The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-08 00:00:00

FOUR O'CLOCI.
Consols are unchanged, at 91a to i for money,
land 91; to 92 for the amount.
The commercial demand for money was yesterday
active in all quarters, including the Bank of Eng-
land, and the terms for good bills were maintained
at 6 per cent. In the Stock Exchange, however,
the money market was easier, owing partly to the
repayment of Indian Four per Cent. Debentures, as
well as of Brazilian Government stock. The pay-
ment of the dividends commences at the Bank of
England to-day (Friday).
In connection with the rise in Mexican Bonds yes-
terday there was a rumour that at the meeting of
bondholders, fixed for Monday next, a favourable
modification of the terms originally offered will be
proposed.
A parcel of 200,000 sovereigns was withdrawn
from the',Bank yesterday for Brazil, while 12,0001. in
bats was bought by that establishment. The
244,5001. by the Great Britain, from Melbourne,
reached London, and was taken for export.
At a meeting yesterday of the Committee of the
Stock Exchange a resolution was passed to the
effect that no transactions effected in the shares of
new companies prior to allotment will be officially
recognised in future. A petition in favour of this
measure was signed by a portion of the members,
another section of whom, however, are now pre-
paring a counter petition, with a view to present it
to the Committee on Monday next, when the reso-
lution just passed stands for confirmation or
otherwise. The new rule, it will be remarked, falls
very far short of an absolute prohibition of
dealings prior to allotment, and much room
exists, therefore, for doubt whether it would
be of much practical utility in checking
abuses, since such transactions will merely be
placed in the same category with the dealings which
now take place before or after official hours in many
classes of existing securities : these bargains are not
recognised by the Stock Exchange rules, yet are car-
riedout and settled with just as much punctuality as
though they were, the fact being, that no member
of this body would dare to avail himself of a mere
technicality of Stock Exchange law in order to
escape the fulfilment of a contract
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway traffic
return shows this week an increase of 2,5401.
over last year ; the Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire an increase of 2541.; the Midland,
an increase of 2,2701. ; and the North Eastern
an increase of 4,4801.
The Continental Bank will, on the 14th inst,
open a branch at Paris, under the management of
M. Gustave Couturier, chief partner of the firm of
MK Gustave Couturier and Co., bankers of that
city.
A meeting of the Governor and Company of
Copper Miners in England took place yesterday.
The directors' report, which was adopted, stated the
net profit at 29,6721., out of which 15,2321. is taken
to meet losses in the three previous years, leaving
14,4401. fur division. A dividend of 5 per cent.
was declared upon the preference shares. A com-
mittee was appointed to confer with the directors
upon the question of the amalgamation of the
original and preference shares.
Subjoined is Messrs. Culverwell, Brooks, and
Co.'s report of yesterday's hide sales :
At the seventh sense of hide sales for the year a fair
deinand was experienced for salted hides and East India
hips, both the home trade and exporten. buying freely.
East India. —Ox and cow.—Calcutta were in good request,
particularly for the few hides of good to prime quality,
which were much competed for sod realised very full prices:
other descriptions were also in fair request, bat in some in-
stances late rates were barely maintained. The aualysis of
the lake is 62,617 Calcutta new parcels, 7,319 brought for-
ward from former ales, and 2,000 Madras, ko., in dl 73,936
hides, of which 68,660 were sold. East India—Buffalo sold
well. Leather—Australian was meetly sold at full prices.
Salted hides—Australian were in good request, the greater
potties of the quantity brought forward being sold at full
pros to an advance of Id. per lb. Caps realised late rates.
South American all bought in. Dry hides—West coast,
kc., were mostly bought in.

The return of the Bank of England for the week
ending Wednesday, April 6, compared with that for
the previous week, shows the following changes :
ambition lire@
Circulation active 21,003,^0 Increase 593,695
Public depointe 9,818,880 Decrease 461,578
Other deposits
Government neuritic,' in
banking department 11,273,056 Decrease 58
Otb emelt ri ties in banking
department
Ooin and Winn ia both

departments r 13,616.763 Decrease 546,756
Seven day end other billa 525.894 Increase 26,575
The Rest 3.144,170 DOMANI 740,736
Notes in reserve
Total reserve (notes k coin
in banking deportment) . 7,263.543 Dermas 1,140,451

The goverumentdiaboreementa usual at the end of
the quarter, combined with the further considerable
increase in the private securities, have caused the
reserve to be diminished by the important sum of
1,140,4511. The increase in the private deposits is
probably caused iu part by the transfer from the
"Rest" of the sum representing the dividend on
Bank Stock. The decline in the coin and bullion
is as much as 546,7561., and as the withdrawals of
gold for exportation during the week, as officially
reported, reached scarcely 100,0001., it is to be in-
ferred that the balance remains in the country.