The Sun. — London, England, 1854-12-29 00:00:00

MONE MARKET 1. IT D 00M 21 111.? CIAL I.NTELLIGENCE. CITY, TNN 0 o'CLOCK. The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday were estimated at 6,000 bales, including 500 American taken for export. The market was heavy, with but little alteration in prices. The sales comprised 5,000 American, 80 Pernam and Maranham at to 71d., 20 Bahia at 6d., 200 Egyptian at 6d. to 80., and 700 Surat at 3d. to 4d. per lb. Rail way Shares were rather dull. The Produce Markets being closed, we may use fully give a comparison of the prices of some of the principal staples during the first and last weeks of this year : Sugar— Jan., 1854. Dec., 1854. • British Plantation, s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. per cwt. Mauritius do. 27 6to 43 0 ... 25 oto 42 0 Havana, do. Coffee — West India, do. Ceylon Native, do 5O oto 50 6 ... .. 44 6to 45 6 Brasil, do 45 oto 58 0 ... 41 oto 57 0 Rum— Leeward Island, p. gal., proof to 5 per cent over 2 9to 4 1 Rice— 3 4to 411 20 St. Bengsl White, per cwt. Cotton— ' Surat and Madras, per lb. Saltpetre — Bengal, per cwt. Hemp— Manilla, per ton The American State documents are usually so voluminous, that there is a difficulty iu giving facts without entering into detail. The following appear, however, to be some very interesting results in connection with the laud sales : " It appears that during the fifteen months ending ,:with September, 1854, the sales of land were 13,735,203 acres ; a very large proportion of which was iii those regions where railroads have penetrated. This settlement of Government land contributes largely to the success of the roads that induce the settlement. The land report shows that in the line of the Illinois Central region, where, for fifteen years, the Government could not sell an acre, there have been sold 2,377,994 acres, much of it at double price. This tract, equal to the State of Connecticut in surface, will, in a few years, be come.tributary to the Central Railroad. In the midst of that large tract, the Central Company own a large quantity of selected lauds—to be put upon the market wired - its value shall have felt the influence of the sales of the Government. The Commissioner states that so numerous are the applications that this cannot be acted upon for months to come. An active demand and settle• meat is accumulating round the Illinois road with in creased effort, which will insure its property, had it no land of its own to fall back upon. The money pressure at the West has thrown some of the best paper into Wall street. Illinois Central acceptances, which were largely taken by the Ohicago Banks, have been turned over to capitalists in Wall-street." There has been no feature in the American Stock market, which is duller at about last week's rates, according to the list furnished by Messrs. D. Bell, Son, and Co. The English Stock market is very quiet, although some parties still indulge the belief that a Peace Congress is about to be opened at Vienna. Consols have been quoted 91i to 91i for account. Exche quer Bills remain at 4s. to 7s. pre ~i um. The Bonds have been quoted 99i. Bank Stock is firm at 208 to 209 k. The New 3 per Cents. have been 911 to 914, and the Reduced 90i to 91. Foreign Securities have been mostly nominal, BO limited are the transactions. The Turkish Bonds are 75i to 751. Sardinian Stock is worth 841. Dutch 4 per Cents. have been 91 1 . The following are the nominal prices of foreign stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 5 to 6 ; Mexi- Can , 20i to 21 ; Peruvian, 69 to 71 ; Ditto 3 per Cents., 48 to 50 ; Portuguese 4 per Cents., 41 to 43 ; Russian 5 per Cents., 97 to 99 ; Ditto 41 per Cents., 87 to 89 ; Spanish New Deferred, 18k to 181 ; Ditto 3 per Cents., 38k to 384 ; Ditto Certifi cates, 5 to 5i ; Ditto Passive, 4 to 44. For Railway Shares the market is not so high as yesterday, a reaction of 10s. having occurred in the North-Eastern, of ss. in the Great Western and Midland, and similar per centages in the others. This; however, is simply the result or trio of the account. Luxembourg shares continue heavy, and the French lines suffer by the heavy tone of the Paris bourse. There is nothing doing in the Foreign or Colo nial Mining Shares. The Joint-Stook Bank Shares have been steady generally, and London and Westminster rather higher. Crystal Palace are in more request, and South Australian Land are firm. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY.—CLOSING PRICES (Prom, the Ofticia/ List.) Bu4ness done sank Stock 2OB 9k 3 per Cont. Reduced Annuities. New 3 per Cent. Annuities Long Annuities, Expire sth Jan., 1860 -16 t Dittc, 30 Years, Expire 10th Oct., 1859 4 1-16 India Bonds, .21000 12 Consols for Account, 10th January India Stock for Acco unt 226 x d Exchequer Bills, W. 21000 Small E xc h eq uer Bonds 1858, 3} per Cent. —} Ditt o 1859, ~ s ..... 99i i 4 PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY. Danish Bonds, 1825, 3 per Cent — Ditto 5 per Cent M ex ican 3 per Cont. Sardinian Bonds, 5 per Cent.. ..... ..... Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent Ditto for the Account ...... 384 T ur ki s h Scrip, paid up in full Ditto for the Account 7 54 i i 'I Dividends on the above payable in L 011.1013. Dutch Exchange, 2i per Cent. 12 Guil — Ditto 4 Der Cent. Certifies.tes....~_ THREE O'CLOCK. „ 74 „ 67 Consols Ditto, January . Acoormt 911 x d THE WEATHER IN THE CRIMEA. i/ 2s St. 50 St. 16 20 20 10 10 20 20 50 20 172 20 20 20 The Moniteur de l',Arviee publishes the following 100 2Ci letter, dated b efore Sebastopol, Bth : 20 " The weather since the last two days has be- 6 com e delightful ; the heat of the sun already be gins to harde n the g round, and the roads will s oon 20 be in a better working condition. The natives of the country give us hopes that the weather may con- 4 tinue so for some weeks, which will allow us to carry 20 on our operations according to our wishes. Ina 20 1 f e w days our ba tteries, which have been considerably ~ increased, will be com p leted, and we shall be ready to ,V, open a formidable fire against the place. It is doubtful 10 3 whether our allies will be equally forward, as they have n ot the same mea ns of transport as we have, and it will 20 be more difficult for them to get up their heavy guns, unless the state of the road is materially improved. They 20 have not equipage trains militarily organised as we 16 h a ve ; the reso urces which they find in the country 20 are of great assistance to th are far from em when the com munications are easy, but they w eather. In a country being sufficient in bad e t on except with such 20 like this it is impossible to g ust be able to a n organisation as ours ; an a rm y m rely on its own means, which must be sufficient for 10 its wants. Our allies envy us our trains and our Our 2 0 0 am b u l ance s, which are so admirably arrang ed • con t ac t with them will certainly not fail to cause 20 great and u seful modifications in the organisation 20 of their army. Thanks to the numerous reinforce- 20 silents, which are constantly arriving, our f or ces suffice to meet all eventualities, and to carr n with ' success any operations which circumstan y c o s may will 92 : 05 call for. The Russian army of the Danube appears e to 10 be on its way toward the Crimea. The third corps, it 20 is said, quitted the Pruth in the early part of November, 20 w ith thousands of arobas. The bad weather w ill, doubtless, arrest the progress of this corps, but we may 8i expect that the Russians will use extraordinary e ff orts 10 to bring up their troops, the Crimea being destined to 20 b ec ome the great field of battle on which the present 20 0 s t rugg le will be settled. It is p erhaps better that it 20 should be there than elsewhere , for the g reat naval re sources possessed by the two allied nations will enable them to readily supply their armies with provisions and - 4 - 0 stores of every kind, whileßussia will have great difficulty 40 to furnish theirs, distant as they are from their great cen tre of supplies. Theßussian line-of -battleships, which are 50 still afloat in the port of Sebastopol, are no longer in a 25 s tate to put to sea ; for their crews, who have been em- 20 ployed in the defence of the place, have suffered such ~,,r , considerable losses that it is impossible to turn the yes- . .r„,c sels to any account. Some deserters have even de- - '''' o ' declared that 2,000 sailors were sent a short time since to Odessa, where there were no longer any troops, and 20 where the appearance of some of the Allied fleet had caused serious fears of an attack. Our sailors are for ve al- 50 100 ry 50 anxious for the Russian vessels to come though many of, ou r vessels have gone to Constanti nople to refit, the Allies have still more t han enough 100 left to destroy any Russian fleet that may show itself 20 outside the port." 50 20 THE Bonivzo INQUIRY.