The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-22 00:00:00

The bonuses now in course of declaration by the
various joint-stock banks are likely to have a very
beneficial influence on the prices of these shares.
The investments on account of the dividend re-
ceivers usually noticed at this period being checked,
so far as the home funds and other securities are
concerned, by considerations several times touched
upon under this head, the general joint-stock share
market continues to show a general upward ten-
dency, especially for insurance shares, which meet
with much favour.
Business in bank shares this week has not been
large, the result of the various meetings being
awaited with much interest. Meanwhile prices have
been very men supported. Colonial shares are still
looking up, and London and Westminster are very
firm The sales recorded include Australasia (40/.
paid), 39; British North American (30/. paid), 48 ;
Colonial (231. paid), • 121, ; London Joint Stock,
(101. paid), In 4; London and Westminster (201.
paid), 29Z, 1; National of Ireland (22/. 10s. paid),
17 cx div.; 'South Australia (231. paid), 231.
Dock shares remain firm. London stock has
again risen P., being quoted 121 ex div. East and
West India stock is worth 143 cx div.; Commercial,
8.51; St. Katherine, 81.
In steamboat shares the movement is confined to
Royal Mail Steam, which are now firmer again.
Business is marked at 75j, 76, !, 731, 76Z, and 77.
Peninsular and Oriental are rather lower, marking
only 70 ex dividend and bonus; ditt's, New (101.
paid), 17j, a. General Steam Navigation are firm
at 28.

In the market for insurance shams, the general
tendency of prices continues upward, numerous in-
quiries being made for the preferable stocks. The
chief rise this week is in Royal Exchange stock,
which is quoted 227 cx div. The following also
command imEroved rates, viz.:—Alliance Marine,
434 ; Atlas, 1,; ; Guardian, 531; Indemnity Marine,
50. Globe stoc is worth 132 ex div.

Miscellaneous shares are quoted as follows in the
official list :—Assam Tea Company, 9,; Australian
Agricultural, 15 ; Australian Trust, 20k, 1 ; Canada
Company, 49; Hudson's Bay Stock, 200; Price's
Patent Candle Company, 23 ; South Australian,
23i ; Electric Telegraph (A) shares (201. paid), 20;
British Telegraph Company (201. paid), 20.
A very large export of specie took place yesterday,
the Bentinck having sailed from Southampton with
330,0001., chiefly in silver coin and bullion, for the
eastern markets, This large amount of silver has
been in course of collection for a considerable thee:
and, as the accounts last received from Calcutta and
Bombay, from which the chief demand is experi-
enced, report a more easy state of the money market,
it is to be expected that the future demand will be
upon a much less extensive scale.
A parliamentary return has just been published,
showing the operations of the annuities for lives and
terms of years granted by the government since
1808. It results that 45,624,421/. of stuck, besides
1,044,9131. Exchequer Bills, and a considerable
amount of Long Annuities have been cancelled. The
total issue of such terminable annuities has
been 4,108,232/., and the total run off has
been 2,234,2171.. having the present charge
1,874,013/. The effect has certainly been to
diminish the capital of the debt, though it must be
I borne in mind that the improvidence of tho govern-
ment has, by the creation of new loans, added on one
side of the account what was taken off on the other.
The annuities for terms of years now scarcely ope-
rate, the whole amount in the last twelve years being
much under 100,000/. It will be noticed as singular
that there arc considerable fluctuations in the yearly
amounts of annuities taken, the lowest amounts being
generally in years of depression and the largest in
years of prosperity, the inference being that com-
mercial prosperity influences materially habits of
providence and economy, as much as it increases the
means disposable for such purposes. The following
are some of the largest amounts: