The Sun. — London, England, 1857-02-19 00:00:00

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) LINCOLN HANDICAP. Huntington Tom Thumb, Early Bird 16 Ran. Arrived—Nicholas. LINCOLN RACES.—(This Day). MONEY MARKET AND COMMEROIAL7,INTELLIGENCE. CITY, Two o'CLocK. Letters from Liverpool mention that the Cotton Market yesterday manifested a heavy appearance, and prices of all descriptions were id. per lb. dearer than last week. The sales were estimated at 7,000 bales, 1,000 of which were taken on speculation. Ths Railway Share Market was steady, at a considerable advance on Tuesday's quotations. The official returns relating to trade and naviga tion for the twelvemonth ending Dec. 31, 1856, have just been published. From these it appears that the total declared value of exports from the United Kingdom, for the year, was 115,890,857/. ; showing an augmentation of 20,202,772/. com pared with the previous year. The increase is per ceptible in beer and ale, coals and culm, cotton manufactures, cotton yarn, earthenware, haber dashery and millinery, hardware and cutlery, leather, linen manufactures, linen yarn, bar iron, thrown silk, refined sugar, woollen and worsted manufactures, and woollen and worsted yarns, but there was a falling off in fish and machinery, and in sheep and lamb s , wool. The imports of the principal articles were larger —of brimstone, cocoa, wheat, barley, Indian corn, flour, raw cotton, dyeing stuffs, flax, currants, plate glass, hemp, hides, leather, manu factures, potatoes, provisions, rice, saltpetre, silks, Spices, brandy, unrefined sugar, tea, tallow, tim ber, tobacco, wine, and sheep and lambs' wool. There was a diminution compared with the previous year in live animals, coffes, emhroidery, lemons, guano, bides, copper, opium, quicksilver, and rum. The shipping accounts exhibit an increase on the tonnage of vessels employed in the foreign trade of the United Kingdom of 1,223,235 tons for the entries inwards, and of 1,313,819 tons for the clearances outwards. In the coasting trade there is also a slight in crease on the tonnage of vessels employeJ, both entered outwards and cleared inwards. A ;definite arrangement for the great Russian Railway undertaking has at length been made. The particulars have frequently before appeared, but they are now republished as their terms have been officially completed. The only new feature in connection with this subject is the statement contained in the continental advices that the caution-money" collected on the subscriptions raised in Paris is to be invested in French Rentes. The entire capital required is 45,000,0001., of which 12,000,0001. is reserved for France. On this sum the caution-money will be 15,000,000 francs, or about 600,0001., which, if invested in Rentes, will probably afford those securities, and thus gratify the French Government, to whom the present low value of the national funds is a source of some an noyance. This plan is evidently for the twofold purpose of pleasing Louis - Napoleon and attracting the investing public. Although some difficulty may be experienced in raising the means or making the project float in the present state of the money market, there • can be no doubt that it will eventually derive support, as the English are always ready to enter into foreign enterprise whenever money becomes abun dant. The guaranteed interest of 5 per cent. is an attractive feature, and the proverbial integrity of Russia in her financial operations, will increase the Prospect of this project being successful, as far as the obtainment of the capital is concerned. The steamer Pera, from Alexandria and Malta, has arrived off Hurst' Castle with the remaining portion of the India and China mails, having made the passage from Malta in the short space of eight days. The Magdalena, from the West Indies, is announced at Southampton, and the letters by both opportunities are expected in town to-morrow morning. The report 'just issued by the Midland Railway Company states that the balance available for divi dends is 269,6071., which the Directors propose to distribute as follows :-21. 2s. 6d. upon each 1001. consolidated stock • 11. Bs. 9d. upon each 1001. Birmingham and Derby stock ; 31. upon each 1001. preferential stock ; 31. upon each 1001. Erewash Talley stock ; 21. ss. upon each 1001. 4i per cent. preferential stock ; 7s. 6d. upon each 161.135. 4d. share, being half-a-year's interest at LA per cent. ; 21. upon each 1001. Leicester and Hitchin preferen tial Stack ; 21. upon • each 1001. paid on account of 5/.shares, which will leave a balance of 16,0061. 9s. 4d. to be carried to the next account. There rather a heavy market for English Stooks to-day, but business is very quiet. A few speculative sales have taken place, which have tem porarily exercised an unfavourable influence. Con sols for trans& r have been 93 and for account 94 to 94f, and 9 4 to 94. The New 3 per Cents. have been 941 the Reduced 94 to 941, and the 30 years' Annuities 18 5-16ths #. Exchequer Bonds are 98i The transactions in the Foreign Market have been to a fair extent, and the quota tions are tolerably steady. Turkish 6 per Cents. have been 951 4, Sardinian 90# and Rus sian 41 per Cents. 97 to 97k. Mexican are firm at 22i. Dutch 2i per Cents. have been dealt in at 65, and the 4 per Cents. at 981. The following are the nominal prices of Foreign ' Stocks ;--Grenada Deferred Bonds, 61 7 ; Mexi can; 22 221 ; Peruvian, 80 81 ; Ditto 3 per Cents., 55 56 : Portuguese 3 per Cents., 43 45 ; Russian 6 per Cents., 109 111 ; ditto 41 per Cents., 96 98; •panish 3 per Cents., 40 41 ; ditto Deferred, 241 241 ; ditto Certificates, 61 ditto Passive, 5f 0. The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up to this day, are in round figures as under 1857. 1856. North-Western . 56,466 53,333 South-Western Brighton 9,898 9,183 Midland South-Ea5tern......... 13,429 12,881 Caledonian Great Northern _ _ 19,277 18,014 St. 50 St. St. 20 20 10 St. 181 20il 100 1 100 Lancashire and Yorkshire 21,753 19,449 Bristol and Exeter 4,836 Ch e ster and Holyhead 3,923 East Lancashire 5 ,9 25 5,262 Lancaster and Carlisle Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln 8,702 7,850 North-Eastern Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverh 3,811 3,147 Glasgow and South-Western Scottish North-Eastern Grand Trunk of Canada Great Western of Canada, 7,981 9,397 Northern of France Sambre and Meuse ....... + 1 ,033 1,132 A moderate business has been done in the Railway Share Market, and prices have in almost all instances been fully maintained. Caledo nian have improved ss. to 10s., and several other have advanced to a similar extent. The Colonial undertakings are also dull, rule quiet • a nd the Foreign, alth ou g h steady. In Mines)Banks, and Miscellaneous Shares there is no particular feature to notice. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. (From the O f ficial List:) Bealneab done 3 per Cent. Evinced Annuities 94 3 per Cent, Consols Annuities 93i New 3 per C en t. A nnu i t i es 941 Long Annuities, expire sth Jan. 1860... Ditto 311 Years, expire sth April, 1885 lB 5-16 a India 11( nde, Lluoti .. . . Ditto, under £ lOOO 1 d par Consols for Account ' 94 3i Esc °quer Bills, 20. : 1000 £5BO Small Ditto Bonds, 1858, 3. per Cent.. 9Bl Ditto, 1354 PiticEs OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE iVeLO(I, Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Ditto Account lO3 21 Chilian Bonds, 6 per Cent 104.k Mexican 3 per Cent Ditto Account Rassian Bonds, 1622, £ St., 5 per Cent— — Ditto, 41 por Cent. Sardinian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent. Ditto New Deferred, 3 per Cen • Turkish Bonds, 6 per cent Ditto Account 954 i Dividends on the above payable in Londcn. Dutch Exchange, 21 per Cent., 12 Gull 65 Ditto 4 per Cont. Certificates TWO O'CLOCK. Consols, money 93i I } Ditto Mount im 93i 01 50 20 20 10 SHARE MARKETS—{This Day.) 161'i 14f 16? 12 Bt. 100 16 I 6 3 i 20 all Elf all St. 100 St.• 100 20 all 10 all 12i 2i St. 100 25 all 25 all St. 100 10 , 1 101 1 100 100 all all all all 'lOO 3 100 100 17i all all 1100 RAILWAYS. Closing Price , yesterday. 