The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-06 00:00:00

MONEY MARKET.

THIS DAY.

Two o'CLoci.

The English stock market is not so active as it
was yesterday, and the general tendency has been
rather flatter. Prices, however,"on the who'e, must oe
considered gOod, as the closing rates of yesterday
have been supported, and for a moment the full ad-
vance was again obtainable. Considerations con-
nected with the French political affairs act as a
check upon tke market, as with an easy
state of continental politics a strong impres-
sion is entertained that the present abundance
of money would carry Consols up to par. At pre-
sent the demand for investment has to be satisfied,
both on government and individual account, and
stock being thus rendered rather scarce, quotations
naturally rule high, but speculators exercise great
caution in their operations.
Consols closed yesterday afternoon „I lower than
the morning's rates, at 971, to 98, both for money and
the 12th. At this range they also stand at present,
though for a short time they touched 981 for
cash. For the 11th of December the rate
rules at 98 to I. Another parcel of Reduced Threes
has to-day been taken off the market for the Sinking
Fund. 'the business list embraces the following
stocks :—Three per Cent. Consols, 98, 971, sq., 97Z ;
ditto for account, 971, 98; Three per Cents. Re-
duced, 971, , ; New Three-and-a-Quarter per
Cents., 981, 1, I; Long Annuities, 1860, 6 15-1;;
India Stock, 264 ; Bank titock, 2141, 214.
Exchequer Bills have further receded to-day, the
present quotation being 51s. to 545. prem., or Is.
lower than they closed yesterday. India Bonds, of
the smaller sizes, have been dealt in at 565. to 595.
premium.
Foreign stocks rule at firmer quotations, there being
no operations of sufficient importance to influence
prices. Mexican Bonds are flat at 241 to 251. The
bargains concluded up to the present hour arc as fol-
lows : Two-and-a-1 [olf per Centa.,sBl. French
Five per Cent. Rentes, 561 r. 50c.; exchange, 25fr.
20e. Mexican Bonds, 241 ; ditto, for account, 14th
Nov., 25, Z. Portuguese Four per Cents., 33 t.
Russian Five per Cents., 112 ; ditto Four-and-a-
Half per Cents., 102. Sardinian Scrip, 3 dis. Spa-
nish Active Five per Cents., for account, 20 ;
ditto Three per Cents., 39.
Iho traffic returns, although of course ranging
lower, still continue to present a satisfactory compa-
rison with those fur the corresponding periik of last
year, nearly all the leading lines exhibiting an in-
crease. London and North Western return
is 49,413!., against 42,167/. in the same week of
1850, being an increase of 2461. ' • the Midland,
21,813/., against 21,763!.—increase, 501. ; the Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire, 15,8531., against 14,6211.—in-
crease, 1,229/. ; the London and South Western,
10,2081., against 9,8411. increase, 367/. ; the
Great IVestern, 17,033 f., against 15,7821.—increase,
1,251/.; the York and North Midland, 8,0811., against
7,729/.—inciyaile, 352'.; the York, Newcastle, and
Berwick, 15,472/., against 14,5121.—increase, 9611/.;
the Great Northern, 11.023/., against 7,llol.—in-
crease, 3,913!.; the North Staffordshire, 5,011!.,
against 4,735/.—increase, 279/.; the Bristol and
Exeter, 4,2931. against 3,983/.—increase, 310.; the
Leeds Northern, 1,026/. against 8981.—increase,
1281.; the Caledonian, 9,2571. against 7,B4Bl.—in-
crease, 1,40 W.
There luis been an average business in Bankshares
during the week at about former rates. The sales
reported arc as follows :—Australasia (40', paid),
37 ; Commercial of London (20/. paid), 251;
London and County (20/. paid), 18(, ; Lon-
don and Westminster (20/. paid), 291; Oriental
Bank Corporation (251. paid), 261; Union of
Australia (25'. laid), 35, 1; Union of London
(10/. paid), 151,1. 4, 1.
There is so little business off ring in Bank shares
that it is difficult to make a quotation. Commercial
stock remains at 84 ; and London stock is main-
tained at the improved figure of 117, but in no other
description is there any movement.
In the market for steam-boat shares the change
consists of a rise in Peninsular and Oriental, which
are marked 70, 68, and 70, whilst the New Shares
(10/. paid) arc worth 15 to 154. Royal Mail Steam
shares are quoted 78 ex div.; General Steam Navi-
gation, 27.
Insurance shares are very quiet, and prices unal-
tered. Legal and General Life shares arc rather
firmer at 41. Union shares (20/. paid), arc worth
2301.
Miscellaneous shares arc quoted as follows in the
official list :—Assam Tea Company, 9 ; Australian
Agricultural, 15 ; Australian Trust, 201, ; Anglo-
Mexican Mint, 211 ; Canada Company, 471 ; Hud-
son's Bay Stock, 206 ; l'rice s Patent Candle
Company, 231 cx div. ; South Australian, 231 ;
Van Diemen 's Land, 1.