--Letters from Singapore state that the commissioners have, as they think, com- mo pleted their task, and the investigation has ceased. 10 They do not prcceed to Labuan or Borneo, but tcrmi- 5 nate their proceedings at once, and make their report to her Majesty's Government. That it will be favourable 2 5 5 to Sir James Brooke the commissioners have not con- 0 004641.—A ippitig G=ate. SIIARE [ARKETS. (THIS DAY.) RAILWA VS. [ Closing Prices this day. Paid.j RA ILWATO. LOU .kber , leen Nottng. 13081, - and Eastu. all Belfast & Pallyrnena.• all Binning. Wolverh. ST, Stour Valley 29 Birkenh , l. Luncsh. Cheshire Janet all Do. Chegh. & Eirk., £5O and £25 Cons. 19 I Do., 30 Rlyth &T,yr. original £25 (issd. at £45) 100 Bristol and Exeter... 100 Caledonia►. 21s. Carmarthen and Car digan all Chester 41 Holyhead all Cork and Bandon... all Cork, Black, Zs Pass 16 Cornwall 1. Crieff Junction 45 Dublin &BelfastJunc all Dundee Pertheaber Been Junction all Do. New 100 I East Anglian 211 Eastern Counties 100 Eastern Union, A Stock 100 Do., B. Stock 8 Do., New A. 100 East Lancashire 100 Edinburgh& Glasgow 9 Edinb. and Peebles._ 100 Edin.Prth &Dundee ' 1 Forth & Clyde June. 100 Glasgow &S. Western 100 Great Northern 100 Do., A. Stock 100 Do., B. Stock Sth. &\Vest.(lre ) 100 rent Western 100 Do. Stour Val. Rail Gua. Stk all Irish South-Eastern: all Lancaster & Carlisle I4W Do., Thirds . _ 4 Do. New Thirds 100 Lancash.andYorksh 19.: Do., Fifths 114 Do., Wst. Riding Un all Giv.Crsby.&Southpt all London & Blackwal 100 Lond. Bright St S.Cst. 100 Lond. and N. Wfttn. 12 Do. Fifths 1 (Do.lo/.5h.,M&8... tsi. Do. Eighths 100 London andS. Westn 42 Do., £5O 34 Do., £4O all Lnndrry& Col eraine , all Lndndrry. & Ennisk . 100 Manch.Shef.& Lincln 44 Do., Man. & Lin. Un. 100 Midland 100 Do. Birmng. & Derby all Sfidld. Cl. West. (Ire, 22: 1 2 Do, Half Shares 9,11 Newcastle & Carlisle 54 Nowmkt.Bury Exton 21 } wpt.Aberg. &Hrfd g Newry & Enniskillen all Newry Warrenpoini and Rostrevor 100 Norfolk 3?, 'Northn.Counties lin. 100 North British_ . all 4 'North Devon, No. 1 all ri/0., No. 2 ell ?-; A Deferred all Do., B Guarantee' [OO Eastern—Tierwich 20 'Do. do. Extension 13 Do.do, G.N.E. Porch all Do. Leeds 10() Do. York aI , North London Do. Now .£lO U l N.&S.Wstrn.,llamp stead, and City Jn 17 North Stairordshim. all North Western .„, all N.& S. Westrn. June. I Nuneaton, Hinckley and Leicester.. WO Oxford, Worcester,& Wolverhampton ... 6 Portsmouth WO " ottish Central ~ 100 cottish Midl and all - lirew3by. & II orofd Al 4hropshiro Union .., Do. A, B, C,& Djull; otii E 1d up a s at Eastern r ti , m All sou th De you .00 4 ill ' uth Wales . 5 1. Yrksh. dT. Riv. Due 5 Do I_ 3taine3,Wok. &Wok 11 tockton & Darling-. ...6 Stockton & Hartl3l3l. - 6 Do. £lO shares WO Do. Pref., No. 1 21 Charcos Haven Dock and Railway all Vale of Neath all Waterfd. & Kilkenny all Waterford&Limerick 18 West Cornwall 3 West End of London and Crystal Palace all West London 111s.,Wimblecln & Croydon 20 - 20 4i - 5 8 - 81 13 12 d 16 - 17 7 - 6 92 - 94 60i - 61 13i - 14 9 - 11 4 - 3 6/ - 7. 13i -14 - 11 -11 j 28 - 80 20 - 22 71 - 72 54 - 56 is :ion 67 - 69 90i -91 i 78 - 80 L 23 - 124 89 - 91 691 70 58 - 62 72 77 6 8 6 8 733 73/ bi 54 7i 88 LO6 108 101 d d 1; 83i —84 A 9 81 9 Bdi ii t : i-64 6 69 41 - 42 ion— d 94 2 49 - 51 33 3A 31 _ 32 8 10 74 75 6i 4 4 12/ —12 i 52 -- 53 52 E 4 par 11 —44 d 6 61 d—ip. 31 - 32 - 98 61 - 63 8 Sip 45 - 47 12 - 14 1 58/ - 594 2Si - ••• ••• 35 - 3 - 3i 16. 17 4 - 20 - 2 6 - 7 i' ::: 7• FOREIGN. all Antwerp&Rotterdam 3 Belgian East's. June. 8 Beziers to Graissessae 2s. Bombay, Baroda, and Central Ind.ia,Serip Central of Italy all Demerhra 14 Dijon and Besancon 10 Dutch Rhenish. all Eastern of France 10 Do. New all East Indian 2 Do. Extension all Do. 4. p. c. Bds., pay '57, convertible all Do. do. do., '59, do 10 Gd. Juliet. of France 126 Gd. Tk of CanadAA is. all Do. do Do. St. Lawrence 8; Atlantic do. all Do. Cert. of Deben., con. into Stk. till '631 all Do. Comp. 6p. c., do. 10 Gt. Central of Franck, all Gt. Indian Peningull , 1 Do. New 5 per cent. all Gt.WeaternofCanad Shares . . all Do. lids., payable's7, with option till '55., all Do. do., '62, p. 56 a ll De. do., '76, p. '6O all Do. do., '73, withoul I option all Hamilton & Toronto all Do. 6 per cent. 11 Lake Const. & Bashi all Lucca & Pistoj a 5 p.c pref 12 Great Luxembour, , Constituted Shares all Do. Obligations 0 Lyons and Geneva 12 Lyons & Mediterran 16 nadras 2 Do. Now ;1 Maria Antonia . 1,11 Do. do. Now 2 nelbourno Dk. & ity all Namur & Liege (wits interest) all Do. (ex interest) all Northern of France all D 0.20/. Shs.late Char leroi and Erqueline , gnu. 3 p. c. & red at 222/. dur. 88 yrs. from 1 Jan. 1851.... all Do. 20/. 3 p. (fmy.B.& Am Shs. ' all liorwegianTrunk-Prel 14 Paris and Lyons all Ditto Bonds all i'aris and Orleans.... all Paris and Rouon... 10 ParisCaen & Cherbi .. g all Rouen and Havre 20 Royal Danish 3 Royal Swedish all Sambre and Mouse_ a ll Do. 4p• cent. Prof. 10 Southern of France 14 St. Andrew's and Quebec (A) , all West Flanders all Do 51 per c. Pref 12 Western of France , 1r) 'Nest. of Switzerland all Wiesbaden ...• •••' 20 Zealand all Anstra azia, .......... ; . all 'British Colonial Bank and Loan Company all Britiuh N. American 5 Chartd. Bank of Asia 2 Chrtd. fink, of India, 25 CoAlZitarlia, St China l 20 Commercial o f L ou d 16 English Scottish and Australian all Loud. Chart. Bk. of Australia 20 London and County 10 London Joint Stock 20 Loud. & Westminster 35 National Provincial of England 10 Do. New 22: National of Ireland all Now South Wales all Oriental Bank of Corporation. 25 Provincial of Ireland all Do. New 1 Royal Australn. Bkg & Gold. Imp Co all South Australia all Union of Australia 2. Do. New UziloU 91 - 61 1} - 1$ d— i P P -- 3 i d 30i -31 l 4 -- 5i 14: par -- iP 8 - 7 9 7d 10 Si par eP - iP par a P 16/ -17 i iti 7 - .1.1; 2 d par 2 d par 2d. • pare ~. di, 2: B ' - 21 24 - 2 i }d ip i'a = a*a G 1 - 7 iii _7_ u 12f - 12 18j - 19; 44 46 36 38 pm 2(:q 21 lid 7.f 71 6i 1 ••• --- ••• ... - pm 3i - 1 4i- 5, ... -- 201 2h 2 1 16i -- 171 ()INT-STOK BANKS. 80 -- 82 I'd ... —ld 34 - 2i 21i - 22 35 - 40 37 - 39 41 -- 43 68 - 70 8 -- 10 ••• Busine,s tour this day. THE SUN, LoN D9N, PRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 29, 1854 3hr Paid ,t.llOO t.lOO 100 15 I all 5 all 15 Jo ;0 all l 5 all .26 nll : 2i all 0_• all .0 all 3t. 100 :it. WO 56 all all 5 all 2 all it. 103 5 I.S .2 W I 0 all 15 I all ;t. 100 ,5I 5 2 all 6 ) 4 1 all 1 all .0a all 20 6 1 all 1 all 1 all 1 all 5() all 10 13.5 1 15 _ 5 !CI 15 1 1 0 all 5 1 >t. all 5 I all 2 h) all 1 all 3b 4 1 all a all 1 all LO 9 1 all 1 all 1 1 all C, all 5 1 1 all 1 all 1 12s. 'ES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS. Leasitg Compa►zs, clostng Yricot L tills day. RAricnYr; !INlford B 1 tebley Buekgliarnsli. Clydesdale Je. E. Lincoln gr. S per cent. `Mts. Barr. & Neils. Direct Do. New...... 31str.& Dn. Fr Dk. & Railway Hull & Solby Do. a Shareg. Do. Shares. Lou. & Greeuw Do. Preference Lon.,Til.,&S. Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent. Do. 6 per et. Manch. Bxtn. and Matlock S.fiddleyibro' & Recicar. Ntidld.Bradfd Northern and Easternsp.e. Do. 6 per et. Do. Fixeds p Prest. & Wyre Do. Shares. iloystn.B4 Hit. Shef.Rothand Gooleg.s p.c. S.Stafforash. Wear Valleygr 6 per cent Do Wilts&gomrst Loudon & N. W _st. L. W. Sit.Nrtliti. Do Westu Vic. New. ilerw. Y. &NMI Do Do S. Eastern Do IPeto & Co. Norfolk.. N. W. & Midl& stckton & Darlingt. Midland.. S. Count. Do Do L. &N.W &Ln&Yk Do Gt Northn Lancash & Yorksh. 4.llCloan tockt. & Darlingt ItWeetn. Aberdeen Do. N 0.2, 7 p. c Blyth and Tyne 10 per c. prof. (issd. zt 500 Bris. & Ex. 4 p. c. St. Do. 4 p. c. Shares Caledonian £lO Chester & Holyhead Guar. 5 per cent De. di. Pref. No. 2 Do. do. Pref. No. 2. Cork &Bandonsip.c Dundee Perth &Aber deen Junction EastAnglian (X 3105; 6 per cent Do. (.C5) 7 per cent. Do. (X 7 17s) 7 p. c. Eastern Counties Ex tension, 5 p. e. No.ll Do. No. 2 . Do. New 6 r. a. St Eastern Union, Scri Guar. 6 per cent Do. 51., 10 per cent Do. 101. Debentr.Sh- Do. do. 4 per cent East Lancash. 6 p.cts East and West York shire June. Fifths EclinbPrth.&Dundec 4 per cont. Gla'sgow&S.Westeru Guar. 5 per cent.... Great Northn. 5 p. c. Do. 5 p. c. Redeem., at 10 p. c. prom... Do. 44 p.c. Gt.N. of Scot. 1 st Prei G. Southu.&Wcstni. (Ireland) Eighths)... Do. 4 per c. Prof. St Gt. W:3stu. (Bores Rants Ex. 5 p. c).. Do. con. red. 4.3 p.c. Do. coo.. red. 4 p. Dn. irred. Do. Birm. Pref. Sh... Do. Chester S p. Ds. do. 5 P. c. do Do. Birm. Gua. Stk. Do, Ches. Gua, Stk De, do. do . Do, do, do Lan. & York, F. £2(. Do, 6 p. c. Stock ... 'London and Brightoi Guaranteed 5 p. a... Do. Pref., 5 p. c. St. Do. New Guar.6 p. c. Lon. &N. W., Coy. Nuneaton 5 p. et... London & S. Western Con. Thirds Londonderry& Color A Shares Londy. & Ennis, A SI) Shof., & Lis Shares, No. 1. Do. Now, £lO Do. £6 Nfarypt.B.; Carl. 4 p Do. 4 per coat Do Consol.6 p.o.St. Birm. 6 per cent Do. Prof. 4i per cent Norfolk Debenture . Do. Pref. 4 p. c. Steck Do. 5 p. c. Eat Do. N per ct. prof._ Do. Way. Val. 5 p. c. North British N. E. Berw, 4 p.c. P Do. do. Do. Leeds 6 p.c Do. do. Quarters 48 Do. York FL& S. Per. North Staffordshire Oxford, Worcester, Si Wolverh.£ls, 610. c. scot. Cent. ,New Prei Do. 5 per cent South Devon Do. fixed, 4i per cent 3. Eastern (Reading Ann.) of I:1 Os. 6d. Do. 4i per cent i.Yorksh.4p.c.Guar S Wales Gua. 4p. o Do. de. 4i p. c.... Stockton and Dar- lington, 5 per cent Po. do. de Stockton and Hartle- 97 - 100 94 - 96 pool, guar. 5 p. c. till Ist July, 1856 Watorfd.&Kilk.6p.e. 51 - 64 12i - 13 95 - 100 98 - 100 130 - 135 164 lea 13 - 13,i 23 - 24 11 - 111. 2i - 2i 4 - , - 94 57 - 59 iao 1 - li ii = i'd k . i - 311 91 - 93 PREFERENCE SHARES. 60 - 65 113 - 115 108 - 110 99 - 101 6 - 9t - 96 89 - Si 91 - 63 94 - 101 16 - 17 10 - 10 3 71 - 73 183 - 193 - 133 - 143 lt - /,1 134 136 ••• .... be., 2i- 3p 11 - 12 I - iP 133 135 ld Is 7 - 90 1 104 - 100 100 - 102 90 - 92 2 - 8i •. ••• 1 .c 1 111 - 113 12 14 — . I , par 95 } 100 22i 15 —lB id iP - li } di MINES. i ... lh I = it i - 5 - 7 6 - 7 1 - 30 - 32 - par 47 49 50 65 Ipar 2 I, 14 16 1 par ip 15 17 8 ... 9 g - g i" i - g 15 - 16 i a A $ 23 - 25 5 - 7 31- 1 - 11 1 - 2 2i - 3 A - 36 7- - ii 2/ - 11 ioo 7: fdi 3 3a— lli e 17A : 1..12 1 = fi i - 1 2i :: ii 2 - 2i GL - 63 - 2 - 39 1 - I 111 -12 i , Agna Fria .... Anglo Austrin. Gold Anglo Californian Australian Australian Cordillera Australian Freehold. Ave Maria . Baden (Gd.Dachy of, Bl►nnaivon Iron and Ccal British Iron.. Brazilianlmp.(issued at £5 pm Do. Coutes & Culad:, Do. St. Johu Del Rey C,rsons's CITA Clarend u CUM. Min Co. of Jamaica • Cobre Copper Colonial Gold Copper Min. of Eng Do. Pref. 7i p. cent Copiapo English and Austin. Copper Sineltg Fortuna cner• 1 Gt.NuggetVeinneg. Great Polgooth Liberty Linares.. Aarignita Niexican&S.A.merim New Granada Ncw Linares Mining and Smelting Nouveau Monde Pontgibaud Silver Lead Min. & Smelt Port Philip quartz Rock Rhymney Iron Do. Now :iantiago de Cuba , iouth Australian Tin Croft ....... United Mexican Waller West Mariposa Worthing Mining 01 Australia Yuba.. Busines4 this day. MARLBOROUGH-STREET-(TILIS DAY.) A. LAWLESS RUFFIAN. —James Lawless, an Irish tailor, was brought before Mr. Hardwick, charged with vio lently assaulting Mary Lawless, his wife. The prosecutrix, whose face was severely bruised, de posed that, about ten o'clock last night, the defendant came home rather drunk and went to bed. About eleven o'clock he got up, had his supper, and went to bed again. She subsequently retired to rest, when he awoke and asked her for a handkerchief, and because she did not give him-one directly, he struck her with his fists about the head and face, and kicked her about the body. She screamed out, and a constable came in and took defendant into custody. Police-constable Baldwin, 135 C, was on duty last night in Archer-street, when he heard loud soream■ proceed from No. 4in the same street. He at once rushed into the house, and took the prisoner into cus tody. The complainant wai much bruised about the face. Defendant, in reply to the charge, said ha was drunk a t the time, and knew nothing at all about it. To refresh his recollection, Mr. Hardwick committed him for three months. THE NORWICH ELECTION. RETURN OF SIR S. I3IGNOLD. NORWICH, THURSDAY EVENING. The contest, which has been a severe one, has resulted in the return of Sir S. Bignold. Mr. Hamond's com mittee made no return of the state of the poll through out the day, but the following figures have been issued by the committee of Sir S. Bignold NINE► O'CLOCK. Bignold Hamond ELEVEN O'CLOCK. Bignold liamond TWELVE O'CLOCK. Bignold Hamond TWO P.lt. 1,214 1,071 Bignold Hamond - 1 374 : ........ , CLOSE OF THE POLL. ' 1,899 ILamond 1,629 Majority The official declaration of the poll will be made to. morrow. REPRESENTATION OF AYR• CLOSE OF THE POLL. Sir Jam es Fergusson (Conservative) Mr. Os vald (Lib e r a l) . . Majority for Fergusson Sir James is with the Guards in the Crimea THE BLOCKADE OF THE DANUBE. A letter from Vienna, of the 24th, in the Leipsie Gazette, says : "Among the political notabilities who hate received Austrian decorations may be remarked the Turkish Civil Commissioner in the Principalities, Dervish Pacha, who, it is said, has been made commander of the order of Leopokl. A part of the garrison of Pestb-Ofen will in a short time enter the Principalities, midair the com mand of Field-Marshal Baron de Dietrich. Several of the neutral States have requested France and England to raise the blockade of the mouths of the Danube ; but these Powers have, it is said, refused to do so from stratei;ic considerations, founded on th-e presence of Russars troops and of the Russian floWla on the banks of the Danube, in Bessarabia." At 4.IiKET N E &—' 'fills DAY CORN EXCHANGE. The prenent week's arrivals of English wheat: have been on a very moderate scale, and the show of samples here to-day was limited. Fine white qualities sold 'steadily at fully last week's prices; but red parcels were dull, at barely late rates. With foreign wheat we were rather scantily supplied. The amount of business doing in all kinds was rery mode. rate. In prices, however, we have no clangs tie notice. Barley, the supply of which was but moderate, moved off slowly on former terms. The malt trade was heavy at barely previous s ates. We had a good demand for oats, and sound heavy cern was rather dearer. Beans, peas, and flour were slow in sale. ARRIVALS THIS WHEN. Barley. Malt. 1,320 3,850- Oatsc. j Flour. 856 1 1,170 2,91 q 0,25 6 1 260 aks. 3000 brls. 11(1E PRICES OF BRITISH CORN 29, 1854, made up from the Reiturns of tie per Imperial Quarter. WUEAT. BAILLTY. OATS. I KM 'BANS. 1 PTAs. 722 41 33s lid 27s 4d , 46s 03 i 47s 101 / 46s lid THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGE. WHEAT. I BARLEY. OATS. RYE. BEANS. PEAS. 73s Id 84s lid 28s 6d 45s Id 49s 3cL 7 48s 101 DUTIES ON FOREIGN CORN. English .. Irish .... Foreign .. Wheat. 