4h - 41 8i - 9 63 - 70 Pt- 94 9i - 96 65i - 66.4 36 -- 37 ••• ...". ••• 10 11 19 20 10 104 40 --- 44 28 30 ii -- .i 96 - 93 b 7 -- 58 ii 2 ii 95 - 97 7 - 8 93 - 93 77 - 79 124 - 126 111 -113' 63 -63 i 64 - 66 70 71 6 7p 6 7 r, 99 99 1 id - 108 - 109 10 - 21 73 - 1 2LAl 101 - 11011 - 105; 35} - 36 83 - 83:3 I 51 - 5S 13 - 146 51 56 3i 3id 11a 42 88 —34 d 2' 2# 18. 197 Ell 631 98 102 ••• ••• 41 —48 d 10 11 273 283 106 108 26. —27 i 50 51 2 lid 18 19 75i 85 l i 340 4 3cl 12 14 40 42 16t 100 100 20: 21 7 - 9 2 - 3 5 •r-- i -- ISSESSIONS. i- 1 P 1 1 —lip 195 98 94 96 94 96 par i p •••••• 1 .... li p 112 111 2t 2ap 21. E -21 i 49 -- 51 81 -- 83 211 -21 i -- 1 25 -- 25i1 2f - 3A2' 99 -- 100 118 -- 123 1 118 -- 12; Basineas done this day. 108 - 110 191 - 20 21 - 221 ii - - iP P ... 2 Zap RAILWAYS. IThickgltamslt [Clydesdale Jc. ICol.Stour Vy. I E.Lin. g.G ps E. Un. H. Sh. Glas. Barr. & Neils. Direct. Do. New Glstr.&Dn.Fr. Hull & Selby. Do. Shares. Do. Shares. Lou. & Greenw Do. Preference 'Lon. Til., &S. Do. B trk. Sh. 'Manch.Bxton. and Matlock Mdld. Bradfd. Newmarket Bury E.G.spc. N. doEst.s P.C. Do. 6 per ct Do. Fixed sp. c Prest. & Wyre Do. Shrs. A Roystn. & Hit. Shrews . & Her S. Staffordsh WearVaLg6pe Do Wilts &Somrst PREFERENI Leasing Companies Ln. &N. W. Caledon E. U. & E. C Gt. North* I E. Count. Caldonian. Do. Gt.Westn. Y. & N.M Do Do S. Eastern Do Peto & Co Do Ln. &N. W & Midld Midland E. Coant Do Do Do L. a . W Do Gt. Not ihn T. Bra - mei tr. I IClean Stk. &Dar I Do Gt.Tii Blyth and Tyne 10 p. c.pref. (isse.at 501.) Bris.&Ex.4 p.c. St. Do. 4 per c. Shares Caledn. £lO 4 p. c. Ches. & 110. n.c. Do. do. 5 per ce' Cork &Bandon 5 p.c Dan.Perth.&Aber.J. E. Anglian Cls. A Sh. Do. do. Cls. B 6p. c. Do. do. Cls. C 7 0. c. Ea5.C0.Ex,5p.,,1T0.1 Do. No. 2 Do. New 6 pr. c. St East Un., G. 6 p. c Do. 51., 0 per cent Do. 101. De ,entr.Sli Do. do. 4 per cent East Lauca.sb .6 p.cts E.&W. York. Edin.dtGl. 5 p. c. Sh. Ed.Prth.&Dun.4p.c. Furness, 5 p. c (Pas. & s'.W.G.S p.c Great Nortlm. 5 p.c Do. 5 p. c. Redeeir at 10 p. c. prem..., Do. 4i per cent ..... Do. 5 p.c., Red. at 5 p. C. pr•m. Gt.N.o 'Scot. lst Pre Gt. S & W. (Ireland) Do. 4 per c. Pref. St. Gt.W.(B.&H.Ex.spc Do. con. red. 4; p.c. Do. con. red. 4 p. c. Do. irred. 4 per cenL. Do 5 p. c. red. pre". Do. Bhm. Pref. Do. Chester Bp. c. P. S. Do. do. 5 p. c. do Do. Birm. Cua. Stk l Oco. Chest). Gua, Sh IDo. do. do. do. do. Lan. & York. 6 pc. St. Lon. P.B. C. 5 pc. No. D 0.. P., 5 p.c. St. No. 2 Do. New Guar. a p.c. Do. do. 5 p. c., No. 4 Lon. a N. W. , Coy. e: Nuneaton 5 p. et... Caon. & S.W. 7 pore'. late 3d Shares Lonily.& Color. iSh T..,ondy.&Enn;s. Sh M., S.,&L. 6 p. Cent Do. do. do. £6 Do. do. 3. per cent. Marypt. • Carl. 4 p.c. Do. 4. per cent Do. do. Wid. Con sol. 6p. c. St. Do. Con. Br. Bit 6 p.c. Do. 44 p. c. Pref. St. Do. L. &H. Pref. Si . , New. , A.ber. • &c., pr. 5 p. c. red. 5 p. c. pm. Do. Perpet. 6 pr. et. NTorf k. Deb. 4 p.c. Sb. Do. 5 p. c. Ext. 1846 Do. 54 p.c. pf., 1847 D0.1Vv.V.5p.c., 1 8 4 7 North British Do. 71. Preference... N.E. Berw. 4 p.c.Prf. Do. do. do Do. Leeds 6pc No.l Do. do. Qrs., 1848 Do. York 11. & S. Par North Staffordshire Ox., Wor. & Wolv. 6 p.c. lst guar. Do. ep. c. 2d guar Scot. Cent. New Pref So.N.E.Aber.g.6p.c Do. do. 7 p.c. pf. St Do. do.3h p.c. pf. St South Devon Do. fixed 4h pr cent S. Eastern (Reading Ann.) of £1 Os. 6d. Do. 4h per cent Do. Fixed 4h p.c. Sh S. Wales Gua. 4 p. e Do. do. 44 p. c S.Yorksh.4 p.c.Guar Stock. &Dar., 5 p. c De. do. do. 'Stock. & liarti. g. 5 p.c. till July 1, '56 Waterfcl&Kilk. 6 pc. BsWilds this day. BRITISFI 2/ 12 ;Alfred Cons. (Philk. 14 British Iron 20 Conduraw (Cambrn.) 1 iDev.Gt. Cnsls. (Tay.) 14s Great South Tolgus 1013'G rt. W. Alfrd. (Philk.) 7 IGrt. W. Vor (Helstn.) Bs6d Lady Bertha 7i N. Frances (Illogan) ~. N. W. Basset (Illogan) 6/15,North Wheal Crofty jPar. Cons. (St.Blaxy) 9 'Porkellis U. (Wend.) 66. iSort. Cons. Min. Co 2. ;S. Caradon (St. Cleer 2 iS. Cam Brea (Mop. 19 S. W. Frances(lllo'r ° n. 4. Tam. S. &L. Min. Co 9 Tin Croft 40 jUn.Mines (Gwennap 12s 6 V. of Towcy (Camar.) Basse'z, 20 W. Caradon (Liskrd.) 5i ,Wh. Basset (Mogan.) 5 IWh. BuPer (Rdruth.) 5i Edward(Calstk. 117 s; Wh. Kitty (U. Lint. 8 IWll.Ma.Ann(Menht. ) 4i 1 1Vh. Trelawney (Lis. ) Closlng Priced yesterday. 96 - 99 98 - 102 IL - 13 134 - 137 - 41 log 111 12i -- 13 23 - 24 101 110 1 - P 92 -- 9 4 - P 53 - 57 liii, :"..-iii ." - ••• 9 - 9i 32 - ii 88 - 90 'E SHARES. 6 I= ii 97 7:- 6 • - ••• 6i -6.! '0 -1 - ••• •se 4 - -_ it) - 32 75 - 76 6:4 -- 12.0 'll2 - 114 'lOl - ICO 62 el !O 10 6 - 6 93 - 95 83 -- 85 99 -- 101 10 -- 10! -- 174' 104 -- 75 -- 77 19i - 20 - 9 -- 10; 141 -15 i 131 -- 136 436 - 139 114 - 117 1156 - 158 - AP 65 - 68 134 - 136 99 - 101 89 - 91 •.• - np. ••• '-"' 103 - 105 92 94 lA id 1 id 1107 - 109 114 - 118 105 - 110 OS - 70 17 - 18 23i -24 i 100 - 103 10 - 104 27i - 284 2 - 3p "i = i MINES. - 22 61 - 74 155 - 165 ,50 - 470 - 16 - 10t 14 5i - 6 - 18 - 20 34 - 35 64 - 7 23A -24 i 81 9i --- 340 - 350 71 8 340 - 350 1 - 11 4 - 44 230 250 1 354 - 155 - 165 '290 - 300 270 - 290 - 4 19 - 2 1 43 - 48 19 - 21 MINES. FOREIGN FOREIGN. 20 7 Australian 10 ' all AntwaT &Rotterdan3 5i- 61 35 27 Brazilianlmp.(issued 20 14 Ardennes. — ... at X 5 p m ) 5 all Belgian Eas t. Junct. 1i 1a 30 all Do. Cocaos & Cuiada 3 3S 20 16 Be ziers to Graissessac 21 3 i i , 20 15 Do. St. John Del Roy 18 20 191 6 all Carmeaux & Touloust 1 Clarendon Con. Min. 5 --5/ 51 I Co. of Jamaica...-. 1 p C o al Mines and Ry. P 40 all Cobre Copper 55 — 5 7 56 1 ... 20 12 Dutch Rhe nish 01 16 Copiapo 2 2 0 0 all alip 'Eastern o of N cw France ... 32/ 2 all Fortuna i : 1 20 all General 20 2s, Euphrates Valley ... par iP 3 all Linares 5 1i taisitanian i 20 20 1718 aGtr.eaCteiLituraxlemofbFourargn.c.e. 4 6i --__ 4 6 1 1 p 1 all Mariquita i 1G 4 Italian Junction...... ... ••• 1 all New Granada 20 all Lake Coust. & Bale ... ••• 1 all Novean Mondo 20 all Lierre and Turnhout ... ...d 20 all Pont.Sil•LdM.& bin 8 10 ;81 20 6 Lombardo-Venetian 611 RP 5 1 Port Philip — ... 5 all Lucca & Pist.sp.c.p. ... ••• 30 15/ , Santiago de Cüba 20 all Lyons and Geneva ... 29 30 1 1 all south Australian ••• ... ..• 20 all Lyons & Mediterran. ... ••• 1 1 all Do. Scrip 33i all Maria Antonia 10 all Do. New ... 28A all United Mexican .. *. ... 4 41 20 all Namur & Liege 212216003 all l l i N D ppNaoao o liii . i..iti d hea o eagnia . rilacia 6 l nOoL p T ifry. Orleans, int . nn P s.ispi e r .i e o..eo f f 55 i i 1 i ___—__ 3 2 : 0 575:1 ,1 1 : 1 .35 ! i. MISCELLANEOUS. 25 ' 19 Australian Agricult. 22 23 10 all Australn. Royal 31,11 ... .., 10 all Berlin Water Works.. 41 51 51 20 7 Recife & San Fran 5O 40 Brit. American Lai 40 45 , (Pernam.) g 7 p C /41 i P 109 32S Canada ............... 138 142 140 10 7, Rome and Fraseat . i 1 . St. 100'Do•Go.6pc.JankTuly 1.101 111 1101 I 20 all Royal Danish . 5 all Royal Swedish ....... ... • ••• 20 all Sambre and Mouso . ...81 1 S. all Copper Min. of Eng. 34 38 10 all Do. 51 per cent. pref. 81 8 4 25 all Do. Prof. 'T p. cent. 26 28 • 20 all Southern of France '— 8 ' 2i 2,i 5 all Crystal Palace ••• pin 8i all West Flanders .. .. .•. 4a 41 51 54 5 all Do. Preference 10 all Do.. 5A per c. Prof . , gi 1 0 4 all Crystal Pal, of France -.---.• • 20 all .W.&N.W. of France 32 33 1 i Dustou Iron Ore ..• ••• 20 6 Western of Austria._ 1 ' 20 18 Eastern Steam —• ••• 20 all IWest. of Switzerland ... ___ P St. 100 Electric Telegraph ... 6 all IWiesbaden lfi .. 1 ... g 6 5 all En.&Aust.Cop.SmCo all \ Do.B p. cent. pref. ... ... 20 all ; Zealand ......... .. ... _ ... 10 10s. Eur, & Ind•Jetn. Tel. ... ••• 25 all Gen, Ir.Se • Col.(lim.) ... —••- JOINT-STOCK BANKS. 15 14 Gen. Steam Navigat. .., ••• . i -- -- 7: — .-- -- . - ---------. 20 5 London Discount ... 1 id 40 4 all Low]. Gan, Omnibus 4 41 41; all 'Australasia .........•••; ; tm d 94 25 18i Bank of Egypt - 100 ... 50 Bank of London 10 all IMediteran. Elec. Tel; ... ... 40 all ,Bri. Col. Bk. & Ln. Co. ... ... 10 all Mexican& S Amorien 2/ 31 25 5 Nat, Discount Co__ i ip x d &Ch 11 (I 25 5 Do. New 68 70 .. ... 10 5 Netherlands Land._ 1 • 11 100 50 ',City ..................... 