The Sun. — London, England, 1854-05-17 00:00:00

rnPossible st Russia d Powers were to Austria , weight of D to ranle which he ill, more" is to the fish quo expected 3 that the Lbner Persignit Eastern r , and on ay. Th e le en d of ts. at 93f. ; Orleans -; Havre, rg, 730 f. ; s, 875 f. restern of f„ ; Great D Geneve ken place in, in CO w ;ontaining e the fets sere shows Toceedia we lead ving bees Rossi hal.' lemnatioa to death; d B. Fa" ;anus a n d ons ; an' to fifteaa es, befero ;d by the the 12th. :tted ; but t of they lees. aette put 1., which tante Doll us a ro, id Co., 01 e betwee l l service, , to 2,0 W iey are ies. Ths rich are 1 0 Lie decree''. ' with the lere is I I situation,. ied to be rig better. cover th o in whinit .cked. ye part i 3 E I arrested, Id lead to nispiracY , gir. Th 6 n eral of 3 misSlo' the NOY , the first'' 15. CIFIC , Captal ging tbfi , Facil Chagm 189 L ; Dem r Thoma 4 an d o $327,0 0 32 seron Lrilla, fiv C ' the 17i 11 „ inst., a i'l 3d Apri 1 , n:t the 23 marker in to tb mplicates h, svhila CastiLa s Genera was sup gainin, been los allao sea iseis were► ) to take that th Governo r )r a tou r ie island e of thei r and fou X the fro] 0' n. °J MODIet( 1, retarc Yello ull. ther proceet scarcit lad bee Is. T 1 ' e di by 1,0( " t had a r A' sugf if LLB.—W , ove vene • Brighton, deceased, rd son of narried in in of Jer- yesterday al, it WO 3ry weak ere enter ; being so ssailants e fate of m RAIL .eived in the Lotr William , who elc" from the n knock- nanner. Rotter rather ill e had 0C - N and re )ad been ous rates had beet' MONEY MARKET AND COMME.RCIAT, INTELLIGENCE. stated to have very favourable advices, its shares are up considerably. At one period this morning, they stood Cl. to 7/. higher than yesterday, but have just relapsed 31. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY.—CLOSING PRICES. ( Prom , the Officiat List.) Business done. CITY, TWO O'CLOCK The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday Were estimated at from 6,000 to 7,000 bales, of Which 2,000 American were taken for export and ca. speculation. The market closed heavily with out change in prices. The sales include 200 EgYptian at 6d. to 10d., 300 Surat at 3hd. to 3d., and the remainder nearly all American. Railway shares were dull, at rather lower prices. Wheat in Mark-lane to-day was quiet, at Mon day's prices. The wool auctions are progressing much the sable as at the opening. Some of the favourite "Marks" even are less carefully got up than for merly, owing to the scarcity of labour. The indigo auctions went off more heavily up to the Close yesterday. Of 9,319 chests passed to that date, 2,717 were sold. The accounts by the steamer Magdalena, with the We st India and Pacific m ails, have not yet been delivered. The amount of specie brought is 1 ) 60 0,000 dollars, and will prove very seasonable. The delay in the arrival of the steamer Aus tralian causes much disappoi ntment, as she has, besides,_ the specie, a large numbe r of letters. The alarm Polo brought a good deal of correspondence; but there are mails on board the steamer. The foreign exchanges were rather higher again Yesterday afternoon. Bills on Paris, 90 days, wero taken at 25 25 to 30, on Amsterdam at 11 15/ to 16 , on Hamburgh at 13 5 to 51, and on Frankfort at 11 81 to On Trieste 13 36 to 13 42 were the quotations, being a shade lower. The law of Joint Stock Companies can never be Pronounced perfect, as far as the shareholders are concerned, until they have a fuller control over the affairs of any undertaking to which they sub scribe. The Chartered Bank of India, Australia, Slid China illustrates this view more forcibly per liaPs than any other case which has of late come ' t inder notice, because this bank has an influential and respectable board of direction, first-class solici- Sand was established for bona fide purposes. where speculative concerns like gold companies, ~mod others got up for the mere purpose of selling shares, fall, or the directors are found carrying out the project contrary to the wishes of the shareholders, few will manifest surprise, bu t we do confess that in the present instance we hoped and expected 'something better. Out of the entire subscribed shares a large majority of the proprietors are un willing to proceed with the company, and the grounds of their disinclination are perfectly natural. In the interim between the undertaking being set en foot and the obtainment of the charter, various other Banks have succeeded in getting into opera tion, and the field for the employment of capital to Anything like the extent previously existing, is occupied sufficiently, at least for some years to come. A local Bank started at Melbourne has Made enormous strides, being supported by all the Merchants and traders, who identify themselves as a matter of feeling as well as policy with the colony in which they reside. If this were not a sufficient reason, we might cite the greater caution with which commercial shipments will now be made, and the consequent smaller facilities for banking profits, although we admit there will be greater soundness Ultimately. Upon the gold buying the chance of 'profit is almost entirely gone, and the metal is in deed purchased at a rate which frequently leaves a loss after paying freight and charges. This Bank has but 2/. paid up on its shares, and yet the direc tors are forcing it on, endeavouring to obtain the Payment of " calls," which at any rate in the present state of the money market the subscribers cannot 'be expected to meet. It has been objected that after so much tr o ubl e it would be a pity to give up the charter, but r ea lly E ng lish charters are of but little moment to Banks having their seat of opera tions in Australia, the Union Bank having worked successfully for years without making any attempt to obtain one. The only advantage gained is a limitation of liability, for privileges in the colony Aself an English charter will not confer. There were suggestions a short time back for an amalga nation between the Melbourne and Sydney Bank and the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and :'China, but these do not appear to have been en tertained, and the struggle is now fierce between the directors and the shareholders. The commit tee which r e p resen t s th e l a tt er are not taking pre cisely the cour se w hi c h we s h o uld recommend. It is stated to be always difficult to get an injunction 'against a chartered company, the Court of Chan cery having no inclination to interfere with the prerogative of the Crown. If it be true that the deed itself was not properly filled up, we imagine that that would be the proper issue to try. At present an advertisement appears in the papers, threaten ing the forfeiture of the shares in case the " call" is not paid. Probably the deed gives power to the directors to act thus ; but then comes the question, are the allottees thereby relieved from further liability, supposing the shares are already in the bands of other parties who object to pay 'I To morrow an injunction will be applied for to restrain this forfeiture, and we shall then see what view the legal authorities take upon this further applica tion, the first, with regard to the att em p t to sta y the " call," having failed. The allusion made above to the prosperity of the Rank of Victoria, may be illustrated by selecting the principal items of the balance-sheet for the ila• lf-year ending 31st December last. The capital • given at 217,5801., and the circulation at ',330,1981. The current acco unts amounted to 1 )081,2001., the Reserve Fund was 28,4241 . , an d the Profit and Loss 19,7281. On the Cr. side there are 644,1331. in the precious metals, 142,0391. due by other banks, and bills receivable and ad vances on security, 914,4441. It should be ob served, perhaps, as one reason of the rapid success slid popularity of this Bank, that its affairs are superintended by Mr. J. Matheson, a most able officer, formerly of the Union Bank of Australia. The dividend declared by the Bank of Victoria was at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum, and would have been far greater but for the necessary Precaution in the onset, of adding largely to the reserve fund. The shares of the British Australian Gold Mining Company are very properly to be excluded from quotations in the official lists, published by the Stock Exchange, the original insertion having been Obtained under representations which are proved to have been unfounded. VS e can scarcely imagine • any more signal disgrace to befal any undertaking than this ignominious erasure, after the prelimi naries were not only settled, but the quotations had taken place ; and if there is the least sense of Propriety existing, the directors, who may them selves have been misled bythe promoters and others, Will take steps for winding up. It is extraordi nary to hear, on all hands, the decept ion that has °een practised, not only in the case of many of the gold companies started, but likewise in that of Many which were projected and never brought out, the difference being that the ind ividual bu y ers of 'and suffered, instead of associated shar eholders. 