The Sun. — London, England, 1853-04-08 00:00:00

1 7 11 4 . , Nitt, . t:. pgq't ltr I t .Y . 41 .4 -440 EPSOM RACES. - ,---.Z.-- (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) STEEPLECHASE British Yeoman Ringleader .. Sam H00d....... Won by a head BETTING ON THE COURSE. DERBY. 10 to 1 agst Honeywood (taken freely) NATIONAL DEBT -THE RESOLUTIONS OP THE CHANCELLOR OP THE EXCHEQUER. The ris e o f prices this morning affords no proof that the plan of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is approved on its i n t rinsic merits, since such an event when carried beyond a certain oint would simply denote any iven propositi on to be n e edlessly favourable to the fundho g lder An ? P r °Pertion a bl y less advantageous for the country. P in ion that thi s i s the case in the present instance 11 " In fact been almost universally expressed in the city, and when it i s recollected that the idea of an issue of that Exch 2 e quer Bond s f or 20 years, bearing no higher interest i per cent, was yest er d a y we l come d b y a ll par ti es . a 8 a measure was calculated to be convenient to the eaPitalist and beneficial for the nation, it will be under -Bteed that disappointment must have been felt at a pro- Pmil asal which, while it will effect a far less annual saving, involve the contingency of adding 10 per cent, to heme !he g re ater portio n o f the National Debt. It appeal cn e s . Whi c h paying !ern the resoluti ons now published that the first part o c provid es for off the following stocks unnec essarily at present form distinct features of t he public liabilities, namely— Debt due to the South Sea Comp an y, a t 3 Per cent X 3 662,784 isTl3led_South SeaAnnuiti 'es a yaii to 3,010,378 mouthwS9uth Sea ditto, at ditto 2,137,984 Sea ditto, 1 751, at ditto nk Annuities, 1726, at ditto And t hat £10,000,638 of . I°9/ the h olders of th ese are to h ave the opt i on -ust .ead_. in money f or every 1001. Stock, or of taking 821. 10x. 11. e ion Ne w re 3 1 Per Cent. Stock guaran t ee d aga i ns t rjanuuctary, fg44aondyears—namely till the sth 11 0/. T wo interest f 2/ which will yield an annual -and_a_half° ' 17s . 9 d. ; or, per Cents., guaranteed till sth Ja nuarYy 1894, and yi e l ding annually 2/. 15s. ; or, 10 0/. Exchequer Bond, bearing —namely, till Ist 2peer, cent, and fa 2 rlo T e p a e ra r Cent, for an additional Septeir, 6 30 years—namely, till It September, 1894. ~,,,,, will therefore be observed that while the annual z . ,`T,g to the country from this conversion, supposing Nriequer nof 2i per cent, to have been success -2i Y°frer ed, would have been 50,0001., it will, if 1101. of 1 0,0 1 Po r ni ? e nt• A stock should be claimed for the whole of addi i „ - ,.•, , , Only amount to 25,000/., and at the cost 3, ond 51 7. 8 1,u00,000/. to the principal of the debt. Be sole "'ls, however, it appears that all holders of Con °r Reduced (the aggregate amount of . which is 4 94,02 8,47 Any th z (3% 4/.), are to have the power, by giving notice tii,.._ before the 10th of October next, to commute rour. "de. stocks for either of the three descriptions of new ities now to be created, so that supposing the whole ' 4l be converted under per C ent. Stock to be the one plan and the Two-and-a-Half one chosen, the saving of inte rest ef fected w ou ld b e but a quarter per cent. (since 1101. Igw43-and-a-lialf per C en t s . wou ld y i e l ed the holder 21. 8 .), and a further load of 49,400,000/. would be added i ° the pe rmanent obligatio ns o f th e country. So strong itash b een the f ee li ng on this point through ou t th e d ay t h at 41.1 aa Pr evented the adv ance in quotations from being at since a general impression has prevailed that its final ~.70ption is out of the question. For s a e long time there ' 4B been little doubt that a period was approaching when a I tock at 2! per cent. guaranteed for 40 years would be accepted by the parties interested in place of Consols or Reduced, and in finding that these terms ad a d re iti o o ff n ere o d f !with the unnecessary possibility of an 0 ,000,0001. to the nominal capital of the na ti ona l d e b t , the public, apart from their universal and instinctive at ersion to such an increase, feel that they must con demn it as an act of great improvidence. At the same t ee it is to be assumed that the three classes of ,'" i ' --7 ‘aiiities can be shown to have been calculated as e quival en t s ivalent s ; an d h ence , a lth oug h noexplanation is eI Y to cause the propositionfor the Two-and-a -1,7,,,_,Per Cent. Stock to be tolerated, sufficient will ti,4,015, be urged when the Chancellor shall make vO t atenient to show that it has not been put forth . t• - i Zit consideration. The first of the three alterna C71,7-11arnely, 821. 10s. of a Three-and-a-Half per access e ; to ck - for every 1001. of Consols, is wholly in the sa m e e with the tendency of public opinion ; and able ti,illuay be also said with regard to the transfer it is bef ~e „ 9 . ,ier Bonds. Even in these cases, however, able, le • ''' that the terms are unnecessarily favour hold' " d esp ecially that it is impolitic to give the C42llmalting °I. Consols and' Reduced the unlimited power of 49 , g the ueen c onversion before . any partial experiment tenth tri ed to ascertain that point. It is true, the no pa of the proposed resolutions provides that ~. arnount of Exchequer Bonds shall be issued exceea "T in the whole the sum of thirty millions ; but as the a ae venth el Paragraph states that every holder of forathe ili.l-- Reduced may commute his stock either and_ ew Thre e - and-a-Half per Cents., the New T . wo- b 41alf per Cents., or Exchequer Bonds, it is to e lailatstniner ecl a be necessary, the limit merely signifies that in the case of the fresh application to Parliament e will dthe sum named. pe proposals for them should 4141 Y, however, it may be feeling remar ked exex ce ed othat disappointment v f for the reasons described a stronggthin the power of re°l llol. ,has been manifested, proposals e pesais .7 the simple omissionit is sf within e T o h ff e Two -and - a-Half per Cents. er oth to er gr tw an o t are still regarded with warm satisfaction, and it must also be added that whatever changes may be deem e d desirable on a full discussion of the question, the mercan tile community are two much gratified to find a Chan cellor of the Exchequer departing from routine, and boldly venturing, on original but perfectly sound experi ments, to criticise them on the whole with any other than a favourable opi n i on .—Ti mes City Artic l e. SPORTING NOTES.—No. 0000 VIII. About the best day's racing ever seen at the Spring Meeting on the Downs of Epsom came off yesterday. The fields for the two principal races were unusually large, a n d th e results very close and peculiarly interest g. The Trial Stakes afforded a surprise to the ring by the Very easy defeat of th e ce l e b rated Hobbie Noble, who finished an indifferent fourth. Thi s was said not t to e b o e a h se is . ru nning, and I t hi nk that such must have be en h was out The :winner, Lascelles, from John Day's stab l e , occasion. five times last year and was beaten on every Nov;, by way of capsizing all judgment in the uu m u att a e n r,. he defeats very cleverly the large-strided Ephes us we. 7 Frantic, besides the great gun bef named. He I bred, b eing by Touchstone, out of ore Cara, and probably Will do a few good things where the distance is short. The City and Suburban Handicap afforded a splen d i d race with three, and proved my judgment in this bout to d be very correct, for I gave the race to Ethelbert, an Placed Jouvence and Pancake very close up. Now these three ran home together, Ethelbert, in the last stride, Makin g a dead heat of it with Pancake, and Jouvence not being beaten more than half a length. In the de tdiinag heat Ethelbert won very cleverly by a short neck. estlub, performance of the winne r is undoubtedly superior, kegacovnecewdeedighhis y ear and eleven pounds to Pancake, weight a way to every horse of his own age in the race. .... too much of the " steel" has not been taken out of him thefr severe races, he will be tole rably sur e of carryin week, for which rail: l'i the Newmarket Handicap next must not be forgotten thy:ever' three, Contentment and Nerva the race all to thernselv in my opinion, having The Two-year -old Stakes resulted, rather unexpectedly, in favour of Village L markably well-bred daugh ter of Pyrrhus the F; a s s e, a ti r i e strain on the dam's side being through Provost andtoc blood it would be difficult Mar t h a Lynn. Much better The stable did not support the horse for a shillingnthat I am aware of, and