Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-01 00:00:00

A POPULAR HISTORY OF T HE . WORKING CLASSES. THEIR RISE AND PROGRESS-SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ; FROM THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD DOWN TO TiiL4 PRESENT DAY. (Addressed to the Working Classes themselves.) PART FIRST. INTRODUCTORY• WHEN a man rises in the world, as it is phrased —when he displays some kind of power whi c h, either for good or evil, cannot be indifferent to society —there grows up an irresistible desire to know who he is, whence he came, from whom , he springs,—in a word, the circumstances of his past history, as a key to the circumstances of his pre sent history. The same thing may be said of classes. Classes rise in the world just as individuals do. There are periods in history when they do not exist— periods when they are barely visible, and too insignificant to be otherwise than incidentally and accidentally alluded to : other periodS when they begin to become distinct, and to be eared for with a rode protection : then to pass on to a state where self-protection begins to act, and they demand, as of right, a more precise and formal protection : then to think not only of protection, but of rights : and at length to be acknowledged as a distinct and important body in the State. Having reached this period, we naturally desire to know whence they spring —under what condi tions they have existed—the obstructions they have had to encounter, and the causes which have favoured their actual development. Retrospects of this kind are not - matters of mere intellectual curiosity or literary research• They are, or ought to be, profound. Investigations, pregnant with great results. They carry us back into the past, in which we find the levers and leverage which have produced the present. They account to us not only for that which is, but by giving ,a correct appreciation of the process by which it became what it is, they may furnish us with no unimportant clue to that which will be. " In the past," as has been well observed by a Germa,n. writer, " hangs the prophet's glass." It is there we read the foreshadowings of things to come. It is there we see the vast array of human actions and opinions ; aud, ever and anon, of human motives marshalled, and on the march; that we mix with the councils, and force ourselves into the confidence of its leaders; that we mingle with the different ranks, learn to comprehend their signals and watchwords ; to measure the unity or diversity of their views; to detect the causes'of their actual, or eventful digorganisation;; and thus, by a survey and deep insight into the past, to be enabled to calculate, slightly, it may b e but approximately, the future com'Anations, or dislocations, of the mighty, wavering, unsteady, but ever moving and progressive mass. Yes, it is , only by reviewing the interval between the present, and any given point of the past, that we •can see Ideas and Actions on the march ; that we can measure their advance, and get an insight, if insight be possible, into the laws and discipline, .and probable operation and capacity of that progress, which is the Divinest characteristic of social man. In attempting to write a History of the Working 'Classes, I serve a purpose of this kind, but, unhappily, must serve it in a very inefficient manner. For the history of this class, though it extends back to a very remote date, yet _extends back so dimly and irregularly, is the result of such mere partial, incomplete, and fortuitous allusions, in laws and records, that nothing but the most meagre outlines and scanty details can be supplied. Nevertheless, enough can be collected to give the -subject some interest, and some value, as illustrating that law of development which is ever at work, and encouraging what all of us should possess, an implicit faith in the trans forming power of time. CHAPTER FIRST. THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD, AND THE STATE OF VILLAINAGE.-RUSTIC SLAVES.-TIIE DIGNITY OF LABOUR CONSIDERED.-REFLECTIONS ON SLAVERY. When I allude to such periods in English History as the Roman Period, the Anglo-Saxon Period, and the Norman Conquest, I presume my readers to know to what I refer. I presume them to know that England was conquered by Julius Caesar about the year 45 8.C., and that it remained under the Roman sway until about the, year 449 of our Era ; that a northern people, called the Saxons, then invaded the country, dispersing the native Britons, driving some into Wales and Cornwall, and others into that part of France now known as Brittany ; and that the duration of their sway, which continued until it was overthrown by William the Conqueror inlo6x&,—constitutes a very important part of our .history, known as the Anglo-Saxon Period. The conquest by William and his Normans is entitled, as you know, the Norman Conquest. This is the great event of our history. From that period to the present, England _has possessed a regular, and, for the most part, a strong Government, and its political and social condition has developed undisturbed by any external interruption. Of the Eoman Period it will be unnecessary to say anything. The Britain% though they had made some advances in civilisation, are too rude to claim our atte n ti on , an d too imperfectly described to satisfy our curiosity. The Axiglo-Saxon Period is better known. In it were laid the foundations of many of our most valuable institutions, — . rudely laid, it is true, amidst vast barbarism,—the mere rudiments of our present civilisation, but still important enough to claim for the period the privilege of a distinct notice. It is of this period I shall now write. I cannot better point out to you the immense distinction between those times and our own, than by this one fact, that two-thirds of the nation were in a state of abject slavery. The ranks of society were at that tim e —Fi rs t, th e THANES, who were the only n o bili ty o f the Saxons. These compre hended-all the considerable landholders of Eng land, from whom were chosen the chief officers, whether civil or military, in times of war following their kings to the field, and in times of peace living on their estates, which they divided into in-lands and out-lands, the former being under cultivation by the hands of their slaves, the latter let to the next in rank, the Ceorls, or yeomen, at a fixed rent. These CEORLS fo rme d the second' class. They were, in general, husbandmen, but might pursue any occupation, whether Law, the Church, Mili tary Adventure, or Trado ; and cases were not wanting where they became Thanes. The class next to these were the FREDAZINS or Freed-men, Who