The Press.
London, England, 1854-02-04 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 4, 1854.

bonds, the author thinks, seriously compete with
Exchequer Bills, and he proposes to obviate this evil
by making the eighty millions a permanent charge
on the railways. Mr. Hill seems familiar with mo
netary affairs; but we confess we do not see how the
eighty millions would be a less formidable rival to
Government securities if they were a permanent in-
stead of a changing charge on the railways. Perma-
nency would not diminish their value, therefore
would be equally eligible for in of money.

The Charities of London in 1852-3. By Sampson
Low, jun. London : Low and Son.
THERE, are five hundred and thirty institutions of a
benevolent character in London, each of which has
its peculiar object, income, locality, management,
and official staff. Information on these heads is
given in the volume before us, carefully collected and
very lucidly classified. From character and contents
it is a work which Londoners will find highly useful,
and of which they may well be proud.

Is Symbolism Suited to the Spirit of the Age? By
William White. London : Bosworth.
THIS pamphlet is an argument in favour of symbol-
ism generally, but especially in the architecture, de.
coration, and arrangement of churches and church
services. Seeing to what deplorable results an over
devotion to these external forms have in many in-
stances led, we trust that the author's views, which
are ingeniously stated, will be modified by the prac-
ical sense of his generation.

An Account of the Present Deplorable State of the
Ecclesiastical Courts of Record. By William
Downing Bruce, Esq. London: Adams.
A PAIIPHLT T of near fifty pages, being a reprint of
articles which appeared originally in Postulates and
Data. Mr. Bruce has had some peculiar facilities
for inspecting the ancient Record•of'ices connected
with the principal dioceses, and his opinion of them
is expressed in the title. The attention directed to
these courts at the present moment has induced this
republication, which contains some alterations and
additions.

01...........

Extra-National Taxation. A Letter to the Chan.
cellor of the Exchequer. By John I'ace. London

Baily Brothers.
FOR the last seven years Mr. Pace has occasionally
addressed letters to various Ministers of State on
this subject. By impositorlarrittsmp. duty dts bills
drawn abroad, and by equalising the duty on bills
drawn in this country payable abroad, and also on
inland bills of exchange, he is of opinion that live
millions could be added to the annual revenue.
The imposition of a stamp on foreign bills would
prevent a species of fraud whihh was on a late occa-
sion practised to a large extent, viz., drawing bills in
London purporting to be drawn abroad, and evading
payment by proving that fact. Such bills are not
valid, yet billbrokers have no means of knowing how
they originated, except the word of the endorser.
This subject demands consideration.

The Parliamentary Companion for 1854. By Charles
R. Dod, Esq. London : Whittaker and Co.
THIS well-known publication, which is now in its
twenty-second year, contains the usual information
respecting the members of the two Houses of Parlia
ment, their political principles, family connections,
&c., and the particulars of the constituencies of the
various counties, cities, and boroughs. The changes
that have occurred in the Lower House since the
commencement of last year prove the utility of a
work of this nature : forty-four seats have been
vacated from various causes, and four Irish bishops
are in the House of Lords this session who had not
seats there last session. Recent parliamentary re-
turns respecting the numbers of registered electors
rendered a revision of the " local dictionary " of the
constituencies desirable. This has been effected, so
that much new information is included in this num•
ber of Mr. Dod's Parliamentary Companion for 1854.