2,310 2,79) GENE] For the weel 11.11; AYE] A ended De WHEAT. I BARLEY. I OATS. - 1 RYE. I BEANS. I PHI. 18 Od la Od Od 04 Od Od QUANTITIES OF GRAIN SOLD LAST WFrEFC. Wheat, 118,798; Barley, 115,744; Oats, 21..251; Rye, 1147 ; Beans, 6,727; Peits, 2,945 ivartera. SMITHFIELD. To-day's market was fairly supplied with beasts in but middling condition. The beef trade ruled am newhat ac tive, and, in some instances, the primest Seats realised fis 4d per Sibs. Amongst the stock were 210 oxen from Spain. We had about an average supply or sheep on offer. The mutton trade was firm, and Menxlay's cur rency was fully supported. Calves, the suppls of which was very limited, advanced 4d per slbs. Pigs were some what firmer. Mulch cowa realised 141. 10i to 191 10e, inohr,diag their mall calf. Per Bibs to sink the ofrals. s. d. s. d. Inferior Beast 5....3 6to 3 8 Second quality..... 3 10 4 6 Prime largo oa•en 4 8 410 Prime Scots, di e. 5 0 5 2 Inferior Sheep ...3 8 3 Second quality _4 0 4 4 Prime crse.-wil,td.4 6 410 s. d. s Prime Southdown 5 0 5 2 Large crse. calves 4 6 5 4 Prime small d 0... 5 6 6 0 Large hogs 3 2 4 0 Small porkers 4 2 4 6 SueklingcalVcs ..22 0 29 I Quarter old pigs 21 0 27 0 TOTAL 11UPPLI. Beasts •••• • • ........ •• .. 1,020 Sheep .• ••• • • • 6,209 ... • .. • • 69 Pigs .. • ..• ••• • •• 300 THE WAR IN THE CRIMEA. ( Front the Constitutionncl.) The Russian army Las this advantage over those of • the allies, that it acts in its own country, its soldiers are accustomed to the climate, and its generals and com missariat are acquainted with the ground and the re sources to be derived from it ; but, OH the other hand, the Black Sea is closed to the Russian army by our fleets, and the Sea of Azoff and the land road only are open to it to procure all the supplies which it cannot find on the soil itself. The steppes, which are uninha bitable in the winter, and only practicable by the road which leads from Perekop to Simpheropol, form two thirds of the Crimea ; the other third is a mountainous region. Prince Menschikoff has established himself from Simphe ropol, Kara-sou-Bazar, and Bakshi-Serai to the west coast, a radius of about 25 leagues. The ordinary ration of the Russian soldier is composed of bread, groats, and brandy, to which in war is added meat. This latter is the only thing that the Crimea can supply. The oxen and sheep amply supply the wants of the Russian army, but the corn, brandy, and other supplies are drawn from Nikolairf, Kherson, and Taganrog, where large depots have been for some time formed either by the navigation of the Dnieper, which traverses very rich provinces, or from Odessa. Niko laief and Kherson now serve as the bases of the supplies of the Russian army, and if they were destroyed Prince Menschikoff would find himself in a very embar rassed position. The transport of supplies is attended with great difficulty in a country where no regular esta blishments for that purpose exist. The roads are very bad, although not quite impracticable. The Russian Government has collected together by requisition a great number of vehicles, and by this means secured the ser vice, notwithstanding the season, the rain, the cold, and those dreadful snow storms which sometimes sweep away whole flocks and entire convoys. Many carriages are lost, and many men perish on the road, but the eon voys succeed each other without interruption, and traverse the isthmus of Perekop, by which road provisions, reinforcements, and ammunition must come. The sea of Azoff being free, numerous cargoes are also despatched from Taganrog, Berdianck, and Ma rianpol, and which, after being landed at Kertch, are sent on by the road which leads from that port to Simpheropol. If our accounts are, therefore, as we believe them to be, correct, the Russians are not in want of pro visions, or, at least, it is clear that the Russian Govern ment has taken every means for securing a supply for them. The troops live badly, but they do live. Not one of our soldiers could eat the black bread, and the half rotten biscuit that is served out to the Russians, whose stomachs, accustomed to misery, can receive and digest it. The real cause of the sufferings of their army and of the numerous deaths is the want of shelter and clothing suit ablefor the winter; and the deaths are numerous from the want of propercare and remedies in illness, notwithstand ing the enormous sums expended by the Government for that purpose. The troops composing the reinforcemer.ts sent to Prince Mensehikoff arrived without any baggage. They were compelled to leave everything behind thorn, in order to travel quicker. None of the workmen, who generally accompany every regiment, could follow them. They are therefore without any camp equipage, and ex posed to all those sudden changes in the temperature, and to those torrential rains to which generally succeed hurricanes of wind and violent snow storms. It is on these occasions that the resignation of the soldiers is truly admirable, it might be almost said that they regard suffer ing as their lot on earth. Never is there a murmurheard ; they pray to the image of the Virgin, and suffer in silence, or at times begin one of those interminable and melancholy songs by the aid of which they, as it were, lull their grief. The want of medical men and of medi cine for the sick is the greatest suffering now experienced by the Russian army. It is impossible to convey an idea of the state of abandonment to which the sick are reduced ; to enter the hospital is almost synonymous to entering the grave. Some German medical men, who are not without skill, form part of the medical staff, but all their efforts are powerless. Either they want resources, and are deprived of tiro most neces sary articles, or their good will is checked by the very men who are charged with the surveillance of the depart ment. The intendants and sub-intendants are charged in Russia to provide for all the wants of the army both in times of war and peace ; but far from intimating the andstsoof t h th e e r c ici h , a y t , t t a h iery, mor ew hich dporobsioty muche s h , o o t n e o d u n i e . frequently set an example of the most scandalous cor ruption. They are in this particular but too wed seconded by the commanding officers of regiments, who themselves seek to gain all they can out of the sums paid to them for the support of their men. The picture we have just drawn is not exag gerated, and is founded on certain data. Thus, ad mitting that Prince Mensehikoff has at this moment the provisions necessary for his army, the occupation of Perekop, and the burning of Nioolaief or Kherson, be fore the Dnieper and the swamps at its mouth are frozen up, would be sufficient to cause him the greatest embar rassment. This army has, besides, numerous other causes for weakening it ; every day the chasms in its ranks increase, while reinforcements only come up with great difficulty, and if they do arrive are in very bad condition, for during winter the cold is too severe, the days too short, and the snow storms frequently of too long duration for regiments on the march not to suffer. THE NEW FRENCH LOAN. The following is the bill laid before the Legisla tive Corps, authorising the Minister of Finances to contraot a loan of 500 million francs : " EXPOSE MS MOTIFS. "Gentlemen,—When at the commencement of the present year France thought it her duty to engage in a war required for the defence of a friendly Power, and the maintenance of the equilibrium of Europe, the Govern ment demanded at the same time the material support necessary to sustain a great struggle, and the moral sup port which must result to it from the assent of the coun try expressed through you. "You have nobly answered to the appeal by unani mously voting a loan proportioned to the necessities and previsions of the moment. The resources obtained by that means have been consecrated to the object for which they were created. The produce of the emission of Rentes authorised by your deliberation of the 7th March has been even more than absorbed by