 10 all Mediteran. Elec. Tel. 8 10 10 9 Mexican&S.Amcricn. 54 64 1 all Nat. Pat. Steam Fue 10 5 Netherlands Land._ 1 1i 10 all Do. Do. 2 3 5 1 Do. Sp c P iss at 1 d dis— par 2 1 N. S. W. Coal &Inter. Steam Navigat. Co. 100 80 New B. &N. S. Lend .„. 1 all 'N. B. Australasian 4 20 15 Nrth. of Europe Steam 1 all Oriental Gas — 14 1 2e. Do. " New Shares " L all Peel Rr. Ld. & Minrl. 24 2i 24 5C all Peninsular& Orient .a 654 s') 10 Do. New . ...p 14 2 all Portland Iron Co ..„ 100 60 Royal Mail Steam ,„ 1 all Scot. Austral. Invest. 11 11 pit a Sr, A, all south Auscral.une. 6 68' I Submar. Tel. Scrip 1 all Do. Registered. 20 5 Trust& L.Co.U.Can. Wit 284. yan Diommeil lAnd 1 5 4 fr.: 16i , _ London Zzi N. Wo , t. L. AtN.W. Caledon, E. Un. 14 E. C Gt.Nrton E. Count Csldonian Do Cat. Westn Yk. Now. & Borw. Y. &NM I Do., Do.. S. Easton Do 1 Peto & Co. Norfolk Do L.& N. W. & Midkl. Stckton & Darlingt. En. Coun. E. Count. Do Do L. kN.W Do I at Northn , Lancash & Yorksh. T. Brassey hi. hiClean Stockt. Darlingt. D 0........ . ltW estn. 90 - 93 91 - 98 131 - ••• ...... r • iii : 1,56 121 --- 13. U 0 115 2} - 24 ii - ii par io 55 07 • • • ''''' 128 -132 - 3i - 2i I 30 - 31 80 - 85 Bitaincas this day, F . ir-z?"!, . . ! . • ,•..3) 14 1 rj V l,l s 41Y 4 2 4 0 it 4. SUN OFFICE, Six o'clock. SPAIN. MADRID, Dec. 8.--The state of parties hero makes it generally believed that Ministerial modi fications will shortly take place, but there is no talk of either Espartero or O'Donnell leaving the direction of affairs at present. To-day is the festival of the Conception, and the first anniversary since the immaculate concep tion of the Virgin Mary has been proclaimed as a dogma of faith by the Pope ; it is always kept as a close holiday, but is to be celebrated to-day with more than usual pomp. The Cortes are occupied with details of the army estimates. They adjourned last evening till the 10th, not choosing to sit to-day, and to-morrow being Sunday. There was no Boise, to-day. POLICE INTELLIGENCE—(This Day, THAMES. FIRST AND SECOND COUSINS DIAY LEGALLY MARRY. —A popular delusion has long prevailed in England that first cousins may marry, and that second cousins cannot marry, and an equally absurd idea seems to prevail amongst the ignorant recently, that second cousins can marry and that first cousin% cannot do so. The fallacy of both opinions were decided by Mr. Ingham this morning. A respectable woman, the wife of Mr. Slowman, an outfitter, in Upper East Smithfield, to whom she has been long married and lived on terms of happiness, en tered the witness-box, and was about to address the magistrate when her agitation and sobs prevented her doing so. She remained for some time crying, until Mr. Ingham requested her to compose herself, and not being able to do so begged of her to wait upon him again when she was leas agitated. After a pause Mrs. Slowman said, " pray sir, cau first cousins marry ?" Mr. Ingham--That is an odd question. I have a no tion they can. Mrs. Slowman said she was married to her first cousin and her husband's brother:had stepped between them and happiness, and said the marriage was not legal. Mr. Ingham—lt is perfectly right and legal, be as sured of that. Mrs. Slowman—My brother-in-law says my husband is not bound to support me. Mr. Ingham—A; will find his mistake out if your husband repudiates you or turns you out of doors. You are tho lawful wife of your husband, and he is bound to maintain you. Mrs. Slowman thanked the magistrate, and left the court much happier than when she entered it. A smart and interesting young woman next entered the witness box, and, holding down her head and blush ing, said, "If you please, sir, my young man," and then stopped. Mr. Ingham—Well, what of your young man ? He has not been false to you, I hope ? Applicant—No, sir; but if you please, sir, we want tothe married. (Titters from the men, and sly glances rrotn the women.) __ _ , Mr. Ingham—What impediment is there to the mar. riage ?._ . Applicant—Please, sir, we aro second cousins ; and people say it is not right for second cousins to marry, and that if I marry him it will be unlawful. Mr. Ingham—A marriage between second cousins of the opposite sexes is perfectly lawful. You can go and marry your second cousin as soon as you like. Applicant—Thank you, sir. lam so glad. (Laughter.) The anxious fair one then hurriedly left the court, concealing a very pretty face as she best could with her handkerchief. AMERICAN MAIL PACKETS. GENERAL POST OFFICE, Dec. 1855.—The Weekly Mail Service to and from North America by the British contract packets will be resumed on the lot Jan. next. Commencing with the packet to be dispatched from Liverpool to Boston on Saturday, the sth Jan., these packets will sail from Liverpool, as formerly, every Saturday throughout the year, proceeding alternately to New York and Boston, and calling on her voyage to the latter place at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The United States' mail packets will sail every Wed nesday, alternately from Liverpool and from Southamp ton, proceeding on each occasion to New York. In exception to the above rule, and to enable the con tractors to re-arrange the service, the mails of Wednes day, the 9th January, will be conveyed from Liverpool by a British packet, and the mails of Saturday, the 12th January, will be conveyed from Liverpool by a United States' packet. ROWLAND HILL, Secretary. WELLS ELECTION. TUE CORRUPT PRACTICES PREVENTION ACT. This act, one of Lord