2050 all 13c1.-ißtkis.hofNin. d A .A m u ei . lcan ... ... 10 all Do. Do a. ... —. ZD 5 all Do.B p c.PLiss.at 1 d 4 41 1 10 00 0 2 2 0 5 IColo ui a Commerciall. .. . 0 . . 1: ............ 5 1 Do, Do 20 all Eng.Scot.&Aus•Cllt. _•.l —1 9 par 1p 100 80 New B. &N, S. Land par 1p 20 all Lon. Ch. Bk.of Aust. 1.16 t ...... 18 . St. 100 N.S.W. Gov.s p.c D .. 18 1 19 --1 . . ... ... , 2 50 0 a 2 l O l NewD Lo it n t d o oo l all N. B. Australasian i 4 100 50 Lnd.& 1 1 . and ß nk .. n . g.(. County •• 1 . .. 8 : 4 : 20 171 Nrth.ofEuropeSteam 4 3id 1 all Oriental Gas 50 10 London Joint Stock.. ... '-'" ••• 1 ss, Do. New Shares 100 20 Lond.audWestminst. ... ••• 5 all Peelßr. Ld. & Minrl 2s 2a 7911 100 35 National Pro. of Eng. ... • ••• ' 50 all Peninsular & Oriental 66 68 20 10 Do. New ... -- ••• 50 10 Do. New 3 4p 50 221 National Bank 20 all New South Wales.... 47 V 15 all Do. New 6 8 25 all Oriental Bank Corp. 37 • ) a 100 60 Royal Mail Steam_ 64 66 66 20 15 Ottoman Bank a 21 1 51 Provincial iDlo.i of Ireland ~, ... . all Scot. Austral. Invest. 11 ig 101050.1 all Do. New l/ iii u N s e . w ß.&G.lm.Co. ... ••• St. 100 S_Aus. Gov.6p.c.bds .., ... 25 all South Austral. Laud 35 37 35a 25 all South Australia • • ..—. es• 1 all Submarine Tel. Scrip / 1 25 all Union of Australia._ 60 62 61. ... 1 all Do. Registered 24 Do. New 50 10_ Union of L0nd0n,,,20 5 Trust&Lu.Co.U.Can. ... • ••• ••• 100 281 Van Diensou's Land 14 16 100 50 ,Unity Mutual,., ,11— 9d 1 100 50 iWorstrußl4.otLonds 1 10 --6 d St. 100 V.Co,OrsJag,4Jgly ... .. ID KINGSFORD v. MERRY. All the stages of the great dock warrant question connected with the case of "King sford v. Merry" appear worthy of each other. In the first instance the Court of Exchequer decided that Messrs. Merry and Sons, as innocent holders of a dock warrant for a valuable consideration, could not be forced t r re fund its proceeds, although the warrant bad been wrongfully acquired by the person from whom they received it as a pledge.- This was perfectly iu ac cordance with the feeling of the mercantile commu nity, and the judgment was rendered still more satisfactory by a declaration from Chief Baron Pollock, that if any other view were to be adopted it would be impossible for business to be safely carried on. Upon a further hearing, moreover, be fore a full Court the bench re-affiantal the decision. It wAs tht,n, however, carried by appeal before the Court of Error, and here the judgment was reversed. The scandal of such contradictions having attracted great attention, it was apologAically represented that none of the judicial authorities were at vari ance, but that the difference betw. en the two de cisions bad been consequent upon the case having I been differently stared before the two Courts. The solicitors and counsel emeloy e d f ort h w i th proved that this allegat on was erroneous, and that all the points placed before the one Court had been equally submitted to the other. The fact that the confu.ion lay with the Courts themselves, and that considered i t ti me to the only mi ans of obtaining an absolute decla ra ti on of what the law really is would be by an app ea l to the House of Lords, having thus been established, the urge mercantile uutueG community the necessity of intro ducing a measure t hat would fr ee them for the future from the danger and uncertainty of such ruinous litigation, and at the same time fix the matter on a basis in conformity with the principles which had always b -en considered to prevail. Although nothing is more difficult than to induce Lend, action in in to move in a th b e o m dy er o c n ha a n n t y s and bankers su of Lrn subject, jeet, their this case was prompt and vigorous, and at one of the largest and most influential meeting s ever held a comieittee was appointed by a vote, to which there was only a single dissentient, to adopt the re quisite proceedings. Baron Rothschild, as member for London, occupied the chair, and heartily con curred in the resolutions. The next that is heard of the question is tkat the Government would be happy to promote an adkistment of the law, but that they have had no satisfactory evidence that the mercantile community entertain any general wish upon the subject. On the contrary, they knew that the "chairman of the meeting (Baron Rothschild) was himself opposed to the objects of it." A public and unequivocal statement then followed that this idea about Baron Rothschild was an entire mistake, of a piece with all the other discrepancies of the affair. Next comes a com munication from Mr. Freshfield, addressed to the Committee of Merchants deprecating any change in the existing law. This at all events seemed calculat ed to exercise a definite influence on opinion, since commercial men could Bow ascertain the views of one of the most eminent solicitors connected witn thn commercial practice of the city of London. But instead of promoting a solution, it was only a signal for new perplexities. Instantly on its appearance it was met by a full reply from Mr. Lavie, a gentle man who, like Mr. Freshfield, occupies one of the highest positions as a commercial authority in the metropolis, and who has for 30 years given especial attention to the state of the law in its bearing on analogous points. We have thus the whole matter brought to that peculiar degree of confusion unat tainable except where legal gentlemen are the ex pounding parties, and which forms a chapter for merchants and financiers almost as instructive as the proceedings to secure speedy and economical re lief Tor the unfortunate shareholders arid depositors of the Royal British Bank. —Times City Article. MARKET NEWS.—(rois vay.) CORN EXCHANGE. GENERAL AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN tor the week ended Feb. 19, 1856, made up from the Returns o; ti :e Inspectors in the differeat Cities and Towns in England and firths por Imperial Quarter. WIIEAT. EARLEY. OATS. RYE. I BEAKY. I " A " btia 51 1 44$ 111 1 23s 61 44s 41 39 3 61 393 7d THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGS. WEEIT. EARLEY. OATS. I EIS. B IAM. "A ' 58s 01 453 71 23s 5d 393 81 40i 41 39, , 6d Wheat, 100,932; Barley, 71,957 ; Oats, 17 662; QUANTITIES OF GRIN SOLD LAST WEEK. Reat Rye, 28 ; , 6,571; Peas, 1,749 quarters. MEAT MARKETS. NRWGATR AND LEADENHALL.—The trade generally ruled firm, at our quotations. Beef, from 38 4d to 4s-6d ; Mutton, 3s 6d to 4s 10,1; Veal, 4s 01 to 55 Od ; Pork, 3s 6d to bis 2d per Sibs, by the carcase. SOUTHALL, Feb. 18. —The supply of stock in to-day's market was only moderate, and the trade ruled steady, at full prices. Beef, from 3s 61 to 4s 101; Mutton, 4s Od to 5s 6d ; Veal, 44 4d to 5s 2d; Pork, 48 Od to 5s Od per 81bs, to sink the offal. ROMFORD, Feb. 18. —Sheep sold readily, on higher terms. Otherwise the demand was rather active. Beef. from 3s Gd to 5s Od ; Mutton, is 2d to 5s 8d ; Veal, 4s 2d to 5s 2d; Pcrk, 4s Od to 5s 01 per 81bs. HAY MARKETS. Surrurinn.—Meadow hay, 21 lOs to 4/ Os ; clover do., 31 10s to N 5s ; and straw, 11 48 to 1/ 98 per load. A moderate supply. CUMBERLAND. —Meadow hay, 2/ 12s to 41 4s ; clover do., 31 los to 5/ Os ; and straw, 1/ 5s to 11 103 per load, Trade steady. WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, 21 103 to 41 Os : clover do., 3/ 10s to 51 54 ; and straw, 1/ 4s to 11 98 per load. A fair demand. LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day.) LONDON, Feb. 19.—Wind this day at noon N.W.— Light breeze and hazy weather. PORTSMOUTH, Feb. 18.—Wind S.—Arrived—H.M.S. Cesar, from Lisbon; H. NI.S. Hawk, Sheerness. JERSEY, Feb. 17.—Wind S. — Arrived—Electra, from New Orleans. PETERHEAD, Feb. 17.—Win(l S.W.—Sailed—Alert, Commerce, Gem, and Pomona, for Greenland. CARDIFF, Feb. V.—Wind W. — Sailed—Peter Anonas, for St.. Thomas. QUEENSTOWN, Feb. 17.—Wind S.S.W.—Arrived— John Peile, from Iquique. MILL, Fab. 18.—Wind W.S.W. — Sailed—Diana (s.) and Sarah Elizabeth, for Greenland. RAMSGATE, Feb. 18.