the deve lopment given to our forces by land and sea, and by the expenses of a war carried out on distant shares hitherto unknown to the grtatest flight of our arms. "The courage of cur soldiers and of our allies has added new pages to our victories. " Against an enemy, fora long time past prepared for the struggle, and attacked in the very heart of his power in the Black Sea, the most glorious feats of arms have not yet terminated the war. Persevering efforts are imposed on the two Great Powers of the West, if they wish to obtain the triumph necessary for the accom plishment of this object, the solid and definitive re establishment of European peace. These genereus efforts for thu success of a great cause the Government of the Emperor expects with confidenee from your patriotism. " Taking into consideration the expenses actually accomplished, and the military eventualities of the year 1855, it demands from you to carry to 500 millions the produce to be realised by a new loan. Less ' resources will not be sufficient to support in the East a numerous army, and to meet all the necessities of the ' struggle. " You will think, no doubt, as we do, that the ex penses of the war in the East ought to be especially raised by a loan. Whaterer may be the present sacri fices imposed by circumstances, the Government of the Emperor, in stopping an ambition which would every day fortify and extend itself, spares to a not distant future sacrifices which we are convinced would have been still greater. "At the same time that we demand in the new law I the latitude of eiscntiou which you have accorded to it in the former operation, the Emperor has not hesitated to tell you beforehand Lis idea as to the mode which lie thinks most opportune, and which has been recently practised with too much success not to be attempted again. " The mode of loan by national subscription was at your last session unknown or forgotten. It has been justified in France by a striking trial, and already imi tated in other countries. " Without excluding any other mode the Government has been anxious to inform yon in advance of the sense in which it intends making use of the faculty with which you will doubtless invest it, by reproducing the terms of the bill accepted by you in your last session. "Li voting patriotically the resources for which the Government applies to you, you will teach, gentlemen, our enemies, as our allies—you will inform Europe, whose sympathies accompany us, of the limn resolution of the French Government and nation to carry on with energy the war which they have undertaken. "And our patient, our heroic army, already proud of the testimonies of gratitude which have emanated from a friendly nation, and highly recompensed by the eulo giums of the Emperor, will also receive from the legis lative body of France those encouragements which carry with them the means of continuing the course of victory, and causing it to bear proper fruit. (Signed) " EsQuirtou DE PARIEU, President of the Section of Finance at the Council of State. " AD. VUITRY. " E. BOINVILLIERS." "BILL TO AUTHORISE THE MINISTER OF FINANCE TO CON TRACT A LOIN OF 500 MILLIONS OF FRANCS. " Art. 1. The Minister of Finance is authorised to have inscribed on the great book of the public debt the amount of Rentes necessary to produce, at the rate of the negotiation, 500 millions of francs. " These Rentes shall be alienated in such a manner as to rate and conditions as shall best conciliate the interests of tEe Treasury, with facility of negotiation. " A sinking fund of one-hundredth part of the nominal capital of the Rentes created in virtue of the preceding authorisation, shall be added to the donation of the Caisse d'Atoortissement. " Art. 2. The sum raised by the loan shall be applied, under the title of extraordinary resource, to the warts of tho year in which it shall be raised. " This bill has been deliberated on and adopted by the Council of State, in the sitting of December 27, 1854." lIIPORTATION OP FLAX.—From a return of the House of Commons, lately issued, it appears that in 1853 the flax and tow or codilla of hemp and flax imported into the United Kingdom amounted to 1,902,447 cwts., of which 1,294,827 cwts. were from Russia; and that the hemp undressed amounted to 1,218,770 cwts., of which 806,396 cwts. were from Russia. TEE RUSSIAN 1110 - EMENTS IN INDIA. The following are extracts from a Calcutta letter, dated Nov. 18 : "The prominent event of the fortnight is the com mencement of a friendly communication with Post Ma homed, the ruler of Aflghanistan, who holds Cabot, which has often been desi g nated the key of India. To understand the natu re and importance of this event, it is necessary to glance for a moment at the progress, not so much of the Russian arms, as of Russian influence, to the west of the Indus. It has often been surmised that the Russians bad an intention of marching an army to the banks of the Indus for the invasion and con quest of India, but the probability of any such move ment is exceedingly remote, and of the failure of it there can be no doubt whatever. If 100,000 men were to start from the Russian station nearest to India it is certain that not snore than one -fifth of that number could reach the Indus ; and they would not be in a condition to encounter the fresh and w e ll. equipped army of four or five times that number with which we should meet them. The Russians cannot transport their commissariat 1,00 miles where there are no roads. At the same time it is perfectly palpable that Russia has been gradually working her way down to our frontier, never making a startling move, but steadily advancing her pawns. Her object is to establish her paramount influence throughout the various tribes of Central Asia, to inspire them with awe of her power, and to impress on their minds that the Russians arc a far morn powerful nation than the English, though they have conquered Hindostan. The Russians are anxious to constitute themselves the arbiters of Central Asia ; and, when this preponderating influence has once been thoroughly established, there will be a hundred ways of using it to our disadvantage, which will at once occur to the mind. Not the least annoying result of these ad vances is the feverish excitement it creates in India, both in our own territories and among our native allies. " These intrigues are not of yesterday. They have been steadily pursued for the last 20 years, but they have been redoubled since the commencement of hostili ties. Russian emissaries are now at work with all the chiefs to whom they can gain access, and Central Asia is now agitated beyond all former example by the ex pectation which is held out of the portentous advance of the great Russ, the antagonist of England. It is, how ever, a well ascertained fact that the report of the advance of Russian troops upon Khiva is fabulous. Russia has not a soldier in the neighbourhood of the Oxus. The only Russian troops which have advanced up that river are, I believe, at Ark Musjeed, and they do not exceed 2,000 men, supported by not more than six pieces of artillery. The advances which Russia is thus snaking towards our own north-west frontier have given no alarm to the Government of India, but they have pointed out the importance of • forming alliances with the independent chiefs across the Indus, and thus cresting a barrier to the encroachments of Russian intrigue. "The Delhi Gazette comments on the latest accounts from the north of the Hindu Koosh as follows : " 'As to Russophobia, there is still a rational one, and the question may be thus summed up. The fear of being laughed at for suspecting Russia of any design on the British possessions in India is the form which Russo phobia takes among us at the present day. This reaction against the wild, because timid, policy which led us into the Affgban war, is only natural. But, like every other violent reaction, it is liable to run into extremes. " Napoleon wrote to his brother Joseph (as appears