hed been slaves, but who had purchased, or in some way or other acquired, their freedom, and who existed in a kind of middle condition between slaves and yeomen, forming a considerable Proportion of the inhabitants of towns and cities during that period. But the great mass of the population was com posed of slaves, with the excepti on o f th e c l erg y, Who were in those days expert workmen in various crafts. All the mechanics and all the labowers to this clas. They were, in the most complete sense of r 4 ene word, slaves. They were belone.ed the ProPel, a Master as Much as any of his chattels.. ...40 laws of those times tell us that the master rail the same right to his slaves. as t o his cats e. There is reason to believe, moreover, 'atop might be even substituted for cattle. "Let every man," says a Saxon law, " know his own team of men, of horses, and oxen." -It has been customary, on occasions, with many of the mechanic class, to be a little angry with the introduction of machinery. A horse and . an ox are machines, substituting manual labour as much as a steam-engine, with this inconvenience, that they are living machines, requiring to be fed with or from what would feed men. Yet none of these, I suspect, would - sigh for the " good old times," when even such living machines as the horse and the ox being deficient, our ancestors were literally harnessed to the plough ! Not that I feel, as perhaps many of my readers may do at hearing this, that they were degraded by this species of labour, for I cannot conceive that any necessary labour can degrade ; nor can I admit, in estimat ing the respectability of labour, that it ought' to signify one jot whether a man more employs this sense or that sense, this set of muscles or that. I do not pity the Saxon peasant, therefore, in that, for lack of cattle, being harnessed to the plough, he was degraded, but because he was exposed to an useless toil, which could have been done better for him. The toil would have been honourable had it been indispensable. It was dishonourable on account of the lack of knowledge and enter prise which made it indispensable, and forced him to an unnecessary drudgery, which prevented him from applying his strength in some less onerous, but more efficient, and therefore more honourable way. Thus it is that the introduction of machi nery must be, in the long run, the means of raising men from heavy and unnecessary drudgery; and whatever inconvenience may for .the moMent be caused through - its uses, arises simply from'the want of capacity or feeling in society to provide a remedy for the temporary evil as it springs up. "It is no Utopian dream which . leads as to im igine that machinery might eventually -become, in a great degree, a substitute for li6our,—,and that a time might at length arrive, execrable to the labour-value tenets of our political economists, but blessed in the opinion of every unprejudicial politician, when a reasonable time set apart for work would be sufficient to supply the- labourer with plenty of all things, when spare hours would be afforded for other purposes of life, and the operative would have the opportunity of becoming something more than a working m an ." (1) Bat lugh our Anglo-Saxon , forefathers were not degraded by being attached to the plough, they were very shockingly degraded in being subject, at the will of their masters, to brands and blows. They might be whipped or branded— they might be slain with impunity—by their masters. They could, many of- them, be sold es slaves,twith simply this restriction, that if a slave Was a Christian, he was not to be sold to a Jew or a Pagan ' or if a native, he wa s not to be sold 'beyond the sea. They weo bequeathed by will, • like any other property. An Archbishop, for instance, leaves, as a legacy to an Abbey, some land, ten' ()ken, and twelve men ! Wynifred, a lady of property, bequeaths different slaves to different persons. Thus to one, named. Eadgyfer, she leaves Alsifiiger;the cook—no mean legacy, if she were really a good cook • and Tell, th e daughter of Aydiner, do u btl ess the house•or dairy maid, and so on. The rustic slaves, or, as they were termed, " villiens," a word which has become a term of reproach, but which then, simply indicated what is now expressed by the word peasant, had this advantage, 'that, like the Russian serfs of the present day, they were annexed to 'the soil, and could only be transferred together with it. (2) In this respect, the most frightful feature of slavery, that which dislocates the dearest ties of life, and tears the wife or child from the husband or the parent side, was happily absent. There was another compensation, and a vast one, but too much overlooked when We are passing severe and, I fear, often pharisaical censures upon the state of slavery, The compensation in question was really a great one, and it would•be well for the wisdom and charity of a nation, which plumes itself upon being one of.'the wisest and most charitable of modern nations, were it to adopt this compensation on a more liberal scale than it does. Though the Villien was a slave fixed to the soil, and apparently the 'mere sport of a capricious taak-master, he had rights, very great rights —many or my readers may think very enviable rights. 'For, as has been Justly observed, although he was the property of fhe proprietor of the soil, yet the owner was bound to support him both in sicknesacnd health, or whenever he could not by his labour support himself. The master or owner of the soil, could no more get rid of the serf, than the serf could leave the man or ; in fact, the soil was as :much the Villein's, as the Villein' was the property of the soil. It was so far his property, inasmuch as' though he was bound to occupy, cultivate,. and reap the l an d, ye t f or such services the laud 'tete, bound, by its possessor, to afford him, in sickness, in youth and old are, a certain mainten ance . Thi s may b e sa i d to form the one sweet •drop in the cup of slavery, the cheering perspective-in the dreary course of abject toil. Most of you may have read of the condition of the superanuated slave labourer, and all of you must have looked upon the condition of the superanuated free labourer : the comparison to me, I must confess, :is not always in favour of the latter. Nor can I tolerate any state, however free, giving itself haughty airs, when it speaks of slavery, as long as it continues to be inferior to slavery in one respect, —as long as it does not furnish, as its first duty, an ample and cheerful provision for its superanuated children of toil. Nevertheless servitude, under ifs best aspect, is a wretched thing the moment the bondsman