—The Merchant, from Shields, r o o e cks on tho night of for Almeira, put in here on the 13th inst., after being an shore on the Kentish Knock, and bas commenced dis charging. Ka.), from Rotter dam, t n ,ft l , h, v r i i c . , t . F c, a e mm b ileao l c ffk S . —ionnTtthhheee morning,lßvuasnhh and was brought fore ccmpartmont into Holy Island Haibour where she now lies on the bilged amidships and ol A d i p s o u r p tim o of ar the e fLI full t o e f rnpostwater, i s an g t o i n t e h , e t v. h , e at e e n r g i i n n e theatt grounl, and will other wise strained. ELSINORE, Feb. 16.—The Neptunns, of and from the cabin deck ; the vessel is Wismar, for Leith, which put in on the 10th inst., after being on shore al Falterstoe Reef, has b een surveyed, an d m ust discharge and repair. (PER ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) LIVERPOOL, Thuraday Morning. Wind N.W. Arriv d--Heroine, from Palermo ; Johanna, Lisbon ; Star of the West, Sicily ; William and Mary, Smyrna ; Deux Louit.,, Bordeaux; Laconia, Alexandria; Cambria, Milanssgenea, Living- Caen. t fo , r N Calcutta k;; Tyne, Rio Janeiro; Eleanor, Rio Grande do Sul. QUEENSTOWN, Feb. 17. Wind S.S.W. Arrived—ifartba Kay Jane Lacey, from Taganrog ; Elider, Trieste; _ elm Ire l, ; 'Au Sarah Scott, Taganrog. s t o S n A , ile bil d :bi C le h l mo°'' r r i a en ' DUBLIN, Feb. 18. Wind W. Arrived. —Caspar, from Antwerp. S D fi ll , n ir T e. E h L u E r G s d R a A y l , ll lO ) a . . Wind N. ( B SUBMARINE W .p.tdg AND GaTRt eAry ß eE n bs l b T E e Sailed, Feb. 19. Sm ear, for Ge n o a. DEAL, Thursday, 9.45 a.m. Wind N. W., light, and thick. Passed, Feb. 16.—Lady Bute, for Rangoon ; Flora, screw steamer, Oporto ; Dlarguulite, Bordeaux—all from Loudon • Koolgerpolder , f ro m Oberon, for Amsterda m ; English ' guidon, from London, for Moodor, STATE OF TURKEY. The following liter, of recent of date, from Con stantinople, may le found interesting. It contains extracts from a memorarrium or report adiresst.d to the French Government by a person who has an intimate personal knowledge of the places he de scribes, and who, for aught I know, may have been employed there on a special mi , sion. The letter in question is from a French source, which will sufficiently account for the manner in which the writer speaks of the important part France is called on to play in the East : " CONSTANTINOPLE, FEB. 9. " Nothing but complaints against Lord Redcliffe among the diplomatic corps! His impatient temper, his arrogant tone, and his constant interference with the internal affairs of Turkey ; the ascendant which he has acquired in the councils of the empire, and which he abuses to such a de gree as to impose on the Sultan •the choice of his High ness's Ministers—all these things aggravate the against him. The late war, we hear it said on all sides, was under taken with the object of relieving Turkey from the absorb ing pressure of Russia. The object was attained ; but has Turkey, though delivered from the Muscovite yoke, there fore recovered her independence and her liberty of action ? Has she not rather ch inged her protector and her tyrant ? The position which Prince Mensehikoff aimed at occupying in Constantinople, is it not the same now held by Lord Red cliffe ? Yes, it is indeed Lord Re,deliffe who reigns and go verns on the shores of the Bosphorus. It is through his in fluence that England has been enabled to turn to her own profit the advantages acquired to Turkey by her admission into tke European family, which was meant to be for the advantage of all. We have only to look at what passes in the States of the Sultan and in the Black Sea to be convinced of the fact. For many months back England has acted in that sea absolutely as if her intention was to esta blish herself there permanently, or at least to take possession of it at a future period. All the bays, all the ports, every corner and nook, have been visited and minutely inspected. The British flag has appeared in every part successively of the coasts of Asia Minor and Turkey in Europe, ou the sea board of Russia, and in the mouths of the Danube, and wherever it floats, England seems as if she, and she alone, were mistress. " In the meantime Constantinople has undergone an invasion of another kind. A crowd of English agents has flocked hither, ardent and indefatigable in the demand for concessions. Turkey -has been covered by them with industrial and commercial establishments which place her in complete dependence on Great Britain. The Turks are accustomed to see English ships of war everywhere, English shipbuilders and engineers, English capitalists and traders. Whether from weakness or calculation, the .Turkish Govern ment itself encourages this invasion of its territory, this absorption of its material resources. From this to complete submission there is but a step. Such is the languhge one hears in this city among the diplomatic corps, and such are the complaints frequently uttered. I have reason to believe that they:have formed the subject of a collective note addressed to certain Cabinets, and that they are the real cause of the departure for Paris of the First Secretary of the French Embassy. M. Thouvenel has, it is said, demanded fresh instructions from his Government. God forbid that I should undertake the defence of Lord Stratford do Red cliffe, or that I should attempt to justify his irrascible ratter and his more than haughty manners, which suit rather the minister of some Eastern despot than the repre sentative of a great nation like England. But, after all, are we really justified in reproaching him with his exertions to forward the interests of his country If those exertions affect other parties, they are all the more bound to redouble their efforts to establish their influence also. Nothing can be more just. But, to speak frankly, France has taken no part in the great enterprises which are destined to completely change the face of Turkey, and from which she may obtain immense advantages. Whe is in fault? Is it not to the apathy of her children that she owes it rather than to the in trigues of Lord Stratford ? The French in general are distinguished by a certain promptitude of mind and a power of initiation, but execution is not their strong point; in this they do not shine. They do not possess the spirit of association, nor the boldness nor 1 speculative genius of the English. They who are so brave, so brilliant in the field of battle, and who seem to derive fresh energy from the ardour of combat, are soon discouraged by the obstacles inherent in every great enter prise, and they no longer know how to advance. It is amusing to hear the French talk about these things. Ac cording to them their failures are attributable to foreign intrigues, and also to the want of support from their own Government. The French Government is invariably made responsible for every misfortune that occurs, and, according to them they are never sufficiently pro tected. Tho Government does nothing to support them against foreign competition, nothing to open new marts to their trade ; in a word, nothing •f what it ought to do. The French are, it appears, like the Pope, infallible by their nature; every one is blamed for their failures except themselves, who, in fairness, ought to bear exclusively the blame. As for me, who have been an eye witness of these things, I can assure you that the French Government is far from meriting these commonplace accu sations. On the contrary, it employs all its efforts to give the greatest possible development to its marine and its com merce, to extend its relations and its influence on every point of the globe; and nothing that can contribute to it escapes its attention. You have heard, for instance, of the French frigate the Sibylle goin g to M u s ca t an d the Persian Gulf. The Sibylle has orders to explore the whole of that gulf, and after leaving she will proceed, it is said, to the Red Sea. It appears that the Emperor intends to obtain from the Shah of Persia the concessions of divers points on the coasts of that Sovereign's States, and that negotiations have been already opened on that subject with the Persian Am bassador. These points are Bunder-Abbas and Mohammerah. Abbas, which is admirably situate to connect commercial operations with the