The Sun. — London, England, 1853-08-18 00:00:00

I.l3 P t ‘f 19 -1 , , et N, 17,1 - . 4 8' At; Wo n SUN OFFICE, Seven, o'clock. YORK RACES, (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) COLT SAPLING STAKES. Tros walked over. PRINCE OF WALES STAKES. Dervish A1a5,,,., Canute Won in a canter. GREAT EBOR HANDICAP. Pantomime . Nabob ....... Catspaw .... Thirteen ran.—Won by a neck. HOPEFUL STAKES. Faversham Grapeshot north Pole Three ran. COUNTY PLATE. Xing of Trumps.. Wild Hu n t sman.. Snowdon Dunhill . Nine ran. Won by half a length. EGLINTON STAKES. E xa ct „ . B arrel . . . Seven ran. 100 SOVS. SWEEPSTAKES. North Pole walked over. .1 .2 3 IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. ROUSE OF LORDS—(THIS EVENING.) Their Lordships assembled at 5 o'clock. HACKNEY CARRIAGES BILL. Lord STANLEY, of Alderley, moved the first reading of the Hackney Carriages Bill, and gave notice that to rnorrow he would move the suspension of the standing riders with a view to the bill passing through its several ta '?es.—Agreed to. C ONSOLIDATION OF THE STATUTE LAW. The LORD CHANCELLOR laid on the table the report made to him by the gentlemen whom he had ap pointed to consolidate the statute law, and explained to t he house the directions he had, given to them, and some ~/ the principal features of their report. It appeared "kat', from the time of the Magna Charta up to the 15th and 16th of her present Majesty, 16,442 public statutes were passed, but deducting from that num ber those which had been repealed or become ?bsolete, as well as the acts which exclusively be longed to Scotland, Ireland, and the colonies, there only remained 2,500 statutes applicable to England and the t hat Ki ng d om , an d it was t o th e consolidation of these I lat the att en ti on o f t h e comm issioners had been directed. Durin g the last few months they had neither been idle nor forgetful of their duty to the public ; on the contrary, t hey had been most assiduously and anxiously engaged 11 1 , 0 n the work, and although it might not be possible to agree with their suggestions, there could be no doubt that the result of their labours would be of incalculable advantage. One member of the commission had made ;la attempt a t a di ges tion of the statute and unwritten `. r w resp ec ti ng di s t ress for rent ; and another member , Coode, a similar digest as to the poor laws ; and, after having seen these specimens, he had come to the conclusion that the best course to adopt for the future was one which the Commissioners bad already put them selves in training—viz., that each of them should take 4 Particular subject. He suggested one in regard to which there was only statutes and no unwritten law, an d Consolidates the whole statutes upon it in a judicious and clear form, which persons not professionally ac quainted with the law could easily - un derstand. He "hayed that such a digest, though it might not answer e very purpose, would be of essential use to the public. " 51 JRIALS (BEYOND THE METROPOLIS) BILL. „ This bill was read a third tim e and p assed. COPIES OF SPECIFICATIONS REPEAL BILL. Th e Commons' amendments to this bill were con sidered and agreed to. TURNPIKE ACTS CONTINUANCE, &c., BILL. The Commons' reasons for disagreeing to the amend ments made by the Lords on this bill were considered. Lord STANLEY (of Alderley) moved that the Lords' amendments should not be persevered in. Lord REDESDALE objected to the motion, as the e ffect of omitting these amendments would be to pro hibit the use of dogs in carts or turnpike roads, which would be a great hardship to many poor persons. Lord STANLEY (of Alderley), after consulting with Ills colleagues, thought the objection of the noble lord Vas well founded, and therefore he would withdraw his r ecommendation. Their lordships then agreed to persist in their amend taents. CONSOLIDATED FUND APPROPRIATION BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. PILOTAGE BILL This bill was read a third time and passed. This ABATEMENT METROPOLIS BILL. 'his bill was read a third time and passed. CUSTOMS' ACTS CONSOLIDAT ION BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. BETTING-HOUSES BILL. This bill and many others were passed thr ou g h com -- )„, i , tt ee. 10 ~A ev S eral other bills were advanced a stage, and their • Shi • • ps acjourneu. MARKET NEWS—(THIS DAY.) OENERAL AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN i n t h e Week ended Aug. 18, 1853, made up from the Returns of the I ;enters in the different Cities and Towns in England and Wales 1 , , , . ttnPerial Quarter. w s RUT. ,BARLEY. OATS. BYE. I BEANS. I PEAS. ' 3 3 3a 1 293 101 223 3 I 343 91 I 4ls 51 1 36s 91 Nt ßt THE SIX WEEK'S AVERAGE. tl, ~!. BARMY. I OATS. BYE. BEANS. PE". " 14 I 29s 5d 2ls I I 35s 9d 4OB 8d 36s 7d 114; t47 . DUTIES ON FOREIGN CORN. • BAILEY. OATS. EYE. BEANS. I PEAS. ly I. 113 Oil is Od lisOdlis Od 1 Is Od. heat, 84 OF GRAIN SOLD LAST WEK. sat, 84,907 ; Bariey, I 1,625 Oats, 9,326 ; Rye, E 187 ; Beans 2,9001 Peas, 215 quarters. HAY MARKETS. ORITEIPIELD.—OId meadow hay, 4/ 4 s to 5 / 10 s ; dr ditto, 2/ 10s to 4/ Os ; old clover, 5/ Os to 6 / Os ; new ,Al O ., 3/ lOs to 41 12s ; and straw, 11 8s to 1/16s per load air average supply, and a steady demand. l e et Otab.usit.—Old meadow hay, 415 s to 5/ 12s Od.; tii:v ditto, 2/ 15s to 414 s ; old clover, 51 Os to 6 1 Os ; new k i t°, 3 / lOs to 4/ 12s ; and straw, 1/ lOs to 1118 s per load. 13Plv but moderate, and trade firm. u, ThLTRCHAPEL.—OId meadow hay, 4/ 5s to 51 10s; dit w 4- tht to, 2/ 10s to 4/ Os ; old clover, 5/ Os to 61 Os ; new cede 3/ 10s to 4/ 128 ; and straw, 1/ 8s to 1/ 16s per load. '" Steady. MEAT MARKETS 4 qlea ATE AND LEADENHALL.—The general demand tr c stead y, an d p r i ces were well supported :—Beef, 4 4 1 8 11 26 8(1 to 3s 10d ; Mutton, 3s 8d to 48 10d ; Lamb, 48 (A 8d ; Veal, 3s 6cl to 4s 6d ; Pork, 3s Oct to Per 81158, by the carcase. Ve]?"RALL, AUG. 17.—T0-day's market was seasonably Viai e t l lPPlied with eac h ki n d of stock, the demand for N e e' piled steady, and prices were well supported. — 4-(a from 2s 10d - to 4s 4d ; Mutton, 3s Oct to 5s Od ; It-1. 48 10(1 to 5s 10d ; Veal, 3 s 8 d to 4 s 6d ; Pork, 40 38 10d. per 81bs, to sink the offal. I:4I4 4P° RD, AUG. 17.—Our market was well sup folio)-c4_, yet the general demand Wiled 8 very firm, 10d to 4s 4d ; Mu tton, 38 d 381 0 n d b ' 58 0(1 t ße of ss 2s 10d ; Veal, 38 8d to 48 6d ; Pork, h t° 3 s 10d p er Bl b s. Quarter old store pig s, 1 9s to eac. L LOYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DAY.) li 1-41Nnolf, Aug.lB.—Wind this day at Noon, tillit breeze, and fine weather. —Wind, N.E., very 1' --41,, Aug . B. (Per Elec. Tel.) —Wind, Itlit. A . • g. • Ceylon • Harrio %,,, Arrived --Marion, . "'Yrno. •v• t • C vetto Bondiera . led—Alex -1044 , ic oriosa, TO / 1 . Edina,rla s t a t rc d a e , itod r r germ.. Arrived from the River, and sai Gii,,,ila, Cooper, and Abby Blanchard, Cafdi j ff a . c 4-)1.e1 ---- • Hamilla Mitchell, —) i Mary ma _ q a llerar a • Ranbler, Margaret, Persian, a netBaßileody—d, Lose. 940' a .m. -- Passed—Nestonia, from an Cardiff, don._ T f h o e r lia,;: e rt ; Harriott tie Denis., Smyrna, got On the Australia, from Grimsby, for Rio Janeiro,. is for London.—The - `ll,odwin Sands about 6 o'clock this morning, aid 40W afloat. ode -I„,I4IVERPooL, Aug. 18 (10.45 a.m.)--- Wind ' S t ” V n i i deo ; ate' and showery ' Arrived—Express, from Mon e C Illcise'r, Ceara:;. Hope, St. John's, N.B. ; Undaunted, 11-115; Emile Nantes. bLEICTWOOD, ' Aug. Aug . Wakefield N -w.' QuAe.bev.ed 111Trilii011TH, Aug. 17. Wind, N._ • fo r k R• Diligence, Arctic Regions; Mundagnes,.London I: thinb ittan zas ; Gabrielle, Hartlepool, for Bordeau , Emilie, 1,--urgh, for Callao. vrit LIa LTTII, Aug. 1 7.—Wind, S.W. Arrived—W ater ; C1a r , 9 22, el:Minna • Tagra , sand.(s.), London, for Alexandria l . Xe3,ii."411, Cape' of Good Dope. Sailed—Minister, en 133D141. c ' u Ttf, Aug. 1 7.—Wind, N.W. Arrived— s Verbena n , gi r i: 4 ~ li?llas, Taganrog ; Italia, Odessa ; h b0,...._ Yrrdifr, for Barcelona ; Dusty Miller, Middles -IZug4, for Genoa.. Sailed—Bellerofonte, London ; Ape, 11,1'7100o1; Angelica, do. ; Hesperus, Londonderry ; E os, ~._gOuT In har h lIAMPTox Aug. 17.—Wind, S.W. Arrived— T o e s (8.), West Indies ; Hermann (s.), New York ; Pla (8.), Lisbon. Nr"AnTnou'rn Awr 17.--Wind, W. Arrived—Dromo, -141)les, for Lond e' . ZtiusTo on. . aunah . i L, Aug. 17.--Wind, E. Arrived—Viaganti, Ha.. '' - 'eret ' Yr of the Lake, Nantes ; Elizabeth, Bremen ; ~i v , Rotterdam • Nicolai, Cronstadt. I:lll e l ,4 l'isE A, Aug ' l7 —Wind, W.N.W. Arrived —Lord qa_e-/1. Coquim-b ; p a Quebec ,• Sophia Margaret, -. uch a • A —° ' re -- -t rnilio , ntonetto, Almeria; m y, te.rikt,lwil,,triz::swiosu,te 14 t , Ils, Madeira. Aug. 16.