11 1 one case brought under our notice, a large sum of money was received by a gentleman for some property in Australia, for which he had ,already mortgaged far beyond its value , and the buyer is wholly without remedy, it would seem, owing to the insolvency of the vendor. The ne cessity for a registration of mortgages upon Colo- Mal property, if such does not already exist, can scarcely be denied after this. The English funds have recovered a little from the decline which they experienced yesterday, " after hours," when Consols were done at 88i is They have been 88. a this morning, and are now quoted 881 The satisfactory news of the defeat of the Russians has imparted some stability, but the value of money in the discount market has in creased to an extent that is against a decided improvement in either the permanent or floating debt, unless some import ant p olitical intelligence reaches us. The price of Exchequer Ilonds is / premium on 98/. 16 s. Ea st India Bonds have been 5s to lOs discount, and Exchequer Bills Par to 2s premium. The New Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents. have been 88 to 88g. East India Stock has been at 237. Foreign Securities have been very inactive, and the prices are without material change. Russian Five per Cents. have been done at 95 to 96, being firm. Dutch Four per Cents. are 87i . Brazilian New Stock is at 90. Mexican Bonds have been 24+ g. The market for railway shares is not enlivened by either real or speculative transactions of any magnitude, but the prices are very well supported. The Fren c h lines have been slightly in favour of buyers, b u t th e Strasburg are now dealt in ex dividend. Great Western of Canada are not quite Bo good. The Gold Mine Shares have been heavy. Impe rial Brazilian Shares and the Cocaes have advanced. In all the Australian Bank Shares there is a little improvement and withincreased dealings. Union are up 10s. to 11., and the English Banks are ss. to 10s. high er , several purchases having been made. The Ori en t a l Bank have risen about 103. The Australian Agricultural Company, being Bank Stock 4 per Cent. Reduced Annuities B7 4 3 per Cent. Consols Annuities B Bl Aiii ]haw 34 per Cent. Annuities BBf 3 8 4 ii New 21 per Cent. Annuities India Stock 237 India Bonds, £lOOO _ 5 d Ditto, under £lOOO lO 5 d Consols for Account tlth June B Ba 4 i 1 Exchequer Bills, 2d. 21000 £5OO par 2 p Rmall 3 p par Exchequer Bonds Scrip PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY. nrazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Ditto New, 1852, 4A per Cent 9O Chilian Bonds, 6 per Cent looi Danish Bonds, 1825, 3 per Cent — I. itto 5 per Cent ..... iexican 3 per Cent. Peruvian Bonds, 44 per Cent. 62 2 lusgian Bonds, I tint, 5 per Cent. £St 95 6 Ditto for the Account 95 Sardinian Bonds, 5 per Cent. . • 82 Spanish New Deferred, 3 per Cent. Dividends on the above payable in London. French Rentes, 44 per Cont. Dutch Exchange, 24 per Cent. 12 Gull 594 9 Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates . ...... 8 7 1 iB4 71 THREE O'CLOCK. 881 1 gsa i Consols ................................... Ditto Jun* A ccoun t ................. . Ex. 25 rinfb lEDttioni SUN OFFICE, Seven o'clock. NEWMARKET RACES. (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPB.) 10 SOVS. SWEEPSTAKES. Freckle Handsome Buck HANDICAP SWEEPSTAKES Diomedia Kenny side Hero Five ran. SUFFOLK STAKES. Sharavogue Domino Six ran. HANDICAP PLATE. Sabra Anteverta Five ran. SWEEPSTAKES OF 50 SOVS. Cobnut Sittingbourne . Three ran. JOCKEY CLUB PLATE. Poodle Rackapelt .•» LATEST BETTING. OAKS. 12 to 1 agst Malmesley (taken). IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS—(THIS DAY.) The SP/CABER took the chair at twelve o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The following bills were read a third time and passed —Bradford Water Works ; Edinburgh Police and Im provement ; Petworth-road. The following bills were considered and ordered to be read a third time :—Ambergate, Nottingham, and Bos ton and Eastern Junction Railway ; East Suffolk Rail way ; Mallow and Fermoy Railway ; Stamford and Kettering-road ; Wells and Fakenham Railway ; York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway. PETITIONS. Petitions were presented by Mr. Ferguson from 52 clergymen of the county of Cumberland complaining that they could not live on their stipends ; by Mr. Miall, from Cambridge and other places, praying that the uni versities may be thrown open to Dissenters ; and by Mr. Heyward, from Hungerford, against the opening of public houses on Sundays. REGISTRATION OF BILLS OF SALE BILL. Mr. MULLINS, in moving that the Speaker do leave the chair for going into committee on this bill, explained that the object of the bill was to compel the registration of bills of sale within 21 days after their execution, so as to prevent creditors being cheated, as was often the case now, by means of such instruments. The same system of registration prevailed with regard to judg ments and warrants of attorney, and since it often hap pened that when a man fell into difficulties he resorted unknown to his creditors to a bill of sale to save a large Part of his property from being seized to liquidate his ju,,t debts. Mr. PHINN viewed this bill as one of great im portance to the commercial world, as it would tend to discourage fictions credit. The only fault he found with the bill was that it was confined to traders. He thought it should apply to all classes of society. but most pro bably this omission could be corrected in committee. Mr. G. BUTT approved of the principle of the bill, but he hoped it would only be committed pro forma, in order that it might be reprinted with the amendment. There was this difficulty in applying it to all classes, be cause, if it embraced the personal property of private individuals how could they prevent its being extended to mortgages. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL differed with his hon. an learned friend, because there was a wide difference between personal and real property ; in the former, possession went with ownership, but with regard to the latter the same principle did not apply, and therefore it did not follow that in extending this bill to personalties of private individuals it would equally embrace mort gages of real property. He approved of the principle of the bill, but he thought it was e ncumbered with unne cessary provisions that it would be well to strike out in committee. Mr. HORSFAIiL, as representing a large commercial constituency, was quite satisfied with the principle of the bill. Mr. BOUVERIE suggested that care should be taken that the Registrar under this bill should receive no more than a proper remuneration for his trouble. Mr. GROGAN was anxious that the principle of the bill should be extended to all parties alike. Mr. HADFIELD was rejoiced to find that an end was to be put to the system of surreptitious preference in the case of personalties, and he cordially approved of the bill, but at the same time he thought it would be a great evil to preserve, in reference to this bill, a distinc tion between traders and non-traders. Mr. MALINS, as a legal member, highly approved of the measure. The bill was then payed through committee. BURGH BOUNDARIES (SCOTLAND) BILL. Mr. BOUVERIE moved the second reading of this bill. The LORD ADVOCATE admitted the grievances which the bill referred to, but the provisions of the bill were altogether impracticable. He moved that the bill be read a second time this day six months. Lord ELC HO seconded the amendment. After a short conversation the amendment was agreed to without a division, and the bill was thrown out. EPISCOPAL AND BILL CA.PITULAR ESTATES On the question for resuming the adjourned debate on the second reading of this bill. Lord ADOLPHUS VANE expressed his surprise at the absence of Ministers on this occasion. The bill af fected many millions of Church property, and as it was only right that the Government