begins to sigh for something beyond slavery. Thi s , w i t h our Saxon ancest ors we know, was often:the case. In some Saxon ,dialogues, which have come down to us, in which persons of different crafts are supposed to be speaking., the ploughman speaks thus :—" I labour much ; I go at daybreak, urging the oxen to the field, and I yoke them to the plough. It is not yet so stark winter that I dare keep close at home for fear of my Lord; but the oxen being yoked, and the share and the coulther tethered on, I ought to plough every day an entire field or more. I have a boy to threaten the oxen with a goad, who is now hoarse through cold and bawling. I ought to fill the banns of the oxen also, and water them, and carry out their soil. This is a great labour," he pathetically concludes, "because I am not free." Alas, poor Saxon ploughman ! it was indeed a great labour the moment you began to feel you were not free. Had you been free, yeti would no have wished the stark winter to have rime thatt you might rest lazily at home. He that is lazy and inactive, lacks an element of vigour that will be found in most men that are free, and all that deserve to be so. Industry among free meu is an obligation imposed by self respect. Save, there fore, the case of the sluggard, who is by nature a bondsman, every freeman has a stimulus to industry, unknown to the slave. (1) Jenning's Social Delusions, 1856. (2) The condition of the Russian serf is thus described by a late writer. "A. Russian peasant," he says, " has nothing that can stimulate him to the pursuit of knowledp. He sees himself fixed to a particular spot from which he can have no hope of removing ; and, surrounded with beings, ignorant and brutish as himself. His industry, if he has any, is strictly and peimauently appropriated. If he has a wife and children, these also_ are but, partially his own : his master may command their services wherever and in whatever manner he pleases. He is hardly permitted to stir from his hut without his master's leave ; nor can he earn a single morsel of bread without his permission. In a word, a Russian peasant depends upon his master for everything. He cannot, it is true, be sent out of the world without the forms of law ; but by the negative which every master possesses against th e marr i age of his Pe 6 P - ba, he may be prevented from coming irito it." The present Emperor Alexander, it is gra tif y i ng t 9 learn, is about 9,rrangements to &Tent the serfs their freedom. w, the eroom, .LEN; -10 the; 7, and yellow nploy ?ly to N the , room, tINCE, 10ths 1 Bay, id put Ties a UNN, THE NORTHERN TIMES SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1859. MONETARY AND - COMMERCIAL.- LIVERPOOL,• Friday Evening. When the present year opened, we .were just recovering from a commercial panic . which had ' swept over the - world. Confidence was -far from being •restored, and' fears were entertained that more leviathan failures would occur. Fotunately, this has not been the case, and suspensions were the exception and not the rule, as in the latter end of 1857. This year, caution has been observed in the place of random recklessness, and a degree of confidence has been implanted which was formerly nowhere to be found. The Money Market now - Shows considerable improvement, the Bank rate of disconnt being only 21 per cent., against 8 .per cent. on the 31st of last December. The Labour Market is fully occupied, and an . abundant harvest has crowned the year. The year opened with a general feeling of confidence in commercial circles,. and indications of improvement h av i ng been observable from the previous two or three weeks, the gloom occasioned by the crisis and its lamentable results was fast disappearing, and it was confidently anticipated that,with a further reduction in the rate of interest preparatiOns for business would be conimmced on a less extensive, but more sound and prosperous basis ; and this, we may say, has turned out correct during the year. On the Ist - of January, the Funds improved, Consols closing at 94,1 to 911. The • money in the Bank of England. then was £11,454,961, and the rate of interest 8 per .cent., the Bank hav ing only £282 to each £l,OOO of their liabilities. On the 7th January, the directors re duced the rate from 8 to 6 per cent., being a reduction of 4 per cent. in a single fort night. The Funds at once became buoyant, and advanced-to 951 to 951. On the 14th, another - reduction of one per cent took place, the stock of bullim being then 13,357,1171, and the cash to liabilities per mil 355; but the business in the funds was restricted, in consequence of the at temiited _ assassination of the Emperor Napoleon, by Orsini. Money was now very plentiful, and, in the ripen market, rates were sometimes as low as 3 per cent. On the following week, the directors made no alteration in the rate of discount ; the funds had recovered part of th e decline, and were now quoted at 9-1-Z to 95. On the 28th, the. directors reduced the . rate of interest to 4 per cent, the bullion then amounting to £15,398,724, and the.. cash, to liabilities per mil 409. Consols at the close of the month were 951 t o 951. February opened with rather more buoyancy in the Funds, and Consols obtained a fresh advance. On the -sth the directors of the Bank reduced the rate from 4 to 31 per cent., the stock of Bullion being £15,793,696, and cash to liabilities per mil 477. Consols slightly advanced and closed on that day at 951 to 951. Towards the middle of the month there was a plethora of money, and rates in the open market were 21 -to 21 ISer cent. ; the applica tions to the Bank were trifling. On the 12th, Consols were quoted at 961 to 961. On the 11th there was another decreaSe 'in the rate of interest of -1 par cent., viz., from 31 to 3. The BulliOn had then amounted to £16,574,647, and the cash to liabilities per mil 537. - Consols continued to advance up to the 17th, when they were quoted .at 971.; for a week afterwards they slightly fluctuated, owing to. unfavourable political rumours, and closed on the last &wok the month at 97 to 971. In March there was a paucity of busi ness; owing to the excitement consequent upon the introduction of the Conspiracy Bill, which was ul timately defeated, and Lord Palmerston's Govern ment resigned the keys of office into the hands of Lord Derby. At the eloSe of the month a decline of 1 per cent, had occurred, Consols being quoted at 964 .to 961. On the Ist of April it was officially announced that the India Loan of £5,000,000 had been taken, with a trifling exception—the minimum taken was 97, and the highest tender was 102. The Funds opened ' _rather firmer, but business remained in a very dull position. From that time up to the delivery -of the Budget by Me. Disraeli, Chancellor -of the Exchequer, th e M oney Market continued , quiet„ but some uneasiness was created by the fact that the importations of specie 'ftain America had _ceased, and that 'actual exports to the States had occurred. At Paris, Monetary affairs; as' in _England, _continued easy, and coin and -bullion were superabundant, through the stagnatian of trade, and other causes. The Funds, on the Financial Statement, which had receded, became buoyant, and advanced 1 per cent. .At the close of .the month Consols were quoted at 971 to . 