their want ao of confidence led me to believe that she was no count. At the present time she has not a soli ta.ry engagement. The Great Metropolitan Stakes in its decision did not prod.uce that contentment so much desired by a large ilportion of the public. The great " pot, Contentment, lte having been backed at 5 t o 4 P g o t off very well in ._ e start, laid forward throughout the race, but when 'th e e imPltatit otnetarrived for the final struggle, compounded, and was beaten about a length from Gad playabout, the winner, who disposed of Richmond (second) with some difaeulty. Snowdon Dunhill made strong the greater part of the distance, and nearly over powered his jockey several times. The result of the Met" ; had the effect of sending the winner's stable companion, g one of p some four or five points in the betting for the Derb u ln one instance as little as 9 to titl Was taken. It also y a . dvanced Richmond to the rank ond favourite for the Chester Cup, and sent Con ent right out of the market for the Derby. The g is not particularly hard hit, and most of the lead lag list men are winners. It is said that the principal lead - Winner is Captain Scott. T he other races require no remarks. u lks the Ne rket Craven Meeting commences on . " 4°ll claY, I may as well review the first day's lacing at once. The Cr aven Stakes will, as us ua l, o p en th e perform ance, fo an after whi c h will be presented a Handicap, the both of which stakes have not as yet closed. ea The Thi rty-ninth Riddlesworth Stakes of 200 sovs. h, h ft, Lo rd Clifden's over the Ab. M. , will fall to the lot of o ne o f nominations. W on b The 10 0 sovs. Sweepstakes over the D. M., w ill b e y Filbert, sh ou l d he no t be kept for more important ra ces later in the week ; in his absence, War Whoop Will do the deed. ha ve Na A Sweepstakes of 50 sovs. each, D. M., will probably than as the winn er . The Produce Stakes of 300 sovs: each, h ft, R. M., Will be a walk over for the Duke of Bedford's Diomedia. In the Matche s , F rantic, Bst 121 b, is, I fancy, capable of beating Caracara, Bst 71b, over t h e fiat ; and I shall be rash en oug h to ake the Miss Sarah filly in preference to Gossip over the D. M. THE SPIRIT OF THE TURF. THE FRENCH EMPIRE. The Government proposes to augment the charge for the education of day scholars in the colleges. The price now charged is 100 f. per annum, which by the new measure will be raised, it seems, to an average of 166 f. 55c. In an article on this subject, the Siecle has expressed a fear that this increase of charge will operate prejudicially against the pro gress of education as regards the University system, and necessarily throw the education of a large por tion of the youths of France into the hands of the priesthood. The Constitutionnel of yesterday notices the article of the Siecle chiefly, however, with the view of showing that the present price charged is unequal to the cost, and therefore it is right to increase it. It says : "We have made the calculation of what a day-pupil and a boarder cost at each of the colleges of Paris. Every one can verify its exactitude, as we have based it on the printed account of 1851. We fearlessly submit these results to the consideration of the Siecle. We are persuaded that this information will prove to our con tradictor that the administration of Public Instruction would have failed in its duty had it any longer tolerated a system so disastrous to the establishments of the State. The price of a boarder in the colleges of Paris is 1,0001., and that of a day-pupil 100 f. At Louis-le-Grand, in 1851, the boarder cost 1,013 f. 69c., or 131. 69c. more than he paid ; the day-pupil cost 181 f. 67c., or 81f. 67c. more than he paid. At the college Napoleon the boarder cost 1,097 f. 25c., or 97f. 25c. more than he paid, and the day-pupil 267 f. 91c., or 167 f. 91c. more than he paid. At the College St. Louis the boarder cost 1,042 f. 40c., or 42f. 40c. more than he paid, and the day-pupil 211 f. 84c., or 111 f. 84c. more than he paid. At the Colleges Charlemagne and Bonaparte, which re ceive only day-pupils, each of them cost 190 f., or 90f. more than he paid." The Moniteur de l'Armee says :—" It appears decided that the translation of the remains of the Emperor Napoleon I. from the chapel Saint- Jerome, where they are at present deposited, to the monument now being terminated under the dome of the church of Invalides, will take place on the 4th of ,May. The sth of May being Ascension day, the Bth is fixed for the inauguration of the tomb, and the ceremony will be celebrated with great pomp. It is said that the various corps d'armes will be represented there by deputations. Workmen are to be immediately occupied in remov ing the wooden constructions and materials which encumber the Court of Vauban, behind the church of the Invalides, as it is there that will be the prin cipal entrance to the monument, the entrance by the Court of Honour of the hotel being more espe cially appropriated to the church itself." The members of the Legislative Body assembled yesterday in their bureaux to continue the exami nation of the Budget for 1854, and to name a com mittee of 14 members, two from each bureau, to prepare the report. The following were the mem bers nominated :-Ist bureau—Baron de Bussieres, M. Gouin ; 2d bureau—M. Faure, Baron Paul de Richemont; 3d bureau—M. Devinck, M. Randoing; 4th bureau—M. Lelut, M. Monnier dela Sizeranne; sth bureau—M. Alfred Leroux, M. Bertrand (Yonne); Gth bureau—no member yet appointed ; 7th bureau—M. Vernier, M. Schneider. Lord Cowley, the English Ambassador, has just sent a letter to M. L. Delarne, shipbroker, at Dieppe, announcing to him that the English Go vernment had given orders to its Consul at Havre to present 101 (250 f.) to Francois Terrier, com manding a fishing-boat of Dieppe, for his humane conduct in saving the crew of the English sloop Dolphin, who had abandoned their vessel in a sink- ing state in the Channel. The Senate met on the 6th, M. Troplong in the chair. Cardinal Mathieu and Count Curial, who were absent at the opening of the session, took the oath. General Count Bonet and Viscount de Suleau, admitted in the sitting of the 19th ult., also took the oath and their seats. Count de Casa bianca presented the report on the bill relating to buying in th e j ou i ssance s h ares o f t h e cana l com panies ; and the Marquis d'Audifret a report on the budget of the Senate for 1853. The Minister of State, in conformity with Art. 8 of the Senatus- Consulte of Dec. 25, 1852, and by order of the Emperor, placed on the bureau the register con taining the civil acts of the Imperial Family, in order that the Sen a t e may h ave the act of the civil marriage of the Emperor inscribed on its registers. General the Marquis de Grouchy presented the report of the committee charged to examine the bill for calling out 80,000 men in 1854. The Senate declared that it did not oppose the promul gation of the bill. The decision proposed by the committee of accounts in the regulation of the budget of 1852, was then agreed to. M. Bret pre sented several reports on local bills, and the Senate declared that it did not oppose their promulgation. The rest of the sitting was taken up with reports on petitions. We read in the Moniteur :—" A report has been circulated that the Government has an idea of pro posing a change in the conditions of civil marriage. This report is without any foundation. The expe rience of sixty years has proved the wisdom of our civil laws on that important matter." The Assemblee Nationale has received from the Minister of Police a second warning on account of an article published in its number of the sth, be ginning with the words, "M. le Comte de Cham bord," which tended, says the warning, to disavow the national sovereignty. The article incriminated gave an account of the movements of some of the members of the ex-Royal family. The Minister of Police has sent a second warning to La Mode, that journal having disregarded the first warning, and continued in the course which led to it. Mme. Pretti, aunt of M. Thiers, has just died at Menton, in the Sardinian States, where she had resided for many years. She was in her 90th year. The journals of the departments continue to give accounts of the shock of earthquake of the Ist. At Dinan it was severe, and lasted nearly three seconds ; two slighter shocks were afterwards felt at intervals of half-an-hour. At Granville it lasted about 15 seconds, and threw the inhabitants into the greatest alarm ; alll the houses were shaken, and the furniture deranged. The shock was pre ceded by a heavy rumbling noise. At Cherburg two shocks were felt, one of which was strong enough to crack the ceilings of several rooms and the windows ; doors and furniture were violently agitated. At Mayenne and the neighbourhood the shocks lasted nearly 15 seconds, and were accmn- panied by a noise like that of a heavily-laden wag gon passing over the pavement. At Nantes the earthquake was principally felt in the western part of the town, where the houses are built on a rocky foundation. Several persons who were in bed and asleep were awoke by the noise, and by the mo ve ment of the doors and windows. In all the places mentioned the oscillation had a direction from the N.E. to the S.W. At the Bourse yesterday there was an active market for Rentes and Bank Stock, with a general rise in prices, which closed firmly, and with an up ward tendency. For cash the Three per Cents. advanced 505., and the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. 