—Wind, S. Arrived—Geo. Video ; Margaret Gibson, Mauritius ; L i .• 11448, Odessa; Valaga, Halifax ; J. Temple, Latil t l ; -4 Ple. ' Hilton Maid, do. ; Vieran, Cons an MONEY MARKET SHARE MARKETS.-(THIS DAY.) AND CITY INTELLIGENCE. BRITISH RAILWAYS. Closing Prices this day. CITY, TWO O'CLOCK. The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday were estimated at 6,000 bales, of which 1,000 American and 600 Pernam and Maranham were taken for export. The market closed heavily, with but little change in prices. The sales comprised 4,300 American, 1,100 Pernam and Maranham, at 64d. to 71d. ;1200 Egyptian, 60.. to 10d. • 300 Surat, 4d. to 5d.; and 100 Sea Island, at ls. 9d. tqgs. 11d. per lb. Railway Shares continued dull at lower prices. The six weeks' average price of wheat is 51s. 6d. per qr., and the last week's sales were 84,907 qrs. The steamer Parana brings a large bullion freight (767,000 dollars) from the Spanish Main. The accounts state that the weather in Jamaica had become excessively sultry. The public health, however, was in a satisfactory con dition, but cooling showers were much required. In Trinidad the 1853 sugar crop had been got in, and would not, it was considered, prove far short of that of the last year, as had been generally ex pected. The labour market was well supplied in some localities, while a deficiency was felt in others, but in no part was there a surplus. Unfortunately the fever had broken out among the soldiery at St. James. A resolution had been passed in Council " that it is expedient that at least 1,000 free labourers from the East Indies be introduced into the colony in 1854." The Trinidadian, noticing the arrival in England of a vessel with a cargo of asphalt or pitch, says "The ship Roger Stewart, arrived safely at Gravesend on the 11th of May, after a voyage of 45 days. She carried 550 tons of pitch (common asphalt from Point La Br( al in bulks, and by her safe arrival has proved that it is as practicable to ship mineral pitch in bulk as it is to ship stone coal. " We make this public announcement of the safe ar rival of the Roger Stewart, for the purpose of correcting a prejudice which was current amongst some of our shippers here, namely, that pitch could not be shipped in bulk on a voyage across the Atlantic. One of them who, on other matters, is less prejudiced or ignorant, went so far as to warn the captain of the ship against taking the freight, and said to us, that it would be better to sink the ship at La Brea, where she took in the cargo, and save the people, than to let her go outside the 'Leas.' For such men it would indeed be better to refrain from expressing any opinion, and to learn that ' wise men examine before they judge, and fools judge before they examine.' "We have not the slightest doubt that before ten years have 'passed Iround our export of mineral pitch will exceed in weight and bulk all other exports from Trinidad. By that time also we expect to see the Colo nial Government and the Town Council make use of a material (mineral pitch) in the colony, the value of which they seem at present to appreciate but little." The Bank of England weekly Board meeting has broken up, and no further advance has been made in the minimum rate of discount. The Stock Market is firmer this morning, in con sequence of the rather easier state of the money market, and the absence of any unfavourable news. There is, however, very little doing. Consols have been 97h and 98 for Transfer, and at one time 98 to for Account. The New Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents. have realised 101 i to 1, and the Three per Cents. 980. to 98/. Exchequer Bills have been at 2s. discount to par. Bank Stock has touched 228 and 2281, being a rise of about per cent. East India Stock is firm at 257 to 259. South Sea Stock has been quoted 1154. In the Foreign Stocks there has not been any life. Sardinian have risen however to 67 and 97k. Brazilian 41 per Cents. are very firm at 99 to 99i, and Grenada Deferred have advanced to 101. It is obvious that those securities which have a firm basis will now become more in demand, and profit by the disinclination to encourage new foreign schemes. Portuguese 4 per Cents. have been at 43/. Dutch 2i per Cents. are at 65k. Mexican Bonds have been at 26 to 27. Not a single bar gain is recorded in Spanish Stock. Russian Bonds are nominal. The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up to this day, are in round figures as under 26 -- 27 100 8i - 5 .1 9 - 101 9 7 dj 13i 20 20 50 20 22 1 3 2 dl 102 103 67i 68 21 22 196 20 4 . - 5p 8 - 9 stl- 3i 3g 12 - 13 Great Western.. North Western* South Western.. 45 - 47 St. 16 St. St. 33 - 35 71§- 72i 52 - 55 72 -- - 74 10 6 121 12. . all lo 100 100 Po ad 28 . - ili 100 100 100 100 all 100 10 all 14 all 831 - 841 52 - 54 133 - 135 112 - 114 88i - 891, 74 - 7i 103 - 105 17 -18 p -75 i 5 - 3i - 14t - 151 1 Si -- 81 102-- 7 103tf 1111 -- 112} lg 1 - fp 86i 874 7 6 di 6 5 (1 11 13 18 20 27i —28 i 71 -71 i 40 - 42 55 - 57 - 4 - 2 - 3;4 8 - 9 51 - 53 3h 2i d 32 —33 1 4 4 0 d . 9 14 - 2 pI 511 -51 i 93 - 95 62 - 64 62 - 64 , 69 71. li ldisl 19 21 94 10} 1.4 15 311 -- 3d 19 --- 20 701 714 1 354 364 124 I'4 25 - 27 2 l4i - 15 - 9 - 34 - 68 - qi - 71 -- -59 i PREFERENCE SHARES Aberdeen . Do., No. 2, 7 p. 0... Bris. dr Ex. 4 p. e. St. Do. 4 p. c. Shares ... Caledonian £10...... IC3 - - 1051 iiii -7- iO7! Chester & Holyhead Guar. 5i per cent... Cork &Bandon 5,i P.C. Dundee Perthdaber deen Junction ..... .. 19A —20 A is 6A 6 4 44 5 5A liP 2 p 1 p 14 15 EastA nglian (X3los) 6 per cent............ Do. (25) 7 per cent.. Do. (27175) 7 p. ct.. Eastern Counties Ex tension, 5 p. c. No.l Do., No. 2.. ..... Do., Now 6 p. c. St.. Eastern Union, Scrip Guar. 6 per cent.... EastLancash. 6 p.cts. Edinb. Prth. &Dundee siper cent........ .... Glasgow & S.Westorn guar. 5 per cent.... Great Northr sp. c. Do. 5 p. c., Redeem., at 10 p. c. pram .... Gt. Southn. &Westn. 20i - 21. *i -129 i (Ireland) Eighths Gt. Westn. (Berks & Hants Ex. 5 p. c.) G. West. fixed 4i p c Lan. & York. F. 1120, Do., G p. c., Stock London and Brighton Guaranteed 5 p. c Do. Pref., 5 p. C. St Do. Convertible, 5 p c., 1852.,........ .. Do. New Guar. °p.c. London & S. Western, Con. Thirds Londonderry& Coler Shares Londy. & Ennis. A Sh Manch. ,Shef., & Shares, No. 1 Do. Now, SAO.. Marypt. &Carl. 4p. c. IDo. 4i per cent S.S.E., 10 5 20 20 lid. Consul. 6 p. c. St. Do. Consol. Bristol di Birm. 6 per cent.... Do. Pref. 44 per cent. Norfolk Extension... Do. Pref. 'M per ct... Do. Way. /al. 5 p c North British ......... North Staffordshire.. Oxford Worcester di Wolyerh. £15,6 p. c. 10 20 20 20 Do Shrews& Birin. N. G Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor.W.Min),B p. c. Do. 5 per cent South Devon Do. New S. Eastern (Reading] Ann.,) of El 05.6c1.' S.Yorksh.4p. c. Guar. Waterfd.&Kilk.6p.c. York Newcastle and, Berwick, 4 p.e.Pref Do York& N. Midland Sz S. Purch FOR: 1121 -- 113 8 1 - 9 64 103 104 A d -A pm 150 152 3i - 3 i 10 - 11 13i - 14 8 - 9 A ntwerp &Rotterdam Belgian Eastn. June. Beziers to Graissessac Charleroi & Erquelin. Dijon and Besancon Dutch Rhenish East Indian Do. Extension Gt. Indian Peninsula Gd. Junct. of France Gt .Western of Canada Shares .......... Lucca & Pistoja 5 p.c. pref Luxembourg 10i -- 104, Business done this day. 5i 5 - 149 151 par iP 114 118 122 118 - 118 1 24j - 24 Do. (Railway) Do Do. (Canal) Do. 6 p. ct. Lyons & Mediterran Madras 84 I 4 54 133 101 10/ 17 18 PI 14 15; par— zP 25i 264 194 4d i ,103 105 roi par p 98 i i i 9 Pm 75# 11i 11 'ION. 111 k x a x x d 86 x (1. I a 71 f 8 i 33 Namur & Liege (with interest) Do. (ex interest) 69i 8i 9 581 9 'Northern of France.. Do. 201. 3 p. c Eds. (fmy.B. ds Ams. She.: NorwegianTrunkPre Paris and Lyons Paris And Orleans— Paris and R0uen...... 21 20i 1134 104 3f 150 i 1506 103:! 14 1 d - par 3 21 lid p 5 —5,1 p IK p 2 2p 21 - - id id /i 4 1 1 1 —lt d 7 7 B.i $ Paris and Strasbourg ParisCaen & Cherbrg Quebec & Richmond Rouen and Havre Royal Swedish 'Sambre and Meuse Sth-Eastrn. of France Southern of France Upper India Scrip West Flanders 24i 51 36t mi li-12 8 9 19 -- 50 51 44 -- 45 41 -- 4i -- 14 1d 50 20i 21,k 91 -- lo 54 64 4 -- 4. 364 6 1 28 Ok 50 40k Do. N- per e. Pref Western cf France West. of Switzerlaw Zealand --- dis 101 - - 11 2t 2&d 20i 9i 2 $ 4 Inn 4.1 THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING-, AUGUST 18, 1853. MINES. 1 all Agua Fria 1 all nglo Anstrin. Gold 4d par 10s. all Anglo Californian 10 2 Australasian ld par 20 5 Australian 1 all Australian Cordillera ' $ id 1 all Australian Freehold 6 gd 1 all Ave Maria B td 1 all Baden (Ca Duchy of) d par 1 all British Austria. Gold j id 20 13.5 British Iron 35 244 Brazilianlmp.