971. In May, a buoyant feeling was perceptible, and after the-settlement of the account, speculators seemed disposed to enter into more extensive operations, :the impression being that the Ministry would be able to retain office-until the end of the , session, and as political matters were all quiet; and large remittances of gold expected from Australia, Consols advanced to 981 ; but they _afterwards became dull, and in the middle of the month they declined to 97+. , Then the debate .on the vote of censure, moved .by Mr. Cardwell,. served to keep the funds in a state of inactivity, and prices had-declined. On Mr. Card well withdrawing his motion an immediate_rise of per -cent. took place, Consols being quoted at 98, Afterwards .a moderate business was done, prices _remaining pretty steady, being quoted at ..the end of the month at 97-Z-. During the month of June prices receded, and at ,the close, they ,were quoted at 954 to 95+ ex div. .The demand for money was now more active than it had been for several months past, and the Bank of England did a large discount business. At,the close of July Consols had advanced to 961, _the „continued successes in India and China having ren dered the markat,buoyant. August opened steadily, .but there was little d&ng ; the settlement of the Account passed off steadily, . but the house of Hyde, Hodge, a:id _Co., of Louden and Honduras, iu the timber trade suspended, which brought down the house of Carmichael and Co., of Liver pool. Consols improved for the first week or two and continued steady for the .remainder of the month, closing at 95k. This firmness arose from the greater confidence entertained in the progress of foreign politics, the satisfactory termination of the Cherbourg fetes, the more favourable iritelr ligence from India, and, lastly, the conclusion of peace with China. While these encouraging causes had been in operation, the arrivals of gold from Anaerica and Australia had increased, and the shipments to the East and the Continent having diminished, a considerable balance .found its way to the Bank of England. The- result was an accession to the general bullion resources, which had the effect of slightly stimulating speculation at the Stock Exchange, though not to the least extent to excite alarm. Such was the abundance of money in Lombard-street, that advances on government stocks could be obtained at 1 per cent. There was a gradual extension of business in September, but the actual transactions were still en a limited scale. Consols advanced day by day,until they closed at 98+ to 981, being a rise of 2 per cent during the month. The Bank of France reduced their rate of interest to 3 per cent this month. The stock of bullion in the Bank of England was now over £19,000,000, and the bank was gradually losing its discount business, being undersold by the private banking houses. During the first week in October, prices slightly fluctuated, and in consequence of an advance in the rate of Foreign Exchanges closed at a rather lower figure than in Sept., viz., 971. Nothing occurred in November to change the course of the Money market ; 'the stock of bullion in the Bank had varied a little. There was still a want of repose, and that entire confidence in the public mind, which would allow cheap money to exercise its proper influence. In the earlier. part of the month the depression, pre viously noticed continued, and prices declined, but at the close of the month they had advanced to 981. December opened steadily, but in a day or two prices declined,- -and,- although the rate of discount was reduced on the Bth to 21 per cent, the bullion having reached £18,921,171, and the cash to liabilities per mil 626, still the market continued to decline ' and closed this day, the 31 s t 'December, 1858, at 961. In the Railway Share Market during the past .year there have been several fluctuations, but generally prices to-day .are higher than Ai De ember- last . : I:widen and North Westerns are, however, an exception. They are now quoted 98 - ; this time l as t y ear th ey were 991: Midlands have advanced about 12 per cent., being now quoted at 1032. The year 1858 has been disastrous amongst the banking institutions. Liverpool has sustained a heavy loss in the downfall of the Borough. Scotland (where considerable produce paper was negotiated) has been equally unfortunate ; and in London, so many schemes and loans are afloat for absorbing capital, and there are so many financial applicants for general purposes, that cotton gaper does not enjoy its usual preference. In a mercan tile point.of view; few have reason for congratula tion as to the result of the year's operations ; but if the low value of all commodities and an active state of trade in the manufacturing districts have anything to do with future prosperity, the propects for the year we are entering upon are of a most gratifying and encouraging nature. In the early part of the year there were some very considerable fluctuations in the price of Cotton. On the Ist January middling Orleans were quoted at flid per lb., and during that month and the following a steady and rapid advance took place in American descriptions, particularly in the latter .month, at the close of which Middling stood at 8d per lb., having risen 13-,d during that time ; this, however, was the result of extreme scarcity, . caused in a great measure by a protracted period of easterly winds, which reduced our stock to a point which had not been touched for nearly a quarter of a century. During the mouth of March the arrivals amounted to 400,000 bales ; this heavy import coming principally into hands already weakened, and when the financial position of the commercial world Was - still prostrate from the effects of the fearful panic which closed the event ful year of 1857, obliged them to throw the greater portion on the market, causing an imme diate and rapid. droop in prices,- and in the course of three weeks middling declined ld., being again quoted 7d. per lb. ; from this point up to the present time there has been little