30c. ; for the account the rise in the Three per Cents. was 45c., and in the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. 35c. Bank Stock advanced 15f. At the conclusion of business the prices were—For money, Three per Cents., 79f. 80c. ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 30c. For the end of the month, Three per Cents. 79f. 85c ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents. 103 f. 35c. Bank Stock, 2,715 f. Railway Shares also participated in the general improve ment of business, the prices having advanced on all the principal lines. Northerns closed at 903 f. 50c. ; Paris .and Strasbourg, 845 f. 50c • Orleans, 1,046 f. 50c. ; Paris and Lyons, 952 f. 50c ; Paris Rouen, 1,050 f. ; Lyons to the Mediterranean, 815 f. ; Western of France, 752 f. ITALY. Letters thefr solomßemomnietiteos of Easter the3lst wereul snatauteehth. im peded at although - peded by the continued rain, still a great crowd of persons attended, from seven in the morning, the services performed in the Sistine Chapel, and in that of the Chapter at the Church of St. Peter's. On Holy Thursday the Pope gave his solemn bene diction within St. Peter's, on account of the bad ness of the weather ; but on Easter Sunday, the rain having ceased for a few hours, he gave it from the top of the balcony of the façade to an immense crowd. The rain in the evening prevented the illumination of the cupola of St. Peter's, but it took place on the Tuesday night with what is called the change, that is, in the place of the gentle and white light of the first illumination, which lasts for about an hour, succeeds in a moment the lighting-up of the whole building. Agents of M. de Rothschild had been at Rome for some time, and a rumour was in circulation of a new loan by the pontifical Government. It appeared nearly certain, these letters state, that this loan was signed on the 30th ult. The conditions were not known. SPAIN. We have received the Madrid journals of the 2d, but they are without interest. The result of the sitting of the Senate which they contain having been given yesterday from an express communica tion. The Chamber of Deputies was occupied with the verification of electoral returns. The Clamor Publico, of the 2d, was seized at the post-office and at its bureaux. • GERMANY. A letter from Berlin of the 4th says :—" The seizure of the last number of a weekly journal was in consequence of the publication of an article re presenting the recent plot to have been of small importance, which is considered a want of respect to the mitliorities. The Hygienic Association, which has just been dissolved, was in existence for four years. The 10,000 ,members compoAing it paid a very "small sum weekly, and - were entitled to medical attendance in case of sickness. All the directors and delegates of the Society have been summoned before a tribunal. The reasons assigned for the dissolution of it are its political tendencies, and the encouragement given by some of its mem bers to conspirators. Dr. Ladendorff, one of the conspirators, has been arrested at Frankfort-on- Oder, and brought here. The persons arrested, on being taken to gaol, could not at first be sepa rated, and had to content themselves with the ordinary prison fare ; but they have since been placed in different rooms, and allowed to procure food at their own expense. The principal accused are subject to the strictest surveillance. No one is allowed to speak to them, even in presence of the officers of the gaol ; but they are allowed, under the superintendence of the law authorities, to cor respond with their families and friends." Count d'Armomspeng, Councillor of State of Bavaria, on extraordinary service, expired at Munich on the 3d. A letter from Vienna of the Ist, in the Post Ampt Gazette, says :—" It may be affirmed that the transformation of the Ministries with supreme charges at the Court is close at hand. The Im perial sanction to the change is about to be pub lished, as well as that which relates to the reorgan isation of the supreme charge at the Court for the military administration (hitherto Minister of War). The title and rank of Minister of State would ap pear to be reserved for the future as a recompence for long and faithful services." A letter from Pesth, of the 31st ult., says Yesterday our police had a placard posted up in the streets announcing that whoever should deliver up, dead or alive, the captain of robbers, named Rozza Sandor, should receive a reward of 10,000 florins. This man, employed by Kossuth during the revolution in Hungary, is now lurking in the forests of Transylvania, between Mulbachet and Clausenburg." MARKET NEWS--(THIS DAY.) CORN EXCHANGE. Up to our market this week the arrivals of English wheat have been very moderate—viz., 2,540 quarters, mostly from Essex and Kent. Fresh up to-day they were on a limited scale ; hence the show of samples was trifling. For all kinds we experienced a sluggish inquiry, but no change took place in the quotations. For forward delivery very little was doing. From abroad rather over 15,000 quarters of wheat have come to hand. Selected qualities sold slowly, at last week's currency. In low and middling kinds next to nothing was doing. Floating cargoes commanded very little attention. Barley—the supply of which was slightly on the increase —met a slow inquiry at Monday's prices. We had an inactive inquiry for malt ; nevertheless, prices were supported. Oats—the supply of which was moderate—sold to a fair extent, at late figures. In beans and peas very few transactions were reported. The imports of foreign flour having been extensive, the trade ruled dull, at barely Monday's quotations. Wheat. 2,540 ARRIVALS THIS WEBR. , ) Barley. i Malt. 1,310 1,790 English .. Irish •• • • Foreign .. Oats 2,030 7,670 4,a0 Flour. 2,150 1%020 i 4,680 111,670 sk 7,890 brls THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 8, 1853. SMITHFIELD. The supply of beasts on offer in to-day's market was chiefly the refuse of Monday, and in very middling condi tion. Owing to the change in the weather, the demand for all breeds ruled steady, and, in some instances, the primest lots produced a trifle more money. We were but moderately supplied with sheep, in which a fair average business was transacted, at extreme rates. The best old Downs, in the wool, were worth quite 5s 2d per 8 lbs. From the Isle of Wight, 220 lambs came fresh to hand ; but the supply from other quarters was far from extensive. The trade was by no means active, at from 5s to 6s per 8 lbs. Calves—the number of which was good—moved off slowly, and the currencies had a downward tendency. Pigs changed hands at late figures. Milch cows were in fair request, at from 151. to 191. each, including their small calf. Per Blbs to sink the offals. s. d. s. d. Inferior Beasts ...2 10 to 3 0 Second quality ...3 2 3 4 Prime large oxen 3 6 S 8 Prime Scots, &c. 310 4 0 Inferior sheep ...3 S 310 Second quality ...4 0 4 4 Prime crse.-wlled.4 6 4 8 Lambs s. d. s. d. ) Prime Southdown 4 10 5 2 1 Large crse. calves 3 4 4 0 ; Prime small do 4 2 4 4 I Large hogs 210 3 2 I Small porkers 3 6 4 0 Suckling calves 20 0 24 0 I Quarter old pigs 19 0 24 0 5s Od to 6s Od. FOREIGN SUPPLY Beasts Sheep .... Calves . TOTAL SUPPLY. Beasts Sheep and Lambs 5,800 Calves 3OO Pigs 320 Pigs NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL. 220 500 222 The supplies on offer were but moderate, and there was a slight improvement in the demand, at full prices. Per Blbs by the carcase. 's. d. s. d. s. d. B. d. Beef, inferior 2 6 2 10 Mutton, Inferior 3 4 3 6 Do., middling 3 0 3 2 Do. ,middling 3 8 4 0 Do., prime large 3 2 3 4 Do., prime 4 2 4 4 Do., do. small . 