(issued at £5 psz 3i 44 44 30 all Do. Cocaes & Cuiada 24 3 , °I 20 15 Do. St. John Del Rey 324 —33 i ' 2 1 4 Carson's Creek 40 all Cobre Copper —x d 5 1 Colonial 15 Copiapo St. all Copper MM. of Eng 55 —65 25 all Do. Pref. 73 p. cent 64 —74 p 5 all English and Austrin CopperSmeltg.Co 24 —24 d fi 20 all General 2 all Great Nugget Vein_ $ / p 24 2 all Do. Registered 3 all Great Polgooth 1 all Lake Bathurst 1 all Liberty 3 all Linares 1 all Lond.&Californ.Gold Quartz Crush. Co. 4 4 1 all Mariquita 10 9 Mexican&S.Amerien 64 1 1 all New Granada Bd— 4 p 1 all Nouveau Monde 4— i p 14 i i 10 5 Nova Scotia Mining and Copper Smeltg. „ , ... 5 1 Port Philip ... ....... $ 4 d 1 all Quartz Rock 50 all Rhymney Iron - ••• ••• 15 15 Do. New — 30 IA Santiago de Cuba „, i 4 .i 5.. 1 all South Australian _ 1 ( 1 - par 10 7 Tin Croft 7 9 284 all United Mexican 44 0 44 1 all Waller — 4 d 1 all West Granada -, 1— 4 d 1 all West Mariposa 1 all Yuba JOINT-STOCK BANKS. 40 all- Australasia Bl 82 814 1 4 50 all British N. American' „, ... 20 2 Chrtd. Bnk. of India, Australia, & China 100 25 Colonial — ...P 100 20 Commercial of Lond ... 20 10 English Scottish and Australian par— 4 p 10 20 15 Lond. Chart. Bk. of Australia 24 3 p 174 50 20 London and County.. „ , ... 50 10 London Joint Stock.. ,„ _ ... 100 20 Loud. & Westminster — ... 20 2 London Bank of Aus tralia and India ... ... ... 50 22 ' National of Ireland.. ,„ ... ! 25 all Oriental Bank of 1 Corporation. 1 504 514 1 50 1 504 25 5 Do. New — ... 100 25 Provincial of Ireland „, ... 50 10 all Do. New ... ... 5 1 Royal Australu•Bkg & Gold Imp Co 4 dig— par 25 all South Australia 44 46 25 all Union of Australia 7IA 724 24 Do. New B' 84 50 10 Union of London ... ... 194 40 all Union of Madrid ... „, LIT ERATU.RE. Sketches in Ultra-Marine. By J. Hannay, late of Her Majesty's Navy, author of " Singleton Fon tenoy," &c. 2 vols. Addey and Co. These volumes will form an agreeable subject of perusal to those who delight in the witty and sparkling style of composition, and who find en tertainment in satires on men and manners. There are various incidents narrated as occurring to dif ferent persons mentioned in the work before us, but there is no regular story, and no definite plan observed. The object seems to be to amuse by, the " sallies of youth" recorded, and to show forth some of the inconsistencies and improprieties of the present naval arrangements. " King Dobbs" is the most striking of the episodes here met with. It relates the adventures of some young men who went out in a yacht, in the hope and expectation of becoming celebrated characters, but who were compelled finally to return home no more famous than they departed. The following scene will serve to illustrate the style of their exploits " What's that noise ?' cried Dobbs, suddenly. " They jumped from their seats. " Now, don't be frightened,' said Chilton ; it's a gun.' - "At this point, M'Mizen came down the companion ladder with a lantern, enveloped in a huge greatcoat. Maister Chilton, hae ye got the papers—the ship's papers, ye ken ?' " What are they ?' asked Dobbs, in affright. " Chilton turned rather pale—' Come on deck !' he cried to his friends. E CAMP AT CHOMIAM COMMON. With yesterday's proceedings closed the duties of the second division of the British forces at the camp. The troops have passed through some hardships, have achieved many bloodless laurels, and won the respect and admiration of many thousands who, but for these field-days of Chobham, would never have known how fields were won or battles lost. The colours of the con quering regiments may bear no records of their gallant deeds and noble daring. The retreats at Catlin's valley, the long marches to Bagshot, the dashing charges on Flutter's hill, the advances over Chobham ridges, the storming of Fox hill, the crossing of the Virginia Water, the battle of Runnymede—these and numerous other hard-fought fights will live only in the memory of the heroes of Chobliam and the thousands of camp followers who were spectators of the thrilling and exciting en gagements. The dry recorders of history will probably be content with a short summary of the whole, and will "They all hurried up together, and found the whole crew assembled, gazing to windward, where there lay the heavy form of a large revenue cutter, with three lanterns hoisted perpendicularly in her rigging. " Good God ! ' exclaimed Chilton, why did you let her go to windward of us ? D--n the moon !' ho con tinued, as that luminary, shining in the clear heavens, threw a most distinct light on the elegant figure of the Baboon. " Why, sir,' said it's o' nae consequence ; of course ye hae the papers. How's the cutter to ken that you are no a smuggler, or even a pirate? It's only a form.' "The smile that passed over Chilton's face short and quick, and luminous in its scorn at these words, was singular ; but it was nothing to the feelings that passed across his heart. With one glance, he took in the whole position, as his eye dwelt on the cutter, the assembled crew, the calm gaze of M'Mizen (wherein was much to be noted), Carisford and Pereira in startled silence, un happy Dobbs awestruck with terror, and knowing not where to look. " Carisford saw Chilton's glance and came up to him. In friendly grasp he took his hand, as he whispered --- 4 You may have thought from what passed in the cabin that I am timid ; try me now ; what you will, I am ready to act.' "Then two men came forward from the crew, to speak to Chilton. 4 4 4 Well, Hartly, what have you to say ?' he asked. 4 " Why, sir,' said the fellow, a huge man, with black whiskers, who looked as if he had the strength of a Titan, and an equal readiness to use it against Heaven, ' me and my friend doesn't understand this ; we don't want to be shoved in limbo. What we does, we does : we want no humbug. How about that 'ere cutter ?' " Both the vessels were now laying to, the cutter oc cupying her windward position. The situation of poor Chilton and his friends became alarming. Here was the poor Baboon, that had been suspicious in her ap pearance—watched by the Tulip, telegraphed, probably, down the coast, from station to station—now with a government vessel to windward, and two of the best men in the crew in a state approaching to mutiny ! " ' Oh,' said Chilton, 'I suppose the ass takes us for a smuggler. We must send our papers on board. What an infamous thing, that a gentleman's yacht should be interfered with in this manner ! Mr. M‘Mizen get a boat ready, and show a lantern on the weather bul warks.' Chilton then went below ; and coming up again, gave some documents to Hartly, and said—' Go on board the cutter with these, and Mr. Dobbs's (the owner's) compliments.' "The boat was brought up to the lee gangway. Hartly and the sailor who had come with him to speak to Chilton, went into it with the papers—shoved off, dropped astern of the Baboon, and pulled towards the cutter, on board which the lieutenant in command, who had watched every movement, prepared to receive them. "The boat pulled towards the expectant cutter ; but soon the Baboon lay to no longer ; over the quarter glided the huge boom ; the jib sheet flowed free for ward ; smart bands rounded in the weather foretopsail brace (she was a foretopsail schooner), the gaff-topsail rose like a balloon to its station ; the water foamed be neath her bows, dashed along her sides, quivered in whirling eddies and sharp curves in her wake ; a kind cloud hid the moon's face ; and when it shone again on the Baboon, she was rushing in solitary sovereignty through the waters, headlong on, towards the stormy bay, which dashes on the shores of France, the accumulated terrors of a thousand miles of waves. _ simply mention the fact that 20,000 British troops were encamped for two months at Chobham in 1853. We can add another to the numerous facts which we have recorded of the doings at the camp, viz., that yesterday, so soon as the last company of the infantry had marched past the general-in-command, the whole brigade of Guards raised a tremendous shout, which was taken up, as if by instinct, by all the other infantry regiments, the cause of which turned out upon inquiry to be, that they had gone through the last field-day at Chobham. Some danced, others sang, and all were thankful that they were about to leave the scene of those brilliant exploits already enumerated, and to return to the quiet retire ment of a barrack life. At eleven o'clock yesterday morning the cavalry turned out. After the cavalry had formed hue the four regiments formed contiguous close column on the Horse Guards Blue, and afterwards formed hollow square. The Duke of Cambridge entered the square, and calling all the officers of the different cavalry regiments into the centre, addressed them as follows : "Gentlemen—As this is probably the last occasion upon which we shall be together in this encampment, I am de sirous of taking this opportunity of expressing to you my extreme satisfaction with the behaviour of the four cavalry regiments. When you first arrived in camp you had many difficulties and hardships to contend with. Rain fell in immense quantities ; you were wet through on your ar rival, and there was a continuation of wet weather for four days after your arrival. In the face of these difficulties and hardships, I have never heard a complaining voice. Officers and men, you have submitted cheerfully to every casualty and inconvenience, and your conduct merits the highest praise. As for the manner in which the different manoeuvres have been carried on in the field, I will say, without making any invidious distinction between one regiment and another, you have all behaved well. The conduct of the troops has been all that I could possibly have wished. The drill of the different regiments has been under my minute and careful observation, and I have, with a scrutinizing eye, observed your daily conduct. am happy, also, to say that we have had no accidents in the brigades of any consequenc e . " With such troops as yourselves I feel confident I could take you anywhere, and I am sure you could do anything required of you.. " Officers and men, allow me to say I am proud of y ou ; and, as this is probably th e l ast time we may meet at this camp, I take the opportunity of wishing you all farewell, and of thanking most cordially the officers commanding regiments—in fact, the whole of the officers and non-com missioned officers—for th e support and assistance which you have rendered me ; and am grateful to the men for the loyalty and zeal with w hi c h they have per f or med their duties. Gentlemen, good bye." After marching from their parade grounds, the whole of the infantry formed in masses of columns in the hol low a little to the left of the Magnet hill, the cavalry being in rear of the infantry. Si r R. England's brigade moved forward en echelon of regiments from the right, changing in front in the same direction, and, followed by the Guards and Lockye r ' s b r i ga de ; retired behind j the two hills in their rear. The enemy was posted on a ridge of hills opposite, with two six-pounders, and was endeavouring to cover the camp and defend the redoubts thrown up immediately in front of it. The artillery of i the attacking forces first opened fire on the enemy , who were compelled to fall back. While the artillery was engaged, the cavalry had taken ground to the right in columns of troops, and having defiled by threes over the Queen's -bridge, formed two lines and advanced to attack the enemy. The Blues and 4th Light Dragoons were the first line to charge. The manner in which the line charged was admirable, and the two regiments having received a volley from the squares, retired by threes through the second line. The second line, bringing its left shoulder forward, next advanced, and the Scots Greys and the Bth Hussars charged in a man ner most creditable to both corps ; the Greys in parti cular were remarkable for the perfect line and keeping together of their files, although they had the worst ground to go over, and it was astonishing with what alacrity the men closed in, to their centre, in order to make the charge more effective ; every man appeared to know his duty, as he closed in as if by instinct. This was the last charge made at the camp, and decidedly the Scots Greys and Hussars have not only the honour of having made the last, but the most brilliant charge that has occurred during this encampment. Before these tworesistless charges the enemy continued to fall back, and crossed a deep and almost impassable morass, on the camp side of which they fearlessly awaited the approach of the infantry brigades, which were now advancing in line with the artillery in the intervals. As the brigades approached the morass they threw out their light companies, who kept up for some time a galling fire on the enemy. The main body next advanced, the enemy falling back into the two redoubts, where they appeared resolved to make a stand. The Coldstreams were the first to cross the swamp. Immediately upon doing so they formed line in front of the right, and the Grenadiers and Scots Fusileers crossed and formed in front of the left redoubt. The Coldstreams, sup ported by the 79th Highlanders, delivered a volley, and ascended the hill in double quick time ,- the enemy contented himself with firing a few shots, and retiring from his position ; the enemy also fled be fore the Grenadiers from the left redoubt, and in a few moments loud shouts and cheers proclaimed that all was over, and the Coldstreams and the Grenadiers planted their colours on the redoubts. The other regiments ad vanced up the hill and took up a position near the re doubts, and formed in columns previous to marching past. The place selected for marching past was in front of the brigade of Guards. The cavalry galloped past in squadrons, the Horse Artillery at a sharp trot. The Blues went by in admirable order, as did also the 4th Light Dragoons and Bth Hussars ; but the Greys ap peared to keep up their old character in this respect. The officers were well up to their distances, and the men well up to their work. In some of the regiments, too, little attention appeared to be paid by the officers to the dress of the squadrons. Our troops are undoubtedly the finest in the world, but some of their officers do not merit so flattering a commendation. The whole o . f the infantry marched by exceedingly well, the 79th Highlanders an the Guards, as usual , receiving the lion s share of the approval. We regret to state that private Ware, of the Royal Artillery, had his hand blown off while serving one of the cannons, in conse que nce of improperly serving the vent. The poor fellow was li terall y blown some ten or a dozen yards from the mouth of the cannon, and was raised from the ground by one of the numerous civilians standing round, some of whom very narrowly escaped injury from the wad, which was blown a considerable distance from the gun. " Meanwhile, the cutter having caught a glimpse of the retreating Baboon, was in such a hurry to chase her, that she rolled heavily on to the boat which Chilton had dispatched, experiencing, of course, a vexatious de lay, and with difficulty saving the lives of the men, whose screams compelled her to lay to for the purpose." The Life and Times of Madame de Stael. By Maria Norris: David Bogue. The life of an author and the history of a revo lution must always be full of striking incidents, and worthy of attentive consideration. In the present case they are combined, and the same vo lume traces the life of France's greatest authoress, and the picture of her darkest times. Miss Norris is a Young writer of promise. It is easy to trace the enthusiasm of youth in her pages, nor is it diffi cult to discover a certain decision of tone on im portant subjects, and a partiality of judgment which often characterise the early works of an author. Her admiration of her subject is very great, and she does full justice to it. Not content ing herself with praise, she points out to our notice those excuses which may well be offered for an eager impulsive character, devotedly fond of society, and shining in conversation, to a nation which is generally stigmatised as cold and reserved. Madame de Staers devotion to her father, M. Necker, the Minister of Finance, who experienced both ex tremes of public opinion in so short a time, was con stant and unchanging. Her mother was of a directly opposite disposition to herself, and in spite of her Spartan disposition and the many admirable quali ties for which Miss Norris gives her credit, she is not at all a pleasing character. Of the revolution itself Miss Norris is an impartial historian, but in criticising character she is too apt to be guided by her admiration of the individual or his opponents. It is nevertheless a work of striking interest and much ability, and will deservedly increase the writer's reputation. Speaking of her heroine's share in the political troubles of the day, she says, with truth:— " We may indeed settle the question by saying that as a woman she ought to have left politics entirely alone, but a very little consideration of the times will show us that such a course was impracticable. Who was she that could in those days leave them alone ? Certainly not the wife of an ambassador, who was expected to preside at public receptions and to entertain her guests, all of them political people. Certainly not the daughter of a minister whose character and policy were variously handled, and often so unfairly considered that filial