Isle of Bourbon, is under the domination of the Imaum of Muscat. The Shah lets it to him at a yearly rent ; it will therefore be easy for the French Government to take his place on the same conditions. As to Mohammerah, it is in a position possessing im portance of a far different kind. Lying at the entrance of the Karun, which is navigable as far as Shuster, ono of .the most flourishing spots of the empire, tho little town of Mohammerah has drawn to itself all the advantages which Busserah formerly enjoyed, and that to which it owes those advantages is the application, unique in those countries, of free trade, What would it not become if it were in the hands of a great European nation ? It would be one of he most active and richest entrepols of the East, a new Ormuz, which would soon supplant Bagdad and Bussorah. It is not without reason that the French Goverumeut has turned its attention to that quarter. Its attention was principally at tracted by a memorandum, or report, addressed to it by a person who has traversed and profoundly studied Africa, and in which are indicated the points which it will be most useful to take and to occupy. here is au extract : " The bay from Diego Sauriez to Madagascar, a port near Jubb, Cape Guardafui, the entrance to the straits of Babelmaudeb, and a creek in the Red Sea near Massonah, in Abyssinia—such are the points which appear to me suit able to form the chain of our colonies in the western part of the Indian Ocean. The taking possession of them would not be attended with any great difficulty on the part of the natives. It would admirably promote the plan of con necting our colony of Bourbon with the isthmus of Suez by a line of steamers, The points indicated would furnish coal, iron, timber for shipbuilding, and provisions in abundance ; and they are, moreover, situate in a healthy cAimate. The Bay of Diego-Sauriez, independently of the advantages it offers to the extension of the French navy, would secure our line of defence. If we consider the situa tion of the Isle of Bourbon, it will be seen how exposed is that colony in its isolation. Bourbon, which is so distant from our possessions in India, which are so trifling in them selves, is everywhere surrounded by the English possessions: —Mauritius, the Cape, Mahe, and the Seychelles, and Port Natal. Bourbon is alone a n d di s t an t i n th e midst of these seas, which are under Indo-Britannic domination. It has not even a port to shelter our ships which go to Port Louis for repairs in sight of the British flag. The Treaties of ISI4 have reduced us to this humiliating ne cessity. It is urgent to remedy this state of things, and, in the meantime, to insure to our colony resources to make it respected, and at the same' time to our marine a harbour of refuge, in which it may repair its da mages under the protection of French batteries. The occupation of the Bay of Diego Sauriez would at once realise those conditions. But this would not be the only one; for that bay would become the entrepot of the trade of Western Africa ; it would be the point for our ships to touch at and take in provisions, and whither would come the Portuguese and Dutch ships as well as the American whalers. Another Singapore would arise in those places, which would be the centre of a colony, the development of which would be faci litated by the divisions in the island, and the impatience of the Suclavas under the Hova domination. The fertility of the Malagash territory, the exuberant vegetation of the soil, which produces all the tropical plants, the low price of manual labour, the character of the inhabitants, would tri umph over all difficulties which the colonial system en counters elsewhere. If an objection be founded en our unsuccessful attempts on the shores of Madagascar, it dis appears when we take into consideration the nature of the place. It was, in fact, on the eastern . side ef the island, between the 13;y of Astogil and Port Dauphin that France had her first establishments. Now the unhealthiness of these coasts contrasts with the climates of northern regions, to which all our naval medical men render the most satisfactory testimony. " With regard to the point which I have indicated at the entrance of the Red Sea its advantages are not less evident. In point of fact the Strait of Babelmandeb may be henceforth regarded as the principal port of the Indian Ocean. It is by that tho trade of Europe must pass when it shall resume the path of Suez. It is therefore of importance to maintain the freedom of that passage, and not to allow the keys of it to fall into the hands of England. Once posted at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf, nothing can pass without our permission. We may have the Gibraltar of the East, and we can, when we please, obstruct the communications of England with her In dian colonies. " As an entrepot the establishment now proposed would attract to it the trade of Cboa, of the Adds, and of the Gallas, which would descend by the llawash into the lake of Houssa, and would then be little more than 72 leagues from the sea. " The investigations carried on in Abyssinia and all the in formation furnished by the natives, demonstrate that the countries which approach the most southern sources of the Nile, even to the Indian Sea, are extremely rich in tropical products of every kind. There, at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon, known, though imperfectly, for a long time, is the real country of the plant which gives us coffee. It is there of a larger size and a finer growth, and its products ar superior to that of Yemen, which is so famous. There, also, is produced the plant known as the Kat, or Tchat, of which the leaves afford a tea which may one day surpass that of China. Rice, indigo, cotton, gums, spices, ivory, and dyeing woods abound, and supply material of easy and lucrative exportation, and all these pro ducts may be acquired at a price much inferior to what th ey cost in India. All these districts, the ports of Djedda, Mekha, Ho-- deida, comprised in Yemen, contain moire than 20,000,600 of ' j consu mers, with whom we should have to apprehend no other competition than that of the Arabs and the Bauians. At the I present moment that trade produces a movement of more than 80,000,000, of which the articles manufactured in Europe form the greatest part. Such a market would become ex- • tremely valuable after the opening of the Isthmus of Suez. 4 " It is then of the last importance to be beforehand with other nations, and to occupy positions which may enable us to maintain, with advantage and security, extensive com mercial relations. These positions would be of ex•reme im portance in the event of a war with England. They would furnish us with means of action more pressing against the Anglo-Indian Empire.' " You will perceive, then, from the foregoing extracts of the memorandum addressed to the French Government, that it is doing its best to find out new openings for its trade, that it neglects nothing that may develope and extend its power, and to introduce its influence into re gions the most remote and the least visited iu our days. If ,• it does not tucceed as it deserves it is because it is badly served by its people. The French are fond of home, they d' n ot like to quit it, or to emigrate to a distance. Moreov I they have not the spirit of enterpriso, the genius fQr epe ers 41116,. tion and adventure—if I may use the word—which charac terises the British people, and which render the latter so eminently suited for the establishment on their own soil as abroAd, of the most collossal undertakings. The French have many fine qualities, but they have not that; and in thq want of it lies the secret of their discomfiture at Constan tinople." PROBATE DUTY ON SCOTCH MARRIAGE SETTLEMENTS. (From the Daily News The Lord Chancellor informed the House of Lords, the other night, that he was in consultation with the Lord-Advocate as to the mode in which a will proved in England was to be deemed a good will in any court in Scotland. If his lordship does not succeed in coming to some agteeineut