3 4 3 6 Veal 3 4 4 4 Pork, large _ 2lO 3 .4 Pork, small 3 6 4 4 Lambs is 10eto 6s Od: BOROUGH HOP. We have a slightly improved demand for really fine hops at fully last week's prices. In other kinds, a steady busi ness is doing, at our quotations. Mid and East Kent pockets, 126 s to 160 s ; Weald of Kent, 1103 to 126 s ; Sussex, 105 s to 115 s per cwt. COLONIAL. SUGAR.—The supply of British plantation has been larger, and prices have receded. Crystalised Demerara has been sold at 31s 6d to 39s for ord to fine, and at 33s to 34s for refining. Yellow Havannah afloat realised 245, and white 30s. Brown Pernambuco afloat, and for a near port, was sold at 19s 6d. Refined has been lower for both gro cery and• refining samples. East India Mauritius has been offered to some extent, and has gone 6d lower, good to fine yellow at 36s 6d to 39s 6d, and mid at 34s to 35s 6d, and ord to fine brown at 33s to 33s 6d. Bengal was sold also at a decline, low to fine white Benares 35s 6d to 38s, and Date sort, good mid to fine yellow, 35s to 36s 6d. Madras sold at 29s for common brown, and at 33s to 318 for good mid. COFFEE.—The market has been dull for most descrip - - - - tions, but there was more inclination yesterday to do busi ness. Mocha was taken in at 54s to 555, but since has been sold at 71s to 71s 6d for mid small berry. Rio good ord pale has realised 435, and fine ord dark 465. Native Ceylon has been sold privately at 47s 6d to 48s, and Planta tion by auction at 50s to 53s for fine and good ord dark grey 53s 6d to Ms 6d, for fine ord to bold 53s to 565, for fine ord mid colory 46s to 50s, for triage, and 32s to 38s for low. Madras went at 54s 56s for good. Caßout sold at 68s to 78s for mid and good, and 61s to 71s Gd for peaberry. Jamaica good ord pale went at 49s 6d to 50s for the quali ities ranging up to fine fine ord. colory. SALTPETRE.—There has been a fine business doing, superior kinds of Bengal selling freely at 29s 6d to 30s for 4 to 2,i per cent. refraction ; Madras si per cent. went at 25s 6d. SPlCES.—Nutmegs are still much in request, and mace is fully as dear. Pimento has been firm, with a good de mand ; mid and good at sid to 6d per lb. Penang good and fine. Nutmegs 2s 10d to 3s 9d. RlCE.—There has been a moderate demand for Madras, lower prices being submitted to. Mid and low mid sold at 9s to 9s 6d. Bengal was taken at 10s to 108 6d for mid and good white. INDIGO.—The market has been firm. COCHINEAL,—There has been a brisk demand at full rates. _ _ _ _ COTTON.—The market has been firm, but with a fuller supply. TEA.—Green has been active, at advancing rates. Ord sound congou has been in demand at lOid. per lb. TALLOW.—P.Y.C. has been in Irequest as.4ss. 6d. per cwt. _ _ _ _ . . GREEN FRUIT.—The change of wind has brought seve ral arrivals, but prices have been well sustained. Two cargoes oranges at St. Mickael's, and two parcels Lisbon sold by Keeling and Hunt, at public sale, went at prices similar to those obtained last week. Lemons are much wanted. A cargo of Seville sours, landed in tolerable con dition, have met with a ready sale. No alteration in the the price of nuts. STREET PA VEMENT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR, —The accounts of an improved system of com pound metallic pavement which the London papers have recently represented as having been introduced with such success into various cities of the United States, possess. ing the advantages of freedom from noise, mud, or dust, led us to hope for the adoption of some such im provement in this metropolis, where evils of this nature have been so long complained of as not only offensive to passengers, expensive to ratepayers, but highly injurious to the goods of most of our shopkeepers in this street, when we have been alter nating from granite to M'Adam, and from M'Adahi to Wood, for a series of years. We have now granite again, in the shape of an alleg ed im p rovemen t of blocks , placed ' in diagonal rows, a specimen of which has but just been completed. Notwithstanding this alleged improve ment, large ruts and holes are already making their ap pearance in many portions of the street, which must lead to fresh disturbances in the way of relaying, and, con: sequently, fresh expenses to ratepayers, and incon venience to passengers. We are in the habit of priding ourselves in this country on our common sense ; but, for a practical people, we are slow in opening our eyes to the importa tion of any novelty outside the old rut of routine, whe ther from vulgar errors or national prejudices. It is to be hoped, however, that by the aid of the press, which gave us this information, the scruples-of even parochial boards, and others interested in confirmed abuses, some of your more intelligent readers may be induced to open their eyes to the evils of our paving system, and this ho o prevail improved v upn those the e d o exmaomdpeloe who fof“ have omuerndincgontr Transatlantic in their l w such y brethren,us , c a ma n d te hi r no s in this, as in many other instances, have proved them tsitolanv t e e s st .h l easns Trusting s t c h r u e pu in l h o a u al sb s oi o t atf that ts d w r o e fe a d mma o oy f r e n h o aav v n e e c l ye y no and n r E d pu i o n rwo n pe o re v fau ai aid for this purpose —I remain, sir, your obedient ser vant, A MARYLEBONE RATEPAYER. Oxford•street, April 7, 1853. THE SHARE MARKETS. RAILWAYS. !Aberdeen Ambg. Nottng. Bose & Eastn. Juuct I Birmg. Wolverh. Stour Va11ey:...... Birkenhd. Laucsh. & Cheshire Juliet._ Do. Chesh. & £5O and £25 Cons. [ Do., £2O Bristol and Exeter Caledonian Chester & Holyhead Cork and Bandon..., Cork, Blackrock and Passage Dublin&Belfast June Dundee Perth&Aber deen Junction Do. New East Anglian (X 25 L and E. & L. & D.) Do. Do. (18/. E.& H.) Eastern Counties... Eastern Union, Class .. A. (late E. U. Sh.) Do do., 00.; B. and C (East Lancashire 'East & West Ind. Dk.l & Birming. June Edinburgh & Glasgow Edin. and Peebles Edin. Prth. &Dundee Glasgow & S. Western Great Northern Stk Do., A. Stock Do., B. Stock Great Southern and Western (Ireland). Great Western , Irish South-Eastern Lancaster & Carlisle Do., Thirds all 111 100 Lancash.& Yorkshire Do., Fifths Do., Wat. Riding Un Leeds Northern 114 all all all Liv. Crsby. &Southpi: London & Blaekwall Lond. Tilb. & Sthend. Lond. Brigt. & S. Cat. London & N. Western Do., Fifths Do. , XlO Shill. &B. C London & S. Western Do., ao Do., £4O Londeriy. &Coleraine Lndndrry. & Ennisk. Manch. Shef. &Lincln Do. , Man. & Lin. Un IMidland Do.Birming. & Derby Midland G. West. (Ir.) Do. Shares Newcastle & Carlisle Newmarket Do. Bury Extension. Newp. Aberg.&Hftd Newry & Enniskillen Newry, Warrenpoint, and Restrevor Norfolk Do., New Northn.Counties lin North British North Devon, No. 1. Do., No. 2 Do., A Deferred Do., B Guaranteed North Staffordshire North Western N. & S. Westrn. June Oxford, Worcester, & Wolverhampton Scottish Central BRITISH RAILWAYS. 521 3 36 5i 13a i 54 3i Closing Prices Business done this day. this day. 6i i 65iiisd 22 54a 131 i 8333 49 2 3 [2l at a 2i Pm 77i 7 i 4 f 8 111 16} 9 i i I i 1 1.201 4 i li 1 i 1 30 i i 76 i 51 61 i !Scottish Midland .. Shrewsbuu&Birmg. Do., L. & N. Westn. Guaranteed Stock. Shrewsby.& Hereford Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor. W. Min.) Do. Halves do Do Do. Oswestiy Shropshire Union South Devon.... South Eastern South Wales S. Yorksh.River Dun Do. Stockton & Hartlepl Thames Haven Dock and Railway' Vale of Neath • Waterfd. & Kilkenny Waterford& Limerick West Cornwall Wimbledon&Croydn. Woodford . York Newctl. &Berw. Do. Extensions Do. G. N. E. Purchase York & N. Midland Do., No. 2, 7 p. e Bris. & Ex. 4 p. c. St Do. 4 p. 4. Shares Caledonian £lO Chester & Holyhead Guar. 5i per cent. Cork&Bandon 5i p.c. Dundee ! Perth, and 106 :: 108 1 - 1156 1157 Id i Aberdeen Junction E. Ang. (705.) 6 p. c . Do. (e 5), 7 per cent. Do. (C 7 17s), 7. p et. Eastern Counties Ex tension, 5 p. o. No.l Do., No. 2_ lft -- l - 2 i p 14g - 16 I Do.; New 6 p. a. St. Eastern Union Scrip Guar. 6 per cent... East Lancash. 6 p. cts. Edinb. Prth. & Dund. Glasgow 84 S. Western Guar. 5 per cent... Great Northn. 5 p. a. Do. 5 p. s., Redeem. at 10 p. e. prem.., Gt.S outhn. & Westn 18i-- 19 34 -3, 1127 -: 11 1111 - 113 (Ireland) Eights Gt. Westn. (Berks & Hants Ex. i p. c.) Great Western, fixed 4i per cent Lau. & York. F. £2O Do., 6 p. e., Stock London and Brighton Guaranteed 5 p. a_ Do. Pref. 5 p. c., St. Do. Convertible, 5 p. c., 1852 83 8i 6t— 74 LO6 )08 id iP L5l 153 Do. New Guar. 6 P.C. London & S. Western, Con. Thirds Londonderry & Coler. Shares ....... Londudry. & Fanisk Shares Manch. , Shef. ,& Liu , Shares, No. 1 Do., New, XlO Do., £6 ...... io $i -- np 10 -11 13i --13Bxd 8 - 9 101 Ili i - - ipxcl Marypt. & Carl. 4 p.c Do. 43 per cent .... Mid. Consol. 