should be represented when the division took place. He was therefore justi fied in moving that the debate be further adjourned, but at the same time he thought it right to state at once that he was decidedly opposed to the bill. Mr. G. BUTT seconded the motion for the adjourn. ment, though he was not opposed to the bill ; but in the present state of the house, and the absence of Ministers, he thought it was unwise to proceed with the discussion now. Mr. G. BERKELEY said it was from no want of courtesy to the noble lord who had charge of the bill that Ministers were absent, but he had just received a message from the noble lord the Secretary of State for the Home Department stating that he would be here very shortly, and he therefore hoped the debate would not be adjourned. Mr. DRUMMOND recognised no difference between those who wished openly to destroy the Church and those who professed to be its reformers. Now the effect of this bill would be to convert cathedrals into parish churches ; but instead of doing that, they ought to esta blish more cathedrals and create more bishops. Why, in the diocese of Londo❑ alone seven additional bishops were required ; but the Church had acted like the dog in the manger—it would not do its own duty nor would it let anybody else do it. He was rejoiced, however, to find that another Church had stepped in and added another bishop to the metropolis. The fact was, the decline of the Church was not due to its open opponents, the Dissenters or the Roman Catho lics, but to the negligence of its own clergy. The object of this bill was to destroy the whole temporalities of the Church, so far as its capitular and episcopal estates were concerned ; and having done that, he wanted to know where they were to stop ? He could not tell ; but this he knew, that such measures as this would only have the effect of driving Protestants over to the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. HA.DFIELD insisted that the voluntary efforts of the people had done more towards evangelising the country than the Established Church, with all its vast property. The great bane of the Established Church— THE sUN, LONDON', WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 17 i 1854. the great obstacle which stood in the way of its progress was its property, and, for the sake of Christianity, it was only right that the control of that property should be taken out of its hands, and placed under temporal man agement. Mr. SPOONER put it to the house, whether there _ were any grounds for the views which his hon. friend (Mr. Drummond) had b rou g ht forward. He wished he Shr could put a stop to those innovations from within, which .__ were far more dangerous to the Church than any at tempts from without, and he hoped those who were St authorised to do so would endeavour to put down those 20 internal aggressions, as he might call them, which were con ti n ually made upon the Church. 50 Mr. WALPOLE said, as this was a most important 13 measure, involving the whole of the Church property 0 , management, hereafter he thought it should be under- " taken by the Government—(hear, hear) —and therefore 27 he trusted his noble friend (the Marquis of Blandford) would consent to an adjournment at present of this im portant 22 measure. The bill related not only to episcopal 25 but to capitular property, which he considered was a most weighty reason for not going on with the bill in St it s present shape. St Lord J. RUSSE LL said he believed there was very s(r, u‘ great force in the re asons ur g ed b y the ri g ht hon. and learned gentleman for postponing this measure, though2l at the same time much was due to the noble lord who ii bad taken such pains with this measure. He agreed 54 with the right hon. and learned gentleman (Mr. Walpole) 2; that it was very undesirable to discuss a measure of such very great importance as this, affecting the welfare of 21 the Established Church, on the p ro p osition of an y indi. 2, vidual member of Parliament not r e p resentin g the Go- 1 ve rnment or any large section of the count r y ; and he Fi, should be very glad if the noble lord was content to post pone this measure, feeling that it was a measure too ins- St. portant to be allowed to drop (hear) ; and on the under- 25 standing that when the Government had matured a mea- St. sure on the subject they would bring it forward. But St. at the same time, if it came to a division, he should feel 10 bound to give a vote affirming the principle of this bill St. rather than vote against it. (Hear ) 10 Mr. G. LIDDELL was unwillin g to transfer the St management of the property o f the church from the St. St. bishops to a London board. St. Sir B. HALL thought his noble friend the member St. for Woodstock (Lord Blandford) must be highly grati- St. fied at the statement of the noble lord the member for 12 London, that he approved the prin ci p le of the measure 50 now under consideration, and that he should be pre- 16 , pared, on the part of the Government, to bring in, not 16 S 9., one measure, but several measures , with res p ect to the S t. ma nagement of church proper t y. Mr. DIGBY SEYMOU R said, if the noble lord 14 (Lord Blandford) went to a division, he should vote V, with him, for the noble lord was asked to adjourn the Ili measure by two parties—one, that thought to attempt 10 . to reform the church at all was to uproot it, and the St. other, that you ought not to attempt to reform it unless St. you were determined t o u p root it. (Hear, hear.) 20 Sir G. GREY suggested that the noble lord (Lord A. 10 Vane) would agree to withdraw his motion for adjourn. 126 went, and that the rea l q uestion before the house should St 50. be debated on its ow n merits now that they had heard the views of the Gove rnment stated by the noble lord t 2 the member for London. (Hear.) 25 After some remarks from Mr. H. T. LIDDELL and Mr. St. MOWBRAY in favour of an adjournment of the debate, 8 1 2, The Marquis of BL ANDFORD having expressed his St. 50 great satisfactio n at what had been elicited from the St. noble lord the l eader of the house on this subject, and the kind expression s of the house with reference to him- .Fs,t 5 , 8 self ; briefly repl ied to the principal objections to his Luu measure , concluding by stating it as his opinion that, 6, looking at the circumstances of the country he thought 25 ' it essential that the house should affirm the second read- 50 ing of the bill, and if they did so now they could get 20 into committee by the time the commissioners on Capitu- St. lar estates shou ld have made their report. (Hear.) Mr. GOULBUR N ex p ressed his intention to vote 50 against the second re adin g of the bill. St After a few remarks by S ir W. CLAY, 16 The house divided, when the numbers were— 16 For the adjournment of the debate 62 f Against it The Marquis of BLANDFORD then said, after what if had now taken place, he could have no objection to con- 1.0 sent that the bill be read a second time pro forma, and that it should be com mitted on the 21st June. 2( The bill was then read a read a second time accord- 2( 1( ingly. DRAINAGE OF LANDS BILL. Mr. K. SEYMER moved the second reading of this bill. Mr. CHRISTOPHER opposed the bill, considering that one of the leading clauses of which was to take the land of your neighbour without his consent. He moved a n amendment that the bill be read a second time this day six months. Sir J. TROLLOPE hoped his hon. friend (Mr. Christopher) would withdraw his amendment. His hon. friend had found fault chiefly with but one clause of the oill, and he (Sir J. Trollope) thought that clause, and any other objectionable matter in the bill might be omitted when the bill got into committee. Sir J. SHELLEY defended the principles of the bill, and hoped the bill would be allowed by the house to go into committee. Sir W. HEATHCOTE supported the bill generally. Mr. HENLEY hoped if the house allowed the bill to be read a second time they would refer it to a select committee, for he thought, as the bill now stood, it had no chance of getting through the house with any advan tage to the farmers. Lord PALMERSTON hoped the house would agree to the second reading of the bill, in order that it might get into committee ; and in fact all the objections that had been urged against the bill were merely committee objec tions. There were few matters of more importance either as regarded the welfare of agriculturists or the health of the people, than good drainage, and therefore he should give his most cordial support to this bill. (Hear, hear.) Mr. CHRISTOPHE R then withdrew his amendment, and after a brief reply from Mr. KER SEYMOUR, The bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Wednesday next. MANINNG THE NAVY BILL. The report of the committee on this bill was then brought up and agreed to. NAVY PAY, &c., BILL. The report of the committee on this bill was also brought up, and agreed to. The house then adjourned at half-past five o'clock. STATE OF TRADE. (From the Manchester Guardian of this day.) ••• 20 MANCHESTER, May 16.