love must have been cold indeed had he lacked one adherent in Paris, where he had formerly counted so many. Cer tainly not a woman who had been in peril of losing her life in a political convulsion • and who had subsequently been urged by her own noble nature to confront the tyrants who decimated her country, and demand mercy for . one unhappy political miscreant after another, until she again put in hazard her own safety. " Heaven forbid that women should interfere or have a voice in the little questions of the day, that often provoke disagreement and contention without involving any high interest. The profoundest wisdom has hedged round the sanctuary of domestic life, and protected it from the storms of party discussion and the violence of political hate. But in any great crisis of public affairs, surely every noble man would have his women act as the wife and daughters of a patriot should. If the real liberties of a country—the fundamental prin ciples of government be at stake, that woman is little worthy of the name who, having great influence, stands inertly aside and says, am a woman, it is no concern of mine.' Are women, then, incapable of public feeling ? Let history decide. History, which tells in one page how women cut off their hair to string the bows of their defenders, and in another how the wife and mother of Coriolanus went forth, unheeding the Volscian cohorts, and besought him to spare his country and theirs. One can better sympathise with the poor Spartan mother who shed no tear when her son, who had fallen in defence of his fatherland, was brought dead to her on his own shield, than with women who only smile insipidly when some stirring history is read, and feel that, as women, they are absolved from the obligation of caring whether Stuart or Hanover hold the throne—whether they breathe the air of slavery or freedom. This kind of in , difference is often put forward as a most feminine and agreeable quality, when it is in reality an idle excuse to save the trouble of earnest thought, or an evasion to cover ignorance of the question at issue. Alice Lisle and Rachel Russell, at any rate , were not women shaped in this mould. We believe that the men of a country are never so good as when they know something of wo men's virtues, endurance, n and resignation, the wo men so fully capable of playing their own part in th e drama of life, as when they have caught somewhator t the the hero's spirit." DEATH OF AN OLD SOLDIER.—Mr. John Taite, for merly of Kildale, in Cleveland, met and triumphed over his last enemy at Middlesborough, on Saturday last, in the 80th year of his age. Deceased, at an early part of the last great European war, v olunteered from th e North York Militia into her Majesty's 7th Regiment of Foot, in which he served throughout the seven years' Peninsular war; and it was probably owing to the in domitable courage, the patient endurance and valour of such men as John Taite that the splendid victories of Vimeira, Talavera, Ciudad Rode r i go , B azados, Sala manca, Vitoria, and Toulouse, with all their immense consequences, are to be attributed. To the last de ceased presented a fine and pleasing specimen of the British soldier, was much respected, and would often tell of " the battle' s h avoc, " and show " how fields were won." His end was peace. 6~a y 1853. 1852. £26,832 £20,383 60,885 55,414 Brighton 18,383 Midland 27,993 South Eastern 20,011 Caledonian and Edin . and Glasgow 16,092 Great Northern Lancashire and Yorkshire 21,461 York and North Midland, Newcastle and Berwick, and Leeds Northern 30,311 12,811 25,637 19,014 14,078 13,600 20,215 27,518 These earnings, it will be perceived, are very large upon all the principal lines, and but for the extensions and the increased expenditure would afford reasonable ground for the expectation of better dividends hereafter. Unfortunately, how ever, the unproductive branches absorb in many instances more than the increased revenue. _ In the English Railway Shares there is a slight improvement, but the amount of business done has been very limited. Great Western, North- Western, and the York and Berwick are the only lines in which there has been dealing of the least magnitude. French Shares have been in request, and active, being still very scarce. The Upper India Scrip is at premium. Central of France are dearer. The Gold Mine Shares have slightly risen, and there is more doing in Linares. The Joint• Stock Bank Shares have been heavy, and in the Land Companies there is no animation. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY. (From the Official List.) Business done. Bank Stock 228 i 8 3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities 9Ba i 3 per Cent. Consols Annuities New fii per Cent . Annuities lolf a i Long Annuities, Expire sth Jan., 1860 - 15-16 Ditto 30 Years, Expire sth Jan., 1860 sa In(Lia Stock 259 7 iniiia Bonds, £lOO O Ditto, under £lOOO lB South Sea Stock Consols for Account Bth September nd 8 7i B.} Exchequer Bills, ld. par 3 .d £lOOO 2500 2 d Small PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY. Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent Ditto New, 1852, 41 per Cent 99 g 9 x d Cuba 7 per Ct. (Mata,nza & Sabanilla Bonds) 102 Grenada Bonds, Deferred Ditto 1/ per Cent 2l Mexican 3 per Cent. Peruvian Bonds, 4A per Cent. Portugucee Bonds, 4 per Cent. Ditto Ex all over-due Coupons 4l Sardinia'a Bonds, s:per Cent 974 7 Spanish New Deferred, 3 per Cent 23i Spanish Committee Cert. of Coup. not fun. 61 Dividends on the above payable in London. Dutch Exchange, 21 per Cent. .... ....... Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates , 984 THREE O'CLOCK. Consols 9BA Ditto September Account 9Bb * Including proportion of traffic previously deducted under agreement with the North Staffordshire Company. SUDDEN DEATH OF GENERAL SIR FREDERICK ADAM, G.C.8., G.C.M.G.—General Sir Frederick Adam, Colo nel of the 21st Regiment of Foot (Royal North British Fusiliers), having been on a visit to his brother Admi ral Sir Charles Adam, K.C.8., Governor of Green wich :Hospital, entered one of the carriages on the Greenwich Railway yesterday morning, for the purpose of returning to London, and suddenly ceased to exist. Sir Frederick Adam served in Holland, and was present in the actions of the 27th of August, 10th of September, and 2d of October, 1799 ; he was also present in the actions of the Bth, 13th, and 21st of March, 1801, in Egypt. • Sir • Frederick was severely wounded near Alicante on the 12th of April, 1813 ' • and at the Pass of Ordall he received two wounds, one of which broke his left arm, and the other shattered his left hand. The late gallant officer was also severely wounded at the battle of Waterloo. General Sir Frederick Adam entered the service as Ensign on the 4th of November, 1795 ; was promoted to be Lieutenant on the 2d of February, 1796 ; Captain August 30, 1799 ; Major July 9, 1803 ; Lieutenant- Colon.el August 28, 1804 ; Colonel February 20, 1812 ; Major-General June 4, 18] 4 ; Lieut.-General July . 22, 1830 ; and General November 9, 1846. His cownission, as Colonel of the 21st North British Fusiliers bears date May 31, 1843, and his decease places the Colonelcy of that regiment at the disposal of the Commanding-in - Chief. GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION. ---- The Pekin left South ampton yesterday afternoon for Australia, with 230 emigrants on board. The Epaminondas will also sail in a few days with about 340 passengers, and the Hereford shire is preparing to sail with a large number of navvies. L - GNACT.—From a return to Parliament, it appears that the receipts on account of the several county and borough asylums in England and Wa les during the year 1852 were 294,8921. 15s. 61d., while th e expenditure was 356,1291. 7s. 3id. There were balances in hand at the beginning and at the end of the year. ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH BETWEEN ENGLAND AND IRE LAND.—Telegraphic communication will be continuous by the Ist October between London and Cork , Dublin, Belfast, and Killarney, the land lines being completed in Ireland, and the submarine link between Portpatrick and Donaghadee being at work. EXECUTION OF WILLIAM FLACK.—Yesterday at Ips wich the extreme sentence of the law was carried into execution upon the body of William Flack, a labourer, 19 years of age, who was found guilty at the assize held in this town of the murder of Mrs. Steggles, housekeeper to the Rev. Edward Buxton Barker, rector of Bacton, in this county. On former occasions the drop had been erected in the roadway opposite the County Hall, but on this it was fixed upon the roof of the Hall, in front of the prison. The convict made a full confession of his guilt on Tuesday evening. RAILWA IS. Aberdeen Ambg. Nottng. Bost. & Eastn. June....... 