with the Lord-Advocate on this point, he will certainly fail in accomplishing one great object of any reform of the Ecclesiastical Cour s. It is clear that, when a will has once been proved to be the true will of a deceased person, it ought, without further proof, to be admit'ed as the true will in every court throughout the British Empire. It may bethought by some persons that such a law would confer no great benefit upon the community, but this is cer tainly not so. lf, according to the law as it stands at present, a man dies holding shares in the North- Western Railway, in . the North-Eastern Railway, and in the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, he is in a rad predicament. His w.ll must be proved in London,• it must be proved at York, it mist be proved in Scotland, or, a 3 the Scotch lawyers say, Confirmation must be obtained in Scotland. Thus, though there may beeno manner of dispute on the question,. the same document must be proved to be the genuine will of the deceased in throe different places. The expense must be trebled—and all for nothing, except in order that certain proctors may derive a pecuniary benefit at the expense of other people. This is obviously absurd—so absurd that there are in fact clauses in some railway acts which permit the shares of a deceased holder to be trane forted on a probate in any province being obtained. As we have observed, it is essential that probate of a will obtained once should be good over the whole British empire. As an illustration of the gross injus'ice which may be 'perpetrated by the present law, we beg the attention of our readers to a letter which appears in another column, and which not only admirably illustrates the hardship of thie di vided jurisdiction over Wills, but exhibits in a very striking way the flexibility of Crown lawyers when they are called upon to support their own opinii n against the interests of the revenue. It seems that in this case—and it is one which affects almost every Scotchman, certainly every Scotchman who has his marriage settlement drawn in the common form—the Lord Advocate, after advising that uo probate duty ought to be paid, recanted that opinien and declared that it was a case which ought to be tried in a court of law. And it seems to have been in'imated, that if the case were tried and cl - cided against the crown, it would be carried to the House of Lords. If the persons interested in the property of the deceased had been foolhardy enough to contest the matter, they would have been com pelled to bring two actions one in Scotland, another in England if -and then to have appealed in each case to the House of Lords. Such a state of things is surely a scandal upon our law, and we trust that in the future debate upon the Testamen tary Jurisdiction Bill this case will not be forgotten. For years it seems that the legacy duty on Scotch settlements was illegally demanded by the Crown officers and paid, until the House of Lords put a stop to the claim • and it seems probable that un less some one has courage to carry a case to the House of Lords with reference to Probate Duty, the same illegal demand will be successfully made upon the unfortunate wives and children of those deceased husbands who have had the misfortune to be married in Scotland, and to be afiliced by a Scotch marriage settlement Probably Mr. Collier, or some other practical law reformer, may succeed in putting this. matter to rights. The following is the letter above alluded to : Sir, —The reform of the Ecclesiastical Courts is once more b9fore the public, and the Chancellor has gallantly undertaken again to mount the breach from which ho bas been so often repulsed. That these courts need reform seems to be universally admitted. But perhaps you will allow me to state the facts of a case which came within iy own expe rience, and which seems to show the injustice of the present system as strongly as anything can. A man died in England, having been married in Scot land. His marriage settlement was in the Scotch form. According to this settlement, which was drawn in the ordinary way, he bad reserved to himself absolute power over his property during his life, but after his death all the property of which* he was possessed was given to his wife dur ing her life, and after her death it was to he distributed as he might direct by his wilt amongst his children. He made a will and divided Lis pi.o perty in certain proportions among his children. This will it became necessary to prove. His pro perty was chiefly personalty, consisting of shares in the funds and in various railway companies—some in the province of Canterbury, some in the pro vince of York, and some in Scotland. The con sequence of this state of things was that the will had to be proved .in three places—iu London, in York, and in Scotland. There w ere, therefore, three different min of business to be employed and three different bills of costs. The accounts, which were somewhat complicated, had to be passed twic2.— once in London, at Somerset-house, and again in Edinburgh. The expense was therefore doubled, and as a man of business had to lie employed at York, an addition was made on that account, This was b d enough, but it was not the worst. For years the people of Scotland had been mulcted of a considerable sum of money by being compelled to pay legacy duty on money p . .ssing under Scotch marriage settlements ; but this was seme time ago set right by a decision of the House of Loids. Legacy duty is no longer ha; able. But probae duty is still demanded, and is sill paid. The per sons interested in the case to wideh we now refer, having obtained the oidniou of counsel, were satis fied tha s , as legacy duty was not ' , arable, probate duty ought not to be peid ; or, at all events, if pro bate duty were paid in the first ii stance, the coun sel advised that it ought to be returned, on the ground that the property was hound by the mar riage settlement—which is not a testamentary in strutnent, hut a deed inter vivos. In short the coun sel dec'ared that ti.e stipulation in the marriage settlement amounted to a covenant, and therefore that the sum to ba di‘tribmed under its provisions amounted to a debt. This is, perhaps, too technical for lay readers, but the point will be readily under stood by lawyers. This opini , ,n was laid before the officials. They were not satisfied. A cm) was laid before two Scotch coumel—one of them being the Lord Advocate Moncreiff. He gave it as his clear opinion that probate duty ought to be returned. This opinion was laid before the Government offi cials. What did they do ? They lain a case them selves before the same Lord Advocate Moncreiff and the Solicitor-General Maitland. Will it be be lieved that the Lord Advocate recanted his opinion, and declared that although the case in the House of Lords seemed to support the view of the recal citrant subject, still that the case ought to be tried? The Lord Advocate, however, upon being told how hard it was that he should give two con tradictory opinions, and that the unfortunate subject should be obliged to settle the law, de clare' that he had thought of recommending the Government to pay all the legal expenses. The officials at Somerset-house, however, s•Luck to the written opinion of the Scotch law officers, and still refused to return the probate duty. Interviews took place between the patties interested and these officials, but without success. They admitted that it was a very hard case, and well they might, for in order to obtain their right the persons interested in the property would have had to take two proceed ings, one in England, another in Scotland, to try the very same que,tion, and they would have had to try two appeals to the House of Lords. Can anything be more absurd ? Of course no man in his senses would for 100/. undertake such a cam paign as this, although it is pretty clear that if the case had been tried it must have been decided against the Crown. Nov here we have a case in which a poor man is obligedto prove a will three times, and ti en to bring two actions—which, according to the