—Cotton is reported as Ato 17i lc. lower in the week at New York, but as remaining 20 at BAc. per lb. for middling at New Orleans. The 20 re- 20 ceipts continued large , an d the estimates were running at 2,800,000 to 2,900,000 bales. The Liverpool cotton 20 market is dull, with prices scarcely varying from those 20 of Friday last. The buyers in this market feel the mo- 3Y. tives for caution to press with rat her au g mented force ; 1'6(1 and their purchases are consequently very small, such N o only as their more urgent wants render necessary. As 20 there is no disposition to be tempted to large opera- 20? tions by lowness of price, all that can be said with the present retail business is, that the bias of value is still ... somewhat against the produce rs of both y arns and 20 goods ; quotations of change can hardly be given, the 100 declining tendency, being , as it has all along been, 20 scarcely perceptible in its step s. Some of the overland 5 letters (those by Trieste) were received this morning ; 2 and their advices from the India markets do not appear to be worse than those by the previous mail ; we have accordingly had some inquiry to-day for yarns, and also for the lighter makes of madapollams, jacconets, and shirtings, though but little has been done in them. HALIFAX, May 13.—The aspect of our piece hall has been to-day quite as dull as it usually has been for some time past, and few worsted goods of Any sort have been inquired for. In yarns, there is a turn in favour of the buyer ; and the spinners, being in a worse position than before, are more and more resorting to working short time. The wool market generally is not active. For deep-grown bright Lincolnshire wool there is much in quiry, and the late advance on them is fully maintained. Other descriptions go off heavily, at late rates. ROCHDALE, May 15.—The flannel market continues in a very languid and inactive state. There is no wish on the part of the merchants to purchase at the present time, except it be some particular kind of goods they may not have in stock. The wool Beale' s complain of having nothing to do ; and the manufacturers are desir ous to work up the stocks they have in hand rather than go into the market and buy new. HUDDERSFIELD, May 16.--The market to-day has been very flat in every branch. Manufacturers com plain much of the want of business, and wool merchants say they are doing next to nothing. With the excep tion of the yarn spinners, who have lately been busy, the woollen trade is depressed. Being fair day the streets have been crowded with people ; but as to pur chases, the shopkeepers, like the rest, might almost as well have had a holiday. LLOYD'S SHIPPING-(THIS DAY.) (BY SUBMARINE AND EUROPEAN TELEGRAPH.) GRAVESEND, Wednesday, 10.48 a.m. Wind, E.; tide, low water ; weather very fine. Arrived, 16th—Alina, from Nykiobing ; Gertrude La. merkine, Konigsberg. Arrived, 17th—Lskkens Prove, from Bandholm ; Ararat, Archangel ; Frsdmodig, Arendal ; Andenken, Frelloborg ; Sarah Mills, Rostock ; Lydia, Gothenborg ; Johanna, Tenserzeil. Sailed—Cordelia, for New Zealand ; City of London, Dunkirk Seine (a), Boulogne. LONDON, May 17.—Wind this day at Noon, N. to N.NE. ; light pleasant breeze, and fine clear weather. PORTSMOUTH, May 16.—Wind, E.N.E. Arrived—Win. 5 Bromham, from Sierra Leone ; Mariano, Daritzie ; H.M.'s 25 at Miranda, W estward. 20 PLYMOUTH, May 16.—Wind, E.N.E. Arrived—Augusta, 10 from Geija, for Konigsberg ; Nestor, London, for Portland 10 Bay ; Wm. Prause, London, foa Adelaide, S.A. ; Cocker- 50 mouth Castle, Loudon, for Paineboeuf, with mainmast 5 sprung. F AL MOUTH, May 16.—Wind, N.E. Sailed—Mathilda, 100 5 for Amsterdam. NSTO WN, May 15.—Wind, variable. Arrived — 5 Q U EE Margaret Evans, from Jaffi. 4 DOVER, May 16.—Wind, E.N.E. Arrived Finish, 20 from Portsmouth, for Harwich, with loss of anchor and 25 chain. Off Port—Ellen Margaret, Salonia, for Yarmouth ; 25 Susannah, Hamburg h, for Val p araiso. 1 RAMSGATE, May 16.—Wind, N.E. Arrived—Thomas 15 Leo, from Callao, for Leith, sustained slight damage in 20 en tering the harbour, Flora, Hartlepool, for Margate, 20 jibbnom and bowsprit carried away in entering harbour. 20 OFF BEACHY HEAD, May 16.—Wilberforce, from the 1 Mauritius ; Rio Pac ket, Rio Janeiro. 10 MEMEL, May Weather finevariable 2 feet of water on the bar. H.M.S. Amphion is still in the 1 bay. 1 _ _ SHARE MARKETS. Business done this day. (THIS DAY.) !Paid.! RAILWAYS. BRITISH RAILWAYS. Closing Prices' this day. 1.00 Aberdeen. 86 Ambg. Nottng. Bost. and Eastn. Junct all Belfast & Ballymena all Birming. Wolverh. & Stour Valley .... 28 Birkenhd. Lancehl Qtr Cheshire Junet all Do. Chesh. & Birk.,' £5O and £25 Cons. 184 Do., £20... ..... 30 Blyth &Tyne original £25 (isad. at £45) 3.00 Bristol and Exeter- 1 .00 aledonian all Chester & Holyhead. all ork and Bandon all Cork, Black, ISt Pass. 12 Cornwall Crieff Junction 45 Dublin&BelfaatJunc all Dundee Perth&Aber• deen Junction all Do. New all East Anglian all Do., (£lB E&H) , all Eastern Counties all Eastern Union, A Stock De., B. Stock 86 Do., New A. 100 Fast Lancashire 100 Edinburgh & Glasgow 56 Edinb. and Peebles 1 100 Edin.Prtli &Dundee 1 Forth & Clyde June. 100 Glasgow &S. Western , 100 Great Northern Stk. 100 Do., A. Stock 100 Do., B. Stock 100 Gt. Sth. &West.(lre ) 100 Great Western 12 Irish South-Eastern all Lancaster & Carlisle 11i Do., Thirds 2 Do. New Thirds.. 100 Lancash.andYorkah 18 Do., Fifths 114 Do., Wst. Riding Un all Leeds Northern all Liv.Crsby.&Southpt all London & Blackwell & Gond. Tilb. & Sthend. 100 Lon& Bright &S. Cat. 100 bond. and N. Westn. 12 Do. Fifths 1 Do.lo/. Sh. , 26 Do. Eighths 100 London and S. Westn. 426 Do., £5O 34 Do., £4O all Lnndrrydz Coleraine all Lndndrry. & Ennisk. 100 Manch.Shef.& Lincin 44 Do.,Man. & Lin. Un 100 Midland 100 Do. Birmng. & Derby 476 Midld. G. West . (Ire.) 1.'4 Do. Half Shares all Newcastle & Carlisle 100 Newmarket 5} 4 Do., Bury Extension. 176 Nwpt.Aberg. &Hrfd. 74 Newry & Enniskillen all - Newry Warrenpoint and Rostrevor 100 Norfolk 36 Northn.Counties Un, 100 North British 16 North Devon, No. 1 all Do., No. 2 all Do., 4 A Deferred... 8 Do., 6 B Guaranted all North London 56 Do. New £lO I/ is N.&S.Wstrn.,Hamp stead, and City Jn 176 North Staffordshire all North Western 10 N. &S. Westrn, June 1 Nuneaton, Hinckley, and Leicester 100 Oxford, Worcester,& Wolverhampton 2/ 2s Portsmouth 1.06 Scottish Central 100 ScottishMidlaud 100 Shrewsbury & Bit Sig. 100 Do. L. &N. Western Guaranteed StGt.k 10 Shrewsby, & Pletefd all Shrewsby. & Uestei (N. W. Min i • all Do. Halves, t • all Do. Oswestry 64 Shropshire Union Do. A, B, C,& paid up at per cent all South Devon 1 100 South Eastern all suth Wales 15 S. Yrksh. & Riv. Dun 5 Do 1 2s Staines, Wok &Wok all Stockton & Darling 16i Stockton & 1.00 Taff Vale 8 Do. £lO shares . 100 Do. Pref., No. 21 Thames Haven Dock and Railway 17 Vale of Neath all Waterfd. & Kilkenny all Waterford&Limerick 16 West Cornwall. I West End of London and Crystal Palace all West London. 51s. Wimbledn & Croydon 3.00 York Newctl.&Berw. 20 Do. Extensions 130 Do. G.N. E. Purchase 100 York &N. Midland 23 - 24 4a ..... ••• 7i 8 i 13 —l2 dis .5 17 8 7d 89 - 91 54j 55 13i - 144 8 10 ii = ii 7 - 8 a . _ 16 ••• ••• 12 - 12: -". ..• "'" ••• 59 - 53 - 23 - 58 62 85i 86} 72 74 [l9 - 121 88 - 90 721 • 73i 83 87 10 12 u 10 12 p 591 604 8 -74 d Ili ---: Ei 8 - 81 99 100 96i - 96, lid id - d 77 78 12 111 l 0 9d .'". •1111 19 - 20 b 7 jai 32 IA - .., ..... ••• ..... ••• d— I d 6 4 d 21 6 8 45 47 3i bid 30 ... 31 .. ---. ... .. - .•. 50 - 54 6 - iP ei i . - le ."'". 26 - 51 - 51 - 3 - 13 - 6i - 10 - 4 - 100 Aberdeen 100 Do. No. 2, p. c. 30 Blyth and Tyne leper' c. pref. (issd. at 50/) 100 Bris. & Ex. 4p. c. St. 5 Do. 4p. c. Shares LOO 'Caledonian £lO all Chester & Holyhead • Guar. 5i per cent 64 Cork &Bandons4p.c all Dundee Perth &Aber deen Junction all EastAnglian (£3los) 6 per cent all Do. (£5) 7 per cent 2 Do. (.E7 170 7p. c all Eastern Counties Ex- I tension, 5 p. c. No. 1 all Do. No. 2 . all Do. New 6 p. c. St.l all Eastern Union, Scrip Guar. 6 per cent all Do. 51., 10 per went. all Do. 101. Debentr.Sh -100 East Lancaah.