The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-18 00:00:00

The Custom-house statement of the shipments of
the precious metals direct from the port of London
during the week ending Thursday is as follows, viz.:
—Gold coin: To Hamburg, 2,824 ounces; to Bel-
gium, 5,000 uz.; to Sydney, 55,0001. Gold bars: To
Havre, 72 ounces ; to Boulogne, 6,050 oz. Silver
coin : To Calcutta, 68,000 oz.; to Boulogne, 1,600 oz.
Silver bats : Ta Calcutta, 212,000 oz. ; to Boulogne,
600 oz. This gives a total of 13,916 oz., and 53,000/.
in gold, and 282,200 oz. of silver, representing an
aggregate value of about 163,000/.
We also hear of the undermentioned shipments,
viz., by the Kenilworth, for Calcutta, 70,(88J/. in
silver ; by the ladiaua, fur Calcutta, about 80,000/.,
chiefly in silver; by the TeGot, for the Brazils,
9,5671. in specie (besides jewellery to the value of
14,0001.); by the Koning Willem IL, for Melbourne,
30,01 MS in coin ; by the Kinnear, for Sydney,
45,0001.; by the Cornwall, for New Zealand,
3,000/. The shipments of silver to the East
recorded in the London Custom-house state-
ment, probably include the amounts despatched by
the Kenilworth and Indiana, which ate conse-
quently stated twice. Summarising the shipments
of the week, 320,000/. will probably form about the
total, showing an excess of exports over imports to
the amount of about 255,0001. A large portion of
the shipments, however, consists of silver, received
from the West Indies and Mexico, and merely passed
through this market.
Business in miscellaneous stocks eras quiet. Aus-
tralian Agriculturals did not maintain ti Mr late
rally, closing 86 to 88. South Australian Land left
off 49} to aol ; Van Diemen's Land, 20 to 21k ; Bri-
tish American Lnnd, 81 to 86, being not quite so good
as yesterday. The shares of the Canada Company
have been in brisk demand, and were at one time
to-day as high as 78, but the market for these'
shares is limited, and consequently very uncertain.
North British Australasian closed It to 14 prem.
All Australian bank shares were dull. Grand Cen-
tral Railway of France shares left off 2k to 21
prem., and Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, 1 to
1 # prem., being lower ; Melbourne Dock and Rail-
way, par to 1 prem. ; Royal Danish Railway, 3 to
31 prem.
The directors of the British American Laud Com-
pany have called a special general meeting of their
prom ictary for the 2nd May, " for the purpose of
assenting to or dissenting from a proposal which will
then and there be submitted for the sale of a certain
portion of this company's lands to a mining associa-
tion, upon terms and conditions which will be then
stated by the directors, and for other business."
Bonds of the Chicago and Mississippi Railroad to
a nominal amount of 1,000,000 dohs, or say 200,000/.
sterling, are being offered in this market. The line
in que alien forms a link in the great system of rail-
ways, which, including the Southern and Central
Michigan, and the Great Western of Canada, is des-
tined to form a continuous communication from the
valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri to the chief
lake ports, to Canada, and to Boston, and Now York.
Its total length is 233 miles of which 72 miles were
opened on the 10th September last ; 59 miles will be
opened in August of the present year, and the
northern division, consisting of 124 miles, is expected
to be finished in the course of the year, so as to have
the entire line complete in January 1854. The esti-
mates of the Company's officials make the expenditure
4,206,284 dots., and the net income about
645,4U0 dolts, or upwards of 15 per cent.
return on the entire cost. By its act of incorpora-
tion the company may issue capital stock to the
amount of 3,300,000 dots., of which 2,500,000 dole. is
already subscribed and secured to the company. The
directors have also executed a first mortgage for
2,000,000 dots. in 2,000 bonds, bearing 7 per cent. in-
terest, of 1,000 dots. each, of which one half are re-
deemable in 10 rears, and the other half in 20 years,
from the Ist Ociober, 1852. It is this latter half
that is ("tiered to the English public. The bonds have
the special privilege of the coupons attached to them
being paid, as they become due, at the rate of 4s. Id.
t nor dollar, by Messrs. Dimsdale, Drewett, and Co., of
London. Tile price fit which subscriptions will be
received is 89 per cent., or 2001. Os. per won or 1,000
dohs, with dividend from the Ist April. The annual
interest to rho subscribers will thus be rather over 7
per cent., and it is pointed out that the low price of
n 9 ptr cent. almost insures their receiving back
the pi iucipal in full, after making due allow-
ance for any loss that may arise from the
exchange with America. After providing for
the interest on the bonds, and before any dividends
are paid on the stock of the line sufficient funds are
to be annually set aside for the redemption of the
booth at the end of the time specified.
The dilemma of the Sonthampton Dock Company
are tAing measures to carry out the recommenda-
tion of the general meeting of shareholders herd on
the 3th inst., involving the creation of additional
capital. The object in view is the construction of
two additional close decks and an additional graving
dock. The total amount of share capital authorised
by the company's acts is 700,000/sof which 429,681/.
3s. has been already raised. The remaining
amount, or 270,318/. 155., is to be offered at par,
rateably to the proprietors of the original stock in
preference, applications being at the same time in-
vited from the public, to be sent in not later than the
23th inst. The stock will be issued in scrip shares
of 50/. each, payable in ten eqiril quarterly instal-
ments, and interest at the rate of 4 per cent. per an-
mint on each instalment will be allowed up to the
31st Dec., 1855, in accordance with the company's
Act, when it will be registered as ordinary stock of
the company. The directors are also empowered to
increase the amount of debenture debt, if requisite,
from 213,7001. to 300,0001., being ithe sum allowed
by the act. They draw attention to the