John Russell's last attempts to stave off the ballot, was recently tried at the election for Wells, with what success will be seen from what follows. The committee of the Society for promoting the Adoption of the Ballot mado inquiry into the working of the act, and have obtained information from a trust worthy source, which we here publish. The answers to the questions throw considerable light on the " com bination of secret influences" to which Mr. Serjeant Kinglake ' in his farewell address to the electors, attri butes his defeat. BRINERT AND INTIMIDATION ACT, 1354. Q. 1. Is there any reason to believe that money bribery, treating, or any other corrupt means were used at the late election for Wells, and if so, to what extent ? A. To a considerable extent. Q. 2. Have any tenants, tradesmen, or other parties whose ♦otes at former elections have been controlled by their landlords, customers, &c., voted against them at the late election for Wells A. None that I am aware of. Q. S. If so, de you think the new rribery and Inti• midation Act enabled them to vote more independently? A. I believe not. Q. 4. Was the election screw used as usual in the canvass ? A. Yes. A fatal accident took place on the Eastern Counties Railway yesterday, by which a man, named Fisher, lost his life. The poor fellow vas crushed between the buffers of two carriages. Mr. John Cowling, the eminent barrister, died last Wednesday at his residence at Albemarle-street. His death was quite unexpected. SOCIETY FOR EATING HORSEFLESH. --There is being formed at P a ris a soc i e t y of econom i sts , naturalists, and hardy gourmands, having for aim the introduction of of horse flesh into the category of butchers' meat. Tull ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH-KENT RAILWAY. The adjourned examination of the switchman, Lawrence Beattie, took place at Greenwich. The prisoner was fully committed for trial. TILE BILLETING SYSTEM,—Yesterday a deputation from the licensed victuallers of Bristol bad an interview with Lord Panmure to urge upon his lordship the neces sity of adopting some means to abate the hardship the present system entailed upon them. His lordship told the deputation he would do all he could to comply with their request. The Australian man-of-war screw steam-sloop Vic toria has gone into dock at Southampton, in conse quence of some damage done to her rudder and screw. Two steam-packet companies have sent in tenders to the Government for the conveyance of the Cape of Good Hope mails. One of the companies who have sent in a tender is the General Screw Steam Packet Company. The Chowringhee, an emigrant ship, which left Esig land with Australian emigrants in July last, was spoken with on the 4th of September, about 900 miles from the Cape of Good Hope. MlNER.—Mining shares have been in the ascendant again this week, and a very large b u siness transacted. The demand for dividend stocks continues, and to oh tain them high prices are given. --Mining Journal of this day. RISE Or RENTS IN SCOTLAND. —Most of the farms on the estate of Lord Panrnure having just run out of lease farmers have come forward and taken new leases at greatly increased rentals. All the other farms of Scot land the leases of which are running out are being re taken at rents in som e cases nearly double th e fi gures formerly paid. The wages of farm labourers have also advanced. LONDON AND MIDDLESEX ARCILEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. —The inaugural meeting of this society was held yester day, at Crosby-hall, the Rev. Thos. Hugo in the chair. Lord Londesborough, who was to have presided, was prevented from doing so, in consequence of his lordship labouring under an attack of bronchitis. The Marquis of Salisbury and the Lord Mayor were also unavoidably absent. The business of the meeting consisted almost passing the rules for the future govern exclusively in ment of the society. WRECEi OF THE DUTCH BRIG Erasa..—Advices re ceived at Lloyd's, from Ramsgate, contain intelligence of the total loss on the Long Sand, of the Dutch brig Elisa, Captain Viersma, of A msterdam, wh ile on' her voyage from Newcastle to Charleston. The oaPtain and crew, 11 in number, escaped in the jolly-b oa t , and were din covered at 8,45 a.m., on the 13th, by the schooner Har riet, Captain Stone , of Sandwich, which i mme di ate l y bore down and received the unfortunate men on board, and landed them at Ramsgate. THE ACCIDENT ON THE ICS IN ST. JAMES'S PARK.— Between two and three , s o clock yesterday the icemen succeeded in dragging out of the water a third body, which has since been identified as a son of Mr. Crane, a carpenter, 50, King-street, Long-acre. Owing to the numerous inquiries made at the Royal Humane Society's tent in the same park, it in the opinion of Mr. Deputy Superintendent Parsons that three or four other persons must have perished by the breaking of the ice on Thurs day a fternoon. UThe head-quarters of the Royal Sappers and Miners, from Woolwich, are xpected to arrive on Saturday (this day) at Chatham, to occupy the huts prepared for 525. Contracts were entered into on Wednesday at the Royal William Victualling-yard, Plymouth, for the supply of 3,000 quarters of wheat, viz ;—Messrs. Collier Brothers, 1,000 quarters, at 80s. per quarter ; Messre. Fream, Dawe, and Serpell, 1,000 quarters, at 795. 