°3 p.cts. all East and West York. shire Jo'ne. Pref... all EdinhPt: th. &Dundee 5i per cent. 100 Glvegow&S.Western .._ Unir. 5 per cent.... 100 Great Northn. sp. c. 1 100 Do. sp. c. Redeem., at 10 p. c. prem... l 10 Do. 4i p. c. Scrip.... 6 Gt.N. of Scot. Ist Pre all Gt. Southn.&Westm. (Ireland) Eighths) 5 Di. 4 per c. Prof. Sh 6 Gt. Westn. (Berks & Hants Ex. 5 p. 100 Do. cov. red. 4} p.c. 100 Do. con, red. 4p. c, 100 Do. irred. 4p. c 6 Lan. & York. F. £2O 100 Do. 6p. c. Stock 13 Leeds N. 6p. c. No.l 9 Do. Quarters, 1848 100 London and Bright° Guaranteed 5 p. c 100 Do. Pref., sp. c. St. all Do. Convertible, sp. c., 1852 100 Do. New Guar.6 p. c 100 Lon. &N. W., Coy. & Nuneaton 5 London &S. Western Con. Thirds all Lmidonderry& Coler i Shares - _. all [Ludy. & Ennis.. Sh all Sian., Shef., & Lin., Shares, No. 1. all Do. New, £lO 4. Do. £6 all Nlaupt.& Carl. 4 p.c all Do. 46 per cent 106 Do 100 lid. Consol.6 p.c.St 100 Do. Consol. Bristol & Birm. 6 per cent 5 Do. Pref. 46 per cent 6 Norfolk Debenture .. 100 Do. Prof. 4 p. c. Stock 1100 Do. 5 . p. c. Ext 100 Do. 54 - per ct.pref 100 Do, Way. Val. sp. c 100 North British all North Staffordshire 100 Oxford, Worcester, & Wolverh. X 15,6 p.c 15 Do all Scot. Cent., New Pref all Shrews. & Birm.N.G. all Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor.W.Min), 8 p.c. 10 Do. 5 per cent all South Devon De. fixed, ‘q per cent all S. Eastern (Reading Ann.) of £1 Os. 6d. 100 Do. , 4per cent. all S.Yorksh.4p.c.Guar. all Stockton and Dar • lington, 4 per cent 5 Do. do. do. all Stockton and Hartle pool, guar. 5 p. c. till Ist July, 1856 3 Waterfd.&Kilk.6p.e. 100 York, Newcastle,and Berwick,4 p.c. Pref. 5 ro 10 York&N.Midlanda and S. Parch all Agra Fria 1 all &liglo Austria. Gold all :tuglo Californian 2 Australasian 6 Australian all Australian Cordillera all Australian Freehold all Ave Maria 5a all Baden (Gd. Duchy of) all Blaenarvon Ir. & Coal all initish Austria. Gold 13. British Iron 24i Brazilian Imp.(issued at £5 pm all o. Cocaes & Cuiada 15 , o. St. John Del Rey i rson's Creek 4 Clarendon Con. Min Co. of Jamaica_ all Cobre Copper 1 Colonial Gold 15 Copiapo all opper Min. of Eng. all Do. Pref. 7i p. cent. all English and Austria. Copper Smeltg. Co all General all Great Nugget Vein all Do. Registered all Great Polgooth all Liberty all Linares all Lond.&Californ.Gold , Quartz Crush. Co all Mariquita 9 S(exican&S.Americn all New Granada all New Linares Mining and Smelting C 0..: all Nouveau Monde . all Pontgibaud Silver Lead Min. & Smelt 1 Port Philip all Quartz Rock all Rhymney Iron 15 Do. New Santiago do Cuba all Fouth Australian 7 Tin Croft all United Mexican all Waller all West Granada all West Mariposa 12s. Worthing Miring o Australia all f Yuba JOINT-STOI all Australasia all British Colonial Bank and Loan Company all British N. American 5 Chartd. Bank of Asia 2 Chrtd. link. of India, Australia, & China 25 Colonial 20 Commercial of Lond 12 English Scottish andl -- I Australian 18 bond. Chart. Bk. o 8 7i 16$ 24i as 351 Australia 20 London and County 10 London Joint Stock 20 Lond. & Westminster 35 National Provincia' of England 10 Do. New 2 4 2 National of Ireland all New South Wales all Oriental Bank of Corporation 5 Do. New 25 Provincial of Ireland all Do. New 1 Royal Australn. Bkg & Gold Imp Co all iouth Australia all Union of Australia 2.! Do. New 10' Union of London .. 1144 a 46xd 45 41 5; 5 8- 40 69 - 71 6i - 7i 70 691 23 ' 4kI4.ItABT N. W o-(l'.til DA .) CORN EXCHANGE. To-day's market was very scantily supplied with EngliPh wheat, for which the demand ruled steady, at fully Mon day's advance in the quotations of from is to 2s per qr. Foreign wheat, the show of which was good, was very firm, at extreme currencies. Floating cargoes from the Black Sea were held for more money. Barley sold slowly, yet prices were firm. Malt was 5s to 10s dearer than last week, owing to the advance in the duty. Oats wore steady, at full prices. In beans and peas very little was doing. Flour moved off steadily, and the quotations had an upward tendency. ARRIVALS VMS WIRE. Wheat. 1 Barley. I Malt. 120 1 270 2,710 Oats. Flour. 460 330 1,880 -- 24,240 1,230aks I,luobrl English .. Irish .• .• Foreign •• 20,730 1,010 1- WHITECHAPEL. Each kind of meat moved off freely to-day, as follows : Beef from 3s 4d to 4 s 4 d ; mut ton, 3s Oil to 43 10d ; lamb, 5s 6d to 6s 4d ; veal, 3s Bd. to 58 Od ; pork, 3s 4d to 4s 8d per 81bs by the carcase. BOROUGH HOP. Our market is steady, and prices are well supported The show of samples is limited. RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS. LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.— Traffic return for the week ending May 13, 1854 £11,382 8 2 Corresponding week last year 10,505 19 6 Total of the half-year to this date, 1854.....• 204,359 3 4 Total of the half-year to this date, 1853.....• 173,786 15 6 LONDON AND SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.—Traffio re turn for the week ending May 13, 1854 £16,142 9 1 Corresponding week last year Increase in 1854 £1,931 18 2 GLASGOW AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.— Traffic re turn for the week ending May 13, 1854 £5,016 3 0 corresponding week last year 4,622 10 0 X 393 13 0 Increase in 1851 93 : ..98 - * -I: IP -12 1V 23 - 2A 3 -3i .12 - 114 LO4 - 106 91 - 9i ri 8 .. xd 6 6A 94 96 87' 89 88 90 Id pai 1.28 182 I •Pm 12k RISE IN THE P. 'TER AND ALE. It is not often that there is so marked a harmony among the public journals as there is on the subject of the rise in the price of porter and ale, consequent on the additional duty imposed on malt. The Times, the Sun day Times, the Era, and, indeed, all our contemporaries, daily and weekly, who have referred to the matter, con cur in speaking of the small increase as not only indis pensable on the part of the vendor, but as one which will be cheerfully paid by the consumer, because we all know that we must pay our share of the war's expenses, and that, perhaps, a less burdensome mode could not be resorted to with regard to 'those classes of the community who are the greatest consumers of malt liquor than that of the addition of a halfpenny to the price of the pot of porter. It will have been observed, from the useful and interesting statisti cs w hi c h M r . Homerf read on Monday evening, to the meeting at Hackney, that the price of beer is at present very considerably below what it was during the period of nearly a century embraced by Mr. Homer's Parliamentary returns, — when the price of malt was as high as it is just now. The present comparative cheapness of beer and porter is, in a great measure, to be ascribed to the increased com petition in trade--a circumstance which will always guarantee to the public the sale of the various descrip tions of malt liquor at the lowest price compatible with a fair profit,--which fair profit no one will ever grudge the trader in return for his labour, his anxiety, and the employment of his little capital. We say this to the credit of the working-classes, who are the principal con sumers of malt liquor, just as it is very greatly to their credit, that from principles of patriotism, and a love of liberty abroad as well as at home, they are prepared to pay an additional halfpenny on their pot of porter without a murmur. The readiness with which the in dustrial classes submit in this way to contribute their part to the expenses of a war undertaken for the purpose of checking the ambition and chastising the audacity of Russia, will read to the Czar one of the most striking and significant moral lessons which he ever received.