opinion of the Crown, ought to succeed—and then to have two appeals to the House of Lords. Nothing more is necessary to show the absolute necessity of making one probate of a will good over the United King dom ; and if the Lord Chancellor doss not come to some such arrangement as this in his conference with the Lord Advocate, his bill to reform the tes tamentary jurisdiction will be worse of n e a u e se s l e ess it . If anything can add to the hardshipf h may be found in the fact that even if th e unfert, u ,nate subject had succeeded in the House of Lords, ..and in all the inferior courts, he would have got mao costs. I hope, sir, that you will allow the simple facts of a genuine case to be placed before the public — especially as it nearly concerns almo - 4 every married 'man in Scotland , or ) at all events, his family alter Ids death. According to accounts from Rome, the next Con :Ist.my is to be h e ld on some day between the 1 5 th_ ,Ilcl 20th of March, and :,even Frenc h prelates wil l preeobised at it. The bull for the installation of the new Archbishops of Paris, To urs, and Ntliplieizveet,hiotseispsrtealtaetd:aiitioFtarkaence in sufficient time_ kein wore Eater, possess ion of the= EAn,wiTs. Not.ng. Bost. & Eastn. June. Belfast & Ballymena Birmng. Wolvorh. & Stour Valley Birkenhd. Lancsh. dr Cheshire Junct Blackburn Blyth & Tyne original £25 (iss. at £45) 1 Bristol &Ex eter Caledonian. Chester & Holyhead Cork and Bandon Cork, Black. & Pass Cornwall De. A Do. B Dublin&BelfastJunc Dun. P. &A.ber•Junc East Anglian . Eastern Counties Easterntinion,A. stk Do., do. B. Do. New East Kent East Lancashire East Suffolk all all all all Do. Edinburgh & Glasgow Edinb. and Peebles Eclinb.Prth. &Dundee Forth and Clyde June. Furness Glasgow & S. We :;ern Great N. of Seol,', , ,nd ,Great Northern ... Do., A. Stock Do,, B. Stock IGt. Sth. &West. (Ire.) Great Western. Do. Str. V . . gna. St Irish South-Eastern.l Lancaster &Carlisle. Do., Thirds Do. New Thirds Lancash. &Yorkshire Do:, do. F. £l6 Do., Wst. Riding Un Do. Southport. London & Blackvrall I Lond.Bright.&S.Cst. London & N. Western Do. Fifths Do. ,101. 5h.,M&8...0 Do. Eighths London di S.Westernr Lndndrry.&Coleraine: Lndndrry. & Ennis' Manch.SheE&Line , • Motropol itan Do. J. L. Ricarelo's arrangement Midland Do. Birming. & Derby Midland 0. West. (Ir. ) Do. Shares Newcastle & Carlisle.. Newpt.Aberg.&llrfd. Newry & Enniskillen Newry, Warrenpoint & Rc-trevor N0rf01k...... ..... Northn. Counties Un North British North Devon, Rail. & ,Dock Stock Do., A Stock ......... I Do., B Stock ......... N. Eastern Berwick IDo. do. Extension ... Do do. G.N.E.Purch Do Leeds Do. York North London ..... N. & S. Wstn., Ham?. stead, and City Jn.. North Staffordshire.. North Western........ N. & S. Westrn. Juno. Oxford Worcester & Wolverhampton Portsmouth • Rhymney Scottish Central Scot. N. E. Abrdn. St Shropshire Union Sitingbourne &Sheer South Devon South Eastern Do. .q per c. Shares South Wales 18. Yorksh. River Dun Do Staines,Wok.,StWok.l Stockton at Darling.. Do. do., 1854 Do : do., 1855 _ gtockton & Hartlepl, Taff Vale Do. Pref., No. 1..... Thames Hay. D. &R. Vale of Neath .. Watered. di Kilkenny Waterford&Limerick West Cornwall West End of London and Crystal Palace Do. A. Do. B West London Do. First Class Do. Second Claes... Wmbledon &Croydon 661 6 124 112/ 681 i I 109 108 71 fl. 4 21 i 105 a xd BRITISH P, all 10 100' 1100 2sfid lOs ' all all all all Atlan. and St. Law. Bombay, Baroda, and Cou.lnd,guar. 5 p. c. lea to I 994# 831 1 42i i 63i 281 8 26i 7 50 Do. Buffalo di Lake Hur. Buff., Brut. &Go eh. 6 p.c.bds., 1 Aug.,'72 Do. do., 1 July, '73 Do. do., 1 June, '74 Calcutta and S. ast. l Ceitral Oude (Lirn.) l Ceylon A shares Do. B. do Demerara . Eastern Bengal East Indian Do. C Shares Do.4i p.e.Buds.,'s7 Do. do. do., '59, do. Geelong & Melbourne guar. 5 per cent Gd. Trunk. of Canada Do. 6 p c. Deben Gt. In. Pen. g. 5 per c Do. New. guar. 5 p.c. Gt. Wostn. of Canada Do. Ne 25j i 11 i 99i Do. Bds., payable '57 Do. do., 76, p. '60... Do. do., '73, do. Do. do., '73, without option Madras, guar. 4i p.c Do. do., 5 per c. Do. 4.4 p. c. Eaten. Do. 3d Ex., g. sp.c. Do. 4th Ex., do. Oude (Limited) Scinde, guar. 5 per c 100 100 all 100 all 100 25 51 25 12. 12 20 54 6 6 1 to St. 100 100 'OO 100 all 26 13 20' St. 20 12i 25 20 St. Do 1.0. q all 100 100 ICO 109 34 1C) 100 611 100 100 10) all all all 100 all 100 100 all all LAW INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.) COURT OF BANKRUPTCY. (Before Mr. CommiBeioner Holroyd.) THE ROYAL BRITISH BAN/C.-FURTHER ADJOURNMENT OF THE EXAMINATION OF THE DIRECTORS. To-day was appointed, by a dj)urnment, for the last examination of those directors who represented the Bank under the bankruptcy. Very few persons were present, as it was well known that 83 no account had been filed the proceedings would be pro fauna, and that a further adjournment must take place. Mr. Linklater applied for an adjournment, and ex pressed a hope that after the decision of the Lords Jus tices yesterday, refusing to grant an appeal against their judgment confirming the adjudication in bankruptcy, further litigation would end, and he expressed his belief that before the next meeting, in fact in a few days, that a reasonable and satisfactory compromise would be effected between the shareholders and other parties interested, so as to prevent any further baraising pro oeedings. Mr. Lawrence expressed the same hope and belief, and it was agreed that the meeting should be adjourned till the 30. h April next, before which time the account would be filed. A discussion arose with respect to a debt which had been assigned since the bankruptcy, but as all the parties were not before the Court, the case was adjourned. Mr. Linklater said as the assignees were in no way interested in the matter, it was only a question who were entitled to the dividend. - SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 19 1857, LITERATURE. llistoire du Due de Wellington. Par A. Brial.; moot. Tome Premier. Bruxelles :E. Guyot et Stapleaux, File. Paris : Charles Tanera. Lon. don : Dulau and Company. A very remarkable work is here commenced. A biography, of Arthur Wellesley—emphatically the Duke of Wellington—written by one neither on. the side of the victor s nor on the side of the eau. quished The author, we miry briefly mention at once, is an officer in the 'Belgian army, Captain A. Brialmont--a writer professionally as well as iota.. lectually qualified for the task of narrating-the history of one of the most extraordinary Generals of modern times. In the course of his scholarly and, soldiery Preface, Captain Brialmont observes that ' the object which ought constantly to be kept is view by every_ man of letters undertaking to in... struct the community through his productign s . may be simply and i.en.tentionaly expressed as fol., lows—truth in the details, impartiality in the ductions--" la verity dans les faits et l'impartielite dans les jugPments." The comp re h ens i ve volume,. now substantially beforeus, the inaugurative moiety, of Brialmont's " Histoire du Due do Wellington," sufficiently attests the conscientious zeal with which . its laborious and enterprising writer has endea-i voured throughout to realise this noble design in . his self-assumed capacity as a historical biographer. He explains, we cannot but think quite unanswer, ably, the fact of the hiatus his ambitious narrative is intended to fill up. Reminding hi s reader to this end, that hitherto the career of the Great Duke' has been penned for the most part, either by de- - preciators or by panegyrists. The English bio graphers almost invariably viewing the life and actions of their hero from a single point of view,--e while the French biographers, of the same remark.: able min, have almost as invariably written of him in a manner the most unsatisfactory, either from its bias or from its incompleteness. If we may adopt a metaphor expressive of the want hitherto existing in this particular branch of historical lore, and its supply at last in the literary performance of Cap tain A. Brialmont, if we may adopt