6 p. c St. Do. Consol. Bristol & Birm. 6 per cent.... Do. Pref. 4i percent. Norfolk Extension... Do. Guar. 5i per ct. Do. Waveney Valley 5 per cent North British . North Staffordshire.. Oxford, Worcester, & Wolverh. £15,6p. c. Do. 149 -- 151 2 21 1 - - 23 iP • - 6 li_- 21 108 -- 110 25 -- 26 'Shrewsbury & Birm 4 -- 2i p 10i -- 114 17 -- -- 14 i 14 -15 h par -- g P 25 -- 264 19 -- 20. 4 d hpar 101 -- 103 I-- 54 New Guaranteed... Shrewsby. & Chester Nor. W. (Min), 3 p. c. Do. 5 per cent. ._ _ South - Devon Do. New S. Eastern (Reading Ann.) f£l Os. 6d. S. Yorksh. 4p. s. Guar. Waterfd.&Kilk. Op. s. York, Newcastle, and Berwick, 4 p. c. Pref Do York & N. Midland, H. & S. Purchase... Par — i PI FORE: 'GN. PREFERENCE SHA.RES. 19 —2O zdl 6 64 xcl l i q 1.- 4 - =hp 127 1491 5k 1081 Intwrp. &Rotterdam Belgian Eastn. Junct. Charleroi & Erquelin. Dijon and Besangon.. Dutch Rhenish....... East 1ndian............ Do. Extension .....• Gt. Indian Peninsula Junct. of France t. Westn. of Canada Shares ................. Lucca and Pistoja, per cent. pref . Luxembourg Do. (Railway) Do. Do. (Canal) Do. 6 p. cent. pref Lyons ctr Medterran Iladras Maria Antonia Do. New Namur & Liege (with interest Do. (ex interest) Northern of France Do. 201. 3 p. c. Bds (fmy.B.SzArns. She.) gorwegian Truk. Prel Paris and Lyons Paris and Orleans Paris and Rouen Paris and Strasbourg Paris Caen Steberbrg. Quebec & Richmond Rouen and Havre ; Sambre and Meuse Do. 5 . 4 per cent. pref Southern of France Upper India Scrip West Flanders Do. 5i per c. Pref Western of France West. of Switzerland ,New Zealand id 14 14 154 2 24-2 d p 1i p 2 p 1 2 p i - i 1) 7-8 - 5 - -2 i ) p 9 -11 p 2 -2 r, 7i - 8 5 - 6 368 -36 g 14 -- 15 8 -- 9i 18 -- 1 8P1 42 -- 43 1 1 41i -42 A 33 --34_ 4i -- 5 20 - p. --21p9a -- 91 41 P 5} d par --a lo d p 1 Ot d LINES LEASED AT FT3CRD RENTALS. fall 100 all 100 RAILWAYS, all all all all Bedford and Birm. & Oxfd. guarantee Do.withoutgr Birm.Wolv. & Dudley guar. Do.wthtguar. Buckghamsh. ClydesdaleJc. E.Liucoln. gr. 6 p. cent Glstr.&Dn.Fr Hrtlpl. Dk. & Railway. Leaslug Compans, Loudon & N. West. IGt.Westtl Do Do Do L. &N.W. °alai:ton_ Gt. Notrhn Gt. Wostu . Yk. New. dt Berw Y.dtN. Md Do Do Hull & Selby. Do. Shares. Do. I Shares. Lon. & Greenw Do.Prefereuce Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent... Do. 6 per ct... Manch.l3xton. and Matlock 'Middlesbro' & Redcar. S. Eastern Do Norfolk Do Midld.Bradfd. Northern and Eastern sp. c. De. 6 per ct.. Do. Fixed sp. c Prest. dzWyre Ln.&N.W. & Midld. Stekton dz Darlingt. Midland... Closing Prices this day. Li: 6 :107 - 5 3 -54 L 52 - 154 32i - 334 Ll 2 -- 114 56 -- 57 274 -- 284 131 -- 144 254 --264xd 194 -- 191 28 -- 27 2i - 31 .05 - 107 E. Count, Do 114 1.00 [OO Jai Do. i Shares. Roystn. & Hit. Do.Shepth.St. Shef. Roth. & Goole g.5.p.c S. Staffordsh.. WearValleygr 6 per cent ... ' Do . Wilts &Somrst, 64 - 66 L. &N. W &Ln&Yk Do Gt. Northn Do Lancash.di Torkah larMelean Stockt. Darling Do Gt.Weatn 1061 149 - 151, 149 - 151 1— id 124 -: 333 102§ - 1036 MINES. 1 all Agua Fria 10s all Anglo Californian a 4 p II 10 2 Australasian.. i 1 p 21 20 6 Australian 1 all Australian Cordillera 4 P 1 all Australian Freehold. 4 d 4 p 1 1 , all APO Maria 1 all Baden (Gd. Duchy of) par I p 1 all British A.ustrin. Gold a- a p I,i 20 13.5 British Iron 6 8 35 243 Brazilian Imp. (issued at .£5 pm.) 5 53 30 all Do. Cocaes & Cuiaba 63 - 7 61 a 20 15 Do. St. John Del Rey 30 —3l 304 1 i Carson's Creek par 4 P B 40 all Cobra Copper 47 —4B 474 6 1 Colonial Gold 2l —24 p 3i 14 Copirpo 6 7 Si. all CopperMinersof Eng B5 95 25 all Do. Preference B4 (•) p 5 all English and Austin Copper Snteltg. Co ll 1 d 20 all General l7 —l9 2 all Great Nugget Vein la —24 p 3; 4 3 all Great Polgooth 1 —ll p 1 all Lake Bathurst 1 dig— par 1 all Liberty i 131) 1 all Lond. &Californ. Gold Quarts Crush. Co 1 i i 1 all Mariquita id par 10 9 Mexican &S. Americ 7 .- 8/ 8 1 all New Granada — 4 p la 1 all Nouveau Monde l. 1 p 2/ a 5 1 Port Philip - p li i 1 all Quartz Rock par p 50 all Rhymney Iron 24 —26 251 15 Do. New 7 8 30 101 Santiago de Cuba 1 all South Australian Par— p 1 10 7 Tin Croft ll —1 3 i 284 all United Mexican 6l 61 61 1 all Waller id— 4 p 1/ 1 all West Granada .... ... i -- p 1 all West Mariposa par P 1 all Yuba 4P p 11 JOINT-STOCK BANKS. 40 all Australasia 92 - - 93 92 4 50 all British N. American ... ~ . 60 20 2 Chrtd. Enk. of India, Australia, & China' 1 liP 3 4 i 100 25 Colonial — ... 100 20 Commercial of Lon don — ... ... 4 English Scottish and. Australian 2i 2ip 124 20 Ti Lond. Chart. Bk. o Australia 3l —44 p i 50 20 London and County . ... ... 50 10 London Joint Stock ... ... 100 20 Lond. & Westminster ... ... 20 2 London Bank of Aus tralia and India 50 224 National of Ireland .., ... 25 all Oriental Bank • Corporation l5 56zd 554 z d 25 6 Do. New — ... 100 25 Provincial of Ireland ... ... 484 10 all Do. New • •• 6 1 Royal Australn.Bkg. dr Gold Imp. Co.. 4 die— par 25 25 South Australia ... ... 50 52 50 1 25 all Union of Australia._ n 784 77 4 8 2i Do. New Bi 9 50 10 Union of London ... ... 40 all Uni•n of Madrid — ... MISCELLANEOUS. .. 100 35 Australian Agrieult 100 102 98 100 20 6 Austrlasn.Peifie.Mail ... ... 10 1 Austmln. Royal Mail ... --... 38A Brit. Americn. Land ) ... - ... 68 100 112 i Canada 5 1 Crystal P a l acii 4 2 Crystal P a l. o f France ... 20 1 Eastern Stea m ... 1 1 Electric Teleg. of Ir ... 15 14 Gen. Steam NaTigat ... ... 100 50 General Screw Steam ... ... 11i 1 20 2 ,Irish Beetroot Sugar, ... ... 1 all Nat. Pat. Steam Fuel' „ _ 10 2 Netherlands Land... : — ... 20 2i Nrth. of EuropeSteall I .., ... 50 all Peninsular & Oriental ... ... 843 50 25 Do. Do. ... ... 100 60 Royal Mail Steam . . - 25 25 !South Austral. Land 51 53 52 13 1 1 'Submar. Telegraph .. ... 6 2 Universal Emigration 10 and Colonisation... l - ... 100 24 Vau Diemen's Land..' 21 4 —22 i LLOYDS'. SHIPPING-(THIS DAY.) LONDON, April B.—Wind this day at Noon, N. to N.W., fresh breeze, and cloudy, with a slight fall of rain. DEAL, April 7.—Wind, W.S.W., stormy. Arrived— Daniel Webster, Canton Harpy°, and Jan Van Brakel, New York ; Falcon, Pitt, 13ermuda ; Amana, Wake, Alexandria. Arrived from the River—Olbers, Harriet, Plantagenet, and Johan Georg, for Sydney, N.S.W. ; Ariel, Henderson, Launceston, V.D.L. ; Gevalia, Liberg, Calcutta; Planter, Prior, Demerara; Runswell, Hawkins, Q uebec. LIVERPOOL, April 7.—Wind, W.N.W. Arrived-- Arequipa, Askew, Valparaiso; Parker, Kennedy, Deme rara ; Mina, Reid, Trinidad ; Ann Wise, Honduras ; Glaneus, Gales, Caldera ; Lotus, and Holyoake, New Or leans ; Diamond, and Persian, Apalachicola ; Brothers, Murphy, Savannah ; Constantine, and S. Y., New York ; Parliament, Sampson, Boston ; Jessie, Powder, Newfound land ; Danube, Newton, Alexandria ; Persian (s), Con stantinople ; Malcolm, Jay, Trieste ; Zacharias, Burgos. Off Port—Majestic, Af r i ca; Saratoga, Farnandez ; Elea nor Thompson, and Mary Pleasants, —. The Welcome, of Newry, went ashore three miles S. of St. Bees' Head, yesterday, and unless the weather moderates, will become a wreck. WHITEHAVEN, April 6.—Te Spray, arrived here from Dublin, reports having seen ayessel bottom up—St. Bees' Head bearing N.E. about 14 miles. CaIICOWES, April 7.—Wind, W. Arrived—Mercurius, PORTSMOUTH, April 7.—Wind, W. to W.N.W. Ar rived—H.M.'s steamers Sidon and Arrogant, from a cruize. Sailed—Patrick Henry, New York. FA* MOUTH, April 7.—Wind, W.N.W., strong breeze. Arrived—Beata, and Anna, Alexandria ; Ruby, and Alex ander, Odessa ; Augusta, Ibrail ; Albert, Johnson, Galatz ; Constantia, Aricula, St. Seb as ti an . Sailed—Fortuna, Havannah. PLYMOUTH, April G.—Wind, W. Sailed—Euphemus, Melbourne. GUERNSEY, April s.—The Trois Susannes, of Barcelona, from Rouen to Cannes, with empty pipes, was wrecked on the night of April 4, on rocks N.N. W. of this island, and filled ; the captain and two men drowned. The vessel has since been towed in the bay near Proquaine. MARYPORT, April 6.—Tho Osprey (smack), of Ramsey, Isle of Man, which was towed on the beach here on the 3d, has broken up. CORK, March 6.—Wind, N.W. Arrived—Hellespont, Galatz ; Pescador, St. Michael's. Sailed—Balmira, St. Michael's. QUEENSTOWN, April 6.—Wind, W.S.W. Arrived— Mariner, Mazagau ; Alert, Port Lagos ; Anna Maria, Bilbao. PARIS, April 7.—The Marie and Pascaline, of and from Bayonne to Rouen, foundered April 2, four miles off the Taur du Tour' ; crew saved. LAURKULLEN, March 23. A brig is on shore near Strysten, and between the Porter Islands a schooner was seen firing signals of distress. A steamer was seen about two miles off Fauder, March 18, working into the ice. On its becoming dark the smoke from her changed into fire, which speedily increased, and raged fearfully to two o'clock the next morning, so that the steamer is supposed to have been burned. STRAKUND, April 3.