The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-20 00:00:00

Alliance Bank (Limited) will be held on the 16th
January.
At the request of shareholders representing
about 70,0001. capital of the Northern Railway of
Buenos Ayres, Mews. Engelbach and Salomon,
have invited a meeting of the shareholders for
Friday (to-day) at the London Tavern, for the
following purposes :
1. To devise some plan to relieve the shareholders of
the present high rate of interest they are paying, namely,
15 per cent. on 25,000/. ; 2. To put an end, as far as pos-
sible, to the expensive litigation now being carried on,
both at common law and in Chancery ; 3. To consider the
general management of the company's affairs and the pre-
sent condition of the line.

Creditors of the Landahipping Colliery Com-
pany of Milford Haven (Limited) are required to
send the particulars of their claims to Mr. Henry
Chatteris, the official liquidator, by the 16th
January, the 27th of that month having been ap-
pointed by Vice-Chancellor Matins for adjudicating
upon them.
The dividend due the Ist January on the Otto-
man Loan of 1862 is announced for payment by
Mesas. Glyn and Co.
Subjoined is Messrs. Culverwell, Brooks, and
Co.'s report of yesterday's hide sales :
At the twenty-third and last mules of hide sales for the
year, all descriptions of hides, both salted and dry, were
in good request, nearly the whole of the quantity offered
being sold at full to advanced rates. East India—Ox and
cow were in good demand, the whole of the quantity
offered (which was small) being cleared off. Dacca
slaughtered and other hides of good quality realized an
advance of fully id. per lb. Other descriptions she sold
well at full prices to id. per lb. advance. 43,728 hides
offered and sold. East India—Buffalo—The few offered
realised about previous prima. Leather.—East Indian
brought about late rates. Australian was in fair request.
Salted Hides.—Australian were in good request, and
nearly all sold at late rates. Cape, part sold. Gibraltar,
&c., realized about previous prices. Di/salted bides.—
Barbary sold well. Bark.—liiiimes was abiedy bought in.
Myrabolanes sold fairly.
One of Mr. Reinke's divers has returned from
St. Thomas, and it appears that the Columbian
lies in 38 feet of water. She has a very large hole
in her side, and lies right across the entrance to the
dock, which is sunk, as already known. The cargo
is being saved, but from all appearances it will re-
quire two or three months to clear away the wrecks.
The British Empire (also a very large ship), which
was ready for sea at this time, lies close to her with
700 tons of ballast on board. The cotton and
print goods already saved from the Columbian
were much injured by water, from the fact that the
cases had been crushed by the collisions, but they
were likely to fetch fair prices considering their
condition. Five divers were at work using Ileinke's
apparatus, and the West India and Pacific Steam
Company have sent a vessel fully equipped to assist.
Delays have occurred on account of the earthquake
shocks which have passed over the island, and the
divers were much impeded and ran great risks from
the absence of co-operation of the black labourers,
who were too frightened to work.
The weekly return of the Bank of France shows
the following changes :
Coin and bullion
Bills discounted Decrease 72,000
Notes in circulation .„ Decrease 352,000
Private deposits lncrease 392,000
Advances Decrease 4,000
Treasury balance
There is no indication in this return of any re-
vival in the demand for money. The further in-
crease of 348,000/. in the coin and bullion raises the
total to 40,383,0301.
The following is the official return of the cheques
and bills cleared in the Bankers' Clearing-house
for the week ending Wednesday, Dec. 18:
Thursday, Dec.l2 E8,220,000
Friday, Dec. 13 19,866,000
Saturday, Dec. 14 11,754,000
Monday, Dec 16 11,064,000
Tuesday Dec. 17 10,176,000
Wednesday, Dec. 18 9,341,000

170,411.000
JOHN C. POCOCK, Deputy-Impeder.
Bankers' Clearing-house, Dec. 14.
The payments at the Stock Exchange settlement on
Friday last appear to have been the largest known
since the commencement of these Clearing House
returns. The week's clearances have also probably
been swelled by the adjustment of mercantile
accounts in preparation for Christmas and the end
of the year.
The return of the Bank of England for the week
ending Wednesday, Dec.lB, compared with that for
the previous week, shows the following
Circulation issue £35,786,995 Incremicirngi,4ls
Circulation active 22,888,620 Decrease 512,365
Public deposits 7,146,320 Inman 1,362.=
Other deposits
Government securities in

banking de artmeat — 13,019,203 !norms 700,000
Other securities in banking
department 17,218,753 Increase 192,433
Coin and bullion in both

departments
Seven day and other bills 530,954 Demeans 4,351
The Rest 3,039,288 Increase 2,807
Notes in reserve
Total reserve (notes & coin)
in banking department 14,02,089 Increase 789,517
Owing chiefly to the large increase in the
deposits, and to the comparatively limited
amount of the Bank's fresh advances on " other"
securities, an addition of 799,5171. has been made
to the reserve. The increase in the government
deposits, however, is largely attributable to the
carrying to that account of a sum of 700,000/.,
which the Treasury has apparently obtained from
the Bank as an advance on Exchequer Bonds.
Hence the increase of that amount in the govern-
ment securities. During the week the Bank re-
ceived from abroad 43,0001. in gold more than it
parted with for exportation, and, as the increase in
the coin and bullion is as much as 277,1521.,
evidenon is afforded of a steady reflux of coin from
the internal circulation.