from his lately published correspondence) that Russia was too far off ever to give bins any concern ; and yet we all know how the history of a few subsequent years forced on him the conviction that there were but two alternatives for Europe, to become either Republican or Cossack. So here in India have we been accustomed to believe that Russia was 'too far eft' ever to disturb our peace. And yet there is evidence, hardly now to be gainsayed, that liussiais rapidly becoming possessed of the s hole Doab of the Jaxartee and the Oxus, a country which for 10 centuries of history and 20 more of tradi tion has supplied India with invaders. The head-quar ters of a Russian force, how large or finial that force is of little moment, are now established within 500 miles of our North west Frontisr.' " The object of the Czar is evidently to comical Persia to join him, and then to effect a junction be tween the Ru•,sian forco Kokau and the Persian army at Merw or Merve. This junction would place the resources of Bokhara, Persia, and Affghanistan at his disposal, and tiereby render him paramount in all the countries between the C:tsp;an and the Indus. Ti,e immediate advantages that Russia would obtain would he the co-operation of a Persian ariuy against the Turks in Armenia, and the power of harassing our Indian army by stirring up and uniting against us the tribes of the Indus frontier, who are said in the Punjaub re port to be able to bring at least 100,000 fighting men into the field. It is true that these are altogether un able to cope with our regular troops in the plains, but by a well-organised system of incessant inroads into our territories they would compel us to keep up a very much larger force on the frontier than is necessary at present." " The Nepaulese Cabinet is increasing its military establishment to each an extent as to enforce the neces i ,city 43,..xonzatiin g oltplonatione. Tho Minister pro fessoe the most cordial friendship for the British Go vernment, and replies that the armies are intended for an expedition against Lassa ; but there is some reason to suspect that these armaments have some connection with the progress of Russian intrigues. "You will notice a great outcry in the local journals regarding the annexation of Nagpore, and the confisca tion of the Crown jewels, which has been represented as nearly, if net altogether, equal in atrocity to the plunder of the Begums of Oude, so celebrated in the annals of British eloquence. This letter must net be too elabo- ' rate, and I must reserve all particulars for my next communication. Meanwhile, it may be sufficient to state that there was absolutely no heir whatever, natu ral or adopted, to that throne, and that our Govern ment, finding a sum of about 700,0001. in the Rajah's treasury, in money and jewel, has waived all claim to this property, and declared that it shall not be alien ated from the family. The object of the sequestration, which is so loudly reprobated, was simply to prevent its falling into the hands of the Ranees, to the detriment of other branches of the Royal family." "A treaty has also been made with the Khan of Khe lat, by which he binds himself to consider our enemies as his enemies, and to protect the whole of our frontier province of Scindo from all encroachments, and also to Allow merchandise to pass through his territories un molested at a fixed rate of duty. On these conditions ho is to receive a subsidy of 5,0001. a year." FOZEIGN SUPPLY. Ileasts ••.....•.. .. .. .. . 4OS Sheep .. •• .. ••.. • • ........ bie Calves..• •—•• .. • • ........ Ge NEI MATE AND LEADENHALL. We haA a good demand for each kind of meat, at full prices. Per Bibs by the carcass. e. d. s. d. 9. d. 9. d. Beef, inferior., ....3 2 3 4 Mutton, inferior 3 4 3 8 Do., middling, .... 6 3 8 Do., middling 310 4 4 Do., prime lar ,;(1 .3 10 4 2 Do., prime 4 6 4 8 Do., do. small ....4 4 4 8 1 Veal 4 0 5 4 Pork, large ~..3 0 3 1 J Pork, small 310 4 6 BOROUGH HOP. Our market las been extremely - inactive this week. In the general quotations we have no change to notice. The imports amount to 478 bales from Ostend, 696 from New York, 6 from Antwerp, and 45 from Rotterdam. Now Mid and Easli; Bout pockets, 154153 to 221 Os ; Weald of Kent ditto, Hi/ Os to 16/ 10s ; Sussex ditto, 14110 s to 15/ lOs per cwt. LLOYD'S SHIPPING--(THIS DAY.) LONDON, Elec. 29.—Wind this day at Noon, S.W.; light breeze. PORTSMOUT B , Dec. 28. Arrived—Kaffurland, from Lon don, for Syd ney, N S.W. Sailed—Muse, for Sydney, N.S.W. ; Zee paard, Hobart Town • Eagle, Port Philip ; Northumberla ud, Geelong ; Excelsior, do. ; Rubicon, Calcutt a; Li eutenant Bellot, River Gambia; Lady Blaney, Call i o ; Harbinger, Berbice ; Yore, Jamaica ; Canada, do. FALmourrii, Dec. 28.—Wind, N. Arrived—John Sugars, from Adelaide, S.A. PLYMOUTH, Dec. 28.—Wind, N. Sailed—Else, for Rio Janeiro. DOVER, Df c. 28.—Wind, N. to W.N.W. Arrived— Estafette, fre ,- in Canton, for Hamburgh. Off Port—Ade. line, from Qin,ibec, for Newcastle, leaky. COWES, Deis. 28.—Wind, N. Sailed—Africa, for African; Elizabeth, for New Orleans. DARTstou H, Dec. 21— Sailed—Osbert, for Barhadoes ; Adam V. Re Havanna.h. BEATEILARI s, Dec. 2B . — Arrived—Halcyon, from Quebec, for Laneastei TORBAY, :Dec. 25.—Wild, N.N.E. Sailed—Cimbria, for Goelong ; Tamar (s), Hobart Town. (PER ELECTRIC TRLEGRIPII.) LrvErtrooL, Friday Morning. Wind, W. ; moderate. Arrived-4 L. Z., from New York ; Aden, Whampoa ; Sarah, Quebec. Sailed—Fe ender - for Ceylon. QUEENSTOWN, Deo. 27. Wind, W. Arrived— lJndine, from Bona; Amazon, Quebec; Co lumbine, Ne w York. (BY MBEIMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.) GRAVESEND, Friday, 10.15 a.m. Wind, N ; tide, first hours' Orb ; woather, mode rate, with i sin. Arrived, Dec. 29—Aaolpb, from Odnse ; Danebrog, Newstadt; Columbine (s), Rotterdam ; City of London (s), Dunkirlc. Sailed—lilexs,ndria, for St. Helena ; Fanny Gann, St. Michael's; Ch a p man , Cochin; Swartzwick,Gothonborg. DEAL, Frid ay , 9 . 33 a . m . Wind, Vr. ; li g ht an d tine. Passed Dungeness, Dee. 27—Eurapo, from Honduras, for Chaths.m ; Dorothy, Mauritius, for London. TIIE WHITHER IN LIVERPOOL.-0 wing to the, heavy gales which have prevailed almost uninterruptedly since the beginning of this month, our river has bees filled with au' immense outward-bound fleet of vessels. The view from the Cheshire side is very beautiful. Front the Rock: Lighthouse, right away to Eastham, or more than mix miles of anchorage, the river is dotted with every description of craft, from the tiny smack to the colossal merchantmen of above 2,000 tons border]. The large vessels, however, have the preponderance. EMIGE,A,TION FROST THE CLYDE.--Her Majesty's Colo nial Land and Emigration Commissioners are ready to receive tenders for the establishment of a Government Emigration depot at Glasgow or Greenock on the same terms as at. Southampton, Plymouth, or Birkenhead.