The Sun. — London, England, 1856-02-14 00:00:00

ion, .while sews of the rpriseclibe rcely have It is, how* will be re . ;h: Troops reinforce - Erzerourn. organising w i n g rely the real ;relia, .bag ) Russians ving been i the ta i. late pre' oncoming pg. of the he Assenr ras signed the nage' nents Will e arrived: a circular kingdom. angemant Holy See. he autbo that the uillise listurhed• ainly de onversian it cow ig up th° do known .ra of th° votes te ig curates ['he state . nd grand a Freon? uterest 1 1 ,nnounce 6 oral iu the tnhalle of •vice, the on veyeat d, to the of Iwo' :ate. As Fe broil of their ersons se rd labour Lie on ill! I. Theo' ,nry, th e itio bodl lor to 0 0 10th, ou pted tlO Minister Intrusted ere—on e hrinoun e ' to stir icated 1s 4?t period ;9DA I '• C ta N e ‘ r iseligerh froill >n, on the. I out proP" by tale• d by to . 1, as re• [neadaft ation t° 3peaker• * t it the hat the o f the rganise. i ltod i n Ivident, hdrawn Mr. Central 11 also 0 is is t re aty, itiofl of itativee )r the The joeted; moth) negfl gout' %I NJ Wash: Rust, Rot pinarks ag w 9, and AI vio l ,. a bout ungui" Coro ,fliegrts 3r Oa lay of tes to pe t r good ONEY,MARKET COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. CITY, Two o'CLoox. The Liverpool Cotton Market yesterday closed - with great animation, and Americans were 4d. per it lb., and Surats and Brazils Id. per lb. dearer than last week. Egyptians were unchanged. The sales were 25,000 bales-comprising 19,000 Americans (2,000 for export and 7,000 on speculation); 12,000 31 Egyptian, Bd. to 90. ; 3,000 Surat, 31d. to 41d. ; (2,000 on speculation); 1,500 Bahia, 6d. to 6kd.; 1,000 on speculation; and 100 Sea Islands, 10d. to g ls. sd. per lb. The Railway Share Market was steady at a slight advance. St. Later accounts from America by the Baltic U. S. st ' Mail Steamer, state that the Arabia had arrived 5) at New York from Liverpool with the Peace news, 5 2 S which had created a lively sensation in commercial 20 and financial circles. The prospects of increased 10 trade and a rise in the price of cotton elated the a cotton merchants one the one hand, and the panic En in the European grain markets depressed the 25 . dealers in bread-stuffs on the oth er . Th e effects eo of the news on the New York Money Market was St. to produce a stringency, while at the Stock Market 25 " it produced an exceedingly buoyant feeling, and 25 large sales took place at a veryoonsiderable advance. : Although there was not sufficient time for comment 10 upon the unexpected news before the Baltic sailed, EA. • still it was evident that the most favourable im- 50 pressions were entertained of its beneficial effects 20 upon American commerce. It was considered that II • , a period of great prosperity was before them, and St. that there was nothing in the internal affairs or :- European relations of the United States to check at, the extension of their trade. St. From Havanna returns have been received ;iv- St ' ing the annual shipments of sugar from that colony 12 (luring the past year and the seven previous years. f 2 From these it appears that there has been very 16 little increase in the exports of this article during St that period, while the demand has been increasing. 2 c The shipments to this country show a decrease. 1.1 During 1854 the quantity exported to Great Britain was 106,078 boxes, while in 1855 it was 21 only 55,603. To other countries there was very 1! little variation in the eight years, which in some 8 measure accounts for the growing scarcity of sugar 5 and its recent advance in prices. The Grain Markets throughout Franc e indicate 2 2 that the fall in prices is checked for the present. Zit; In the departments a rise has occurred at some, 10 While others remain without any variation. At st. Paris the price of flour is firm at last quotations, I s s t With an upward tendency. Sellers held out the 25 prospect of an advance, which has stopped buyers 1 in their operations. Bargains for the current go ' Month are effected at 96f. per sack, and for March 20 delivery 97f. St. A Parliamentary Return of the Bank of England 50 bullion operations during the last year has been St. Published. The purchases were 8,241,1151. of bar st. geld, 69,2431. of foreign coin, making a total of SS 8 ,310,3581. Of bar gold the sales were 3,377,7631., • and of foreign coin 14,2181., together 3,391,981/. St. Nothing appears to have been done iu silver. The !I amount of gold coin received from the Mint was 50 9 1008,823/. St. St The Bank of England usual " parlour" meeting i f nas separated, but the Directors, as was anticipated, have announced no alteration in the rate of discount. • The upward tendency in the English Stock Mar ket continues, Consols being per cent. higher than at the official termination of business yester day. Very little animation is apparent, however, the operators, as mentioned yesterday, being desir ous of awaiting the progress of the peace negotia tions. For money Consols have been 91; and 92k, but they at present rule at about 92 to The account values have improved to, 92g The New 3 per Cents. are 93 to 93k, and the Reduced, 92g n. I Xchequer Bills are about 7s. to 3s. discount, and India Bonds are quoted 3s. discount. In the Foreign Market also advanced rates are current, but with a small business doing. Turk ish 6 per Cents. have risen to 94g, and the Gila ' Pinteed 4 par Cents, to 101 k to 1011. Spanish 3 per Cents. are better, viz., 43. Venezuela are 291, Buenos Ayres, 56. Equador, 51. Gre nada Deferred, 7. Mexican, 201, and Peruvian' Threes 561, which are generally full priees. Dutch 4 per Cents. rule steady at 951. The following are the nominal prices of Foreign Stocks:-Grenada Deferred Bonds, 61 71; Mexican, 20 1 Petuvian, 79 81 ; ditto 3 per Cents., 55 56 ; Portuguese 4 per Cents., 47 49 ; Russian 5 per Ceuta., 104 6 ; ditto 4 per Cents., 92 94 ; Spanish 3 Per Cents., 421 43 ; ditto Deferred, 231 24; ditto . Certificates, 41 51 ; ditto Passive, 61 /. The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up to this date, are in round figures as under :- 1856. 1855. Great Western - P £23,885 £20,150 North-Westera _South -Western , 12,346 9,983 Brighton Midland - 26,512 24,485 S outh-Eastern - 13,951 10,262 Caledonian Great Northern Lancashire,,_ and Yorkshire Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln 8,125 7,323 North Stafford Xast Lancashire 5,254 4,554 Cheater and Holyhead tristol and Exeter 5,493 4,650 Glasgow and South-Western 5,522 4,851 Groat Western of Canada 8,161 5,155 To-morrow is an account day in the Railway Share Market, and a large business having recently 'been transacted the dealers are busy in passing !lames, The public have evidently been heavy i buyers of late, and the rates of continuation are high. Most of principal shares this morning are at an improvement. The Foreign and Colonial lines are not much affected by the arrangements making for the settlement, and are generally at previous quotations. Yesterday afternoon a slight reaction took Place from the advanced rates of premium at Which the various new joint-stock companies 'have ruled during the last few days. The a.,,,nnexed are about the present values :-Ottoman -MIA', 11 to 2 pm.; National Discount Co., 1 to 1 Pm. ; Egyptian, 2 to 21 pm.; Western of London, Ito 11; and the Alliance Bank, 11 to 2 pm. Mis cellaneous shares are almost neglected. 20 20 10 10 5 20 20 20 BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY.—CLOSING PRICES. (Prom,~ the 06kicii List. nuons.. done. 3 per Cent. Rodxoed Annuities,.... 