fluctuation, although the quantity taken for consumption has been greater than at any .former period, com mencing at the opening of the year with barely 30,000 bales, but progressing to 43,000 bales, making the weekly average for the year 41,300 bales. The total imports during the year were-2,334,516 bales. The stock in Liverpool to-day was 348,900 bales. During the first seven months of this year the Wool trade was dull and languid, but in August a spirited demand set in, and prices have consi derably advanced, closing at an advance of about 2d. to 4d, per lb., according to quality. The future prospects of the trade are looked upon as encouraging. The imports of Wool into Liverpool during the past year were 148,883 bales. After five years of great prosperity, there has followed a period of depr ess i on in the Iron Trade. At the opening of the . year a hopeful feeling pre vailed, that the low prices then engendered by the commercial crisis of 1857, would promote an ex tensive demand, large purchases were made at from 535. to 575. per ton, and the price gradually rese to 60s. by the middle of March ; but it being obvious that the Make was continuing consider ably in excess of the total deliveries, a quick reaction set in, the price declined to 525. 6d. by the end of April, and has since fluctuated between riSs. and 565. for Mixed Number& Although these quotations were unremunerative to the Iron 'masters generally, and calculated to curtail the production, still the pig-iron pro duced in the year just closing reached the im mense qtantity of 945,000 tens, which, at the average price for the pear, represents a total value of 2,554,00e7. sterling. Of this, there were consumed and exported, foreign and coastwise, 810,000 tons.x will thus , be perceived that the stocks, which are now 295,000 tons in warehouse keepers' and makers' stores, 'have increased 135,000 tons in the year. This accumulation is chiefly owing to .the cessation of one of our largest malleable .iron works, and a falling off in the experts to the colonies, the United States, and the continent of Europe. The annual circular of -Messrs. Cunard, Wilson, and Co., brokers for the sale of ships, appears in our columns this morning, in connection with which they have issued their usual monthly list of vessels now on sale. There are also several other annual statements worthy of attention. The Liverpool Cotton Market was quiet to-day, the sales reaching 7,000 bales, at steady prices. Messrs. Kershaw and Jardine thus report the week's movement : The demand from the trade during.the past week has been to a fair extent, and has been fully met by holders at the quotations of Friday last, which remain unchanged, and we close steady for all descriptions of American. In Brazil and Egyptians a moderate business has bcea done. Sea Islands have been in large demand and are rather firmer. The sales of the week are 56,020 bales, of which 3,740 were on speculation and for ex port, leav ing 52,280 bales to the trade. The Liverpool Share Market was rather firmer to-day, and prices somewhat higher. The transac tions consisted of-Chester and Holyhead, 481; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 992-, 991 ; London and North Western, 96a, 98 ; Ditto one-eighth shares, 1, d ; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin .colnshire, 394 ; 40a; Midland, 103 k, 104 4 D overs , 22 9-16, 22 13-16 ; Warrington and Stockport, 8 ; Buf f alo and Lake Huron, 91, 9 ; Grand Trunk of Canada, 91 ; Great Luxembourg, 7t, 7 11-16. The following were the closing prices :- Blackburn, 113-16, 11 5-16 ; Chester and Birkenhead, .671, 671 ; Caledonian, 88.1, 89 ; . Chester and Holyhead, 48, 481; Eastern Counties, 121, 13 ; East Lancashire, 94 97. ; Do. L 9 shares,l, 1 p; Great Northern, 106, 107 ; Do. A, 92, 93 ; Great Western, 561, 57.; Lancashire and Yorkshire Stock, 991, 992-; Do. £9 shares, 1, &T) ; London and North Western Stock.; 971, 97k ; Do. one-eighth shares, 13-16,1 d; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 401, 401 ; • Midland Stock, 1032-, 103 k ; North. British, 62, 621; North Western, 13 4 , 131 ; North Staffordshire, 48, 4 d ; North Eastern-Barwick, 941, 95 1 ; York and North Midland, 78, 781 ; Leeds Capital Stock, 49, 491 ; South Eastern and Dover, 224, 22 13-16 ; Dutch Rhenish, 3 15-16, 3 13.-16 d Great Western of Canada, 161 162- ; Do. New Shares, 4, 31 d ; Great Luxendourg, 71, 7 Grand Trunk of Cauada, 91, 91 ; . In the London Railway Share Market the deal ings have been of a moderate character. . Prices, however, continue firm, and in several instances there is a slight advance. Caledonians have un proved to 88z, 89 - Great Western, to 584, 06i ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, to 991, 991; North Western to 971, 971; South Western to 951 ; Midland to 1031 ; North British to 611 ; and North Eastern, Berwick, to 941, 95. gdinburgh, Perth, and Dundee have declined to 282.; and Great Nor thern to 1061. In the Foreign Market prices are nominal, no business having been transacted. The Colonial Lines are steady. East Indian realise 109 ; Grand Trunk of Canada, 361, 37 ; and Great • Western of. Canada have imp rove d to 16a, 161. Continued heaviness is experienced in the Market for Public Securities, owing to a few speculative sales, which appear to have been induced by the pressure for money, and the negociation of the first portion of the Victoria Railway Loan. Strict at tention is paid to every circumstance which is likely hereafter to affect the course of financial affairs. Frequent reference is consequently made to the loans for Austria, Russia, and Portugal, which are said to be in contemplation. There is nothing in the present augmented inquiry for discount accommodati on , h owever, t o ,justify the opinion that an adverse movement is about to take place, as it is evident that the additional applica tions have been caused by numerots payments having to be made at about the same period. Various calls in oint-stock undertakings are now being provided for; and as money is always in active request on commercial account at the end the year, the increased supply of bills for nego elation cannot create surprise. Towards the close a slight improvement took place in the Funds, will be very favourable. Consolsiti 61_96k. e Debentures, 991, 99i ; ditto ? Bonds, las pre T ow he in N g ew T to an hr im ee p s r an ess d io ß n m Exchequer Bill s • Annuities, 18 3-16.. Indian 1 ,00 4 Reduced d t h e : returnseng - 11tareh; 37s to 39s prem. ; and ditto, June, 37s to 39s prem. Bank Stock is.flat at 2249. A more lively demand has existed in the. Salt trade during the last week, and higher prices may be anticipated as the supplies come short. The quotations are thus rendered by Mr. T. J. Wirninck :—Common Salt, 4s. ; Rough, 6s. to Bs. ; Stoved, 7s. 6d.; Butter Salt, 6s. per ton. There was an extraordinary meeting of the Trust and Load Company of Upper Canada held to-day, Mr. Weguelin, M.P., in the chair, at which the directors were empowered to exercise the bor rowing poWers of the company by virtue of the 10th clause of Act of Parliament of Canada passed in 1858. FOREIGN EXCHANGES. Amsterdam Short ll ... 