From Amsterdam the latest quotations of the
various stocks (not given in the telegniphie despatches)
coma reported as tilllows :—Portuguese Five per
Cents. (London), 33; ditto Four per Cents., 331,
.1. Mexican, 241, 1. Venezuela, 34.1, 33. Old
ltussian Bonds, 1041; ditto Four per Cents., 874;
ditto Four per Cents. (Stieglitz), 871.

ENGLISH FUND:4.-7nm D.T.
Bank Stock. 214 15 lw.nr Amiu
3 per Ct. Ite.luce.l. )72 I I Ilklrt St•wk.V.3 4
3 per Cl. Conw.lr.P7l Into 11,01..1,6061.,464. 59..
If per et. Consols. VBl 4 I Excleywar Italle.l.uwat.. 51 4
Cowl. lot Acct.. 117 8
42 per et. Belgian, kl 3
6 per Ct. Braalllan, 66 8
Du. New. 841 64
6 per Ct. HIM.. arra% 40 5
6 per Ct. 1.2.11.05, 192 4
3 per et. Chlhan. 64 6
3 twa et. lranayto. 26
2, per et. Dina.. 584
4 per CI. Dutch. BA 202
Broader. 3
1 per et. tlrenada. 131 144
Bard/din 5 Per

FOBSIO

FPNIO.
3 per Ct. festean. 14 51
4 per 11. I...rtitutao. tlel
pereere.l. 41 2
per CI. l'ortustur,.lls
S per Ct. Itu....but, 111 11J
4/ per Ct. 1 tweettt, lull 2/
S per Ct. Acttre. tt.l
prr eptelish. 343
LW. 1.,V•1113. Si
11C, Ct. Veuestie44. 33/ CI
P 0 Peferre.l. 11/ 12/
134154.. &Lid.

YESTERDAY, a COURT OF DIRECTORS w•as held at
the East India House, when Captain Sir Henry I. Leeke,
U.N., was appointed superintendent of the Indian navy.

A ZOOLOGICAL PROBLEM. —On the 3rd day of
October, 1851, and towards the hour of evening, one of the
boa constrictors in the Zoological-gardens of the Regent's-
park received a present of two live tabbits for hie supper.
. . As he had not had any food for some weeks, it is
supposed that the rabbits will be a very acceptable present
for his serene lengthiness. The cool air of autumn is tem.
percd by a warming apparatus in his saloon, but in case he
should wish fur a still greater degree of heat, a
blanket is given hint to creep under, or in the folds of
which he may enroll himself at Lis pleasure. It is not
a fine household blanket, but a thick, rough, railway
blanket-wrapper of the largest size. All his comforts being
thus attended to, the keeper of th 2 serpent-house bows,
1 and takes his departure for the night. . . . In the
course of the night of the 3rd of October last past, the
watchman as usual entered the Serpent-house. Walking
round, and holding up his lantern to the different casts, he
perceived that the boa constrictor's " supper" was hopping
about the cage in a very uneotturued manner; but, ou
turning from the rabbits to their proprietor, what was his
dismay at perceiving that the serpent had seised upon one
corner of the thick, rough blanket, in preference, and was
drawing it down his distended throat: Away ran the
watchman to call up the head keeper. . . . The head
keeper, knowing it would be in vain to endeavour to get the
blanket back, after " matters had gone so tar," hoped that
the serpent would disgorge it of his own accord, if left
to himself quietly, as soon as he found that he had made a
mistake in the food he had chosen. Both head keeper and
watchman, therefore, want away, It is the opinion of Mr.
Mitchell, the secretary of the ZoOlogical Society, who is con-
stantl studying the habits of animals, that the serpent has
no palate; and that in the night he had made a dart and a
snap at one of the rabbits, but, missing it in the darkness,
had caught a mouthful of the blanket, and conceiving it to
be a verylloo4 rabbit (but with rather a loose skin, wo should
suppose), had never troubled himself with any further consi-
derations. In the morning, when the head keeper went to
the serpent-house, in a very anxious state of mind as to the
result, there he saw the two rabbits sitting up by the side of
the serpent's water-pan, washing their faces, to be nice and
tidy fur the day,—and the last two inches of the thick railway
blanket just going down the serpent's throat. Since this
event, the serpent has never shown any signs of baring
discovered his blunder, or any disposition to disgorge his bed-
ding. • . He lies torpid, as usual after a good meal ;
drinks more water than he drinks in general ; and perse-
veres, with fuU reliance on his wonderful powers and pecu-
liar organisation. The blanket can be seen to have moved
several feet down his body. It is now about the middle
(October 28th). Will he manage it somehow, or will he
die ? That is the problem,—Dickens's " liousmold Words."