921 4 i 3 per Cont. Console Annuities olk 24 2 New 3 per Cent. Annuities Lonz Annuities, expire sth Jan. 1860... Ditto 30 Years, expire 10th Oct. ' 1859 3 5-1 n Ditto 30 Years, expire sth April, 1885 l6 13-16 In iia Bonds, .ClOOO Colsols for Account Exchequer Bills, 21d. £10(X 1 E5OO 3 larnall .. Ditto Bonds, 1858, 31 per Cent 971 8 Ditto, 1859 PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY. tuenos Ayres . Bonds, 6 per Ceut ) ':quador Bonds Grenada New Active, 11 per Cent. - Ditto Deferred 7 Iluiean 3 per Cent. . 2Ol Ditto Account 2Ol Peruvian Bonds, 41 per Cent. Ditto 3per Cent. — Ditto Account 564 Portuguese Bonds, 5 per Cent., Con. 1841 Ditto 4 per Cent 484 Ditto ex all over due Coupons Russian Bonds, 5 per Cent., 1822, £ St lO5 lip mish Bonds, 3 per Cent Ditte Account 43 Turkish Bonds, 6 per cent 934 4 31 / 4 Ditto Account 94 4 4 Ditto Guaranteed, 4 per Ceut lOOl 1 Ditto Account lOll •• Venezuela Bonds, 4i per Cent — Ditto Account Dividend. on the above^payable in London. Dutch Exchange, 21 per Cent., 12 Guil ... Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates THREE O'CLOCK. Console, money .......... ... .............. 91i 2 Ditto Account, March 11... .. 20 16 20 20 FIRE IN THE DOCKS, SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDIT.-- This d a y, b e t ween o ne and two o'clo c k, an alarm was Riven that a fire had broken out on board the Royal Mail Company's steam ship Atrato, now lying in the graving dock. The dock authorities were quickly on the !alert, and the engines were run up to the spot ; but fortunately their aid was not required. The cir eurna.ances are simply these—one of the workmen whilst passing along the deck with a bucket of varnish, which is of an inflammable nature, spilt a portion, ?"! 011 , coming in contact with some heated iron, ißtnt e d ; i t was quickly put out without causing any datioge 100 100 100 20 20 10 4! 14 4i all 14 all 14 all al 1 all all all all all all SHARE MARKETS. (THIS DAY.) RAILWAYS. tr. IPaid.l itArtwArs.. 100 .iberdeen F Ambg. Noting. Bost and Basta. Janet all Belfast & Ballyraena all Birming. Wolve rh 4 Stour Valley 29i Birk eand. Laueak 6 Cheshire Junct all Do. Chesil. & Birk £5O and £25 Cons 19 Do., £20............. all Illyth &Ty na origina £25 °sad. at £45 100 dristol and Exoter 100 '..;aledunian. 61R. Cum. and Cal digat all Chester & llolyhead. all Cork and Bandon.. all Cork, Black, & Pass 18 Jornwall all Do. A 8 Do. B 14 Crie T Junction 45 Dublin&BelfastJune , all ')un. P. & Aber. Jne, 100 East Anglian all Eastern Counties , 100 gust. Union, A Btl 100 De., B. Stout lii Do., New A 10 East Kent 100 4 :ast Lancashire 100 Edinl urgh& als.sgoi , all Edinb. and Peebles 100 'Min. Prth & Dna de , 9 Forth & Clyde Jena, all Furness all Do. Extension ... . .... 100 Glasgow &S. Westsr all Great N. of Seotlnd. 100 Great Northern 100 Do., A. Stock 100 Do., B. Stock 1)0 3t. Sth. &West.(lre ) 100 /rest Western 100 Do. Stour Val. Rai' i Gua. Stk all [rich South-Eastorr all 'Lancaster & Carlisle 141 Do., Thirds 8 Do. New Thirds 100 Laneash.audYorksh i Do., Wet. Riding Un all Liv.Crsby.&Sonthpt all London & Blackwall 100 Gond. Bright & S.Cst. 100 Lund. and N. West], 16 Do. Fifths 5 D0.191.5h.,11&11...C. 2 , Do. Eighths.. . 1001 London andS. Westn all IDo £5O . . i 0 all Do., £4O 5 all Lndnlrry&Colorain 5 all Lndndrry. & Enniak 100 Manch.Shcf. k Lind' , 82s. Do., Man. & Lin. Un 1 Metropolitan 100 Midland 100 Do. Birmng. & Derb all Midld. (I. West. (Iro. all Do. Half Shares ‘ll ,Newcastle & Carlisle all Nwpt.Aborg. Newry & Enniskillen all Newry Warrenpoin and Rostrovor 100 Norfolk 3i Northn.Connties Un 100 Nortk British Nth. Devon Rai'. & 100 Dock Stock 100 Do., A. Stock ... all Do. , B Stock ...... all Do., A B Guarauteo 100 N. aetern—Berwic 21i Do. do. Extension 15 Do.do. C.N.E. l'ureh all Do. Leeds 100 Do. York 100 North London '3l le N.&S.Wstrn.,Hamr stead, and City Jn.. 17i North Statfordshir.. all 'North Western all V. &8. West rn. June 1 Nuneaton, Hinckley, and Leicester.. 100 ( )It, Wore. & Wolv. 8 i"ortsmoutl 100 Se ott ish Central,.., 100 ;ieottishAlidland... 1.00 ihropshire Uii as Aonth Devon 110 !4outh Eastern 100 4outh Wales 15 li. Yrksh. & Riv. Du, 5 Do 16 4taino., Wok. SzWo). all Stockton & Darli 161, itockten & Hnrtlepi 1)0 l'aff Vale .. LOO Do. Prof., No. 1 22 rhames Hay. D.& R. iUlverstone & Lanes. all Vale of Neath all 'Waterfd. & Kilker ny all ( West ck all Nest all iWest End of Londe n and Crystal Palace.. all I Do. A 3 I Do. II all (West London. all 'Wimbledn & Croydon Closing Prices this lay 4k - 4 .* `". 8 -8, 16 - 15 13 - 14 9 - 8 85 - 554- 56 i2~-i ... '.."' . ••. '''. . see `... .. ••• . 4 - 2 12 - 13 - 10 ; 30 32 20 - 22 Mo• -- .., 72 - 73 5? - 64 91 9; 22 - 24 •J• .... •. 82 - 86 64 - 7 - 914 - 1 1 4 - 76 123 - 125 104 - 106 55 •- 74 - 17 - 74 6 4 - 74 82 824 - 97 98 .01 104 par mir I 95- 96 3i - 3 2- ON ".". 04 24 45; id 70 70. 41 43. ... MIIM. .. ••• •• .. .. ... ••• 50 52 29 ... 90 754 -70 i 61 - 4} - - )8 * 51j 822 - 7t: 23 - 2.5 106 75 77 45 47 - 121 64 — 65 71 73 4 241 !di `-'6. - 58 .•• ".. ... .".° • ••• ......' 20 - 22 - 41 .6 .•• .... its.* FOREIGN. Antwerp& kott ,, rdcae Do. 5 p.a. Oblga. eon. in Sli. at par till '64 Ardennes Belgian Battu. Junu Beziera to Graisseasse Bombay, Baroda, and Central India,Sorii D 0..... . Demerara Dutch Rhenish Eastern of France Do. New !East Indian, g. 5 p.O Do. EY tension.. Do.4i p.c.8nd5., 1 57 Do. do. do.. 'g9, dr Gee . ong k Molbou►ne guar. 5 per e nt... Do., Lon. allot., do. Gd. tk of Canada...l' is Do. Do. Cert. of Deben., con. into Stk. till '62 Do. Comp. 6 p. c., do. Gt. Central of Franc, Gt. Indian PoninsulA Great Luxembourg Constitutod Shans i Do. Obligations.— .. Do. ro-is, forflid. Rh.l Gt. Western of Canadal Shares Do. New Do. Bds., payable's7, with option till '55.. Do. do., '62, p. '56... Do. do., '76, p. Dc. do., '73, without option Hamilton & Toronto Do. 6 por cent. Lake Crust. be Basl , ILierre and Turnhout Lucca di Pist. o p. o.p Lyons and Geneva 'Lyons & Mediterran Hadras, guar. 4 p. Do. New i 0., 5 P. c Do. 4'it p. e. Eaten Italia Antonia . Do. do, New Namur i Liege (4riti interost) Do. (ox intorost) Northern of France. Do.2ol.Stni. Do. 201. 3 p. o Bds (fmy. B. & Ins. Shs. !. , TorwogianTrunkPre I Paris and Lyons Ditto Bonds .. Paris and Orleans , Rome and Frascati Royal Danialt Royal Swedish Do. Obligations Sambre and Mouse... Do. 5i p. cont. Prof. Scinde, guar. 5 p. c D 0... Southern of France.. St. Androw'i and' gneboc (A) West Flanders Do 5A per o. Pref 'W. &N. W. of Franc( West. of Switzerland Wiesbaden ... Zealand 8 Si ld p 11 — 24 p 3 I 4p&l P ns 11 - 130 21} 211 1 ... ... ....'. •• • 103 14i - 15,5 63 - 67 82 - 86 54 - 6 20i - 204 5 - ei - 34 26 -26 i Si -- 4 99 - ICO 123 - 126 123 12d- 106 108 25k- 26 120 - 125 ... ... 9 - 10 191 4 ..- 6o 7 2 S 5i 6 5f bi 37) —37 t 111 ••• -- ••• 7 - 8 49 - 49 ••• ..... •. ii 9 .. 60 19 - 20 2 - 21 23 - 213 91 - fli ••• •••• 1 11 ... ... -- pin ••• ....' 3i - 4• 33 - 34 fie JOINT-STOCK BANKS. kustrala 50 Bank of Loudon ►ll Bri. Col. 13 kALn. C all 13rit6h N. American 5 Chartd. Bank of Asia 4 Maid. Bnk. of India Australia, & Chinni 50 City 25 Colonial 20 Comraorcial of Land all Eng.Sno all Lond. Cfnart. Bk. of Australis 5 Ditto New. ............. 20 Lcndon and County..l 50 Ln d. &E. Bnk g. Corp. 10 London Joint Stock. 10 London and Paris—. 20 Lond. & Westrainste , 35 National Pro.of Eng 10 Do. N©w 22i National of Ireland all Now South Walc2 all ,O riental Bank of Corporation 26 Provincial of Ireland all Do. New I 1 R Aus B &Go ha et 50 Royal British all South Australia all Union of Australia 2 1 Do. N0w,,............ Cuiou o London ___ 92 - 65 - G 7 ••• •••• ... Par 1 p 69 - . 71 -- 17 - 2i - Par 2p die - - parl "" •••• • •.. 37 - 39 - 41 ,M .... ... e. '''' o'r 38 40 70 - 72 sA 27 29 Business done this day. THE SUN, LONDON; T'HURSD'AY EVENING; FEBRUARY 14, 1856; LOSS OF THE JOSEPHINE WILLIS. ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. .1 ?aid, Leasimg Cempan. Cloglua trier► Oils Mg. gnstner this tiv. Investigation this Day. A full meeting of this society Nrns held on Monday evening ; Admiral W. F. Beechey, president, in the chair. At noon this day the inquiry directed by the Board of Trade, under the 432.1 and 4331 sections of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, (the 17th and 18th of Victoria, cap. 101), into the circumstances attending the unfortunate wreck of the ship Josephine Willis, which was run down off Folkestone, by the Manger ton steamship, commenced before Mr. Yardley, at the Town Hall, in High-street, Poplar. The spacious board-room in which the inquiry was held was crowded to excess with parties interested in the in- Among those present were, Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir G. Back, Sir Charles Fellows, the Earl of Sheffield, General Sir Harry Jones, Count Straziecki, Lieuten ant-Colonel Lefroy, Dr. Rae, Captain Gordon, R.N., Mr. Calvert, Q.C., M r . R. M. Milnei, M.P. the Hon. H. S. Law; Captain Th omas Mi l l er, R.N., Mr.i Duncan M'Gregor, Mr. Brooking, Mr. Arrowsmith, Mr. Galton, Dr. Hodgkin, Colonel Everest, Rev. C. G. Nicolay, Rev. S. Clark, Rev. W. Ozenhatn, Mr. Osborne Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Latrobe, Mr. Ashurst Mejendie, Mr. Joseph Glen, Mr. W. B. Hume, Mr. Findlay, Mr. Walker, Capt. the Hon. H. A. Murray, Major Kane, Admiral the Hon. C. B. Elliott, Mr. E. J. Harrington, Consul Brand, Mr.. Lionel Gisborne, Mr. Whitmore, Mr. John Brown, Mr Lawrence Oliphant, and Mr. Uzielli. The Right Hon. Sir T. Fremantle and Major Vincent Eyre were officially introduced, upon their election. Sir W. E Logan, F.R.S., Chief Geologist and Com missioner of Canada ; Captain Sherard Osborn, R.N., C.B. ; J. H. Mandeville, Esq., late her Majesty's Mi nister Plenipotentiary at Buenos Ayres ; Rev. A. R. Ashwell, M.A.; G. F. Brooking, Esq.; M. H. Brooking, Esq. ; T. H. Newman, Esq.; J. H. Plowee, Esq.; and N. F. Simmons, R.N., were elected Fellows. quiry. Eleven o'clock was the hour appointed for the inquiry to commence, but the magistrate did not enter the board soom until twelve o'clock. Mr. O'Dowd, a barrister, and assistant solicitor to conduct ceiminal prosecutions under the Merchant Ship. ping Act, conducted the ease for the Board of Trade. On Mr. Yardley taking his seat, he addressed Mr. Ballantine, the barrister, and said, " I presume you at tend here as counsel ?" Mr. Ballantine—l attend here, sir, on behalf of the steam-boat company, the owners of the Mangerton. Mr. Yardley—And you, Mr. Parry ? Mr. Parry—l attend here as counsel for the owners of the lost ship, the Josephine Willis. Mr. Yardley wished, at starting, to state the nature of the proposed inquiry. It was not a judicial inquiry ; but the object was to collect facts for the Beard of Trade Among the donations received since the previous meet ing the following mere important ones were mentioned : —United States Naval Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere during the years 1849, '5O, '5l, and '52. By Lieutenant J. M, Gillis, Two vols. 4t0., numerously illustrated. „Preserfted by the author. The Imperial Atlas of Modern Geography. By Messrs. Blackie and Son, of Glasgow. Parts Ito 7 inclusive. Second Edition of the Art of Travel. By F. Galton. Memoirs of Admiral Krusenstern, edited by Sir John Ross ; together with the Transactions of the Royal Uni versity of Christiania, and of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Madrid. The papers read were 1. Remarks on the Open - Sea in the North Polar Basin, by Robt. White, Esq.; oommunieated by Jno. Barrow, Esq., F.R.G.S. The reports of the existence of an open Polar sea have been corroborated by Dr Kane's expedition, and the paper proposed to show that the action of the sun and the oceanic currents within the Arctie circle naturally explained such a phenomenon. The inclination of the earth's axis referred the normal line of extreme cold to the Arctic circle, the action of the sun on the Pole being con tinuous during the Arctic summer, while its influence is distributed overtheregionsatificent bytheirdailyrotation. The currents likewise circulating round the Pole convey warmth there ; while they retain heat enough to become the carriers of frozen masses to the temperate regions. The evidence of Bareutz, Wrangel, Penny, Belcher, and Kane, concurring on this subject, calls for further investigation in the direction pointed out by the cuurse of the warm stream. The President said that a work of his had been quoted in support of an open sea, and there fore he would refer to the passage in question, and to the authorities usually cited by advocates of that opinion, for the purpose of showing that there was no foundation for it. He concluded _by mentioning several ' cases in which reports of ai open sea had been fol lowed up without success ; and there was reason to be lieve that Dr. Kane's discovery, if pursued, would lead either to a vast inland basin, or a sea covered with the same moveable and impenetrable rua, , s of ice which had stopped Parry, M'Cluro, Collinson, and Belcher, and all other Arctic na‘,4,sators. 2. Report of Surveyor R. Austin, commanding the Expedition to Explore the Interior of Western Aus tralia, N. and E. of the Settled Districts, communi nicated by the Colonial-office. This expedition was ordered by the local Government of Western Aus tralia, and despatched in June, 1854, under the com mand of Mr. R. Austin, who was directed to proceed to Northam, and exainne the country towards the E.N.E., in search of a region called by the natives Caw cowing. Advancing northward and eastward, as far as the latitude of Cape Cuvier, he was then to turn south and west, in search of the Gascoyne, or any other large river likely to fall into the sea, in the same neighbour hood. A vesi,el was sent to the mouth of the Gascoyne to look out fn. him. Mr. Austin found Cowcowing ab, 60 miles N.E. of Northam, and proceeded in the same direction as far as 118 deg. E. long., and 31 deg. S. lat.; when, pushing northward to 27 deg. 30 min. S. lat., he came upon a great marsh, winding and flowing N.W., at an altitude of 1,896 feet above the sea. From this marsh the drainage appears to fall through Lake Moore, Lake Cowoowing, the Salt River, and the Avon, to the ocean. Passing the southern borders of the marsh, Mr. Austin proceeded in a north-westerly.direction till he approached 26 deg. S. lat., in long. 116 deg., and again in long. 115 deg., when he was compelled to retreat on the Murchison River, which he reached on November. After leaving the marsh, he passed some large tribu taries of the Murchison, ceming from the N.E., fre quented by many natives, and various animals. The country traversed was vary indifferent and waste to the westward. The geological features evince great mine ralogical interest, and are said to indicate gold fields of the richest character, confirming Sir R. Murchison's views en those regions. and report to that board. At the present moment there really were no parties before him. At the same time, he had no wish to exclude assistance from what ever quarter it might come, but at present no parties were before him. lie wished to state at starting, how the case stood. Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Parry claimed a right to re• present the parties for whou► they appeared, and said the magistrate had the power of inflicting costs. Mr. Yardley doubted whether he could inflict costs on any party who was not befcre After a long discussion, in the coarse of whieh Mr. Yardley said he wished to elicit the truth, and should be glad to hare the assistance of such acute gentlemen as Mr. Parry and Mr. Ballantine, but he wished the principle on which they claimed a right to be present was understood. If the parties connected with the two vessels had a right to appear by counsel, the re lations of the parties who had lost their lives might claim a right to appear. This was in the shape of a pre liminary inquiry, like a coroner's inquest. Counsel did appear before coroners' juries, and he should assimilate the inquiry to that of a coroner's inquest, where no party was supposed to be affected. Mr. Parry contended that this was a judicial inquiry, and that on a similar inquiry counsel and attorneys did appear. The discussion was prolonged for a consider. able time, counsel claiming the undoubted right and privilege of representing their respective clients. Various clauses were referred to, and many cases cited. They contended also that the words " try the same" in the 433 d section gave full force to the proceeding being a strictly judicial one. Mr. Yardley asked if any parties had been summoned ? Mr. O'Dowd said witnesses had been summoned, but neither of the parties belonging to the two ships which came in.collision. Mr. Parry—The second mate of the Josephine Willis is summoned hero. Mr. O'Dowd—As a witness ? Mr. l'arry said the proceeding, was analogous to one before a magistrate, where he madeau order or convicted a party. Mr. Yardley despatched Mr. Livingston, the chief usher of the Thames police.oourt, for his commission, which he had lett in his desk at the court. The magis- rate was quite positive that he could not award costs against any party who was not before him, and there rea:ly were no parties before him. There could be no judicial opinion given ; he was only to give a report. He could, if he thought proper, conduct the inquiry with closed doors. He had no wish to stifle inquiry, bat he wished to conduct it in such a. way as to prevent error. If the inquiry was directed to inquire into the conduct of any captain or mete, the party would havo a, perfect right to appear by counsel or attorney, and he would most readily admit his right. No parties had been summoned before him, and no person could be represented, but he should be most happy to be assisted by counsel or attorney, or to receive any suggestions from them, in the-same manner as a coroner did upon au inquest 3. Notes on the Probable Condition of the Interior of Australia ; by Mr. H. Landor. From the evidence afforded by the wind and temperature in the several colonies of Australia, the author assumes that the greater part of the interior is covered with shallow water in winter, which evaporates in summer, when the ground becomes parched and burnt up, under the intense heat experienced by Captain Sturt. The coun try may be more favourable along the northern water parting, which, however, he thinks, cannot be moun tainous ; and this track will probably be explored by the expedition now on the Victoria. 4. Progress of the North Australian Expedition, by A. C. Gregory, commander ; communicated by the Colonial-office. A communication from Mr. Gregory to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and another from Mr. Wilson, the geologist, to Sir Roderick Murchison, announce the arrival of the North Australian Expedi• tion at the mouth of the Victoria River, on the N.W. coast. The expedition left Moreton Island on August 12th, in the Monarch, barque, and Tom Tough, schooner. Port Essington was sighted on September Ist, and on the same day the Monarch grounded on a reef at the en trance of Port Patterson, where the ships remained till September 10. After leaving the reef the ships parted company, and Mr. Gregory having reached Blunders in the Tom Tough, and found a good landing-place with water, returned in search of the Monarch, which he found at Point Pearce, landing the horses on a beach two miles distant from the ship, advantage having been taken of his absence. As the horses were towed through the water, out of fifty, five were drowned. Water was found with difficulty six miles from the beach, and there the horses were encamped, and were rapidly recovering from the effects of the voyage. From thence, the horses will be driven round the head of the Fitzmaurice river, through a rugged sand stone country, to meet the rest of the party at Kangaroo Point, on the Victoria ; from whence a start will be made about the end of October. The geological indica tions give promise of a country in the interior, and it is hoped that another communication may be received before the expedition is completed. Although many fires and traces of natives have been seen, none of the aborigines have been met with. Sir RODERICK Musa:mow directed attention to the great importance of the expedition, and to the impera tive necessity for the occupation and settlement of Northern Australia. Count STRAZLECKI, concurring in the views taken by Sir Roderick, complimented the societyfor having urged on the notice of Government strdesirable an undertaking, and remarked that so much importance was attached t• it, in a commercial as well as in other points of view, by many of the city merchants, that Mr. Uzielli, a member of the society, had volunteered, in the event of the Go vernment's refusing to send out this expedition, to ad vance 10,0031. for the purpose of carrying out the objects in question. _ After a few brief observations from Mr. Uzielli, the meeting adjourned to the 25th inst. MARKET NEWS.—(This Day.) GENERAL AVERAGE PRICES OF 131:ITISII CORN For the week ended Feb. 14,1856, made up from the Returns of the Inspectors in the different Cities and Towns in England and Wales por Imperial Quarter. WULAT. I BARLEY. OATS. EYE. BEANS. I PEAS. 73; S 1 373 51 245 (11 51s 4d 43s 41 42s 2d L ITERATURE. German Reading Book. By Dr. M. M. Fischel. David Nutt, 270, Strand. Henceforth, from the date of the issue of this little volume through the press, Dr. Fischel ought to be regarded as a veritable Benefactor to the English Student of German Literature. Altogether it appears to us one of the most masterly elemen tary productions which has for a considerable while come within the range of our observation. In its general design, no doubt, it has a certain kind of family resemblance to the works based upon the system popularly known as the Hamiltonian. Yet the obvious similarity alluded to is such as in no essential respect whatever to militate from the value of the claims put forth by Dr. Fischel's volume to the merit of distinctive individuality— as implied through the wording of the very title page, " A German Reading Book" —it unquestion ably is--" on an entirely 91 eiv principle :" although one, it may be, originally suggested by the genera l system already particularised. In illustration of our meaning it will only be necessary briefly to explain in a few words the character of the very novel enterprise, as it appears to us, here brought, by the ingenious German master of Queen's College,_under our critical consideration. It is nothing leis agreeable and attractive than " A Story by Franz Hoffmann"—a charming story in twelve chapters—printed in companion pages, giving the reader upon the left hand the German original, and upon the right hand a literal English translation. A version line for line ! nay, more than that, actually word for word ! ! The identity of each line clearly i n di cate d b y numerals in the margin—and the signification of the idiomatic ori ginal being strongly impressed upon the reader's memory by the force of the contrasting syntax of the two languages. Ex. gr.