The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-09 00:00:00

quirinf, and elicit explanations, about the nature and det Obi
of the balance-sheets is presented. It has been challenged in
tome quarters, on various 0.-easions, that a more than ques-
tionable practice has obtained with sonic banks, and with
joint stock banks more especially, of advancing upon rail-
way shares and snipe i to the r proprietaries, if not to their
general or mere approved customers. It is known that
such had been the practice with those joint-stock
hanks in the north of England which suspended payments,
and had to wind up, about the time of the railway panic in
the autumn of 181.5, and that it was charged as the original
cause of their embarrassments, and the one ins-urmountabl •
oblefele to their recovery. Unquestionable an msy be the
sterling worth of many, if not most, railway secaritiee, their
evident ineonvertibil‘ty in all seasons of money premiere, or
crisis, and their liability at at.y time to oonsiderable fluctua-
tions of marketable value, roust render them inconvenient
when not dangerous to sultana, upon, and hold as a clam of
assets which may ow occasion and with all despatch re-
quire to be realised. They may, and do, to some extent
come into the posiseseion of hanks in the shape of collateral
guarantee for overdrawn accounts, or for bills which parties
have been unable from unfonween events to meet, in the or-
dinar, course of those casualties to which all banking as well
as other business is subject, without blame justly impu-
table to hank mantigurnent. It is suggested, therefore, in
no unfriendly spirit towards the joint stock banking sy-tem,
whose progress is naturally watched with solicitude. that
explanations should be n quested and given, at the periodi-
cal gatheriests of proprietors. as to the bank them in such
napect, and the amount ..f railway securities, as d 'anguished
from other tecuriti• a, which may constitute a proportion of
the general assets littering tat the balance-sheet. Although
whilst dividends of 8 ur 10 per cent. are declared, and bonuses
in surplus apportioned, which appear to be the unexception-
able evidences of excellent administration, it is no wonder
that proprietors are little disposed to be inquisitive or queru-
lous, yet it is no leas their interest, in prosperous so in
adverse circumstances, to in ram themselves on all paints of
toe actual situation of their atfairs, than it is the duty of
hoards of management to afford the information when called
upon.

RMflltlN FONDA.
pp, (IL Ned. Agar., el goi I I Crowoln for arroprot, IN II j
I N Cl Omani.. Aarr..l4 I A enelle,urr M 11..1,000C, lld., Set
Now 1j per Ct. AIM Oil I IHlOn, SON.. IS
South Bps New Assol4e., VOA lA. email. I Is

S ;mu Drat w.siia■ Mots lids., lis Ce. ie.:mein Bch. Def., II&
INS sad N. tIN 4 per Q. /Snuck Seutes, het Sm.
I per 0. Oreesta Bds., IN K. , IN. Or.
I peg Cs sienless, Acct. tr► It Dd 2d pos. Cs Dutch Arcueut, Feb. It SI
4 ~, CL pm.," BY. A. m., u4df 51 •.r CI. Duel Certificates, ►:1 4 4

At the January settlemciit a,. Entnkfort, which went off
well from the unusual ennui nce of money, at.onded by
the news of improved prices i. London and l'aris, it .as
remarked that of the coupons of old Spanidt bonds fur-
warded at the end of D crmher to Madrid, none were
objected to. The fear of forgeries having been attempted in
this kind of paper is therefore diapelled.