— Morning Advertiser. GRAND JURIES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR, —A bill is introduced into Parliament, the pre amble of which, with other reasons, says " the time of grand juries would be saved." The best and most effectual mode of saving the time of grand juries would be to abolish the system, because of its being a "grand farce," and seriously prejudicial to the ends of public justice. When magistrates have care fully examined into a case (whether it be of a great or small nature) and placed it in the ordinary course for trial before a petite jury, why have a grand jury to go over the ground which the committing magistrate has already done ; for that is the only function they have to perform? A magistrate has full opportunity of examin ing into all circumstances and facts, and is sufficiently competent to judge whether it is necessary to send the charge for trial, and when he has done so it is sheer nonsense for a grand jury to be occupying and wasting a vast amount of their own time, and that of others ; because, when that is done, facts and circumstances cannot be arrived at, as they are before the examining magistrates. How many thieves have escaped punish ment because of the grand jury not being in pos session of material points which are arrived at before the committing magistrate, sometimes through witnesses forgetting to state those points, and at other times having been tampered with between committal and going before the grand jury. A pettifogging lawyer, who gets the defence of a prisoner, always sets his "Touts" to tamper with a material witness, or instructs the friends of the prisoner how to act, so as to accom plish the suppression of any main point from the know ledge of a grand jury. Many years' experience in criminal law practice has convinced me of the inutility, and I may add the mis chievous consequence, of the grand jury system ; and whilst the bill I have named is passing through its ordeal in Parliament, I would earnestly recommend our legislators to carefully peruse a work by Mr. Foot, an eminent barrister, entitled "Grand Juries: Reasons for their Abolition."—Your obedient servant, May, 1854. A MAGISTRATE'S CLERK. ... ..... .« 21 -2! pi 9 9 8§ 9 id pay 130 132 1.1 - lid 93 - 95 i 1 - -6 94 15 10 i - 1 6i 11 - 13 id- P 22i - 221 98 - 700 15 -20 IMPERIAL PARMIAIENT. 2 - 1-d 87 - 92 3 - 30 1} - id 8S 9i HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.) BOUNDARY SURVEY (IRELAND) BILL. On the motion of Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY this bill was read a second time. BENEFICES AUGMENTATION BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. DEVONPORT AND KEYHAM TUNNEL (No. 2) BILL. 1} 11 I A d ip 1 1 d 1 2 ----- 10 * i 6 8 4A 41 24 3 29 31 li i 40 42 i 1i 10 12 50 60x.d 2 4u, 1/ - 2f . 1 7- I 1 - 14 to -- 11 ' - i P 6 = 1 - 15i - 1 - 29 - 8 - 11 * - 2 -- a # * - 1 7 i ti i 21 291 BANKS. 73 - 75 I- 11 - 1d 5 4 d, On the motion of Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY this bill was read a third time. 2 - 101 TAXES ON LAW PROCEEDINGS. Lord BROUGHAM brought under the consideration of the house the subject of taxes or fees upon proceedings in the courts of law. The noble and learned lord alluded principally to the amount of fees charged in the county courts, mentioning that, upon an average of the years 1852-53, they amounted to 261,0001., being 171 per cent. upon the sums sued for, and upwards of 30 per cent. on the sums recovered by judgment. In the superior courts the fees paid amounted to only 50,0001. a year. Com plaining of the injury which such a state of things in flicted upon the county courts, by reducing the amount of business brought to them, he vindicated the principle of all law taxes, being defrayed, not by suitors, but by the public, out of the Consolidated Fund. In conclu sion, the noble and learned lord moved a series of seven resolutions, embodying the principles he had enunciated. The LORD CHANCELLOR concurred in most of the views of Lord Brougham, but he doubted whether the present was an opportune moment for changing the existing system, and he expressed an opinion that it would be inexpedient to pledge the house to abstract re solutions on such a subject. The State was bound to supply tribunals ; but the suitor in the wrong ought to contribute also to the maintenance of the judicial sys tem. The whole subject, however, should receive the consideration of the Government as soon as the County Court Commission had made their report, with the view of removing the existing inequalities between different courts. Under these c►rcumstances, he recommended the noble and learned lord to withdraw the resolutions. After a few words in reply from Lord BROUGHAM, the resolutions were negatived. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES. In reply to Mr. MACARTNET, Mr. WILSON said it was impossible yet to state what the amount of the supplementary estimates for the com missariat expenses of the war might be. When they were prepared they would be laid upon the table. VOTE BY BALLOT. Mr. H. BERKELEY gave notice that on this day month he should move for leave to bring in a bill to protect the voter of the ballot. NEWSPAPER STAMP DUTY. Mr. MILNER GIBSON rose to call the attention of the house to what he alleged to be the present unsatisfactory state of the law affecting the press, and to move the fol lowing resolution :—" That it is the opinion of this house that the laws in reference to the periodical press and newspaper stamp are ill-defined and unequally en forced ; and it appears to this house that the sub ject demands the early consideration of Parliament." The right hon. gentleman excused himself for bringing for ward the question in the absence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the ground that it referred, not to finances, but to the state of the law. The duty of bringing the subject under the consideration of the house devolved on him in consequence of having been chairman of a committee of the house on the question of news paper stamps, which came to a resolution which de clared that there were abuses incident to the present system of the Newspaper Stamp Law, arising from the difficulty of determining the meaning of the word "news" The resolution which he intended to move on this occasion was not a mere abstract proposition. It asserted two facts —namely, that at the present time the law relative to the press was ill-defined ; and, secondly, that the Executive did not enforce the law such as it was with impartiality. Should the house adopt the resolution, it would indicate the opi nion of the house that the Government should bring in a measure for the purpose of defining the law, and also in struct their officers to enforce the law with impartiality. The financial aspect of this question, in reference to the newspaper stamp, was insignificant, compared with other considerations connected with it. Instead of treating this question as merely one of law, ho might have taken higher ground, and it would have been easy to show that a cheap press and the dissemination of useful knowledge would have an important influence in extendiag the work of edu cation. This view of the subject could be supported by the most recent Parliamentary authority—namely, the re port of Mr. Horace Mann on the state of education in Eng land and Wales. In that document Mr. Mann states that although much was being done in respect to providing cheap liters tore, yet a vast deal more remained to be accomplished especially iu the ii epartment of cheap newspapers, an abun dance of which, he thought, would do more to assist edu cation than millions spent in elementary schools without inducements to the people to attend them. Past experience t a ught him that the question of which he was the advocate would be met in a fair and liberal spirit by members on either side of the house. It was not a party question. When Lord Derby was at the head of the Government he (Mr. Gibson) accompanied a deputation to the noble lord to urge the abolition of the stamp duty on newspapers. On that occasion Lord Derby said ho could not be expected to enter into all the details of the question, but there was one thing which had been clearly established—namely, that the law was not in a satisfactory position. His lord ship also declared that, whatever the law might be, it ought to be impartially enforced, and that his Government felt no disinclination to the spread of knowledge. The proposition which he now asked them to approve was only that the law was at present unsatisfactory, that it ought to be made simple, and that it ought to be enforced ; and therefore he earnestly begged hon. gentlemen not to con skier what his opinions might be, what theories might be entertained on the general subject of cheap newspapers, but to ask themselves whether any reasonable objection could be wade to the wording of the resolution. He would now proceed to demonstrate—first, that the law was ill-de fined; and secondly, that it was not equally enforced. The house would recollect that some time since a prosecution had been commenced against the publishers of a work of Mr. Charles Dickens, called the Household Narrative of Cur rent Events, for the purpose not of inflicting a penalty, but of ascertaining whether by law the Government had the right to put down such publications. He had said on that occasion that if the law was doubtful they ought to bring in a bill to settle it, and to let the world know what they might and what they might not do. (Hoar, hoar.) His ad vice was not acted on, and the prosecution was taken into the Court of Exchequer, when a majority of 3 to 1 of the 1 judges decided against the Government, and held that the publication was not a newspaper in the eye of the law. The Government were again urged to bring in a bill so as 20 20 50 20 FOREIGN. 