—A ship, a brig, and a schooner, with all sails stowed, were seen, about three miles off Ancona Lighthouse, drifting from N. to N.E. in the ice, March 29. DESTRUCTION BY FIRE OF HUSTANTON HALL, NOR FOLIC.—On Tuesday morning, Hustantqn Hall, the seat of Henry Le Strange Styleman Le Strange, Esq., situ ated within 16 miles of King's Lynn, was destroyed by fire. The fire originated in the sleeping apartment of the only female servant left in the hall, the family being abroad. The flames were first seen to issue from the building about four o'clock in the morning. A con siderable part of the furniture was saved. Hustanton Hall has long been regarded as one of the most an cient and interesting family mansions in the county of Norfolk. GALLANTRY REWARDED.—The Emperor of France, by decree of the 12th ult. has awarded a gold medal of honour of the second class to Lieutenant -Charles Pear son, of the English Royal Navy, commanding the coast guard of the Langton station, for the courage and de -1 852, of yed by him in assisting, on Dec 1852, the crew the wrecked French ship ou . NouvelleLaure. the N DEPOSIT AND GENERAL LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY. The first general meeting of the directors and share holders of the Deposit and General Life Assurance Com pany was held yesterday morning at the company's offices, No. 18, New Bridge-street, Blackfriars, the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Drumlanrig, M.P., in the chair. Mr. C. W. DIVAN (the secretary) read the advertise ment convening the meeting and the report of the direc tors, which said " In accordance with the provisions of the deed of settle ment, you have been summoned here to-day to receive the report of your directors on the business transacted from the date of the complete registration of your company to the 31st December last, together with the account of receipts and disbursements for the same period, which, having been certified by the auditors, will, it is confidently anticipated, receive your entire approval; and although, as will be seen, a period of scarcely six months and eleven days has elapsed from the date of Mr. Bevan's appointment as secretary, and which may be justly termed the time when we really com menced business, it will be found, on the com p ar i son which we are about to make, that an amount of busi ness has been done which has greatly surpassed our most sanguine expectations. Pursuant to the provisions of the deed of settlement you r di rec t ors h ave consulted the their caomctuary, and h e reports that the business done by pany justifies the declaration of a dividend, by way of interest upon the paid up capital of the com pany, at the rate of 5/. per cent. • and the director s thereupon recom men d that a dividend' of that amount be declared up to the 31st December last. Your directors have much pleasure to report that no claim has arisen from death up to the present time ; a f act which, considering the the members number assured (203),. must prove as sa ti s f actory to as it is gratifying to your directors, and which it is hoped may be taken as an evidence of the care with which the business has been conducted by your directors, assisted by the medical officers. Having disposed of those matters which are provided for by th e d ee d of settlement, your directors pass with lively satisfacti on t o other topics of great interest to the shareholders, the policy-holders, and the public in general, disclosing as they do the superior advantages offered by this society to all classes of assurers —advantages which are not surpassed by those of any as surance office in the kingdom; for not only does this office carry out all the new improvements in or belonging to other companies, but it has been expressly established to open a new era in life assurance, and thereby to offer to the numerous classes of society who most need, but who have hitherto been deprived of them, all the benefits arising from a combination of a savings bank with an assurance company, namely, by the establishment of the ,deposit system of life assurance. In setting forth these ad vantages, and the consequent claims of your company to public confidence and support, your directors think it right that a short statement should be made of the reasons which induced the establishment of your company. There had long been wanting means by which the middle and hum bler classes of society might avail themselves of the benefits accruing from life assurance, but up to the establishment of your company no such means existed. It occurred to the promoters of this system, that an institution which could combine the advantages of a savings bank with those of a life assurance company was such as must induce those classes of society to avail themselves of all the benefits ac cruing from life assurance ; and accordingly they consulted the justly distinguished actuary, Mr. Neison, and after great care and labour the present system has been produced. In the ordinary system of assurance (as carried out by other assurance companies) a person wishing to assure his life — must pay a certain sum, according to the age next birthday, and if he wishes his family to reap the ad vantage of such assurance whenever he dies, he must continue regularly to pay the same sum every year, until death, and then his representatives, and not he, reap the benefit of it, or perhaps the policy is disputed, and no body gets any benefit, but all his savings are lost, and his widow and family deprived of them ; but what has been, and is justly considered, the worst and most cruel feature, and the chief obstacle to the universal adoption of assurance by that class of society most in need of it, viz., the middle and the indu s t r i ous , i s th a t i n the ordinary system if a per son fail to continue his payments regularly as they become due, whether from carelessness, inability, never mind from what, and however distressing the caus-a, that moment his previous payments and hard-earned savings, however large, become forfeited to the company, and his misfortunes serve to benefit the pockets of his more fortunate co-assurers. So, again, if the p erson assure d doubt the solvency of the office to which he has paid his money, and for that, or any other reason, desire to withdraw from it, he must also sacrifice the whole or a very large part of what ho may have paid, and will, of course, from his increased age, if he wishes to assure in any other office, have to do so on less advantageous terms. Such is not the case on the deposit system, for he can draw out his payments at any time. The indisputability of policies was the last new feature in the improvement in life assurance, prior to the establishment of your company; and the company which was the first to establish it has received the fair reward due to such an improvement. The deposit system is the next and by far the most excellent of any improvement, and it is to be hoped that that class of society for whose benefit it has been established will give, to this company that sup port which the admirable and benevolent principles of this system so richly merit. By this system the premiums aro always the available pr o p er ty o f th e assured. " The report, after giving illustrations of the working of these principles said— " Having thus briefly stated the chief feature in this com pany, the directors refer with satisfaction to the following statement of the business done, and which, on comparison with other offices, as hereafter shown, must be highly gra tifying to all interested in the company, as it is to them selves :—From the 20th September, 1852, to the 31st March, 1853, a period of six and a half months, the number of proposals received amounted to 344, assuring 155,7721. 