--" 'He, mein Bursche,' Sagte der mann, welcher ihn in den Kreis seiner Gefahrtcn gebracht hatte, ' Ich frage dich ob du mit uns aus demGefangnisse entwischen willst?' " is explained to mean not H a , my lad,' said the man who had brought him into the midst of his companions, I ask thee whether thou wilt escape with us out of the prison ?' " but literally,— " Ha, my lad,' said the man, who him into the circle of his companions brought had, ask thee, whether thou with us out of the prisonescape " A single example like the one here particularised will be sufficient—ex ecno disce omnes—read it! examine it ! and you have the key to the whole mystery. Hey-presto—and, at the mere waving, as it were, of the magic pen of Dr. Fischel, in his capacity, as at once the compiler and editor of this admirable version of "A Story by Franz Hoffmann," simul taneously in idiomatic German and distorted English —there crumble away to nothingness the rugged and mountainous difficulties, apparently blocking up the pathway to the acquisition of the German lan guage by the English student, just then beginning perhaps to aspire to the appreciation of the German literature. Dr. Fischel's great motive-power as a teacher is precisely what was the motive-power of Dauton as a statesman—viz., to dare. Instead of allowing his pupils, like inexperienced swimmers, to stand shivering upon the brink of the unknown tongue, trembling and shuddering perpetually over the dry rules of the grammar—he makes them plunge boldly into the stream of learning, at once, by placing a German book, without further delay into their hands, and enabling them, as we have seen, to begin reading it on the instant. The result is little short of the miraculous. Scarcely has the student mastered the orthography of the language, and got by heart the first simple prin ciples of its etymology, when be finds himself with this pleasant tale by Franz Hoffmann before him, floating pleasantly onward to a perfect (though while it is being acquired scarcely perceptible) acquisition of the laws, the peculiarities, and the irregularities of the German syntax—the ear, the taste, and the nice discrimination of the attendant master alone enabling any one of course to obtain a knowledge of the - crowning grammatic ac complishment, that of the prosody, regulat ing the variable inflections, and the quantities, and the accents, and the emphasis, and in short the general pronunciation. Turning page after me glibly, following line after line, tracing out word after word, the reader opens the book, may be, hardly able to stumble through a sentence, and closes it capable (unless he be inherently an unmiti gated and immitigable dullard) capable—what shall we say without exaggeration ?—well (honestly then), capable not only of reading and understanding, but actually, to a very great extent, of enjoying and ap preciating, not simply a Hoffmann, but a Gcethe or a Schiller. Hurrying on from the perusal of a nameless little story about Pierre and Captal to that of a world-famous idyl like " Herman and L Dorothea," or of wondrous lyrics like those by the celebrant of " Fridolin," and the "Gods of Greece." Honour to the ingenious scholiast whose skill has thus deftlyendowed his pupils with an Open Sesame to the hidden treasures of the glorious literature of his fatherland ! Proceeding to the details of the plan here unfolded to the wondering contempla tion of his disciples, De. Fischel ex pl a i ns t o th em at the outset, that -is to say, through the medium of his brief prefatory announcement, how it is he contrives to insinuate into their minds, during the course of an agreeable and facile perusal of a story by Franz Hoffmann, a familiar acquaintance with the rules of the German grammar ! This he ac complishes by means of a sprinkling of illustrative foot-notes as lucid as they are apposite. Foot notes conveying among other instructive frag ments of information, a notion of the various ideas involved in a single word, giving all its other meanings (besides the one supplied in the text), both proper and figurative. Added to these, moreover, there are foot-notes explanatory of idioms, and, appended to the whole story, an elementary German Grammar—so that to all in tents and purposes the single volume before us, marvellously complete in itself, comprises in one work the usually scattered advantages of a Reading Book, a Grammar, and a Dictionary. In other words, it is a literal Vade Mecum, a veritable re pertory of instruction upon the no longer recondite study of the German language. As affording addi tional testimony of the value of the remarkable volume under notice—hero are the five hints as to the manner in which the book ought to be used during the process of its systematic examination. Firstly —the student is informed, for example, that " the English line on the opposite page, having the same numeral at the side as the German, is the literal translation of the German line"—as we our selves have already here exemplified. Secondly— it has been .arranged that " when two English words are required for translating one German word they are connected by a hyphen" —a most judi cious arrangement, it will be allowed, when it is remembered how many are the composite words in the German language. Thirdly, by an adroit arrangement, whenever "a German word is not required in the English it is translated, but placed between brackets [ ]"—while, on the contrary, " words which are necessary in English, but are wanting in the German, are placed within paren theses ( )"—occasions, as might be conjectured, of not by any means unfrequent occurrence. Fourthly, " when the German separable compound verb is translated by one word, that word is to go in the place of the verb ; and to call attention to the prefix, a (p.) has been inserted, signifying par ticiple, the translation of which is already con tained in the verb" by which simple contriv ance a constant source of bewilderment to a tyro is at once overcome. Fifthly, and this, too, is re peatedly occurring—" where the cases are different in German from the English, they are indicated in the German text by the letters g, d, or a," meaning, of course, respectively, genitive, dative, or accusa tive. And with these five little keys in his hand the student quickly enough discovers how very easily he can unlock the mysteries of a noble, and at the outset an apparently almost inscrutable, language. The volume is one which, of itself) stamps the reputation of Dr. Fischel as that of an eminent German teacher, who is at once a profound and a popular grammarian. A Plea for• Urania. Piper, Stephenson, and Spence. It is unquestionably a very remarkable_ curiosity, to say the least of it, this " Plea for Urania''—being nothing less than a Popular Sketch of Celestial Phi losophy, or, in other words, an ar gument in favour of the most ancien t of the various ologies, the ology of all the ologies, Astrology ! A treatise the book before us, in fact, proves itself to be, upon examina tion —written for the most part in a logical and some times even in a strictly philosophical spirit, though occasionally running off in its style into the oddest sort of serio-comic whimsicalities ? The anony mous author is evidently a war , as well as a stu dent—otherwise we should not have him penning so facetious a preamble to his really erudite disquisi tion as that fantastic reference to the taboo upon Urania with which he introduces his readers to the more recondite chapters, relating subsequently to the once vaunted, but now for the most part ex ploded, science of Judicial Astrology, the science, as it is more sublimely designated by its votaries, of Celestial Philosophy. Whoever the writer of the volume may be—he has manifestly mastered his theme very surprisingly. He is " up" in its mysteries. He is among the number of the ini tiated. Nay—he is not merely initiated himself, but bent apparently upon tearing away the veil of the weird Elsusis for the 7ronXoL—macadamis in g , a highway for the vulgar crowd along which they may penetrate, if they list, to the very heart of the labyrinth—treading not " lightly," but heavily, loudly, resoundingly upon the holy ground," traversed during past ages by so many sages from Zoroaster., down to Zadkiel That we are RaLWATI . . Bedford and Bletchley Bucket mush. Clydesdale Jc. Col. Stour Vy. Sud. and Hal. E. Lin. r. 6 pe. E. Un. H. Sh. Glas. Barr. & Neils. Direct Do. Now Glstr.di Dn. Fr Hrtlpl. Dk. & Railway Hull & Selby Do. Shares. Do. i Shares. Lon. & Greenw Do. Preference Lon., 'EI., & S. Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent. Do. 6 per et. Manch. Bstn and Matlock Middlesbro' Redcar laidld.Bradfd Newmarket Bury E. G.spc N.& Est.s p. c. Do. 6 per et. Do. Fixeds p c Prest. & yre Do. Shrs. A Roystn.& Hit. Shot Roth.and Gooleg.s p.e. Shrews. &Her. j S. Staffordsh. Wear Valleygr 6 per cont.. Do.. Wilts&f,'orarst Limo It jioo 3t.11.00 $ 1 all it. 1,100 It. 1100 1.2 A all L2i all st.4o) St 1100 it. tOO 5+ all It. [CO 5} 5} 50 all . 1 .5 all L2t all 3t. 100 5 18# . L 2 O 0 all ?5 all St. 100 London & N. West. L.&N.W. edon Ern. k i E. C Cit.Nrthn. E. Count. teJdonlau.l Gt. Westn Yk. New. Berw. Y.rtNit, ,113. Easter' IPeto k Co, Norfolk, Do L. &N. W. & Midld., fltekton Darlingt. Midland.. En. Conn. E. Count. Do Do fL. &N.W ,Do It Northn Lancash St Yorksh. T. Brassoy ➢[.MCloan Stockt. 3 Darlingt. Do OfYiean: PREFER 100 Aberdeen 100 Do. N 0.2, 7p. 0 100 Do. Debentures all RlythandTyno 10 poi C. pref. (load. at 501, 100 Bris. & Ez. 4p.c. St 5 Do. 4 p. o. Shares 100 Caledonian £lO all Chep. &Ho. On. 5f pc all Do. do. Pref. No. 2 all Do. do. Pref. No. 2 all Cork &Bandonsf p.c all Dun.Prth Aber. J 2 E. Anglian Cls. ASh ' 100 Do. do. Ole. B6p. e. 100 Do. do Cls. C7p. c. all gas. Co.Ex,spc No. 1 all Do. No. 2. all Do. New 6 p. c. St all East Un. ' G. 6p. c . all Do. 51., 10 per cent all Do. IAL Debantr.Sh. all Do. do. 4 per cent... 1.00 East Lancash. 6p. eta all E.&W. York. J. sth. 1 Edlu . & Gl. 5 p.c. sh, .00 Ed. Prth.&Dun.4p,e all Furness 1100 Dias. & 5.W.0.5 p.c. 100 area Northn. sp. c 100 Do. sp. c. Redeem. at 10 p. c. prom 100 Do. 4f p. c 74 Da. sp. c. Scrip, Red at 5 p. c. pm... all Gt.N. of Scot. Ist Pre 100 , Gt. S. &W. (Ireland) 11 Do. 4 per a. Prof. S 6 Gt.W.(ls. H.Fx3pc 100 Do. con. red. 4f p.e. 100 De. eon. red. 4p. a. 1100 Do. irred. 4p. a. 100 Do. sp. c. red. prof all Do. do. do. all Do. Birm. Prof. '3ll all Do. Chester 8 p.c.P.S all De. do. 5 p. c. do 100 Do. Birm, Qua. Stk all Do. Ches. Qua. Sh 1 'all Do. do do all Do. do. do 6 Lan. & York. F. £2 1100 Do. 6p. a. Stock 1 100 Lon. &Brigh. 0.5 p.e. !1.00 Do. Pref., sp. a. St' 1100 Do. New Guar.6 p. c. 100 Do. do. 5 per eout 100 Lon.&N. W., Coy. 6 Nuneaton 5 p. et 100 Lon. & S.W. 7 per of all Londy. & Color. Sb all Londy. & Ennis. Si 100 (~5.,& L.,New,lo/ a Do. £6 all liarypt .& Carl. 4 p 0 all Do. 4i per cent 10e Do 100 Aid. Consol.6 p.c St 100 Do. Con.llr.Bir. 6pc t. 100 Do. 4f p. c. Pref. S. .6 , all Do. Pref. 43 . per oen 5 all Do. 51. Pref. 4p. c. It. 100 Ditto L. &H. Pref. S 0 an New., c. red. p , &c. ,pr. 5 p .0 all Norfolk Debenture 3t. 100 Do.Praf. 4p. o. Bt. ck 34. 100 Do. 5 p.a. Ext St. 100 pe. 54 per et. pref._ 3t. 100 'Do.Way. Val. 5 p. c 3t. 100 North British It. 100 N. E. Raw, 4 p.o. P. 17 7 IDo. do. do. ?0 13 IDo Loods 6 p.o :No.l 1.23 9 Do. do. Quarters 15 10 Do.Yorkliat S. Par ►A all 'North Staffordstiro. it. 100 Ox,WodkW.ls/6pii LO 9 Do 11._Pr0f...101. Sh. i all I Seot. Cent.. Now Pre' 15 all South Devon IDo. flied, 4i per cent 0.6 all tB. Eastern (Reading Ann.) of Li Os. 6d. R. 100 Do. 4i per cent It. 'lOO Too. Fixed 4i p e eh It. 100 IS. Wales Gum. 4 p. c W all IDo. do. 4i p. o 10 all 'S.Yorksh.4p.c.Guar. 15 all Stock.&Dar. • sp. s. 15 15 80. do. do. 124 all Stock. & Hard. g. 5 p. c. till July 1, '56 5 44 IWatertd. & Kilk. 6p c lill lA.gua Fria ......... 1 all Anglo Austen. Gold 10a . 8.11 'Anglo Californian e„ca 20 64 Australian. 1 all Australian C o rdillera 1 all Ave Maria . 1 all Baden (Gd. Duchy of, 60 all Blamar. Iron & Coo , 20 14 British Iron 35 26 Brazilianlmp.(issued at £5 pm.) 30 all Do. Comes & Cniab a 20 15 Do. St. John Del Rey 1 4 Clarendon Coos. Min. Co. of Jamaica 43 all Cobra Copper 5 1 onial Gold St. all Copper Min. of Eng 25 all Do. Prof. 7} p. oont. .. . le Copiapo . ....... 2 li Fortuna 20 all Genual all Gt.NuggetVeinßeg. all Groat Polgooth all Gt Wheal Vor Unitod all Liberty all Linares 14 Lusitanian •11 Kariquita. ....... all I New oranads - . all Nouveau Monde all Pontgi.Sil. & Le. Miu 1 Port Philip all Quartz Rock all Rhymney Iron all Do. New 13 4antiazo de Cuba... 6s. Sort. Cons. Min. Co. all liouth Australian all Do. Scrip ao. 10 per cent Pref 4A Tam. S. &L. Min. Co. § CM Croft all United Mexican all Wallor all West Mariposa 12s. Worthing Mining of Australia ... cll . .10 2811 1 1 1 MisoxLLitri 32i on [OO [OO all all all all 80 ill 15 all Australian Agrieult. Anstraln. Royal Mail Berlin Water Works Brit. American Land Canada C. Go. 6 p.c. Jan & Do. 6 p.c. Feb & Aug Do. 6p. c. Mar & Sept Crystal Palace Do. Preference Crystal Pal. of France Duston Tron Oro Eastern Steam En.dtAns Cop Sm Co Electric Telegraph Electric Teleg. of Ir Gen. Iron Se Collier Gen. Steam Navigat. General Screw Steam Irish Beetroot Sugar Loud. Gen. Omnibus Magdalena St. Navig Meditoran. Elec. Tel. Mexican&S.Amerien. Nat. Pat. Stettin Fuel Netherlands Land Do. Do. BPcP iSAatl d New B. & N. S. Land N. B. Australasian Nrth. of KuropeSta ant Oriental Gas Do. " New Shares Peel Rr. Ld. & Peuinaular& Oriental Do. Now Portland Iron Co Royal Mail Steam Scot. Austral. Invest Ditto Now South Austral. Land aubmar. Tel. Sorip Do. Roziabored ['lust& L. Co.U.Can Vs. DtomoiN V.W.GP.C.Jau&JuIy 4i 1 [9 - 6 - 2e - 94 - 96 94 - 98 • .... . ••• 104 - 106 ••• ••• 13 -13 i 23i -24 i 1074 - 112 24 - ••• - 91 -. 93 5g :-. P 1•11 .... ... ••• ..." .• 7 8 3 2ad 32 - 83 - 85 CE SHARES. ... '''.. ... ... so o =i7l 95 -- 97 15i .- 16i • •• '"'"' egos •.. ••• 54 6 12" - ••• .. = 4 1116 - 118 108 - 110 103 - 105 " a 6 - 6i 89 - 91 79 - $1 79 - 81 95 • 100 91 ioi 16} 161 - 1 70 72 94 181 191 9 9 13 14 1 132 - 134 - • - •• • i - i 112 - 134 4 - 46 ... 99 - 101 92 -14 •• id••• rii : iii 23 - 23! 95 - 100 91 -9/ ••• ..... ir ••• -- ••• 2i Sidi I - I i - : E. 2 - 2A 2 27 - 29 OP Cr - es 36 - 26 - 22 - 14 - li it - 1 .... :13013b. 25 4 - 263' 47 - 7 - 1 127 _ 132 108 - 109 105 - 107 108 - 110 21 - 2 3 5 - 51 1 1 191 -- 2ut 4 i ii f i - ili 5i - 5i ••• ••• 1 •••. 2 3 A id 18 22 1 - 14 i t :".: ii ••• --- •••p 16 1 1) 1 ? 5 i- 361 -- 1 - I 15i :: It where there was no party before the conk - - The learned counsel adopted the course pointed out by the magistrate, and said they - could- be of as muoh use ,0 their ()Hants as if their full right to appear was ad - mitted. The inquiry is expected to last several dap. ALARMING AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRE THIS DAY. About six o'clock this morning an alarming and de structive fire broke out on the premises occupied by Mr. Jas. White, timber merchant, Yardley-street, Clerken well. It appears that as several workmen were proceed ing to their employment they observed flames issuing from the counting-houie of the wood-yard, when the alarm was given, and messengers despatched to the several fire-brigaie stations in the district. Meanwhile the flames had communicated from the counting-house with the premises, Nos. 1,2, and 3, John-street, which are immediately adjaoent. These houses being in habited, the utmost alarm prevailed amongst the inmates, most of whom were awakened from sleep, and with much difficulty escaped. The de structive element prevailed uncontrolled for some time, despite the utmost exertions of the workmen employed on the establishment, and detachments of the West of England Fire Brigade. Much valuable timber was de stroyed, and nearly the whole of the implements and tools belonging to the workmen. The fire, in its course, next seized the houses occupied by Mr. Patten, eating house keeper, and Mr.