9d., and 500 quarters, at 795. per quarter ; Messrs. Fox, Sons, and Co., 200 quarters, at 80s. p er q u arter ; and Messrs. John Bowden and 0., 300 quarters at 795, 9d. pu quarter. THE, GUARDS AND THE LINE. The relative positions of the Guards and the Line are thus described by a professional corres pondent, whose letter appeared in the Daily News . yesterday : " For many years past the Foot Guards have had the greatest passible privileges in the way of promotion. A young lad who, fresh from Eton, Harrow, or any other ' school, obtains a commission ris ensi.gn in the Guards, becomes ipso facto a lieutenant in the army, and can, and often does, exchange with an o ffi cer o f th e Li ne o f the latter rank. Now, when we consider that until the war broke out there were in many Line regiments en signs and cornets of four, five, and six years' standing, —I remember a cornet in the 7th Hussars who, although he had plenty of money, and was always ready to pur chase, remained in that rank eight years,—when we re member that even now, in corps serving in the colonies and in India, there are ensigns and cornets of two, three, and four years service, this start in the race for promotion which the Guards obtain ought to satisfy those most greedy of patronage. But this is only the commencement of their advantages. At every step as they advance. a like double promotion is granted them. Thus a lieutenant in the Guards becomes by that very rank a captain in the army ; while their captains have the rank of lieutenant-colorels, and can exchange with that rank into the Line. Before the commencement of the war—l copy from a table made out and given me ten years ago in India by a very gallant Guardsman and brave soldier, who lost his life in battle, the late Major Fitzroy Somerset—the average time which an officer of the Foot Guards took to obtain the rank of lieutenant colonel was 13 years ; while in the Line—taking cavalry and infantry together, and considering only those who had money to purchase—the came rank upon au average required 25 years to arrive at. Thus the Guardsman got the start by no less than 12 years in the race for the ma jor-general's epaulets. Take up the Army List, and see in the names of general officers the result of this system. Although there are but seven battalions of Foot Guards, while there are 23 regiments of cavalry and about 110 battalions of infantry, the general officers who have risen from the household brigade are as numerous as those who have gone through the various grades in the Line taken altogether. Of these the great majority are all men who, as regimental officers in the Guards, were never above the rank of mere captains ; but, having the double army rank, they jumped from the command of companies to be general officers. Take one instance out of many : —One of these favoured persons, the Hon. Ger. Anson, was 29 years ago a captain in the Guards and a lieutenant-colonel in the army. The only regimental duty he ever did was as a lieutenant in the Guards and a captain in the army. From the very day of his promo tioa he retired upon half-pay, and continued a gentleman at large for 27 years, when he was given the command of the whole of the Madras army, and is now made Commander-in-Chief of all India "For many years the officers of the Line grumbled at the enormous advantages Guardsmen had over them. Veterans who bad fought their way from ensign to lieu tenant-colonel in every part of the globe— who had done duty in Canada, the West Indies, India, and the Cape— who had always been ready and willing to purchase their various steps-found themselves superseded as major generals by men who bad entered the service a dozen years later, and had never dune a day's duty out of Lon don. In plain English, to enter and rise through the Guards was a premium upon idleness and want of mili- ary experience. I do not say that there have not been good solders and brave men in these corps, but they have risen in spite of, not by, the system pursued. " Last October a year a new warrant respecting pro motion in the Line was promulgated to the army. Among other reforms was one which allowed all officers who bed served three years on full pay as regimental lieute nant-colonels to have ipso facto the rank of fall colonels in the army. The object of this order was plain enough. It was to do away with a small portion of that measure ef injustice which the Guards had for years inflicted on the Line, and also to give the latter some slight chance in the race for promotion. The privilege was not ex tended to all the captains and lieutenant-colonels of the Guards, although it was greeted to the seniors of that rank in each battalion who act as field officers. " Most people would have thought that the household troops might have been content with the many other ad vantages they enjoy in double rank at every step, and that from mere prudence they would not have commenced an agitation which would call public opinion to the enor mous 'pull' they have over their comrades in the Line. But not so. To do them justice they have tried hard to work the oracle' secretly, and are very angry that the affair had got wind before the affair was made pleasant at the War-office and at Court for the brigade.' Within the last few days they had got up petitions, praying that they mey be—ma r k th e coo l i m p u d ence of ? the sentence —` put upon the same footing as their more fortunate brethren of the Line.' In other words, they request her Majesty so to alter the warrant of October, 1854, that every captain in the Guards—who, remember, is also a lieutenant-eilonel in the army—may, affer