— Edintiurgh. Courant. THE SUPPLY OF GRAIN, &c. The following communication has been received respecting the abundant supplies of grain and other food available for this country, as well as for the armies in the Crimea, in the Turkish principalities, but which are understood to be prevented front reaching us by the English and French blockading squadron at the mouth of the Danube. Although no explanation of the actual state of affairs at that point was offered during the recent sitting of Parliament, the question is one of vital importance not only to merchants and ship-owners, but to the general population, while it also bas serious bearings on the welfare of Turkey. According to current rumours the Turkish and Austrian Governments arc both anxious that the trade should be opened forthwith, aLd statements of this kind increase the general desire to learn the motives that prompt tke allies to an opposite policy, especially as it is believed that arrangements could easily be put is force to enable vessels to enter in ballast, and to leave with cargoes of produce, under a system of certificates and examination, such as wholly obviate any danger of the blockade f or war purposes being infringed : "el, Moorgate-stnet, Dec. 27. "Sir--Saving recently perused with much mare t several communications on the subject of the navigation o f the Danube, we beg to enclose an extract of a le.t just received from our agent at Galatz, which appears i o us to contain some valuable suggestions as to the extent to which supplies for our army in the Crimea might be derived from the Danubian provinces, and which kfor- 'nation may, perhaps, offer additional inducement to Government to take measures for raLiag the blockade of the Danube. _ " We are, your obedient servants, " CHARLES JOYCE and Co," (Exiract.) " Galatz, Dec. 11 "One of the most important questions a waiting solution at the present crisis—one to which the allied Governments cannot too early or too closely devote their attention—is, undoubtedly, that of the frce na vigation of the Danube. Not only is it a question of vast importance to the commercial world in general, as affecting the exportation of grain from Wallachia, Moldavia, Bulgaria, and Bessarabia, but the circum stances appear to have been hitherto overlooked that these provinces would form eon of the nearest and cheapest markets whence the allied armies in the Crimea might obtain supplies of provisions of every kind with the utmost facility. The difficulties put in the way of the exportation of corn during the past year by the Russian Government have caused the accumulation of enormous stocks of all kinds in Moldavia and Wallachia, and puttiug entirely out of the question the quantity of cattle, &e., that might be obtained from Servia and Bulgaria, the provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia alone are capable of furnishing any quantity that can possibly be required of flour, barley, kidney beans, potatoes, bay, wines, spirits, oxen, pigs., preserved meats, &c., for the supply of an army in the Crimea, or any other point on the shores of the Black Sea. It is therefore to be hoped the allied Powers will not lose sight of the inealculab'e advantages which the immediate re-opening of the Danube would offer, not •nly to commerce i❑ gem era' , but to their own armies at this moment, and tl at l>y occupying the coast of Bessarabia they may enable the inhabitants of these provinces to bring forward their supplies in safety." THE LIVERPOOL, CROSET, AND SOUTHPORT RAIL WAY.—AIL meeting of the contractors was held in the Garendon Rooms, on Wednesday, to devise measures for improving the facilities for reaching their napective abodes on the line , an d im p r essing upon th e G overnm ent the necessity of making some altelat;on to carry out the desired effect. After some deliberation, the following resolutiou was adopted : " That the landowners and residents upon the line between Liverpool and 'Waterloo be invited to attend a meeting, to be held as soon as possible, in Seaforth, Litherland, and Marshland, and to communicate with a central meeting or committee to be held in Bootle Village." The meeting then separated. 691 Z i 70i ex arra 107 6/ 101 100 k 24k 5 4i 68 91 50 49 52g i 4. 1 100 't. 1100 it. 1100 t.too 5 1 all 1 all 1 all 61 all 3il all 5 all 7i 2 6i all 6f, all .0 all 9 all g all LO all ,t. all It. 100 5 all 5 1 all ft. 1 too it. 100 lt. 100 .0 8i 6.1 all !O 7 i 0 6 St. 100 St. 100 St. 100 8 all 10 all 10 all St. 1)0 M all 131 all 2 all 16 6 St. 100 St. 100 It. 100 it. 100 it. 100 2 all ~2 9.11 15 all .0 1 all 6 l.??,1 all all 1.(20 st. .61 11i LO 10 It. iOO St. 100 it. [OO It. 100 It. co! It. ICO l 7 5 !O 13 [2i 9 5 10 20 all St. 100 3i all 10 10 25 all 10 1i .0.6 all lt. 100 !,0 all I a] 2i 21 82 60 1 ISEISCIEL: A.ubin Coal and Irani Australian A gricult. A. us tralsu Pc i c. tiustraln. Royal Mail Berlin Water Works Brit. American Land Brit. di Coln. Smoltg. and Reduction Co Canada Canada Gov. 6 p. et Jan. and July Crystal Palace Crystal Pal. of Franc, Eastern Steam ElectricTelograph(A) Electric Teleg. of Ir. Gen. Steam Navigat. General Screw Steam Irish Beetroot Sugar Magdalena St. Navig. Nlediteran. Elec. Tel. Nat. Pat. Steam Fue - Netherlands Land._ N. S. W. Coal & Inter. Steam Navigat. Co:. N. B. Australasian NAIL ofEuropeSteam Peel Er. Ld. & Minrl. Peninsular& Oriental Do. Do. Portland Iron Co Royal Mail Steam Scot. Austral, Invest. South Austral. Land. Submar. Telegraph Do. Regi,tered Va Pieinel•'s Lane SIR JOHN BURGOYNE AND THE ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT. The following letters have been addressed to the Editor of the Times : Sir,--The columns of the Tines are hardly at any tim• the most fitting place for the discussion of a scientific question relating to the attack of fortified places, and cer tainly are not so in the instance where reference to plans and diagrams is absolutely necessary for a right under standing of the subject in dispute. If, however, your cor• respondent, "Gurwoodiensis," will refer to Choumara's celebrated treaties on fortification, at page 371, with plate 5, I think he will find it pretty clearly explained bow the English failed in taking Burgos. It is there also shown that, had they battered the masonry keep and enfilades, the one rampart towards the town from St. Micbael's•mount, the place must have surrendered in a few days. Instead of this, they attacked the three lines of earthworks towards the country, and for this neither the materiel nor the time at their disposal was sufficient, and it became, in consequence, strategically necessary to raise the siege and forego the fruits of a hard-fought campaign• I decline to submit to the dictum that the laudatory expressions of a general despatch are to be considered a final judgment on the merit of an officer, especially when the question is more regarding his subsequent career than the particular instance to which the quoted despatch refers. I believe I am correct in stating that Sir John Bur• goyne first commanded the Engineers in chief at Burgos, and subsequently at St. Sebastian, only on the death of Sir Richard Fletcher. r - am, of course, aware that he was present at Ciudad Rodrig o and Eadajoz, but only in a subordinate capacity. OMICUON. Sir,—ln the Times of yesterday you inserted a letter, signed "Omicron," referring " to the siege operations and disasters at Burgos, where Sir John - 13 1irgoyne was chief engineer, and to disasters of a similar nature which now present themselves at Sebastopol, which, a ft er an interval of 42 years, ought to have been foreseen and provided against." , . . This letter, Sir (among a variety of others which have recently appeared in your valuable columns), contains facts connected with our Ordnance Department deserving of the attention of our Government if a successful ter. ruination to the present war is contemplated, as, while our affairs at home and abroad are conducted by some heads of departments upwards of, and others bordering on, 70 years of age, we must expect all operations con nected with that war to be retarded by ideas equally an tiquated, owing, as your correspondent justly observes, to " those veterans having, during the last 40 years' peace, resisted every improvement in military science as a personal insult to their superior knowledge and expe rience, having been able, in consequence of their posi tion, to keep things pretty much as they were at the end of our last continental war—pre-eminently what is termed in official parlance safe men,' never troubling the Minister for money to make scientific ex periments. For every inventor buckets of water are substituted and administered in the blandest manner possible," &c. _ _ Complaints of this nature, Sir, have been reiterated by the press ever since the commencement of the pre• sent war, without making any apparent impression on Government, and even in the House of Counnons last week Mr. Williams (the member, I presume, for Lam. beth) was reported as having noticed letters from the Crimea inserted in your paper, complaining of the great loss