a metaphor iilu-trative of this from the beautiful optical theory of the stereoscope, we would say that a binocular view of t u be Duke of Wellingten was needed t o "b r i ng out the wand heroic figure in full relief before the "mind's eyes"—so that it might stand forth clealy, distinctly, solidly, Hui stantially to the be holdzeti imagination. To effect which most effec tually, we have only, of course (as the lovely con ttivanca of Wheatstone has recently taught the world), to look at any object simultaneously on both sides ! Thia, at least, Captain Brialmont enables the student of History t 3 do in regard to the Duke cf Wellington. His historico-biographical perform ance, in point of fact, placing the image of the Duke, as it were, under the double focus of what may be called the Stereoscope of Literature. • There—consequently —appears before us, vividly as he was, the Great Land Captain of Great Bri tain, as vividly as her Great Sea Captain had been revealed to observation, by the earlier and more compact view of him through Dr. Southey's exquisite biography-in-miniature. The introduc tory volume before us, extending to upwards of 480 large octavo pages, carries the narrative of the Duke's Life down to the close of the Fourth Campaign in • Portugal, the campaign of 1811, the memorable . campaign emblazoning upon the pages of history, in indelible characters of blood and flame, the 'Me mory of the siege of Badajoz, of the battle of Albuera, and of the storming and capture of Ciu dad Rodrigo .As we close the first volume, our minds are absorbed in the contemplation of the dread disasters about to result from Napoleon's gigantic preparations for the conquest of Russi‘ The work is admirably " got up," well printed, pro- • fusely embellished with maps and plans, and adorned. • with effigies of Wellington, after Sir Thomas Law rence, and of Napoleon, after Paul Delaroche. The ingenious biographer has wisely availed himself of all the scattered lights that could possibly be con centrated upon the one prominent figure upon his - canvass, that of the theme of his narrative, Arthur Prince of Waterloo and Duke of Wellington. He has consulted alike the "Lives" of the Great Duke already given to the world by Maxwell, and S.herer, and Clarke, and Elliot, and Scutt, and Jackson, and Vieusseux, and Macfarlane, and Stocqueler, and last, but not least, "un publicists du Times," evidently a mystery to Captain Brialrnont, but the mask of whose " ano nyme," snatched off, shows to us what ought to have been the face of Napier, but what was the face of Macaulay ! Due regard is also hal by Captain Brialmont to such authorities as Nicholls, Malcolm, Harris, Welsch, Wellesley, Napier, Foy, Jomirn, Sachet, Napoleon himself, his brother King Joseph, and numerous other writers, several of whom we observe are not mentioned, such for example as the late gallant and accomplished- Charles William, Marquess of Londonderry. A more accu rate idea of the work before us may be arrived at, of course, when in the fulness of time we may hap pily witness its completion, by the pen of Captain Brialmont. Even now, however , we may speak of it co , fiiently without overmuch rashness. For, with the 600 and odd pages actually in our hands, we cannot be deemed t o b e es ti ma ti ng t h e work, merely ex pede Herculern. It is, at the very least the Colossal Torso—wanting only the addition . of the feet, and the arms, and the head to stand before us—as we yet hope to see it stand before ui—com plee in bulk and in symmetry. The North British Review. A thoughtful and suggestive article on " The Employment cf Women" is followed by a some what " fat" and dogmatic deliverance on "Modern Sa,yle," presenting numerous disagreeable truths, and, as many will say, not a few questionable dicta. How ftr the writer's obedience to his own canon on the Essay has extended, is the present instance, we leave tile reader to determine. A sketch of the career of Dr. Samuel Brown, in which are set forth the salient features of the remarkable nature and character of this deceased Scottish savant, succeeds, and will be perused with interest. " Dr. None's Arctic Explorations" are justly deemed worthy of a po;,ular abstract, giving the reader an idea of thy dangers the expedition encountere,i, the scenes it passed through ' and the information stored by the adventurous doctor in relation to the various , nomadic tribes he fell in with by the way. "Mrs. Browning's Poems" are the subject of a candid and d:scriminating critique, in which their beau ties and faults are fairly eliminated. " Casa Guido Windows" is pronounced her bappiest performance. " Hook=r s Works" are handled in a manner to which that " j edieious" divin e would, things considered, probably have taken little excep tion. A paper on " Art Unions" is follow e d b y a lengthy article on " The Trade in Opium," which meets with unmitigated condemnation. " Only take the poppy out of this world wide field," says the sanguine writer, " and we shall all fare the better China, England, and America." Again, " Let the facts, as far as they can be ascertained, be perseveringly brought before the British public, and the issue, s ioner or later, will be the extinction of the British opium trade with China." A survey of " United States' Poli tics, Foreign and Domestic," concludes the num ber. The writer looks gloomily ou the domestio policy of the States, but anticipates, as wo have from the first, despite all Ostend manifestoes, the preserva tion of commerce and friendly intercourse b e t we en the United States and his country. The Law _Magazine and Law Revietv.—The num ber for February is more entertaining than som e of its predecessors, if it does not contain more bienepFusrbualrnieeet Service." , 6 icsajc perhapse . a o f (c l i e tus n e d hi e tns r g s 'i n France " "Letters of James Boswell live able articles. „ A nmec o o n i g ioo t t h io e n i s no o s f t th n e ot lN ic i e n a n t , s i t e er o ß f its n i may i a d e t a ll )1 Th e reader nll 1 ,i sleeping Statute;,' "Testamentary Courts'" "Domestic Law and Legislation," and , ".Consoli tdhaetsien, `Juvenile h e :rj a O w fre a . deserving of most genet al attent drawn of the treatment of theseattention. A fenders, which the reader will be rducklut toacceptas P a ie f t a ll i r thf e n is i. representation of the I te rested in the reformatory' To movement, we would recommend a perusal o f th e pap 's er ; suchnot a s asaarne antago nistic nistic to refortuatorieq but as showing some of the dangers ',heir T romoter's will have to provide against. A int n e o g t r i i e t ß y . ofof that‘.‘' T judge. The late Lord Chief justice J ervis" does am p l e jrnitce to the great ability and high Enniirnalbi:cyPulm an a ged CANTERBURY HALL.—Mr. C. Morton's annual ball Although the took place last evening, and the attendance was much PmaennYc be gan e d greater than might have been anticipated. Thre couli not have been lass th.ox 1,000 time the sple ndid perroncsk p a re n s c ;3n d t a . ne T . be corn. that not ' the Corn. 8 awppearance. Alth, ball prec to ise 7 a rn to b t, : e e n a ,: presented a very b!ill ti n t t'l nearly twel ve annul un i 1 e c ock the company kept arrangements were w as occasioned to the I least inconveniencene o,eic, ck a splendid votaries of 1 Terpsichore. A r t ° e of the season , 1 supper, consist ! in of every ee Ica 9 f was served, and after had partaken o refre shment , ' te oompanY dancing was rebcommenced and kept up with unabated vigour until six o'clock in the morning. The assembly had of a more the appearance of a private family party than that public ball, and every one went away highly satisfied with their night's amusement, and wishing Mr. Morton every sues cog at his next annual ball. A letter 'dated Weimar, 10th , has been received in Paris from Liszt, the pianist, i n w h.ich be speaks a good deal of music, but not a single word of any intention of ; bkcowing a monk, It may therefore be presumed that ;the story given in the German jourm,ls of his having entered the order of the Franciscans is without any i foundation,