serving three years with that rank, and doing the duty of a regimental captain, obtain the rank of full colonel ? The result of this would simply be that Guardsmen would in nine or ten years obtain that which in the Line no officer can hope for under at least 20 years' service, and that only by sticking to his own corps wherever it may be sent. Aid to whom would this boon be granted ? To men brought up in a system calculated less than any other in the whole English army to make officers real soldiers. I have watched both at drill often within the last few months, and I have no hesitation in saying that the officers of the Guards know far less of their parade duties than do those of the Militia. At the guard-mounting at St. James's it is impossible for any man who has served not to observe that only by means of their sergeants prompting them, and not of their own knowledge, the officers of the Guards manage to get through even the every-day well-known routine of giving certain simple words of command. The offioers of these corps never live in barracks with their men, the adjutant alone excepted. I have resided a long time in the neighbourhood of a Foot Guards' bar ' racks, And, except on days of drill or parade, never even saw an officer in the barrack-yard. Officers of the regi ment have themselves acknowledged to me that, owing to the very little duty they did witk their companies, it was almost impossible for the captain to know even the faces of the men he commands ; and as to a knowledge of their tempers, dispositions, habits, &c.—such as is in sisted upon in all infantry and cavalry regiments by colonels who de their duty—that is out of the question. The work which in the line is performed by captains and subalterns in the Foot Guards devolves upon the pay sergeants, while what in cavalry and infantry is the commanding officer's duty is in the Guards done by the adjutant of each battalion. This is a plain and simple truth which no one with any knowledge whatever of the subject can deny. The Guards are gentlemanly fellows and brave men, but as a general—l may say universal— rule they are certainly not soldiers. " If these gentlemen think they have been badly used, and want to be put on the same footing as their more fortunate brethren of the Line,' let them not do the thing by halves. Let them Petition to be placed ex actly, and in all respects, on the standing they envy so much. Let their ensigns be ensigns, their lieutenants hold no higher rank than that, their captains command companies, and their lieutenant-colonels battalions. If this is done— if they consent to commence and con tinue their military career upon an equality with the rest of the army—then. but not until then, will public opinion be in favour of granting them the privilege they now seek." An officer who has served six years in the cavalry, and the same time in the infantry, in a letter to a contemporary, says :—I proceed to make known a few interesting particulars respecting the modus operandi by which the " royal road" to promotion in the English army is entered, and how they fare who travel thereon. Let not Guardsmen complain that the rude hand of "a mere Line officer" has torn aside the veil which hid the sanctuary of their holy spot. They themselves have by their preposterous olaims invited, nay almost challenged, an exposure of what certainly will not stand the light of day. How is an entrance into " the brigade" effected, and by what means do a certain exclusive class of officers obtain, from the very outside of their mili tary career, two steps in promotion for every one that is gained by a comrade in the Line ? Or—to put the case more clearly to civilians—how comes it that if two young men enter the service the same day, the ono going into the Line and the other into the Guards, the latter finds himself a lieutenant colonel about the same time that the former obtains the rank of captain ? The reply is, partly by interest and partly by money. These two form the double hedge by which " the brigade" is kept alike free from the taints of plebeianism and of poverty. First as to interest. In order to enter the Guards, a young man must make application to the colonel of the particular regiment in which he wants a commission. The three colonels of these corps are at present—Prince Albert, Lord Strafford, and the Duke of Cambridge. The Great Duke held for a long time one of these profitable commands, which seem always conferred upon distinguished soldiers. Much interest is re quired before a candidate can even hope to have his name favourably considered for a commission in the Guards, and unless he is the sen of a nobleman, or of a rich commoner with parliamen tary or other good influence, his presuming even to ask for such a favour would be considered little short of insanity. To judge of the great quantity of what Americans call " the upper crust " that exists in " the brigade," any one has but to take up an Army List, and if he is of the " Jeames " or plush " school, let him reverently uncover his head whilst reading the sounding list of handled names. Thus, in the Grenadier Guards, we have no less than one Prince Consort, one German prince of royal blood (son-in-law of a British duke), one younger son of a duke, one ditto of a marquis , one earl, four v i scoun t s , fifteen honourables, one baronet, and fourteen nephews or other near con nexions of peers. In the Coldstreams there are six lords (sons of dukes, marquises, or