14i to 11 ... 15f Ditto Three Months.. 11 ... 17f ... 11 ... 17 Rotterdam Brussels Antwerp Tiamburgh Paris Ditto Marseilles Frankfort Vienni Trieste Petersburg Madrid If 25 ... 32 ... 25 ... 35 13 ... Q .., 13 7 .Short 25 ... 10 ... 25 15 Three Months 25 ... 321 25 ... 37 25 ... 35 ... 25 ... 371 ... 1181 1181 ... 37 ... 10 ... 42 ... 38 ... 10 43 .. 35i .. 36 491 491 BANK OF ENGLAND RETURNS. Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth Victoria, cap. 23, for the week ending Wednesday, December 28, 1859: ISSUE DEPARTMENT. CREDIT. Government Debt 11,015,100 Other Securities 3,459,900 Gold Coin and other 18,380,315 Bullion DEBIT. E. Notes issued £32,855,315 BANKING D DEBIT. Proprietor's Capital 14,553,000 Rest Public Deposits 9,806,025 Other Deposits Seven-day & other 712,770 Bills £32,835,315 ;PARTMENT. CREDIT. £ Government Secu- 1 10,808,591 cities Other Securities 16,950,153 Notes 12,744,96.5 Gold and Silver Coin. 586,785 £41,090,494 Total £41,090,494 Compared with the returns of the previous week, the above shows the following results : Active circulation 2o,llo,3ss—lncrease Bullion Rest Seven-day & other 712,770—Decrease Bills Public Deposits Other Deposits 8 — Government Semi- t 10,808,591 rities Other Securities 16,950,153 Notes unemployed 12,7.1 1 2965 Cash to liabilities, per Mil Bate of Interest 404,365 181,897 9,878 33,924 145,211 245,389 -Increase -Decrease •No change -Increase -Decrease 456,033 497,095 592—Increase .. 2i per cent. THE QUARTER'S REVENUE. The Returns of the Revenue for the last quarter of the present year will be issued to-day. • - The increase on the quarter, compared with the last quarter of 1857, will be, nearly a million. (It is scarcely fair, however, to compare last year with the previous year; 1857 was a year of com mercial panic, and in a reveue point of view must be regarded as exceptional. Comparing, therefore, the last quarter of 1858 with the last quarter of 1856, we find only an increase of about £200,000.) The increase of a million is made up mainly from the following items : The Customs will. show •an increase of about £6oo,ooo—(if we compared the returns with the last quarter of 1856, there would be a small de crease). The Excise shows an increase of £lBO,OOO. Considering the increase of the duty .on Irish spirits, this augmentation is small. The Stamps show an increase of £260,000, derived mainly from the extension of the penny receipt and cheque stamps, and from the increased consumption of stamps for legal deeds in the new Probate and Divorce Courts. The Land and Assessed Taxes remain at about the same figure, The Income Tax shows a reduction of £300,000. Though the actual decrease of the per-tentage of the Income Tax has been small since 1857, yet the arrears of the war Income Tax came in so slowly that they contributed to swell the revenue up to that year—thus fully, accounting for the present decrease. The Post Office shows an increase of £50,000. The Oronrn Lando are about tho oamo. The Miscellaneous Sources show an increase of £200,000. The last item —Miscellaneous Sources—shows this quarter an increase of £700,000 compared with the last quarter in 1856. This source of revenue is governed by no general law ; it is merely accidental. If we took, therefore, from the present quarter this accidental increase of £700,000, •and then compared it with the corresponding quarter of 1856—the year before the panic —there would be, on the ordinary sources of revenue, an .aeturd decrease of £500,000. LIGHT GOLD. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES. Sir,—The present system of cutting light sove 'reigns at the Banks, has long been a grievance to mercantile men, especially to merchants engaged in the corn trade, where gold forms a large medium of circulation. Why should not this be remedied ? It is a tax pressing heavily on a few, while all others escape from it. Everyone through whose hands a overeign passes necessarily contributes more or less .to the depreciation of the coin, while the merchant, in whose hands gold accumulates, by payments from his smaller constituents, has to put up either with the loss of interest till he can get rid of it to some creditor of his own, or must pay it into his banker's, at a loss amounting often to the interest for several days ; which, in the year, with many houses, represents a considerable amount. In America, where, in this partichlar instance, they seem to be " ahead" of us as to mercantile Jaw, all gold (whether light or full weight) is received at the 'Bank for its coinage value, the loss being stood by government, and consequently drawn from the pockets of all the depreciators equally. Why should not the same system be adopted in this country ? Surely it would be a fairer, and consequently a better one than the present. The objection, that "sweating" the gold is practised to a great extent in England, has been often raised ; but I am not aware that any statistics can be put forward to show that this system of pilfering is moie prevalent here than elsewhere ; nor do I exactly see the force of the objection. The "sweaters ' are certainly not those who now stand the loss on light gold; and, except at a Bank, objections to taking gold that is a little light are seldom used, unless in out-of-the way proportion to the-rest; though the anxiety to get rid of gold as payment for freights, &c., payments of which notes might otherwise form a considerable part, causes much annoyance. — Yours, &c., A LIVERPOOL CLERK. I THE PUBLIC CHARITIES OF LIVERPOOL. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES. Sir,—Will you be so kind as to allow me to occupy a part of your paper with a suggestion ? It is this —that your readers might do a great service to the benevolent societies, and gratify themselves not a little, if they would be so good as to review the list of our public institutions at the end of " Gore's Directory," and, after selecting such as appear most entitled to support, *oula send liberal contributions of money, apparel, door will whatever else may be useful, to the seve ra l t or surers whose names are given there. I-1 trea surers unnecessary calling from door to a e those true much general adoption of this hi n t sox But, far better friends, the volunteer collectors ! h a ,,, th a t, it will, beyond doubt, largely augment present mode of pro the gifts obtained by the cedure (system, it hardly is), which certainly needs such a supplement, fo who are r, however well it may reach persons subscribers already, it lets the season of the year pass by when hearts and in han en ds 'are m ost open, and it is on ly t oo e ff ectual suring the abs ence of subscriptions and dona tions from thouan of merchants, tr a d esmen , and others, on every side, who are ready an d a bl e to give much more than we are ever called for.