9 Antwerp&Rotte 3 Belgian Basta. June. 8 Beziers to Graisse 2s. Bombay, Baroda, and Central India,Scrip ... Central of Italy all Charleroi & Erquelin all Demerara 14 Dijon and Besancon 9 Dutch Rhenish all East Indian 2 Do. Extension all Gt. Indian Peninsula 10 . ; Gd. Janet. of France 74 Grd. Trunk of Camp& 30 Do. Debentures all Do. do 10 Gt. Central of France all Gt. Western of Canada Shares ._ Do. Bonds (Ist is.)'s7 all Hamilton & Toronto all Do. 6 per cent. 5 Lake Const. & Basle all Lucca & Pistoj a 5 p.c pref 15 Luxembourg 10 Do. (Railway) 2 Do. Pref 3 Do. (Canal) 5 Do. 6p. ct. 8 Lyons and Geneva 12 Lyons dr Mediterran 13t Nladras Nlaria Antonia all Do. do. New 2 Melbourne Dk, &Ry all Namur & Liege (with] 10 20 20 20 20 10 20 40 interest) , all Do. (cx interest), , all Northern of France, Do. 201. 3 p. c Bds. all (tiny. B. & Ams. Shs. ) all gorwegianTrunkPref 10 Paris and Lyons all Ditto Bonds all Paris and Orleans all Paris and Rouen all Paris and Strasbourg 10 ParisCaen & Cherbrg 10i Quebec & Richmond all Rouen and Havre 12 Eoyal Danish 2 Royal Swedish all Sambre and Meuse_ 6 Do. 5i p. cent. Pref. 6 Southern of France 8 St. Andrew's and Quebec (A) all West Flanders all Do 5. per c. Pref 10 Western of France 7 West. of Switzerland 2 Wiesbaden 15 Zealand -3}d Xn = id p ..• 41 4 d 11 2p 1 a P .2. _.... ::. ( 11 9 7d d l 18i -- 19 p - 1p 7 -9 p ,• .... ••• die 4 i 5 3 31 1 _1 - 11 I _ l i d 2 1 d i. ... par si -- Ti iii ii 8 - 151 - ••• 43 - 0 4 , 5 35 - 298 -- 291 - pm ... - • lidl *i - 8 - pm 3 - - 4 pl 6 .6.a MISCELLANEOUS all übin Coal and Iron 17N \ustralian Agricult. 14 \ ustralsn.Pcific. Mail 8 kustraln. Royal Mail, 4 3erlin Water Works 40 hit. American Land 1 3rit. & Coln. Smeltg. and Reduction Co 32i Oanada 5 Jrystal Palace 4 Do. New...... 2 :crystal Pal. of France 3 Eastern Steam 20 ElectritTelegraph(A) all Do. (B) 1 Electric Teleg. of Ir. 14 Gen. Steam Navigat. 18 General Screw Steam 74 Irish Beetroot Sugar 10 Magdalena St. Navig. all Nat. Pat. Steam Fuel 3 Netherlands Land.... 1 N. S. W. Coal & Inter. Steam Navigat. Co. all N. B. Australasian... Do. New 10 Nrth.ofEuropeSteam all Peel Rr. Ld. & Minrl. all Peninsular & Orieutal 35 Do. Do. all Portland Iron Co 60 Royal Mail Steam . all Soot. Austral. Invest. 25 South Austral. Land all Submar. Telegraph .. all Do. Registered. 281 Van Diemen Ind 45 7- 47 ~ - •.. G 5 --- 75 75 - 85 6t - 7 16 -- 18 *i = ii I - 1 _ •dl ••• ....... ••• i b - 2A 35 - 37 - 1 - H. 50 50 2 100 1 25 5 4 i i i 60 59/ 60 8i 100 99 9 964 58k 8 I per cen' 59j i i 17i t 21 Ycil __ it 4 50 50 100 100 20 50 31i I 20 25 25 100 251 6 10 29i i ma 9 ini l 6 p 5 10 St. 5 15 8i 8 10 dis I 1 3 min I 1 20 1 10 1 1 47 3 3 / 4 543 6 6i i 7 17i 18 IT to save individuals f rom thi s sys t em o f persecu ti on ; bu no said the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, the judges were wrong, and the Board of Inland Revenue was right, and the Government were determined to take farther measures to enforce their own view of the law. In a short time the Government of Lord Derby came into power, and they announced that they intended to settle the point by legislation, and . a measure was prepare d w hi c h was after wards brought by the present Government for the pur pose of exempting Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, the pub lishers of Mr. Dickens, from the stamp, and releasing theta from further persecution by the Board of Inland Revenue. What was their present position ? A bill had been passed to exempt a particular publication from the stamp and to define news and newspapers afresh, but several point's of law had since arisen, springing from that bill, in addition to those which had previously existed. The Government had commenced a prosecution against the publishers of the Penny Commercial Journal in Dublin of which Mr. Shaw was the proprietor, the object, according to the counsel for the Crown, being not to recover a penalty, but to enforce a right and ascertain a point of law'. Mr. Whiteside, the counsel for the defendant had, in an eloquent speech in the Dublin Court of Exchequer, deprecated this system of singling out individuals as victims, in order to ascertain what was the law, and said that it was the duty of the Government, as sisted by the law officers of the Crown, to bring forward a bill to make the law clear and simple. In this prosecution the Government had again been defeated, and the Chan cellor of the Exchequer had declared that he did not in• tend to acquiesce in the verdict, but should go on with the proceedings against Mr. Shaw until he could get some court of law or jury to assert that the Board of Inland Revenue had taken a just view of the law. It was a mon• strong injustice to individuals to persevere in this course of policy—(hear)—and he appealed to the house, whether he had not a right to call upon the Government to put an end to those difficulties by bringing in a bill to make the law clear and intelligible. (Hear, hear.) The point of law raised in the case of the Penny Commercial Journal was a very peculiar one. The question raised was whether this paper, consisting for the most part of literary matter, but containing also some few scraps of news, was, in the eye of the law, a newspaper? The defendant pleaded three pleas—first, that if the paper did contain news there was only a very little of it ; secondly, that the news it contained was not political ; and, thirdly, that there was no proof that the news was true. The last plea was pleaded because it bad been contended that if it could be shown that what was stated as a fact was in reality a fiction, it was not news and therefore was not liable to the stamp. Mr. Baron Parke, whose authority would not be disputed, had con• tended that a little news was not enough to constitute a paper a newspaper, and that the words of the act, "a paper, containing public news, intelligent*, and amnia renFee" was meant to apply to a paper the main object of which was to give a record of current events. If it should be decided that a paper might contain a little news, what questions would be raised as to the quantity it might law. fully contain, and as to the amount of the space of a paper which might be occupied by news without its becoming liable to a penalty. He should be sorry to misrepresent the learned judge, and he would therefore read the passage to which he had referred. In speaking of another publication Mr. Baron Parke said : " Now, I am clearly of opinion that it is a newspaper within the definition of the act of Parliament. That act contains in the schedule a description of what is to be considered as a newspaper ; therefore, we must look to the schedule to see whether this is a newspaper within the meaning of the clause or not, and the schedule says the following shall be deemed and taken to be a newspaper, and chargeable with the said duties Any paper containing public news, intelligence,•or occurrences printed in any part of the United Kingdom, to be dispersed and made public.' That is the definition. It does not say any public news simply, but containing public news, intelligence, or occurrences ;' and if the question had turned upon that part of the act of Parliament, I should have thought that it was not enough to bring the paper within the meaning of the act if it contained only a single article, and its main object was something else, either a scientific work or a discussion upon matters of science or fine arts. If it happened to contain a single article only of news, I should have considered that it was not within the meaning of the section, but that it was to be a paper the particular object of which was to contain public news, intelligence, or occur rences ; and if it happened that the paper contained a matter of science or discussion upon the fine art, but that its main object was that it should contain public news, intelligence, and occurrences, I should have thought it would still have fallen within the meaning of a newspaper." This doctrine as to the legality of a small quantity of news was still a matter of doubt; and the counsel for the Crown, in the prosecution at Dublin, had made the important de claration, that that case was to decide the law with refer ence to a very numerous class of publications in this country