of life occasioned at Inkerman and subsequent engagements by the defective percussion caps issued to our men by the Ordnance Depart. merit, which would not explode in wet weather, while it was proved that waterproof caps had been offered to that department, and rejected by the committee at Wool• with afLr a trial of 24 hours' immersion in water, and Lund as perfect as possible—those now in use at the Crimea having been tried also, after immersion, and all found to fail ; nevertheless, they were selected in pro fit Lance, and the consequences have Lean desciibed by an etlicer of the 19th ReEr,tinerit, referred to under the head of " percussion caps," in a letter in the Times of the Bth inst., in which the writer emphatically declares that the parties in ques'ion should be made responsible for the lives of our brave fellows thus needlessly thrown away." Another fact alluded to by Mr. Williams in the Horse of Commons had reference to an improvement in, tie destructive powers of our weapons, which would have the effect in certain cases of enabling 100 men to do more execution in action than 500 nice as at pre sent armed, thus virtually augmenting in the ratio of 400 per cent, our effective forces in the field, with a cor responding saving of expense to the country ; but, although the practicability of this proposition was sup ported by the opinions of some of our principal gun makers, the wet blanket was thrown en it by this Wool wich committee, and even a trial, which would not have cost 1001., objected to, although it might have been the means of saving millions of our mone,y and thousands of lives of our brave troops. When such facts, sir, were thus publicly mentioned in Parliament, and not even denied by any member on behalf of the Government, it is high time to have such proceedings inquired into by a committee of the House of Commons, as it is evident that this war is conducted iu a manner to call forth the just expressions of disap probation so powerfully put forth in your column. within the last few days, "and the noblest army Eng land ever sent from our shores sacrificd to the grossest mismanagement, incompetency, official indifference sued aristocratio hauteur," , When this view of the case is justified and confirmed by so many letters from the seat of war, and more par ticularly by one which appears in your columns of this day from an officlr of the Royals, apparently in common d of a brigade, I trust that you will persevere in your efforts until effectual remedies are applied to these evils, and the honour of the nation and the safety of the cause in which we embarked with our not leas -brave, but more provident, allies triumphantly insured, as these are not times for misapplications of the compliments of the season in unmerited quarters. Brighton, Deo. 27. Ali/ICUS CIIILIA. Sir,—As it seems desirable that anything tending to illustrate Sir John Burgoyne's qualifications for direct ing the operations in the Crimea should be made known, I beg leave to relate the following passage in his past history, the facts of which are within my own know ledge :—A few years ago, when there was much discussion and negotiation going on respecting Cap tain Warren's destructive projectile, for revealing the secret of which an enormous sum was demanded of the Government, a barrister of the Inner Temple, of con siderable scientific attainments is chemistry, and who had devoted some of his leisure hours to the sub ject of explosive balls, wrote to the Board of Ordnance to say that, as it seemed probable, from the negotiations carried on with Captain Warner, that the Government deemed the acquisition of some such secret desirable, he had discovered a method of making projectiles of this description of enormously explosive power ; that from their shape, as compared with Captain Warner's, they were far more certain in their operation ; and that if the Board of Ordnance, after investigation, thought the secret worth having, they were wel- Icome to it for nothing. A reply was rece i ve d i n d uo time, requesting the gentleman who made this offer to meet some member's of the Board at Woolwich on a certain day, when an opportunity would he given him of explaining his plan. Accordingly, he went down to Woolwich, and was introduced to the board, at the head of which sat Sir John Burgoyne. He proceeded to explain to Sir John the methocrof making the explo sive material, and also the advantages of his shell, as he believed, over that of Captain Warner's. One of these advantagr.s consisted in the fact that his shell was spherical, while Captain Warner's was shaped some thing like a pear ; and all gunners were well aware of the impossibility of firing any projectile of this latter shape so as to hit even the largest mark with any thing like certainty ; whereas his shell, being a spLere, could be fired with the tame certainty as any ordinary shell. Then, again, the explosion of the material in redo depended upon a certain amount of pressure caus ing friction, being occasioned by the shell striking and being flattened against its mark. Now, it was by no rin,ans certain that in a body shaped like a pear the ue-- cessary amount of pressure wuuld be caused by its shape being altered in striking against the mark, for it was 'qUite possible that its capacity might be enlarged, in stead of being diminished, by an alteration of its shape, while a spherical body was the only one of which it was certain that if you changed the form you necessarily dioiinislied the capacity, and so caused pressure and friction to act upon the material enclosed in it. This last reason seemed utterly beyond the comprehensiou of Sir John Burgoyne. This eminent scientific engineer could not be brought to understand the simple truth that a sphere was the only body of which, if the form was , altered, the capacity was nece ssar il y diminished. The gentleman of whom I write laboured for some time t• explain it to him upon simple mathe matical principles, but all to no purpose. Sir John could not see it, and evidently thought the whole thing a grea t mystery, quite beyond the province of military engineers and heads of the Board of Ordnance. He consequently ended the interview in true official style, telling this gentleman that, if he thought fit to make some of the shells at his own expense, the Board would interpose no obstacle to their being tried on the practising ground at Woolwich ; but the Board cuuid not undertake to bear any portion of the expense. The inventor very naturally replied that be was not an operative chemist, and had no means of making the shells, nor any inducement to incur expense for such an object, inasmuch as, if the Government thought the invention worth trying, he offered it to them for no thing ; that the expense would be very trifling in any of the Government laboratories, or ammunition manufactories, and the loss not worth mentioning, even if the whole thing turned out a failure ; and that, if the Board thought fit to undertake the experim en t, h e would superintend it, and render every assistance in his power gratuitously. This, however, Sir John Burgoyne declined—true to his "safe" prin ciples o f "throwing a bucket of cold 'water over every of " never troubling the Minister for any scientific experiments." I have read, as you : my ; :o.vidineanet,ofron, perceive, grad the letter of "Omicron" in the Times of think that perhaps the facts stated shove ma y tend to throw some additional light on Sir John Burgoyne's character as a military commander and engineer.—l am, sir, your obedient servant, 6 Dec. 28. • E. S. CIIINNEL ISLANDS.—The committee appointed by the states to consider the recommendation of Government to assimilate the Jersey laws as to shipwreck and salvage with those of England met on Friday, and appointed a sub-committee to prepare a bill for that purpose, in coo* formity with the act of Parliament and order in counal 601 1 la 81 34 744 4 131 8 i 46 5I all 101313 1041 1111 234 23 5b 6 110 i 31 4