--4 am, on ) i sr, your very obedient servant, R. A.. m. - SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. JURA, FOR NEW YORK. Messrs. D. and C. Maclver beg to inform skippers that letters for consignees will be received at their office until three o'clock this (Saturday) afternoon. 3 ARRIVALS, Clara Wheeler .... New Orleans Balbec (ss), Little . Havre Enoch Train, Rich. New Orleans James Foster, jun. ........Cork Frankfort (ss), Hcpburn.Lisbon Vancluse, Carney Savannah Grace ... . .. .. ........Bombay SAILING& Queen of 111ay .. Lima Caroline Nesmith.. New Orleans Ipswich Lass.... ..St. Michaels Detroit " New Orleans Trincalo . ..... ..Newfoundland T. J. Rogers Genevieve . ....... Pernambuco Crimea Missouri .. . . •. . ..... Aden Tinto . . Epantinondas ... . .N . ew Orleans Van lalia...........Apalachicola MARITIME EXTRACTS. LIVERPOOL, Dec. 31. LowESTo?r, Dec. 30 : Henrys, of Sunderland, sunk. OSTEND, Dec. 29 : Coadjutor, from Sunderland, sunk. Dygdzn, for Hull, put into Christiansand leaky; must unload LISBON, Dee. 23 : Emma, for Liv erpool, must discharge.. Poirrasxmo—Sound of Islay—Dec. 27.—The Ruthenia ,brig, unshipped upon her rudd er , b ut g 4 Mann, of Dundee, from Riga for Liverp oo l (firtsecd), tvlial coming pon a rock on Friday t B S p ou sa nd ., o a f n l a sl u aL, it put to rights again. She got . oS next tide, and is now real e 2inst u a g h h t, t a h t e for sea the first fair wind. __ _ WIGTOWN, Dec. 29.—Found derelict on the 4th DeceMber, oa the west side of Isle of Whithorn Bay, a small boat, 15 feet i n length, and aboat 5a feet in breadth, painted black, and the - name "Alfred" cut on her stern; also attached to the boat, two pieces of rope and two small chains. CREETOWN, Dee. 29.—Picked up off Crectown on the 27th inst., a vessel's headboard, seven feet long, with the words "Rob the Ranter " in yellow letters. CLYDE, Dec 28.—Put in : The Clyde, Wishart, from Liverpool for Rio Janeiro, leaky, with decks swept, and bowsprit carried away. _ QiTEEI , TSTOWN, Dec. 29. The Bremen screw steam ship Weser, which put into this harbour on Sunday evening, from Bremen for New York, during a hurricane which lasted from the 16th to the 23rd inst., was thrown on her beam ends, the sea making - a clean breach over her, carrying away nearly everything on deck, and having sprung a leak, the water rose to seven feet in the engine compartment, putting the fires out, and the coal bunkers having broken adrift, the coals got under the platform and choked the pumps. A pump was then contrived by the chief engineer out of a steam pipe, at which the officers, crew, and passengers worked with the greatest vigour, until they eventually reduced the water, and enabled the steam to be got up again. The Mary Hamilton, from Gaboon River, has also put in, 'with loss of sails. Sroallowar, Dec. 27. —Put in, 26 : The Dutch schooner Alma Van Lange, Maathuis, from Venice for Cork for orders, after a passage of 130 days, leaky, and with loss of sails and bulwarks, and cargo (Indian corn) heated. Captain Maathuis . reports having experienced severe weather, and to have s een, on Nov. 13, in lat. 43 30 N, lon. 9 25 W, a brig, showing En g li s h colours, painted green, and with roundhouse aft painted white, go down with all hands. From the severity of the weather, and the heavy sea at the time, could render no assistance. Remain The Mexican barque Adelaide, Sarria; Danish brig Caroline, Goldman ; both for Liverpool. Windbound sailed. The Escave, Orr, from St. John's, N.F., which put int o Lochroag, leaky, on the 19th Dec ., was driven from her anchors by a severe gale on the 21st Dec., and struck the ground heavily by the stern, springing a new leak ; she now grounds at low water, but measures are taking for hauling her off. The Moulton, Parke, has put into Waterford, with loss of fore topgallantmast and jibboom. The Ronaldes, Marshall, has arrived in Waterford, in tow the steam-tug Erin, from Ballyteague Bay, with loss of both anchors and chains ; also,. loss of winlass and four sails, skylight knocked in, and cabin twice filled, . OUTPOZTS. F.u.motru, Dec. 29.—Off the Port : The Surat, from Mauri tius for Havre. Arrived : The Ileros, from Rio Janeiro; England's Rose, from Rio Grande ; Mary Worrall, f rom , Liver pool for Belize, leaky, loss of bulwarks, sails, &c., and cutwater started, bore up. 21th instant, in lat. 47 40 N, lon 8 41 W. Sailed.: The Hilda, for Alexandria; Helena, for Bremen ; John Downie, for Lynn ; Robert Cottle, for Sandwich; Sibyl, for Exeter; Laura, for Ilambro ; Koh-i-\Oor, for London ; Clare mont, for Aden. Put. back: The Claudia, for Bristol; Baron Reitz Thott, and Mogadore Packtt—bothfor Liverpool. - KINGSTOWN, Dec. 30.—Arrived : The Llewellyn, Anglia, and Eblana—all from Holyhead ; Ossered, Odessa for Waterford , Iron Duke, Liverpool. Sailed : Eblana, and Llewellyn, for Holyhead. QtEENSTOWN, December 29.—Arrived: The Ann Thompson, from 'Moulmein. Sailed Belle Pool, for Buenos Ayres; Royal Saxon, for Buenos Ayres • Hydaspes, for Bombay ; Baltic, for Saffi ; Juliana, for Hull; William and Mary, for London ; Gulhermina, for Hamburg ; James Foster junior, for Liverpool, in tow of steam-tug United Kingdom ; Majestic, for Old Callabar, not sailed as reported by telegraph this morning. Denutt, Dec. 30.—Arrived : The Jane, from Wicto ; 'Ernest, Trieste • James, Ardrossan ; Princ e, Li verpool ; Lerwick, Wexford ; Duchess of Kent, Liverpool ; Hibernia, Holyhead ; Iron Duke, and Royal William, Liverpool ; Ceres, London. Sailed : The James, for.'Liverpool ; Sea Nymph, Holyhead ; Lady Eglinton, London; Prince, Liverpool. WATERFORD, Dee. 28.—Arrived: Sultana, from Odessa: Josie, Taganrog; Moulton, Manzanillo (Cuba) ; Malakoff (s), Milford; Emanuel Sagbone, Constantinople; Nicolino, Odessa; Erin, Wexford; Ronaldes, Liverpool. Sailed: Camilla (s), Luna (s), Prince Leopold, Margaret, Cleveland, Killarney (s), Malak o ff( s ). VESSEL'S REPORT. Report of the Enoch Trainl-11_0 : . 