10s., of which there had been accepted 203, assuring 83,490, and producing an income of about 6,0001. per annum ; accepted and not completed 39, assur ing 12,1171.10 s.; declined or withdrawn 79, for 42,5951.; and under consideration 23, for 17,5701. Your direc tors may also feel justly proud of the confidence placed in the company by the public, not only on account of the large amount of assurance business transacted, but also that every share i n th e company h as been subscribed for, with the exception of 1,400. (These have been taken up since the issue of the report.) The directors are happy to state that they have secured a lease for 21 years of their present excellent premises for the small rent of 2251. per annum, the taxes being likewise very low. Your directors beg to state that they have succeeded in appointing, and are continuing to appoint, a large number of influential agents throughout the country. In Leeds, Birmingham, Cornwall, and the West of England, the principles of your company have met with marked approbation, and have led to valuable results. Your directors are also happy to state that in India the deposit feature of your company has been looked upon as particularly applicable to that country. Your directors have received the highest tes timony to that effect from persons of the first stand ing and known judgment there. Your directors can not conclude this report without bearing testimony to the ability, integrity, and untiring energy of their secretary, Mr. Bevan. Through his exertions and his connections during the short time he has had the management of the company, the directors are in debted for the rapid disposal of the shares, and the large amount of business done. Your directors have, also, to congratulate the company on the acquisition of their present excellent and noble chairman, for wkose constant presence, attention to the interests of the company, and business-like habits, your directors cannot feel too deeply indebted, and which the shareholders and members cannot too highly appreciate. In conclusion, your directors beg to state that it will be their constant study to conduct•the affairs of the company in such a manner as to merit the approbation of the policyholders and shareholders, and the public in general. Your directors beg also to state that, being anxious to court the strictest investigation into the solvency of the company, as well as into its principles, and particularly into its new feature, the deposit system, they have instructed the secretary to write to Mr. Wilson, M.P., and request the favour of his being examined re lative to this company by the committee of the House of Commons which has been appointed to investigate as surance companies. Your directors have only to add that they hope to receive, in the discharge of their onerousduties, the cordial co-operation of every one interested in the com pany, and trust that each policyholder and shareholder will determine to bring one policy at least per annum, which would be sufficient of itself to make any company." A. balance-sheet was also read, which showed that the re ceipts from premiums had been as follows :—ln September, 811. 12s. 10d. ; October, 1341. 9s. 11d. ; November, 3281. 2s. 2d. ; December, 4891.135. 10d. ; January, 272/. 18s. ld.; February, 3371. 4s. ld. ; and March, 8701. Cs. 2d. The total receipts from all sources to the 31st December were 6,966/. ss. ld., and the expenditure (including preliminary expenses, calculated to run over two years, of 2,500/), 4,0011. 13s. ld. The CHAIRMAN said it now became his duty to move the adoption of the report, and he could assure them he would, in discharging that duty, address them but very briefly. On the first occasio❑ of meeting the pro prietors, it would ill become him to make a speech or enter into details which, upon coming before the world, should appear like a puff. Their report would sPen,k for itself ; and he thought they might well challenge inquiry into their position and prospects from the plain unvarnished tale it told. He hoped they would all agreed with him as regarded the satisfactory na ture of the report. The accounts were mado up to the 31st December—about the time when he first took his seat at the board—and he was, therefore, now speak ing of matters beyond his control ; but from the inter course he had had with his brother directors since joining the board, and his knowledge of them, lie was perfectly ready to take his share of the responsibility attaching to those accounts. (Cheers.) In drawing up the report, and laying the accounts at the present time before the public, they, of course, laboured under some disadvan tage upon the present occasion, in consequence of the short time this company had seen established ; and that disadvantage would have almost equally attended them whether their accounts had been made up to the 31st De cember or 31st March, though their business had made great progress during the past three months. Their ex penditure was necessarily comparatively high as com pared with their receipts, they having been, during the months of May, June, July, and August, incurring ex penses in the formation of the company, whilstotnshearepytaeddmiud.... not commence business until S e pt em b er l ast. Of course, when their business first commence d , i t was not very large, but he was glad to sa y th a t i t h ad gone all increasing, so that, w h ereas t h eir receipts in ber were only 811. 12s. 10d., they amounted in March to 8701. 6s. 9d. Ho considered that a most gratifying statement to have to make, and he hoped that the results of each month wo u ld continue to increase, as he h a d no doubt they would. At the samem time, he could assure dthoeamlltihnatthtehier dpiorwecetro,rtsowere conductost anxious, and would Ctohnesiasffteanirtswoifthththe ecoemfa-- pany with the utmost economy p ci o e r n t cy to o t f h t e he fa o c Allusio . n had been made in the re fat that an application had been made to Mr. Wilson to allow Mr. the rtao n nc e c e v ro. mmittee of the house Bevan useto be ex am i ne d b efore As a go o d d eal of of Commons o n lif e assu jealousy existed with respec t assurance offices, and as some were thought to deserve reproach, the directors were anxious that both Mr. Bevan and their actuary (Mr. Neis on ) s h ou ld b e ex , amined before th e committee, in order that their preten sions and prospects might be submitted to the fullest in vestigation, it being to their own interest, if fallacies existed in their calculations, to have them corrected. Htheoseshoguelndtiezen examined influence with Mr. Wilson t o h ave mined ; but as of course there would be a number of other offices in the same positio —and only a limited number of witnesses could be ex amined—he could not say how far he might be successful. It would, however, be his great anxiety to get them ex amined, because he thought it was only an act of justice to the society to endeavour to get everything connected with it brought before the public. (Loud cheers.) Being fully convinced that the inquiry must result to the advantage of the assurance companies, he would not further detain them, but move that the report and statement of accounts be received and adopted. Mr. ROGER SwIRE, a holder of 2,700 shares, seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. RIDDELL, seconded by Mr. STEER, a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum on the paid-up capital was declared. The retiring directors and auditors having been re elected, Mr. STEER then moved that a sum of 1,5001. be al lotted to the directors as a remuneration for their ser vices, which he said had been given so far with the greatest zeal, at a sacrifice of their personal and private affairs. Mr. PETTER seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr. PRINSEP moved that the sum of 10 guineas each be the remuneration given to the auditors, who gave a great deal of their time to the examination of the ac counts of the company. Mr. C. GURNEY seconded the motion, which was agreed to unanimously. Mr. SHERIDAN, of the Times Life Assurance Company, returned thanks on the part of the auditors. Having had some considerable experience in life assurance matters, he could not help saying that he was somewhat astonished at the largeness of the business which \ this company had transacted during the comparative short period of its existence. Mr. CRACKNALL returned thanks for the re-elected directors. Mr. PECK returned thanks for the re elected auditors. He had great satisfaction inlseeing the very satisfactory statement of accounts which had been laid before the shareholders. He had no hesitation in saying that, to his knowledge, no society had in so short a period done such an amount of business at so little expense. He had great pleasure in being connected with such a com pany. (Hear, hear.) Mr. SHERIDAN then rose to move a vote of thanks to the chairman for his service as chairman to the com pany. From the position of the noble lord they might have expected that he would have been deficient in business habits. On the contrary, however, he had scaacely ever met any gentle man b e tt er a bl e t o ac t i n his present capacity, and h e had great pleasure in bearing testimony to the very efficient manner in which the noble lord had discharged his duties as chairman. The motion having been seconded, was carried with