earls), twelve honourables, two baronets, and eleven near connexions of noblemen. The Scots Fusilier Guards have the Duke of Cambridge for their colonel, two lords, one viscount, ten honourables, and twelve' near connexions of peers amongst their officers. Add these together, and it will be found that in the three regiments there are no less than 8G officers out of about 160—I do not include sur geon 4 or quArtorgostera—qho Aro most deoidodly of " the upper crest" of English aristocracy. When to these we add the very large number of Guardsmen who are sons and nephews of large landed proprietors—scarcely, if all, less exclusive in their ideas than the oldest families of the no bility—it may be fairly allowed that the officers of these corps, with hardly a single exception, belong to what aro termed the "higher classes " of this country. Throughout the Line —cavalry as well as infantry—there was even before the war (and much more so now) in almost every regiment one or two officers who had risen from the ranks. But not so in the Guards. They only allow their meritorious non .commissioned officers to become quartermasters in " the brigade," or have them promoted into Line regiments as rewerds for good conduct: the Guards must ever be kept as exclusive as possible. It is not generally known out of military circles that the Commander-in-Chief of the English army has no more to do with the nominations to or the promotions in the Guards than I have. Although the responsible head of the service, and answerable to Parliament for every appointment made through out the army, Lord .11ardinge has nothing what ever to say to the appointments in " the brigade." These are exclusively in the hands of those three distinguished soldiers, the Prince Consort, the Earl of Strafford, and the Duke of Cambridge—the three colonels of the three regiments, and they alone, order the promotions in these regiments. In short, the Guards are at St. James's considered the cream of the army, therefore not to be mixed up with vulgar milk in any way whatever. As for the interest re quired to obtain an entrance into these corps, it is of the usual description. Noblemen and gen tl e . men who want to get their sons into the Guards, if they do not happen to have -interest with any of the three colonels, manage by some means or other to get at some one who knows a party who is ac quainted with another person who can get an intro duction to the great man. County influence does much, parliamentary interest more, Court patron age most ; and by some means or other—provided the candidate is well connected, of a good family, wealthy, and not smelling too strong of the City— the means attain the wished for end. But money—money is required, and that in plenty. The first COMMIS,RiOII in the Guards, that of ensign in the Guards and lieutenant in the army, costs 1,2001., instead of 4501., as does an ensigncy in the Line ; the next step, that of lieutenant in the Guards and Captain in the army, costs 2,0501.; for the rank ofcaptain in the Guards and lieutenant colonel in the army, 4,8001. has to be paid ; whilst major in the regiment in the Guards, with the rank of colonel in the army, cost 8,3001. ; and to command one of the regiments the price is 9,0001. These, remember, are only " the regulation" prices —the actual money given for each step, is very sel dom less than cue-third more than the sum stated. Thus " the brigade" is most fully protected against the possibility of any save men who can command money obtaining rank or command amongst the officers of its respective corps. By interest and capital combined, young men may enter this fa voured corps, and once in it, the staircase of pro motion is mounted by two steps at a time. It will he said that, granting the officers of the Guards are both of " good" families and are wealthy men, these facts do not prevent their being brave soldiers. I allow that. The Guards fought well at the Alma, and at Inkerman ; so they did at Waterloo, and in the Peninsula ; but not one iota better than other regiments of the English army. If the Guards were officered exclusively by men who had distinguished themselves in other corps—if, for instance, a lieutenant of a regiment serving in India, the Cape, or Australia, distin guished himself greatly, and was for this promoted to be a lieutenant in the Guards, with the rank of captain in the army, and so on throughout the other grades —no one could object to the favoured brigade being thus marked out with the approval of royalty. But when we find that, with the double promotions at every step, the Guards are the only regiments who do not take any share whatever in colonial duty, it becomes really too much of a good joke that these privileges should be continued-- least of all that the boon, which they now have the coolness to ask for, should be granted them. Al ready are the majority of our general officers Guards men, but should the rank of full colonel be granted to each one of that corps who serve for three years in the command of a company, the officers of the Line may bid farewell to the hope of ever rising beyond the command of regiments. The Guards will become to our service what the Staff Corps is to the French army, a certain and almost exclusive stepping-stone to the highest commands. There will, however, be this slight difference, that whereas the French corps d'etat major is composed of per haps the best military educated officers in the world, the English Guardsmen have less profes sional knowledge, and less means of attaining sol dierlike experience than any regiment in Christen dom. To seek for actual service in India or else where, or to enter any regiment except the favoured Guard, will in future be considered an act of mad.