'Birmng. Wolverh. dz Stour Birkenhd. Lancsh. dz Cheshire Juuet...... Do. Chesh. & Birk., £5O & £25 Cons.... Do., £2O. ........ Bristol & Exeter...... Caledonian.. ...... Chester is Holyhead Cork and Bandon.... Cork, Black. & Pass. Dublin&BelfastJunc. Dundee Perth &Aber deen Junction Do. New East Anglian (.t25 L. & E. & L. & D.)..... Do., (£lB E. & H.).. Eastern Counties..... Eastern Union, Class A. late E. U. 5h.... IDo., B. & C.. East Lancashire East & West Ind. Dk & Binning. June Edinburgh & Glasgow Edinb. and Peebles Edinb. Prth &D undo, Glasgow & S. Western Great Northern Stk Do., A. Stock Do., B. Stock Gt. Sth. &West. (Ire.) Great Western Irish South-Easters. Lancaster & Carlisle Do., Thirds...... Lancask. &Yorkshire Do., Firths Do., Wst. Riding Un Leeds Northern Liv. Crsby. dr So utb pt London & Blackwall Lond. Tilb. & Sthend. bond. Bright. & S. Cst. London & N. Western Do. Fifths Do. ,1.61.5h.,M&8...0 London & S. Western Do., £50........ Do., Lndndrry. &Coleraine Lndndrry. & Ennisk. Manch .Shef. &Lincln. Do., Man. & Lin. Un. Hidkuid Do. Binning. & Derby Midland G. West. (Ir. ) Do. A Shares .......... Newcastle & Carlisle.. Newmarket............ al 100 I lli all all all 100 100 1100 474 177 100 4A 17! Do. Bury Extensions Newpt.Aberg.dzlltfd Newry & Enniskillen Newry Warrenpoint Rostrevor 100 {Norfolk • I 100 100 100 100 21s. 1 100 11 [lOO IDo., New Northn. Counties Un ,North British !North Devon, N 0.1.. Do., No. 2 Dc., A Deferred... Do., B Guaranteed North Staffordshire.. North Western........ N. & S. Westrn. Juno. Oxford Worcester & Wolverhampton..... Scottish Central ...... Scottish Midland ... Shrewsbury & Birmg. Do., L. & N. Westn. Guaranteed Stock... Shrewsby. & Herefd. Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor. W. A1in.)...... Do. Halves, do. Do. Oswestry Shropshire Union South Dev0n.......... South Ea5tern......... South Wales... ....... . S. Yorksh. River Dun Do.. ........... .......... Stockton & Hartlepl. Thames Haven Dock and Rai1way....... .. Vale of Neath • , Vaterfd. & Kilkenny Waterford&Limerick West C0rnwa11........, Wmbledon &Croydon Woodford ...... York Newctl. &Berw. Do. Extensions....... Do. G.N.E. Purchase \ York & N. Midland.. DECIMAL COINAGE; The select committee appointed to take into con sideration, and report to the house, the practica bility and advantages, or otherwise, that would arise from a decimal system of coinage, and to whom several petitions were referred, and who were empowered to report their observations, to gether with the minutes of evidence taken before them, to the house, have considered the xnatters to them referred, and have agreed to the following report " Your committee, in pursuance of the duty entrusted to them, of taking into consideration and reporting upon the practicability and advantages, or otherwise, of adopt ing a decimal system of coinage, have proceeded to exa mine such witnesses as appeared to them most capable of giving information upon the subject of their inquiry. "The question being one which, from its peculiar char acter, and the importance of the principles involved in it, required to be examined with much care, it has been the objectof your committee to obtain evidence of as varied a character as possible from witnesses whose opinions may carry weight with them, as respects not onlythe theoretical but the practical bearings of the subject. Amongst the witnesses whose evidence is appended to this report there will, accordingly, be found the representatives of the scientific opinion of the country in relation to a system of coinage based upon the decimal principle, together with others who, from their social position, their busi ness occupations, or their interest in the question, have been led to eicamine into the practical inconveniences attaching to the existing system of coinage, and to seek for practical means of remedying them. " It may be premised that all the witnesses examined by your committee concur in the opinion that great ad vantages attach to a decimal system, as compared with the present system of calculation, and that the only points on which any difference of opinion was expressed by them relate to the precise basis which should be adopted, and the practical measures to be employed for introducing the decimal system, so as to produce the least amount of temporary inconvenience, and the smal lest extent of unwillingness to encounter the change on the part of the classes who are the most likely to be affected by it. " With regard to the inconvenience of the existing system the evidence is clear and decided. The system is shown to entail a vast amount of unnecessary labour, and great liability to error, to render accounts needlessly complicated, to confuse questions of foreign exchanges, and to be otherwise inconvenient. " On the other hand, the concurrent testimony of the various witnesses is to the effect that the adoption of a decimal system would lead to greater accuracy, would simplify accounts, would greatly diminish the labour of calculations (to the extent of one-half, and in some cases four-fifths, according to Professor De Morgan, who has made the question his especial study), and, by facilitating the comparison between the coinage of this country and other countries that have adopted the decimal system, would tend to the colvenience of all those who are engaged in exchange opezatio 2s, of travellers and others. An important benefit would be derived in several depart ments of the public service, and in every branch of in dustry, from the economy of skilled labour which would result from the proposed change ; at the same time that the education of the people generally would be much facilitated by the introduction into our schools of a sys tem so directly calculated to render easy the acquiremeot of arithmetic. "A further evidence of the value of a decimal system is to be found in the fact of its very general adoption in the different countries of the world, not only in the case of money, but also as respects weights and measures. Your committee are not aware of any instance in which a country, after adopting the decimal system, has aban doned it. The tendency, on the contrary, has inva riably been in the direction of a further adoption of the system, the most recent instance being that of Portugal, where the mode of reckoning has long been based on the decimal system, and where a decree has been published within the last few months, providing for the introduc tion of the French decimal metrical system of weights and measures. Dr. Bowring explained to your commit tee the decimal system that obtains in the vast empire of China, and produced an instrument, a description of abacus, there called the `swan pan.' That instrument shows the ease with which a decimal system may be ap plied, and the great advantages which it confers, as is, in fact, practically proved by the extraordinary facility , with which Chinese boys make any arithmetical calcula tions. "Even in this country, where the decimal system is not supposed to exist, your committee have ascertained that it is already practically adopted to a certain extent. The late governor of the Bank of England has informed your committee that it has been found advisable in that establishment to employ a decimal system of weights in their purchases and sales of bullion, instead of the old system of troy pounds, ounces, pennyweights, and grains, and that great advantage has resulted from the change, and Parliament in the present session has passed an act to legalise the new weights. The Master of the Mint has also announced the intention of introducing the use of those weights at the Mint as soon as possible. Pro fessor De Morgan mentions that many teachers, as well as himself, always use the decimal system in actual teaching, by giving their pupils a short rule for trans posing the common money calculations into the decimal form, and then, when the answer is obtained, re-trans ferring them to pounds, shillings, and pence. The great waste of time entailed by its being necessary to perform these operations of transfer and re-transfer, in addition to the calculation itself, is obvious, and yet the advan tage of the decimal system is found to be so great that, for the sake of employing it, it is worth while to incur the extra labour of those operations. " With regard to the other and more difficult part of the question referred to them—namely, the practicability of introducing the decimal system, it appears to your committee that the obstacles are twofold in their nature. The first arises from the difficulty which is always found to exist in inducing the mass of the population to depart from standards with which they are familiar, and from modes of