acclamation. The CHAIRMAN returned thanks. During the short period he had occupied his present position, he had always felt great interest in the affairs of the company, and so long as he continued at its head he should always give to it great attention, and take care that the strictest investigation should always be paid to all matters connected with it. He felt seriously the re sponsibility devolved upon a person occupying his posi tion, and he should always use his best efforts to dis charge it in a proper and efficient manner, and he hoped that next year, at their next annual meeting, he should have to report an even more flourishing state of things than on the present occasion. For a society vs young nothing could be more satisfactory than their present position, and they might rely on the unwearied efforts of himself and his brother directors to place the company in a still more enviable position. Mr. lirrox, a director, said if it was not too late he should like to propose a vote of thanks in acknowledg ment of the services of two most valuable officers, namely, their secretary and actuary. It was to the ex ertions of Mr. Bevan since his appointment to the office, of secretary, that they were indebted for the present suc cess of the office, and while they looked to him to put forward all his zeal and energy to increase the business, they expected Mr. Neison, the actuary, to exercise a proper check upon him, and to see that the business done was safe and good. They were aware that they undertook a certain class of business, which experience had proved to be the most profitable—that of diseased lives—on which additional premiums were charged for the additional risks, and in taking those risks they had much to be guided by Mr. Neison, and he believed that no gentleman could more safely guide them as to the amount they ought to charge for the risks they ran. (Hear.) In conclusion, he begged to propose a cordial vote of thanks to their actuary and secretary for the zeal and ability they had displayed in their past exer tions. Mr. MACLEAN seconded the motion, being assured that the zeal and ability of Mr. Bevan and Mr. Neison would overcome all difficulties, should any arise, in the trans action of their business. . - Mr. NELSON begged to aoknowledge the compliment, though he hoped that no difficulties would arise, as Mr. Maclean had suggested they might ; but should they arise, he trusted that the untiring energy, zeal, and ability of Mr. Bevan, as well as any intelligence which he (Mr. Neison) might possess, would carry them safely through. He was happy in being connected with that company, and he felt assured that the truth of the prin ciples on which it was founded would be rapidly and extensively acknowledged by the public. He was not one of those who thought that -life assurance was over done. Indeed he felt certain that a large number of offices, directed by men of intellect and energy, were yet wanted to meet the legitimate wants of the public. Their report showed that they were already securing a ' large and important business, and all experience showed that the success of a life office was wholly dependent on the extent of its business. Indeed, there was no ex ample of a pure life office failing, and if a large business was obtained, it was impossible to do so. Assurance offices stood in a most anomalous position amongst the commercial undertakings of the country with regard to the large—the enormously large --amount of profits they had made. He did not mean to say that if an assurance office was confined to the issue of policies on 100 lives it would not fail ; but if they counted their policies by thou sands it could not do so ; and he had no doubt that by the energy of Mr. Bevan they would very shortly he so counted in this office. (Cheers.) Mr. BEVAN also returned thanks. He felt very deeply the kind terms in which Mr. Knox, a gentleman whose good opinion he should always be anxious to deserve, ghad spoken of him. When he had come into this com pany some persons had been advised not to have any thing further to do with the company, as he was a rash man, and did business in a rash manner. To disabuse the shareholders of any such impressions, he thought he had only to refer to the amount and to the quality of the business which had been done by the company in the last six months. The business of the office was done in the most cautious manner. All proposals were referred not only to the medical officers, but to a special proposal committee, and afterwards to the full board of directors, before it came to the secretary's hand to be executed. He was proud of the present position of the company, and thought that as they had begun they might continue to go on. There was a wide field open, lie believed, for life assurance, and any company might succeed if it had a proper and respectable directory, and if its affairs were managed with energy and discretion. Notwithstanding the absurd statements which had been made by Mr. Wilson in the House of Commons, he believed that so far there had not been a shagle instance of what might fairly be called the failure of an assurance company ; for the moment that the actuaries of any company found it necessary to report to the directors of a company that they were no longer in a position to carry on their affairs, there were plenty of companies ready to buy their business, and give them a handsome premium for it. For instance, there was the London and Joint-Stock Provincial, which had lately merged into the Legal and Commercial ; and certainly no office of any respectability would think of taking upon it the affairs of any office unless they had ascertained the amount of the liabilities, and were satisfied that they were justified in incurring them. The old offices were not doing one-tenth of the business of the young offices. Letters reached him every day from persons in the country—agents of the old offices who spoke of throwing up their positions, because the old offices would go to no expense in extending their busi ness. The fact was they traded on their capital, lending it to Government and in other channels, and troubled themselves very little about Life Assurance. This principle of Deposit Life-Assurance was most valuable, as was shown by the fact that no sooner had it been advertised, as being the basis on which this company was about to transact their business, than another com pany also seized upon the principle, and adventured themselves on a, Deposit Company ; but, in fact, with no 'They more didn right om to themore than a Savings' Bank ; title to i t than a Savings' aninfa Bank. n they would take a deposit of 1,000/. and pay 5 per cent. existence of the deposit pri nc i p l e until o po ayse i r i whi i t eal . rtdiTi the subject fs j o ee w e t hoofw life well assu acquainted assurance, he had actually Wilson whe (Mr. Bevan) had written to him. (Laughter.) Again, tre—it then meyregteditinwtoasthreecßkriontiesdh Sascetphtrreee, of the v theso twc u lf s nca acc c lte o l.e m db p eo : i t hn n ve i ge e rs s iteth s e t epc a ot t erwueldadoytf not onE f t a n i of l gaii e h ,ne e (si 0. \ s g h t started give in far r ha a t s was a tl s ier he a s n oop it not havingbeen on, thank them very sincerely for the honour they had done him, and to assure them that he should continue to work night and day to raise this company into the most pro mr. sper p ou ß s iNcsoßnp saiddition he hoped that the shareholders would remember that they had it in their power to be of high service to the company by spreading a know ledge of its principles, and that they would endeavour to push its business whenever and wherever they had an opportunity. The proceedings then terminated. n the evening the directors and their friends, to the number of about 150, dined together—Viscount Drum lanrig again presiding, supported on his right and left by two of the members of the committee of the House of Commons on life assurance, Mr. Cowan, M.P., and Mr. Chambers, M. P. A. number of loyal and appropriate toasts were drunk ; but there was nothing in the various speeches relative to the company beyond what we have given above,' excepting an assurance from Mr. Cowan that the House of Commons was fully impressed with the importance of the life assurance question, and that the new offices might depend upon having a fair and im partial hearing before the committee. The proceedings of the evening were much enlivened __by the vocal exertions of Miss Pyne, Mr. Donald K4nge -Mr. Lawler, &c. &c., who were engaged for the occasi o n. Mr. Higgs officiated as toastmaster. 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