- Ross on the part of those who have money and in terest, for it will be throwing away all hopes of advancement, and running the chance of losing health, and perhaps life. The Guardsmen are, however, wise in their generation, for should the boon they ask be granted them—not very likely, I should think—their com missions will be worth nearly twice as much as at present. The purchase of a company in the Guards will be buying that which, after holding for three years, an officer can sell, retire upon half-pay, roam about at his ease for a time, and then be certain of his promotion to major-general. Napoleon 111. is filling up his Imperial Guard with officers who have undergone "the baptism of fire" in Algiers or the Crimea ; it would be a good deal more to the purpose if we were to do the same. Our Guards have privileges enough in all con science ; any attempt to increase them will end in a result which " the brigade " little desire. When the English army is—as it soon must be—reorgan ised throughout, I doubt much whether the house hold troops will be allowed to retain their present double promotion. GU ARDS AND LINE. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR, —There can be no doubt, from all that has as yet transpired, that the Guards' petition 11.4 s been got up in secrecy, and I regret to find that the Royal Consort, "still more so" his Royal Highness the Duke of Cam bridge, should have condescended to be parties to any such invidious petition to her Majesty. Just at the period when the officers of the Line, with their men, have borne the exposure of the trenches—have twice assaulted the Redan when the Guards have been in corn• parative safety—is not the moment to select for confer. ring advantages on the officers of the Guards over their harder worked, but less favoured, brethren in arms. It is to be hoped, therefore, that Lord Hardinge, as Com mander-in-Chief (although I fear only so in name), will not give his sanction to a measure which, if his more re solute predecessor had been alive, would never even have been mooted. As the press has at length freely given its opinion on the interference of his Royal Highness Prince Albert in army matters, it is to be hoped that, for the future, he will abstain from such, and, beyond the cloth ing, the cut of the coats and shape of the head-dresses, leave the management of the army in the hands of the executive appointed by the Government to administer its affairs.—l am, Sir, Your obedient servant, A RETIRED OFFICER. London, Dec. 14, 1855. CROSSED CHECKS. The following letter expresses the general feeling of business men in connexion with the recent deci sion in the Court of Queen's Bench in relation to crossed checks. The question of a remedy may present many points for careful consideration, but no time should be lost in removing the uncertainty which has now been created, and which must hence forth add to the daily anxieties of the entire com mercial community : " Sir,—Lord Campbell's decision in the case Carlon v. Ireland,' reported in your paper of this day, will give rise to much inconvenience, and probably loss, to men of business. "My bankers are a mile and a half eff, and I there. fore find it far more convenient to send checks to them by a cierk than to incur the daily trouble of calling upon them myself. Cash I always pay in personally. "I always supposed that cro3so3 chocks were perfectly safe so long as the banker's name was written upon them, whereas it now appears that what is called a bona fide holder of such a check, although he may have dis played want of caution in receiving it, may hold it against all the world, and pay it through the hands of a banker other than the one with whose name it is crossed. " Where, too, is the security of sending crossed checks per post? "Surely Lord Campbell's dictum, if right, sho u ld b e forthwith quashed, even by an act of Parliament, if Lie cessary.—Yours, " CAVENDO TUTUS." MERIOUS ACCIDENT.—We regret to announce that an accident, which it is feared may have a fatal termina tion, happened on Wednesday last to Mrs. Buller, wife of Mr. James Wentworth Buller, chairm an o f t h e b oar d of directors of the Bristol and Exeter Railway Com pany. Mrs. Buller had driven into Exeter to meet her husband, and was alightinr , from her carriage at the Exeter station when she fell and sustained very serious injuries. On medical assistance being procured it was found that Mrs. Buller had ruptured a blood-vessel, and so dangerous were its possible consequences apprehen d ? to be that it w as h e ld i mpossible to remove th e sufferer to her home. Such accommodation cou ld be eared. in the first-class waiting-room was provided, and there Mrs. Buller still lies in a very precarious state.. The last reports which reached Bristol yesterday evening.. that Mrs. Buller was somewhat better, but stalk! was COusidered W be in inaninout Peril. Dm 14k 9 i i 9 li 211 PM i 1 SC dis LITERATURE. The Wanderer in Arabia. By G. T. Lowth, Esq., with Illustrations.