• Cole, furniture broker ; and they also shared the same fate—goods and household property alike falling a sacrifice. The attention of the Fire Brigade, who seeing their efforts almost fruitless in arresting the flames, which had so strongly prevailed, was now directed to cut off communication with the adjoining premises, and in their endeavours they were ultimately successful. Fortunately there was 'no loss of life. The losses are estimated at between 20,000/. and 30, 0001.—Mr. White himself having lost, it is con sidered, no less than 10,0001. A similar conflagration occurred at the same establishment about four years ago. LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. Meeting this Day. The ordinary half-yearly niteting of this company was held this afternoon at the \Vaterloo•road Terminus; Mr. W. Chaplain, M.P., in the chair. The report of the directors, and the statement of ac• counts, which have both been published in Me Still, were taken as read. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the reception and adop- tion of the report, congratulated the meeting on the satisfactory state of the company's receipts over expen diture during the past year, compared with that of the previous one, and which he hoped showed them that their interests were properly attended to by the direc tors. A resolution would be submitted to them for their approval, empowering the directors to carry to the capital account 23, 6921 ., for plant and 20,2491. for new works that had been paid out of revenue during the past year. The gross receipts up to 31st Dec., 1855, amounted to 817,7011., and the plant charged to capital, including the vote to be asked for that day, 686,6651., which he thought showed they had not charged so much to capital as many other com panies had done. During this half-year in comparison with that of 1853, they had received 12,000/, for warlike an excess o f 20,0001. ; and he was san guine Aldorshott . and 8,0001. fortr traffic, fu, merchandisesu cas t 1 traffic,e e onv e i y n a c n l u c e d o n f g t troops, l Camp, making that if they }tad peace that the legitimate traffic of their lines would greatly exceed the amount that had been received for the past halfyear. Mr. LACEY (director) seconded the motion. A. brief discussion ensued, after which the report was adopted, and a dividend declared at the rate of 61. 123. 6d. per annum. A resolution for capitalising the expenditure for the past year for plant and works was also agreed to. Mr. Sergeant Gazelee and Mr• Hutchings, M.P., were re elected directors, and IlIr• A. Hayes, auditor. The meeting shortly after terminated. SIR JOBEITJA WALINLEy'S g*tmoN.—The following is the precise form of this motion, as it appears in the Votes and Proc ee di ngs of t h e House :—" Sir Joshua Wallasley,—British Museum, &c.—that, in the opinion of this house, it would promote the moral and intellec tual improvement of the working class.-s of this metro polis if the collections of natural history and of act in the British Museum and the National Gallery were open to the public inspection after morning servi‘,e on Sundaye.' THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGE. WHEAT. I BARLEY. I OATS. EIE. B EANS. PEAS. Yss 11.1 38s 2d 25s 10t1 53s Id 4 5 t lid I 44s 4d QUANTITIES OF GRAIN SOLD LIST WEEK. Wheat, 88,686; Barley, 96,436 ; Oats, 18.004 ; flys, 127 ; Beam, 5,621; f'eas;l,736 Quarters. MEAT MARKETS. NEWGATE AND LEADENIIALL.—No had a very dull trade here to-day, as follows :—Beef, from 2s Gd to 4s Od ; Mutton, 2s 10d to 48 2d ; Veal, 3s 10d to 58 Od; Pork, 3s 4d to 4R Sd per 81bs, by the carcase. SouTRALL, Feb. 13. —The supplies of each kind of meat were tolerably good, and the track) ruled heavy, at droop ing prices. Beef, from 2s 103 to 4s 43; Mutton, 3s 03 to 4s 6d; Veal, 4s 03 to 48 10.; ; Pork, 3s 43 to 4s ad per 81bs, to sink the offal. ROMFORD, Feb. 13.—T0-day's market was very dull, aid the quotations generally had a downward tendency. Beef, from 3s 03 to 4s Gd ; Mutton, 38 23 to Is 6d ; Veal, 48 03 to 5s 03 ; Pcrk. 3s 43 to 4s 83 per Me. Quarter-old Store Pigs, 20s to 26s each. HAY MARKETS. SILITHYDELD. — Meadow hay, 3/ 153 to 6/ Os ; clover ditto. 41 5s to 6/ 10a ; and straw, 11 4s Od to 1/ 930 d per load. A fair average supply, and a sluggish dcmaud. CUMBEELAND.—Meadow hay, 3/18s to 6/103; clove) do., 4/ 53 to 6/ 128 ; and straw, 1/ 43 to 1/ 9a per load. Trade steady. WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, 4/ Os to 6' Os; clover la., 4/ los to 6110 a; and straw, 11 4s to 11 9s per Wild. Trade Lord Haddo, M.P., is greatly improved in health, and is able to attend to his duties in the House of Com mons for the first time since his election for Aberdeen. shire in 1854. MONUMENT TO THE LATH Mn. EDWARD BAINES.— On Monday morning, a very numerously attended meeting of the committee for the erection of a statue of the late Mr. Edward Baines was held in the council chamber of the Leeds court house. The three statuettes were opened at the Commercial Bu ildin g s, and there carefully inspected by the committee, whose opinio n o f their respective merits was recorded in a resolution, subsequently adopted unanimously, appointint, Mr. Behnes the sculptor of the statue. The statue is to cost 700 guineas ;. it is to be eight feet in height ; and to stand upon a pedestal of Sicilian nimble. The second prize of 301. wag awarded to Mr. .Noble.—Le‘cls toy. I St. 56 i 5i Si St. *6 Pm ihl Si. 81i i I 97i 1 lOui 1 100 a •0111 . 67 8i 7i 32j i Pm pm 12k 25 6 i f 129 i 1081 9 Ei -• ~~=., not by any means exaggerating when we are so speaking of the audacity of the singular volume here submitted to our scrutiny—witness the truth of what we declare in its re,,, , ard, those astonishing chapters relating to Horary Astrology, to Mundane Astrology, to Atmospherical Astrology, and to Medical Astrology, to Planetary Influences, and to Genethlialogy ! Chapters explanatory, according to the all-believing astrologers, of how, i n regard to the pl ane t s , th e i n fl uences of Herschel, and of Saturn, and of Mars, aro all evil, while those of Jupiter, and Venus, and Mercury, are all more or less advantageous, if not actually benefit ! Inform ing us how, in regard to the signs of the Zodiac, one born in Aries will have dark eyebrows, and one in Taurus a broad hand, and one in Gemini black hair—(o Gemini !)—and One in Cancer, a pale face, and one in Leo a firm step, and one in Virgo a weak voice, and one in Libra eyes blue and beautiful, and one in Scorpio a thick neck, and one in Sagittarius a ruddy complexion, and one in Capricornus along chin, and one in Aquarius a comely person, alicf one in Pisces round - shoulders—truly very wonderful morsels of infor mation ! Inducting us, moreover, most good naturedly into the mysteries of trine, and square, and sextile, and conjunction, and opposition. 