calculation to the defects of which usage has reconciled them. The second obstacle arises from the necessity of re-arranging the terms of all pecuniary ob ligations, depending either on legal enactment or private contract, expressed in those coins which, in the event of a change in our monetary system. would cease to have legal currency. This second obstacle, although appa rently the most practical and most serious in its nature, is probably not so important in actual fact as the other, owirg to its more tangible character, and the opportu nity which it therefore presents of considering and grap pling with its details. But an obstacle of so undefined a , nature as vague popular feeling, based upon habit and association, and not upon reason, cannot be dealt with on any general and abstract principles, and your com mittee therefore purposely abstain from seekingto fetter the discretion of the Executive on that part of the sub ject. "Your committee have endeavoured to ascertain the probable feeling of the public, especially of the working classes, in reference to the proposed change ; first, by examining witnesses who may be considered to be well acquainted with their feelings ; and, secondly, by means of the analogy to be drawn from previous changes of a somewhat similar character. As respects the first point, several witnesses who have very extensive dealings with the poor, and some of whom are accustomed to take as many as 1,000 farthings per week over the counter, have expressed their opinion that if the farthing were altered from its present value (the 1-960th part of the pound sterling) to the 1-1000th part of the pound, in accord ance with the decimal subdivision, no prejudice would be raised against this slight decrease of four per cent. in the value of the farthing, provided they were made to understand that they could, on the other hand, get 25 of the new coin for 6d., where they now get 24. All the traders examined also stated, as the result of their ex perience, that competition invariably causes the quan tities of the articles sold to adjust themselves without difficulty to the value of the money received for them. "Your committee have also taken evidence as to the difficulty experienced on occasions when the coinage of any country has been changed, and would especially refer to the cases of the United States and of Ireland. In the former country the old system of pounds, shil lings, and pence, has been entirely superseded by the decimal system of dollars and cents, and no inconvenience appears to have attended the change. The principal diffi culty with which your committee have now to contend will be the substitution, in lieu of the penny, a new cop per coin, hereafter described, of which the present shil ling will contain 10 only instead of 12. In the case of Ireland, where 13 Irish pence made an English shilling, for which 12 English pence were substit u t e d , a prejudice was originally felt on the part of the poorer class es, in conse quence of their believing that, as they only got 12 pence for a shilling, where they formerly received 13, they sustained a loss of a penny in every shilling. s oon found from experience, however, that the injury was imaginary. "The other difficulties to which your committee h ave referred, viz., those of a practical number o f character, arisi ng from the necessity of a re-adjustment, a large existing contracts and obligations based upon the pre sent system of coinage, are not, in their o pi n i on, in superable ; but th e p resent po i nt of view from which to consider them must, of course, depend in some degree on the exact system which may be adopted. b " The first q ues ti on to e decided is, w h a t s h a ll b e the unit of th e new system of coinage ; and y ou r com mittee have no hesitationin recommending the present pound sterling. Considering that the pound is the pre sent standard , vaanlduether f • e ore associated with all our ideas of mon e y , and that it is the basis on which all our exchange transactions w ith th e w h o l e res t, would, it appears to .nfiyour committee that any alteration of it would lead t o infinite complication and em b a rrassment in our commercial dealings ; in addition to which it for tunately happens that its retention would afford the means of introducing the decimal system with the mini mum of change. Its tenth part already exists in the shape of the florin and two-shilling piece, while an alter ation of four per cent in the present farthing will serve to convert that coin into the lowest s te p of the decirna, an scale which it is necessary to repr esent by means. To of actual coin, viz., the thousan dth p art of a pound this lowest denomination your committeNearerptoose, in give order to mark its relation to the f unit of the name of mil. The a ddition nd onganaclotion ttiroleubhenncadlrleeddtha cent, of the value of 10 mils, part of the pound, or the 10th n i part s n nocfestahaeryfltoorirne,p rweosielnldt serve to complete the lis t the moneys of accoun, o w ni l i i i i s c . h would accordingly be pounds, florins, cents and. . . ~ Other proposals, having in view the adoption of a different unit, have been brought under the notice of your committee. Of these, the one recommending the retention of the present farthing as . the basis of a . new sys tem of coinage, leaving its relation to the existing penny untouched, presents the greatest amount of ad vantage. The large number of payments which are now expressed in pence would remain unaltered, and a great portion of those daily transactions in which the mass of the population are engaged would be unaffected by the change ; but when it is considered that the adoption o :that alternative would, by adding 10d. to the value of the present pound, and a halfpenny to that of the shilling, necessitate the withdrawal of the whole of the present gold coinage, and nearly the whole of the silver, and involve the alteration of the terms of all contracts and obligations expressed in coin Weilhe; of latter metals, your committee would not feel themselves warranted in recommending the adoption of such a proposal. "Your committee, therefore, are now in a position to resume the consideration of the practical difficulties in their way and of the means by Which those difficulties may be most; readily overcome. The most important obstacles are th ose connecte d w ith th e readjustment of obligations ex p resse d i n t h e penn y (including its mul tiples and su b- mu l t i p l es), b y rece i pts in which coin various porti ons o f the public revenue are in great part raised, such as p ostage, newspaper, and receipt stamps, as well as many duties of customs ; in addition to the class of cases in which private interests are concerned, such as railway, bridge, ferry, and road tolls. To take an illustration, it is obvious that if, instead of charging a toll of one penny or four farthings, as at present, the nearest equivalent toll under the decimal system, viz., one of four were substitut e d, th e c h ange would involve a loss to the receiver of the toll of four per cent. ; while, on the other hand, raising the toll to five miles would invole a loss to the payer of 20 per cent. The payment is now the 1-240th part of the pound, and on the first of the foregoingsuppositions it would be reduced to the 1-250th ; on the latter it would be raised to the 1-200th. In the case of all cumulative and gross payments, that difficulty will not be felt, and may be disregarded ; as the amount involved in the change, being always less than a roil ix each case, is then inappreciably small in comparison with the total sum. "The case of the penny newspaper stamps presents no difficulty, as they are always sold to the newspapers in considerable quantities, and might be charged at the rate of 12 for 50 mils (the equivalent of the shilling), instead of one penny each as at present, the two rates of charge being identical. " The payment of the troops may be easily arranged in a similar manner, for although they are nominally paid at the rate of so many pence per day, the full pay of every man is drawn in advance each month, and any difference between the sum received by him each day under the decimal system, and that received under the present system could be adjusted at the monthly clear ance, which takes place even at present, for the purpose of settling any small balance. " The cases in which the payment of the penny is made in separate and isolated, instead of cumulative sums, present greater difficulty. " The charges payable to the public revenue for duties and stamps are very generally expressed in pence, or frac tions of a penny. Assuming that, at the period fixed for the alteration of the coinage, no grounds shou'.d exist for an alteration