21, iu iai. 47.50 N., lon. 16.10 W., saw the barque Maria, or Marathon, of Yarmouth, loaded with deals and abandoned; masts and yards standing, and all sails furled, except foresail and maintopsail, which had blown away; rudder gone, also all the boats; stanchions gone from poop to forecastle • decks blown up; mad e a ll necessary no i se to arouse any who might have been on board in the poop, which was standing, and in apparent good order, but saw no signs of any one. FOREIGN PORTS. Thoma.siltoydon, Burlington, and Shah Jehan, all off St. Helena Rita (s.s.), Arano, hence at Santander, Lainertine, hence at Christiana. Teutonia, and Maria, hence at Swinerauncle. Humber, Lennerton, hence at Mobile. Daniel, Van Yper, hence at Ostend December 27. Melita (a.s.), Lfuiglands, hence at Malta 20th December, and left on the 21st for the Levant. Scamander (s.s.), Jenkins, hence at Malta 15th De cem b er , an d left on the 17th for Alexandria. Agenoria, Johnson, cleared at Calcutta for Liverpool 18th Nov. Fort William, O'Brien, cleared at Calcutta for Liverpool 19 Nov. Empress, Evans, hence at Genoa 23rd December. Andes (s.s.), Martyn, hence and Constantinople at Smyrna 14th December. Texian, Whittaker, hence at Table Bay 31st October. Lucy, Symonds, hence at Table Bay 3rd November. Sedgemoor, Laker, from Macao at Singapore 9th Nov., and sailed 13th for Bombay. Flying Foam, Liddle, from li ong Kong at Si ngapore Nov. 11. Thebes (s.s .), Roskell, from Hong Kong at Singapore Nov. 18, and left for Penang and Calcutta. Flag of Truce, Day, from Swatow at Singapore Nov. 10.• Bernicia, Jarman, from Swatow a t Si ngapore Not. 22, William Cumming, Johns, sailed from Singapore for Calcutta Nov. 8. Morning Star, Foster, sailed from Singapore for Calcutta Nov. 8. Alps (s.s.), Hoekley, sailed from Havre for New York, Dec. 25. Equator, Appel, sailed from Texel for Liverpool, Dec. 28. Nederland en Oranje, Rosier, sailed from Texel for Liverpool, Dec. 28. De Goede Verwachting, Lindonk, sailed from Texel for Liver pool, Dec. 28. Kuiper, sailed from Antwerp for Liverpool, Dec. 29. Cintra (s.s.), and Vesta (s.s.), both sailed from Oporto for Liverpool, Dec. 9. Racer, Splindt, from Cardiff at Table Bay, Nov. 4. The Jupiter, which sailed from Belfast for North Yarmouth, has put back with sails split. 1 YESTERDAY'S MARKETS, LivEaroot. COTTON.—The cotton market continues without material change since our last. The trade demand has been general throughout the week, but only for moderate quantities, suitable for immediate requirements, whilst speculators and exporters have been comparatively idle. Holders evince the same desire to realise, and offer their stocks, recent imports in cluded, with extreme liberality, but maintain their position rather more firmly, and prices of all classes of American remain unchanged. Brazil and Egyptian in moderate request, at previous rates. Surat rather less inquired for, and the better qualities a shade easier. The weekly sales are 56,020 bales, of which 720 are on speculation, and 2,950 for export. The sales to-day were about 7,000 bales. LONDON CORN.—In Mark-lane to-day the market_ was thinly attended, but a fir m t one preva i led. Th e few sales made in k Sea ports last Monday's prices. Barley :The he D m a arket, and wheat were at fully last Monday's rates.. beFLoludrßillcar.moculsyegbueel consequent) t l a at are still profusely pressing upon m the turn of iees .In oats fi a n d e ` c i a t n o ta p g u e rcbases for immediate requirements, b b u u s y in er e s ss h w at confined at last Monday's prices. LoslooN Paoex t . h — e Titlipautbylise tzsarkweetekwillasrec-uops t en oin o a n ry Tu , b e: t . day next. During little has been done by private contract, not sufficient to alter quotations in any important article except tea, which has been bought freely since the arrival of the mail on Wednesday, and prices must be considered id per lb dearer, particularly for black leaf. Congou has been most in demand. LONDON TALLOW.—The market is steady at the anne ed prices :—Town Tallow 51s, nett cash ; Petersburg Y.O OO It 6 spot, 51s to 51s 3d ; all te year, sls 3d ; January to m „,--- 5s 3d; March only, 51s 9d ; April to June, 50s 9d - '''' .." December, 1859, 50s 9d to 51s. ; OetOber to yeaßoaouou lIoP.--The market continues firm , and. fine h ope -8E7700%. ConN.---There is little alteration to be observed in the general character of the trade during the period between Tuesday and to-day ; the small tee 'pig r --z_ g to bel)t'Loe' o.icca:Lue fforromsoamberotaimd,eandte the prospect of this continuin come, impart more confidence t o that rather an improved feelin both holders and consumers, so much depends on the Su l g prevails with regard to wheat ; pp of • The Gazette return s s o y , this endingm our own farmers. 106,321 quarters. There was only a moderate attendance of town standing there _ our Corn Exchange this morning, notwith as rather more disposition to purchase wheat, and a fair a mo w unt of business took place at an advance of Id to 2d Per Nibs on the prices of Tuesday. Flour soldrather ea ' S ily, but without an • .. more y improvement in value. Egyptian beans advanced 6d to is per 4801bs. Oats and oatmeal were held more trusty, and in the transactions that occurred full prices were obtained. Indian corn met a tolerable inquiry ; yellow was 6d, and white is per quarter higher. R. MAKIN AND SONS. LONDON MINING. --In the mining market to-day shares in East Basset, Providence Mines, Par Consols, Wheal Kitty (St. Agnes), West Par, Wheal Trelawney, and Trevoole, are in request,. Business, however, has been rather limited. In the Stock Exchange, East Wheal Russell shares are officially marked 7i. The shares of the North Rhine Copper Mining Company of South Australia conti nue i n demand, and have been dealt in at i prem. Other colonial, as well as foreign mining securities, are very inactive. . MARRIAGE. aged s yearB arid On the 25th ult., at St. Peter's Church, Everton, by the Rev. S. B. Sutton, Mr. Samuel Beech, to Miss Elizabeth Sand' }ears and two Harrison, eldest daughter of Mr. George White liarrhoont, Conway-street, Everton. DEATHS. On the 18th ult., at 8, Hanover-square, months, Elizabeth Gamble, eldest daughter o f M r. J oseph above. 2 Huntinton. Also, on the 27th ult., months, Annie Jane, danghter of the a fi •On th 24th ult., Mr. Joseph Benton, watch ni,,her, aged 53, regretted by his numerous friend s . a On the 29th ult., at Bootle, afterin the long and painful illness, borne with Christian fortitude. , _ . 58th year of his age 11. r. was an atfectiona Joseph Meddows. Ile . all .... i. te huhband, and well sad deservedly respectca by who knew hia,. the )m, 111 A ; !ngth, built blued pared nting iPIAY the . 3,. .KE ;. Oths, been h oil; )ock. the re, 3, XS; :h 65 -enee iers. I