The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-16 00:00:00

48111

There are no letters from Venezuela by the mail
arrived on Saturday, the schooner from La Gusyra
not having reached St. Thomas's before the West
India mail steamer left.

The proposed half-yearly dividends on West
Midland Railway stocks are officially announced
as follows, viz.:—Oxford, at 14 per cent. per an-
num ; Newport, 4 per cent. per annum ; and Here-
ford, 44 per cent. per annum. The dividends for
the corresponding period of 1861 were at the rate of
, ft, and 31 per cent. per annum respectively.
The directors of the London and South Western
Bank (Limited) have notified a call of 31. per share,
payable by the 31st March.
The Union Bank of England and France have
announced their intention of establishing an agency
in Liverpool.
The year's transactions show a net profit on the revenue
account of receipts over expenditure of 4,011. lea. 9d.
against 14,6861. 16s. 9d. for the previous year. The in-
crease of stock is 9,1211. lea., against 6501. its. 4d. for the
mme period, making a total of 13,5241.2 a. 9d., against
15,3371. ss. ld. . . . We feel that we cannot
recommend a dividend, but must advise the shareholders to
give stability to our position by allowing the small amount
of profit of 4,4031. ls. 9d., to be for the present retained.
By the Pacific mail advices have been received
from the following undertakings in Chili :
Oopiapo Railway Company.—A quarterly dividend of 3
per cent. was declared on the god January. Copiapo
Mining Company (Limited).—The Chaco Copper Mine
continued very rich. December produce, 2,752 quintals of
ore ; value $9,096, which would yield a profit of $6,000 on
that month. Comp° Gas Company (Limited).—Profit on
the operatwos for November, $1,438.60. Oopiapo Exten-
sion way.—Profit on the traffic for the month of
November, $1,526.55.
A new joint stock undertaking connected with
the building interest is announced under the title
of the Building Material Improvement Company
(Limited), with a capital of 30,0001. The objects
of the company are to secure and work patents of
practical utility to the building trade, and stateu to
combine economy, durability, and comfort. The
first patent introduced by this company is Dixon's
"dry laminae," which obviates the necessity of
waiting for the drying of plaster on walls, ceilings,
&c., as by this process the old and objectionable
system is entirely done away with.
The receipts of the Grand Trunk Railway of
Canada for the week ending the 24th Januar7 were
19,3461. sterling, being 2,2271. more than in the
corresponding week of last year.
The following memoranda, relating to the budget,
and to the tobacco duties, are from the circular of
Messrs. Joseph Travers and Sons :
Tim Smarr —his expected that the budget will not be
introduced until after Faster. Probably the 17th of April
may be about the date. Anticipations regarding reductions
M the tea and sugar duties are becoming less marline, but
aPer the evfdenoe lately brought forward, it is difficult to ,
behove that Mr. Gladstone can intend any longer to maintain
the vicious form of protection involved in the differential
rates on sugar.
TOB•000 Durres.—The motion placed upon the notice
paper in the House of Commons for a general alteration of
these duties has taken the trade entirely by surprise, and
the terms in which it is stated are so vegan that the portion
interested have been usable to arrive at any clear conclusion
as to Da probable effect. Their uncertainty bee been pro-
longed by the absence of Mr. Gladstone from Ilia official
post, owing to domestic calamity.

BkTISIIDAT. EVIINING.

Consols, which closed yesterday at 93 for the sth
March, were Snit marked this morning 93, and
closed at 93 to it. For money the last price was
924 to 93. The official business report is as follows :
—Three per Cent. Consols, for money, 93, 924 ;
ditto, for scoouut, 93, ; Three per Ceuta. Re-
duced, 93, 924 ; New Three per Ceuta., 934, 924 ;
India Five per Cent. Stook, 1084, 108 • ditto Four
per Cent. Debentures, 100; ditto Bond; 14a. prem.
India Bonds were quoted 10e. to 14s. prem. ;
and Exchequer Bills ls. die. to Ss. prem.
The foreign stock market was firm, with a ten-
dency to improvement.
Ocean Marine shares closed to-day at Bto 84
prem. ex div. ; Thames and Mersey, to f pron.;
Universal, 11 to 1 du. ; North British 3 and Mer-
cantile, 181 to 1 ; Commercial Ulliol3, Ito 1 dis. ;
and London and Provincial Marine, par.
The closing quotations for shares in new under-
takings were as follows :—British and American
Exchange Bank, 9 to 94 prem. ; British and
Foreign Marine, 24 to 3 prem. ; Cannes Hotel, 14
to 2 prem.; Union Marine Insurance, 24 to 3 prem. ;