0 ! the wonderful book that it is—even the clear sighted sceptics of Household Words must allow the sceptics who visit so unmercifully with their unbelief, and their hard-headed common sense, and their hard-fisted ridicule, the astrological soot's sayers of our own in -credulous, all-credulous gene ration. A generation in • which steam-engines are contemporary with spirit rappers, and electric tele graphs with table-turning —an age in which sound astronomical knowledge is sold for a few copper coins, and in which, every year, Zadkiel's sixpenny Astrological Almanac circulates to the number of some thirty or forty thousand ! Wonderful, we say, the book before us unques tionably is—as the age in which it makes its ap pearance is wonderful too in its incongruous way—a book laying bare to the public eye the twelve houses in the famous figure of the heavens conned, cen tury after century, by astrologer after astrologer. With the fruits of their conning (or, as it may be otherwise termed, cunning), visible in so man y marvellous revelati ons . lining through angles, cadents, and succeedents, we find the twelve mysterious houses influencing respectively-1, per sons, health, and constitution ; 2, property • 3, short journeys; 4, l an d s , h ouses, an d i nhe ritances' 5, pleasures and amusements ; 6, bodily affections ; 7, marriage ; 8, death ; 9, distant voyages ; 10, trade, profession, or employment ; 11, friends ; 12, private enemies. Enlightened with these lambent gleams of knowledge, the student in astrology may apprehend readily enough how it comes to pass that " The Figure of Birth" is thus indicated. A circle being drawn to represent the heavens, within this anothr circle to represent the earth—a straight line through the outer circle to represent the horizon—E. signifying the east, where the sun rises, and W. the west, where it sets—another line being drawn to repre sent the meridian, at right angles with the first line marking the herizon—S. the south, where the sun is at noon, N. The north, where the sun is at midnight—the four paints being the angles or crosses where the 1,4, 7, and 10 houses commence —each of the four quadrants being then divided into three spaces by oblique ascension—and thus the twelve houses being completed ! A little more, in the way of these mystic inklings of the Ptolemaic lore, and the novice soon begins to fancy himself becoming a proficient in the mysteries of the awful science of astrology. And so the reader carries on his eccentric researches aided by the fitful light vouchsafed to him by our erudite and facetious author—dazed, bewildered, astounded by his won drous volubility about magic crystals and animal magnetism, about sympathies and antipathies, and " Vanity Fair" and the " Corsican Brothers," and Mr. Boswell and the Emperor Napoleon, and the Times among morning newspapers, and Vie Salt among wrecks, and the cholera and drunkenness—" every thing by turns and nothing long "—flitting before the dazzled gaze of the reader as in the medley of a wild and 'wildering phantasmagoria. Strangest token of the variety jumbled together in these fan tastic pages, we find the anonymous sage quoting in a foot-note , now Ptolemy's inEyaX7 l .vvrai - :tc, now Reynolds's ilrewspaper, now the Family _Herald, and now the Tetrabiblos or Quadripartite ! Qua vering down from the wisdom of Anaximander and Anaxagoras to the predictions of Raphael and Zad kiel, and the vagaries of Master (.fussy and Dr. Porcupine ! A wonderful book we reiterate this " Plea for Urania " to be beyond all manner of question —a book seriously insisting upon the int policy of the law which is supposed to prohibit the practice of astral science in the present age —en forcing its argument by the strangest mixture of trifling and philosophy. Russia : its Rise and Progress. By the Rev. T. Milner, M.A. Longman. This is one of the many histories of the Russian empire that the events of the last few years has called forth. It does not present any very original features, but it is written in a clear and concise style. The author asserts that be has endeavoured to preserve the thread of his history unbroken 4 omitting what is unimportant or uninteresting, and dwelling only on leading incidents, so as to give a definite view of the general Fortunes of the empire and of the more remarkable chapters. To those unacquainted with the features of Russian history this volume offers considerable advantages, as it does not confuse the reader's mind with a long list of unknown names and events. It sim plifies the early history, which is generally so per plexing, and introduces the reader at once to a more modern period. The type is excellent, and the whole appearance of the work coincides with its claims as a standard volume of historical refer ence. The author proposes to notice the reign of the late Czar, that eventful epoch in Russian his tory, and to complete a general view of the policy and prospects of Russia in a second and subse quent volume. Lessons •in General Knowledge. By R. 4. Mann, M.D., F.R.A.S. -Longman. This is a very useful and practical little work, admirably adapted to the' purpose for which it is designed. They are intended to farm a simple in troduction to the principles of science, as well as to be reading lessons to familiarise the pupil with the use and meaning of words. They treat of the for mation and movement of the earth, animal and vegetable life, scientific biography, &c. We doubt, however, whether they will be comprehensible to children of seven, as the preface anticipates. This will not be a very material drawback, as few chil dren of that age are sufficiently advanced to com mence so many different departments of learning. To older and more intelligent pupils, however, it offers every facility, and may especially be com mended to the attention of teachers, as it smooths the first steps in the acquisition of scientific infor mation by presenting them in clear and simple phraseology. The Year Book of Facts in Sciencs and Art. By John Timbs, F.S.A. David Bogue, Fleet- street. A valuable handbook, exhibiting the most im portant discoveries and improvements of the past year in mechanics and the useful arts, natural philosophy, electricity, chemistry, zoology and botany, geology and geography, meteorology and astronomy. An engraved portrait of Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, D.C.L., MA., F.R.S •, c•, Director of the School of Science applied to Mining and the Arts, fronts the title-page, and will be wel comed by the admirers of the learned knight. The , g Year Book " is one that should be in the hands of every intelligentindividual. Here and There in Portaged. By Hugh Owen. Bell A readable book and off offering n l d g y. a fund of ta . ten er in tuent and instruction to all parties interested in the past and present condition of Portugal. The writer is a close observer, and what he has seen has the ability to set down in a manner sufficiently graphic to command attention. His tour, theug_h of a desultory nature, appears to have been suffi ciently comprehensive to enable him to furnish the materials for forming a pretty accurate notion of the habits, manners, and customs of the people, " well as the general characteristics of the land of the olive and the vine. Numerous anecdotes enliven the work, the value of which is further enhanced by a number of illustrations, by eminent artists, from photographic pictures by the anther. THEATRICALS AT rAIITEHAVEN. — The lessee of this p p a re tr t o ty ns h a tt n le op th p e o a r t tu re nit cori n g y l ofw t i h t e ne l s a ;i t wugek the e peaffperformances ance. ded i: of Mr. and Mrs. Hermann V emu. The impression made by Mr. Vezin by his highly effective rendering of the character of the cardinal in Sir E. B. Lytton's play of "Richelieu" was immense —certainly nothing equal to it has ever been seen at this theatre before ; and at the termination of the play he received a complete ovation. The local papers speak in the highest terms of the per formance, which they designate as an effort deserving to be compared with that of the great tragedian Mac ready. They also pay the Same compliment to the great ability of Mrs. Vezin, the principal characters repre sented by her being Miami in Bnekstone's ,r Green Bushes," and Pauline iv. the " Lady of Lyons.' The engagement of these arifistes has really proved a prize to the lessee. The terms of the Royal charter to be granted to the Ottoman Bank will, it ie. understood, be preoiselyraimi lar to those of the charter of the Bank of Egypt. oa 11 1 ' geS • ape' i.W. Lie dis of 8 gg3, )g of ad rig ow' aU rig 90j 10Ti 331