—Hu rs t and Blackett. That wonderful East—Egypt, Arabia, the Holy Land—who has not longed to set foot on its glow ing shores, pluck out the heart of its mys teries, dream over its mighty rums, and inhale its balmy air, fragrant as with the virtue of a newly-ascended god ? That representative East, within whose confines the most important events in the world's history have transpired, where the arts and sciences took their birth, where the work of redemption was achieved, where history is illu minated by miracles, where ruin preaches a resur rection, and d eso l a ti on a h erea f ter, w h ere t h e voice of the Eternal has been heard in thunder, and the gates of Heaven have opened to receive its king. That land which to the present hour is so steeped in the hues of imagination, that simply to describe its appearance, with the life that is of it, is to rival the picturings of the poet. Who, we repeat, does not long to see that land, and who is there but delights to learn all he can about it ? If there be such a person he never read the Bible as he ought, or the Arabian Nights; at all events he is of no kin to the author of this book, to whom from his youth the East has been a passion, and whose whole being seems to have luxuriated in the entrancement of its atmosphere. Wisely, as we believe, eschewing rivalry with the authors of " Eothen" and " The Crescent and the Cross," those masters of Eastern travel, he appears to have set out with the simple determi nation to gratify his longing and faith fully transcribe what he saw, heard, and expe rienced for the benefit of others, without incurring the charge of pedantry, or aping the inventive wisdom of the philosopher. The result is an ex cellent book, pervaded by a healthy enthusiasm, novel and varied in its incidents, picturesque in its descriptions, and running over with human in terest. A book for the comprehension of the pre sent as well as the past. Beaten as the track is, he has contrived to avoid the imprint of others, and to leave behind him distinct, if less marked, traces of his own. The hearty earnest ness and vividity of the work is its great charm ; had he been more ambitious he would have been less successful. The journey, it appears, was made in 1850-51, the author being accompanied by his wife, to whom, under the uxorial appellative of "Sitt," or spouse, he refers with a frequency and a consideration which entitle him to the gratitude of the sex. Having engaged a suitable dahabeeh, or Nile boat, together with a dragoman and cook each, the pink of his class, our wanderer started from Alexandria, towards the close of the year, and for three months enjoyed the luxury of beat ing up and . down the Nil e . D ur i ng thi s per i o d , the pyramids, the ruins, among others, of Sais in the Delta, of Thebes, of Philm the beautiful, and of the temple of Epsambul, unique in its way, and other places of interest, passed in review before him, and ample opportunity was offered him for be coming familiar with the romantic natural scenery on either bank of the Nile, and the manners, habits, customs, and condition of the much diver sified population in its vicinity. Of this opportu nity it is clear he duly availed himself; and we are presented as the result with a useful and pic turesque guide-book into the interior of Nubia. It is not until we arrive at the second volume that " the Wanderer" leads us forth towards the arena of those all-important events to which we have more particularly alluded. From Cairo we fol low him to the shores of the Red Sea, and woke with him in imagination the Heaven-led people and the horses and chariots of Pharaoh. We pass the rock of Horeb, we pursue his stops to the wilderness of Zin, and gaze around within quiring awe for the mount of thunderings from whence issued the tables of the law. Onward we follow him step by step in hi, journey ings and meditations in the desert and plains of Arabia, questioning many an Arab Sheikh, and contrasting the calm, the content, and the beauty of pastoral life, with the bustle and laborious toil of European cities, until at last we arrive on the hill tops of Judea, eager and expectant and hardly able to separate the present from the past. Descending from these heights, we trace with a quickened interest the various mementoes of the great events of which it has been the scene, and ii due time contemplate with loving reverence the birth-place of our Lord, the various scenes of his ministrations and of his sufferings, and the site of that Jerusalem he so beautifully apostrophised while predicting its ever-memorable fall. As we gaze crowds of trea sured memories throng upon us, and the hum, if hum it be, of the city wafted to the Mount of Olives seems but a preliminary to the cry of Hosannah or the yell of execration. Here, rather than at Alexandria, we leave him commending the reader to a perusal of the book, assured that the picture it presents of the present condition of the country and its inhabitants, its graphic sketches of character and scenery, its multifarious incident and amusing anecdote, superadded to the recollection it so suc cessfully evokes of the wonderful past, will carry him along with hardly a moment's weariness from the beginning of the first volume to the conclusion of the second and last. MARKET NEWS.—(This Day). COVENT GARDIIN. We were well supplied with both fruit and vegetables to-day. Generally speaking, the trade ruled steady, at full prices. FRUIT.