of those charges, the object to be attained will be to secure the levy of an equal amount of revenue in the aggregate, without so far altering existing charges as to create public dissatisfaction, and without needlessly complicating the proceedings of the revenue departments. Your committee are disposed to believe that these objects may be attained by such slight modifications of existing payments as will enable the payments fur duties and stamps to be expressed by a whole number of mils, the loss upon any one head of revenue being compensated by the gain upon some other. ":The f..3se of the penny postage is the most important, and requires a special reference to be made to it. Va rious witnesses who have been examined on this subject including Mr. ,Rowland Hill, h ave expressed an opinio n that considerable discontent would be occasioned by any addition to the present rate, such as the adoption of a charge of five mils, whatever might be the benefit to the Exchequer, and they have proposed that the alternative should be adopted of substituting a rate of four mils. But your committee feel that, in arriving at a decision on this subject, it is necessary not to for get that, supposing the number of letters transmitted through the post to remain unaltered, the adoption of a charge of four mils would involve a loss of revenue esti mated at 100,0001. Whether such a loss would be ac tually sustained must depend on whether or no the trifling diminution of charge on each letter would lead to increased correspondence, in accordance with the law that is found to prevail in the case of more extensive re ductions. On the other hand, it is admitted that, apart from the fiscal and other practical considerations involved in the alteration of a duty which was reduced to its pre sent rate of one penny in compliance with a popular de mand, the establishment of a rate of fivo mils would be convenient, as representing an aliquot part of the coins of a higher denomination in the proposed decimal scale, and that that rate would probably have been adopted, had a decimal system of coinage been in existence at the time when a uniform postage was established. Your committee apprehend that it must remain with Parlia ment to decide, upon the consideration of the respective advantages and disadvantages of the two rates, as above indicated, whether the postage rate to be adopted under a decimal shall be four or five mils. " The new penny receipt stamp is subject to the same observations. Your committee would only observe, with reference to. it, that they have no experience to guide them as to the probable receipts under it, as com pared with the receipts under the much higher rates that have hitherto existed. " The chief remaining difficulty relates to charges pay able to companies or private individuals fixed by act of Parliament at sums expressed in pence or fractions of a penny. Of th is class are mileage charges received by railway companies, and tolls on roads, bridges, and ferries. Various suggestions as to the means of regulating these charges, should a decimal system be adopted, have been made to your committee, especially one whereby compensation to the owners of such tolls for the loss they would incur by the ultimate reduction in the charges should be pro vided for by sanctioning a small increase in those charges for a limited period. They refer the house to the evi dence they have received on this subject. " It remains for your committee to consider the ques tion of the coins to be employed under the decimal sys tem of coinage, and the means of introducing that system. "As respects the coins, it will be necessary to with draw from circulation certain of the coins at present in use, and to substitute in their place certain other coins, having reference to the decimal scale, before the decimal system can be considered as fully developed. Your committee contemplate the retention, under any circum stances, of the present sovereign (1,000 mils), half-sove reign (500 mils), florins (100 mils), and shilling (50 mils or 5 cents). The present sixpence, under the de znination of 25 mils, might be retained, and the crown, or piece of 250 mils, of which few are in circulation, need not be withdrawn. On the other hand, it will be desirable to withdraw the half-crown and the threepenny and fourpenny pieces, which are inconsistent with the decimal scale. " With regard to the coins not in actual existence at present, but which it will be necessary eventually to in troduce, your committee refer to the evidence taken by them on the subject. It appears to them that copper coins of 1,2, and 5 mils, and silver coins of 20 and 10 mils, will he required, to which should be added such others as experience may show to be desirable. It is important, however, to bear in mind that the smaller the number of the coins with which it is practicable to effect purebases and exchanges, the better. "Your committee feel that a certain period of prepara tion, destined to facilitate the transition from the present to the new system, is indispensable. During such a transition period, various measures should be adopted with a view to prepare the way for ulterior changes, and to create in the public mind a desire for their completion. Several of the proceedings on e a m the part of her Majesty's Mint, which would ulti mately become necessary, might be a d op t e d at the e n e d nt s accounts.in present time without introducingofcoinage a g el a sistent with the existing system Your committee believe that no unnecessary delay shcon ould prevent the full introduction of the decimal system, and. they recommend that the necessary sures should be entered on at the Royal preparatory mea possible. e Royal Mint as soon as "As respects the means to be lo employed for re paring the p u bli c f or the introduction er'y P of the new system, your committee would valu able and d e t a il e d evidence on on the poi n t g i ven by the refer to the very ence Master of th e Mi nt, the Astronomer Royal, Professor De Morgan, an d G eneral Pasley. Your committee recommend that all the silver coins hereafter coined should have their value in mils marked upon them, in order that the public might, at the earliest possible pe riod, associate the idea of that system with their different pecuniary transactions. They further recommend that all the copper coins that may be issued under the deci mal system should also have their value in mils similarly marked upon them. They think that it would tend t . o. familiarise the public with the new system of account, some of the papers submitted to Parliament, en4l a ; generally referred to, were exhibited in the deci ma l well as the ordinary form. introduced into " Supposing the decimal system to be .i n to the its introduction this country, the question of British colonies naturally presents itself. Legislatures in disposition is felt on the part of the Co lonial by the fact, t 9 entertain the question, may be i nf erred j us t e stablished a that the Legislature of Canada decimal currency in that country....ee has been inciden " The attention of your com e re e l i t r t n i quiries to the ad tally directed in the course of h ' the decimal sy . . stem to weights and vantage of applying ,„ This being a question as well as to coin. , . your committee measures order of reference, not embraced in their a position to do more than ex do not feel them selves press their sens e in ()dance of further inquiry of the inT into that interesting your subject. " In conclusion, having well weighed th e comparative meri ts of the existing system of coinage a nd tle I d e cimal system , and the obstacleswhich must necessarily be met wit h in passing from one to the other, desire to repeat their decided opinion of the • or ad vantages of the decimal system, and to record their conviction that the obstacles referred to are not of such a nature as to create any doubt of the expediency of in troducing that system, so soon as the requisite prepara tions shall have been made for the purpose by means of cautious, but decisive, action on the part of the Govern ment. " Your committee consider the present moment espe cially adapted for introducing the decimal system, in consequence of the prosperous state of the whole com munity, including those classes which would be more immediately affected by the change, and they feel the importance of not allowing such an opportunity to be lost. "They believe that the necessary inconvenience at tending a transition state will be far more than compen sated by the great and permanent benefits which the change w ill c o n f er upon the public of this country , and of which the advantages will be participated in to a still greater extent by future generations. rn 1 -~ \\