as well as in Ireland. With reference to the point that the news in the journal was not political news, it was endeavoured to be shown, by some sort of inueudo, that the object of the Le g islature in passing the Stamp Acts was not revenue. The learned counsel for the Crown , said : "Now, gentlemen of the jury, I will bring before your, notice what appears to me to be the question before you. First, let me say one or two words on the general policy of stamping papers such as these. You are aware, no matter what may be said of the liberty of the press, a great deal may also be said of its licentiousness, and the Government of the country, to keep a proper control over the public press, and to keep within its own power a proprietor of a paper, who, departing from liberty, may indulge in licentiousness, has provided a machinery by which every proprietor of a paper is bound to restrictions, and bound to pay a certain stamp to protect the public." He contended withgreat deference, that this was bad law; and ho defied the learned counsel to produce any act of Parliament which said that any stamp should be imposed upon licentiousness. The stamp was to be put upon a re cord of facts, and any one might publish as much licen tiousness, as much blasphemy, as much sedition, as much obscenity, as much of extreme democratic views as they pleased, without putting any stamp upon it. But a fear had always been entertained of the circulation of facts, and it was only upon records of facts that the stamp had ever been imposed. But the journal in question was not, in fact, a licentious paper. It happened to be a most moral, harmless, innocent, literary paper, and no one contended that it contained a word that could be con• • strued into what was called license. (Hear.) He had looked at the particular copy of the paper which had been prosecuted, in order to see whether there was any ground for raising a prejudice against it in the mind of the jury by talking about the licentiousness of the press, and he found that it really contained nothing more than some good natured half-complimentary remarks upon her Majesty's present Ministers. In spea ki ng of the present Government it said— " With all this undoubted personal ability, I have little hope that the new Cabinet will work well. It wants a prin ciple, and it is too rich in individual talent." (" Hear" and laughter.) An attempt had been made in the course of the trial to set aside the act which had been passed last session, which was met by Lord Chief Baron Pennefather, who presided upon the occasion. By that act the stamp duty had been repealed upon observations or commentaries upon news, but not upon news itself. He thought it must have required an intellect of the refining power which was attributed to the present Chancellor of the Exchequer to have brought in a bill which drew a distinction between a commentary upon a fact and a fact itself ; but, at present, the law was that you might observe upon a fact, but if you gave that fact you were liable to a penalty. (Hear, hear.) The learned judge, in his charge to the jury, said — "One paragraph is contained in the paper on which reli ance has been placed on both sides. It is the Letter from London.' Now, this contained a good deal of observation on public occurrences. It consisted of matters of considerable public interest, a good deal of observation and discussion on what is considered political, change of Government, &c. The fact of its containing observation and discussion, I must tell you, in point of law, does not constitute that portion any thing that would make the publication newspaper.' The mere fact of their being observations and discussions was at one time a test on whic a publication was to be determined whether it was a newspaper or not, but that test no longer exists in point of law. You will consider, with respect to that portion of the paper, whether that letter conveys infor mation of a fact of a public nature—whether it contains public news, intelligence, or occurrences.' So far as it contains observations and discussions, you will exclude it from your consideration as a test, but so far as it conveys in telligence of facts, you will give it such weight as you think it deserves." The committee upon which he had sat had reported that nothing was more undesirable than to attempt to draw a distinction between observations upon a fact and the fact itself, and had pointed out that by so doing they would produce a harvest of Exchequer cases, and the case to which he had referred was ono of the results of the course which the Government had taken. The law was now, therefore, in this position—if he published in an unstampod paper the despatch of Admiral Dundas, expressing his re gret at having been compelled to attack the batteries at Odessa, he would be liable to a penalty of 201.; but if he published a violent commentar y ou Admiral Dundas's con duct, and accused him of not saving done his duty to his country, he was free from all stamp duties. If they al lowed observations to be circulated through the country free of stamp, they ought, as a matter of public policy, to allow records of facts themselves to be circulated on equally favourable terms, so that facts might correct erroneous Fie men might not be led astratheyb violent obser that this case of Dub lib Penny ita Jountal would be su ffi cient to induce the He thought stations.ne7. theories, house to come to the conclusion that the law required to be better defined and rendered more intelligible. (Hear. hear.) He had been told that, instead of the word " early" in the resolution which he had moved, he ought to have inserted the word " immediate," and he was certainly of Opinion that not only an early but an immediate settle ment of the question was required, as he had nut conjured up refinements to bring before the houeo, but had shown that practical grievances existed which demanded the im mediate attention of the Government. He would now give them another case of more recent origin with refer ence to the present state of the law. The discovery had lately been supposed to have been made that musical announcements came under the head of news. Mr. No velle, the publisher of a paper called the Musical Times, had received the following communication from the Board of Inland Revenue, dated May 8, 1854, so that it was clearly a very recent discovery by the board : " Inland Revenue, London, May 8, 1854. " Sir,-1 am directed by the commissioners of this board to communicate with you respecting a paper entitled tho Musical limes, printed and published by you, some un stamped copies of which have been brought under their obser vation. As this paper contains news, as well as principally advertisements, and is published at intervals of less than 26 days, it is a newspaper liable to stamp duty, and for every copy printed upon unstamped paper a penalty has been in curred. I shall be happy to submit to the board any exphtnae tion you may think proper to offer upon the subject.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant, " J. Timm, Solicitor of Inland Revenue." In reply to that, Mr. Novelle wrote as follows : " London, 69, Dean-street, Soho, May 11, 1854. " Sir,--4 have to acknowledge your letter of May 8. I have delivered to the Stamp-office stamped and unstamped copies of every number of the Musical Times for the last ten years (as compelled by law to do) and each of these copies has been thoroughly examined by your officers to ascertain how much of it was liable to duty for advertisements, so long as. that impost was chargeable ; and I suppose that, both before and since, it has been examined to see that it contained na blasphemous and seditious libel, as I am compelled still to deliver a copy for the latter purpose. During these 10 years the news contained in the paper has always been precisely of the same kind, and your office (as I have shown) was thoroughly acquainted with its nature ; and, as no objection has been made, I must suppose that the Musical Times has, during 10 years, been published with the sanction of your office. I should be glad, therefore, to be favoured by your pointing out what particular passage of news you now consider as making the paper liable to be all printed upon stamps. The Musical Times has always consisted principally' of a piece of music, for which the same price is paid, whether printed alone, or whether accompanied . by the matter of temporary interest, which is given away ~~ 3 17 3i 19 64 9 5 45 15 60 35 2d 2: 12i k 54 3 86 51 73 rai 3 85 l f 77 i i 3O i 21i i 19/ t li i 37 6!