The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

tone glarket anb tit Inttiligentt.

FRIDAY EVILNING.
TFIL return of the Bank of England for the week ending
the 20th inst. shows the following ci,anges compared with
that for the week preceding:—

Decrease in Circulation
Increase in Public Deposits
Increase in Other Deposits
Increase in Government Securities 229,564
Increase in Other Securities
Decrease in Bullion 178,703
Increase in Rest
Increase in Reserve

Bullion in Both Departments .... 10,513,823
Circulation, including Bank Post
Bills
The changes shown in this comparison possess con-
siderable importance, and they are of • satisfactory
character, considering that we are just at the end of the
year and upon the eye of a large accession to our floating
capital from the January dividends. The Public Deposit..
now approach to an aggrega►,e of nearly 7,000,0:)0I., while,
notwithstanding the active and profitable employment
which can be found for money out of doors, the lsrivate
Deposits have increased to the extent on nearly half a
million. The means obtained from these sources has
enabled the Bank to enlarge its advances and discounts
to the amount of 825,0001. more than in the preceding week.
This item, which now stands at 17,654,0001., shows the
demand for temporary accommodation have been mode-
rately active last week. The increase in the Government
Securities is partly owing to the calls upon the Bank in
connection with the run upon some of the Irish banks
referred to subsequently, and the same cause will explain
the somewhat heavy diminution in the stock of bullion.
The falling off in the Bullion is well understood to have
been caused exclusively by the demand for sovereigns to
be sent to Ireland ; and as that gold will shortly find its
way back, the diminution may be regarded as only tempo-
rary. The Reserve, which includes the notes and coin in
the till together, shows but a trifling increase; but the
actual increase in the notes is 40,7051. The notes, indeed,
have been accumulating since the beginning of November,
and it is tolerably certain that according to present
prospects they will continue to increase during the next
month or six weeks. On the whole, the present return is
calculated to confirm the opinion to which we have given
expression below, that we are emerging from the late
season of trial and pressures.
although the reduction of the rate of discount to six
per cent. last week has produced all the effect anticipated
from it in easing the Money Market, and relaxing the
tightness which preceded it, the demand in the current
week has been exceedingly great. At this period of the
year the Customs and Excise payments to the Revenue
are always very heavy, and these payments have, at the
present time, been severely felt in some branches owing
to the difficulty of getting money in from the smaller
dealers, for it is not to be supposed that the dear money
of the last three months has produced no embarrassment
whoever. Besides the demand from this cause, the
Waimea drawn at the end of the year, the arrangement of
accounts, and the general settlement of transactions, have
compelled most houses to increase their reserves at their

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