—Pine apples, English, 4s to 7s per lb; colonial do., Os to Os each ; hot-house grapes, 3s Od to Os Od per lb ; foreign ditto, Od to Os ; melons, 2s Od to 4s Od each; ' peaches, 2s Od to Os j nectarines, is Gd to 4s per dozen ; apples, is Oct to 3s Od per half sieve ; pears, 2s Od to tis per half sieve ; plume, Os to Os per sieve ; green gages, Os per punnet; apricots, is Oct to 5s Od per doz.; common plums, Os Oct to Os Od per sieve ; cherries, Od to Od per pound ; lemons, 4s to 8s Od per 100 ; oranges, 5s to 10s per 100; fil kerts, Os to Os per doz. lbs ; cobnuts, 10s to Os ; almonds, Os to Os per lb. ; walnuts, 8d to 10d per 100; figs, Os 9d to is 6d per doz. ; strawberries, Oct to Od per pottle ; goose berries, Os Od to Os Od per half sieve ; currants, Os Od to Os Oct per half sieve ; raspberries, Od to Od per pottle. VEGETABLES.—Greens, is 6d to 36 Oil per doz, bunches; Savoy cabbages, 9d to Is 6d per dozen ; red ditto, 3s to 5s Od per ditto ; brocoli, Gd to Is 6d per doz. ; potatoes, 85s to 115 s per ton ; vegetable marrow, Od to Os per doz. ; peas, 3s to 5s Od per bushel ; broad beans, is Od to is 9d per half sieve ; tiuvips, 2d to 4d per bunch ; carrots, 3d to 5d per bunch ; cucumbers, Os 2cl to Os Gcl each ; garlic, Gd to Os 8d per pcund ; spinach, is 6d to 2s Od per sieve ; old onions, 4s to 5s per bushel ; new ditto, Os Od to Os per doz, bunches; leeks, ld to 2d per bunch ; shallots, 4d to Gd ; horse-raddish, 2s Oct to 4s Od per bundle ; parsley, 2d to 3d per bunch ; celery, Os Od to is 3d per bunch ; endive, is 3d to 2s 3d per score ; beet, is Oct to 2s per doz. ; parsnips, Os 6d to is Od per dozen ; small salad, 2d to 3d per punnet ; mushrooms, is 3d to is 9d per pottle ; artichokes, 3s to 4s per half sieve • cabbage lettuces, 9d to is Oct per s core ; sorrel, Gd tois per half sieve ; radishes, is to is 3d per dozen hands • tomatoes, 3s to 4s per half siev e ; c hilli es, is to is Gd ' per 100; Brussels sprouts, Os Od to Os per half sieve ; capsicums, is Od to 2s per 100; walnuts pickling, 6d to is per 100; cauliflowers, s to Gs Od per doz. NEWGA.TE AND LEADENHALL. Turkeys, 4s Gd to Ss 6d ' • Geese, 5s Od to 6 s 6 d each ; ; Ducks, 2s 3d t o 2 s 9d w ild ditto, is 3d to is 9 d ; rabbits, i s t o i s Gd each ; Pigeons, 8d to 10d each ; large Surrey Fowls, Os Od to Os Od ; middling, 2s Od to 38 Od ; Chickens, is Gd to 2s 6d ; Capons, 3s Gd to 4s 6d ; Hares 2s 6d to 3s 6d ; Grouse, is 9d to 2s Od each ; Pheasants, 3s Od to 3s Gd ; partridges, is 3d to is 9d each ; Guinea Fowls, 2s 6d to 3s Od each. Ostend fresh butter, 12s Od to 13s Od, and English 12s Od to 15s Od per dozen lbs. English Eggs, 10s Od to lls Od ; French ditto, 7s Gd to g a 6 1, per 120. NEWPORT. Beef from 3a 6d to 4s 8d; mutton, 3s 4d to 4s 6d; veal 3s 10d to 5s Od ; pork, 3s Gd to 5s Od per Elbe. WHITECHAPEL. -- --- Beef, from 3s Gd to 4s 8d ; mutton, 3s 4d. to 4s Fxl ; veal, 3siod to 5s Od ; pork, 3s Gd to 5s 2d per Sibs by tke carcase. BILLINGSGATE. Turbots, 2s Gd to 16s ; Brills, is Od to 73 each; Salmon, 2s Od to 3s 6d per lb ; Cod Fish, 2s Od to 9s each ; Soles, 3d to 2s Od per pair; Eels, 8d to is per lb; Lobsters, is Od to 2s 6d ; Crabs, Gd to 2s Od ; Whitings, 3s Od to 7s per doz. ; Common Oysters, 16s to 20s ' • Natives, 58s to 64s per b s h ; Mackerel, 60a t o O s per 100 ;Smelts, is Od to 2e Od per doz.; Skate, Gd to Od per lb; Shrimps, is Gd to 2s Gd per gallon; Bloaters, is Od to is Gd per doz. ; Fresh Herrings, 5s Od to Os per 100. ; Scotch do., Gd; Sprats, 3s 6d to Os Od per bushel ; Doroys, is Od to 7s each ; Haddocks, 4a to 15s per doz. ; Pike Gd • Sturgeon, 6d per lb ; Prawns, 4s Od to Os; Mullets, 6d to is 6d ; Plaice, 4d to is each ; Halibut, Gd per lla; Flounders, la Gd to Os per dozen. BREAD The prices of wheaten bread in the metropolis are from lid to 116 d; of household ditto, 9d to 10P. per 4 lb loaf. HIDES AND SKINS. Market hides, 561 b to 641 b, aid to Od 64lb to 721b,,3,id to 4d ; 721 b to 801 b, 4d to 4id ; 801 b to 881 b, 4 ig i t d ° ; l o l 881 b to 961 b, 4Ad to 5d ; 961 b to 1041 b, to 1121 b s,id to 6d ; upwards, Od to Od ; Horse ditto, full s 6d ; ' id to Os Od ; calf skins, light, 2s 6,1 to 3 „, _ Kente, 4 , 6s Gd to 7s Od ; Polled Sheep 6s 3d to 7s 6d ; Od Downs, 3s 6d 9d to Gs Od ; Half-breds, 4s 9d to s sdto hides, 60 to 48 Gd ; Lambs, Os Od to Os Od HAY MARKETS. 41 5s to 61 6s ; closer ditto, ; she od arli t n o gs i , i s ad ° d top per r s l O o d a , :i . SMITHWIELD.—Meadow hay, 4115 s to 71 Os ; and straw sle l a l d A moderate supply, ant , hay, 4/ 8s t6l 6s ; clover do., CUMBERLAND.— eau Id straw. 11 5s to 11 10a per load. y 4s demand. 41 12s to 6/ ISs c 6/ 6s; clover 111; so ead ld B , l 3. o w wl h y a , y a , t 1 4 a i te 5 r a at to es. to 1/ 95 per load. do. 4 1 15s to 3. 7 - ; and straw, 1/ 5s at full quotations. Both rri b n ay E gli p s E.7 l l 1 Trade tolerably firm, wo l earn from Trieste, on the authority of letters from Erzeroum, that the Russian Government has do dared all English and French goods passing from Erze roum to Persia, through Russian "cordons," to be good and lawful prizes. . - METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT.—The joint meeting of the Plumstead and Lewisham boards for the election of a member of the Metropolitan Board took place at Charlton on Wednesday. Messrs, Atkins, South, and Johnson were nominated as candidates. On a show of hands the numbers were—Atkins, 28 ; South, 21 ; Johnson, 3. Mr. Charles Atkins, of Lewisham, WaB thorofwe declared to be duly elected. .4~ ~. ~~,; '3~ . ; :'~y4 . ~S ^ / r :~ . ~; '. „K S 8i 10 20 20 20 40 1 100 : 40 60 25 20 100 100 100 20 20 10 &I 1 20 a.ll all all all all 75 4 120 931 I 57 6 1 31 li i 24i I 55i 6 63 i 30i 1 34 all al l 100 100 93 2i