The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-28 00:00:00

...,.11) COMMERCIAL

MONETARY

LtYtRl,OOl.,

WEDNESDAY t'FUN!Tqci

e Cotton Market continues steady, with a
supply at full prices, The sales to-day
amount to 10,000 bales, and include 3,00 Q taken
for speculation and ekport.
The Liverpool Share Market has been e4sier
to day upon the decline in Consols, and the very
heavy rates of continilation oil shares.. The specu-
lation having been very considerable for the
Dividends, and the prospects Of peace, the account
turn* out a largely over-bought one, and, generally
speaking, in rather weak hands. Prices close flat !
Aberdeen, 12113. Chester and Ilirkebhead, 14
14. Caledotlian, 28, 2t t. Cheater abet toly
head, l 2 13. Eastern Counties, VAt 91. East Lanca-
shire, 18 181. Great Northern, 231 241. Ditto A.
Shares, 10 101. Great Western, 594 60.
Lancashire and Yorkshire Stock, 82 82/. Liverpool,
Crosby, and Southport,, 15 15k. London and
North Western Stock, 1011 102. Manchester,
Sheffield and Lincoln, 241 241. Ditto Preferdiide,
11. M. Ditto New 6 per cent. Pref., p.
Midland Stock, 701 71. North British, 7,1 711..
North Staffordshire, 6.1 61d. South Eastern,
191 198. York, Newcastle, and Berwick,
191 19f. York and North Midland, 26f 26a. Leeds
Capital Stock, 151 151. Dutch Rhenish, 11-16 p.
Ditto New Shares, 2 3-16 2 5-16 p. Great Western
of Canada, 26 24. Ditto New Shares, 83 3a p.
Great Luxembourg, 94- 9 d.
If anything were needed to show the utter care-
lessness of the ministry at.present in power, and
their supreme disregard of investigating the neces-
sity for, or bearing of the measures they intro-
duce into Parliament, the ,conduct of the Govern-
Ment with respect to the " Local hues on Shipping
Bill," has filled up the hiatus. The Vice-Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade had so clearly made a
mistake in drawing up his bill that it was quite
evident that the attempt to force it through
Parliament would not succeed, and Lord
Palmerston has once more shown the
discretion of the well-bred dog, and saved himself
from being positively beaten by the vote of the
House of Commons by withdrawing the bill. It
is to be hoped, therefore, that the time of Parlia-
itient will not be frittered away in useless discus-
sions of the crude and ill-digested measures intro,-
duced by the junior members of the Government,
AS in the present instance.
Accounts from St. Petersburg state that the Em-
peror of Russia has authorised the Minister of
Finance to issue seven new series of Treasury bills
for the sum of 21 millions of roubles, equivalent to
1-'3,150,000 sterling, valuing the rouble at 3s. These
several issues are to be numbered from 37 to 43
inclusive. The four first to replenish the Imperial-
Treasury, and the three last to be exchanged for
the series numbered 12, 13, and 14, circulated in
1848. The current interest for the series No 87 to
commence from the Ist February ; 31 on the Ist
March ; 39 and 40, Ist April ; and for 41, 42, and
43, on the Ist May, 1816.
Other accounts from Russia, by way of
Hamburg, mention that the Emperor has given
his sanction to a law for the purpose of establish-
ing new maritime tribunals in the ports and other
towns on the shores of the Baltic, the White Sea,
and the Caspian Sea. No mention is made of
similar reforms in the ports of the Black Sea and
the Sea of Azoff.

mode.'

The Special Commission appointed by the
Spanish Cortes to examine the new measure of
Senor Santa Crut, the Minister of Finance, for
levying an indirect tax, instead of the octri
duties, appear to agree on the several points
of the question, according to the last accounts
from Madrid.

The prospectus of a new joint-stock bank has
been just issued. The title is the "West Metro-
politan Bank." The capital is fixed at 300,0001.,
with power to increase it to 1,000,0001. The board
of directors is highly respectable, and is headed by
the names of Viscount Torrington and Sir Herbert
Maddock, M.P.

The Board of Trade returns for the month
ended on the 31st January last have been published
to-day. It appears that the total declared value
of the exports during the month was 7,974,7861.,
against 6,464,7961. in the month ended the sth of
February, 1855- The increase has been chiefly in
the exports of alkali, coals, cotton yarn, earthen-
ware, haberdashery and millinery, linen manu-
factures, machinery, iron (bar, bolt, and rod),
silk manufactures, wool, and woollen manufactures.
Cotton manufactures entered by the yard show a
decrease, which is a rather unusual feature in these
returns.

On the stock Exchange yesterday Consols closed

The following were the closing quotations :
Caledonian, 57. N 571. Eastern Counties, 0 0-16
9 11-16. East Lancashire, 72 73. Great Northern,
051 Nil. Ditto A., 801, 81k. Lancashire and
Yorkshire, 82 821. London and North Western,
1011 1021. Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-
colnshire, 2-11 25. Midland Stock, 7q-, 70k.
North British, 20 30. South Eastern and
Dover, 64} 0-4. York, Newcastle, and Berwick,
77 78. York and North Midland, 521 53k.

The Queen has been pleased to order a conge d'elire to
pass the Great Seal, empowering the Dean and Chapter of
the Cathedral Church of Carlisle to elect a Bishop of that
See, the same being void by the death of Doctor Hugh Percy,
late Bishop thereof ; and her Majesty has also been pleased
to recommend the Honourable and Reverend Henry Mon-
tagu Villiers, M.A., to be elected by the said Dean and
Chapter, Bishop of the said See of Carlisle.
FIRE AT STOCK PO RT.—Between twelve and one o'clock on
Tuesday morning a fire broke out in the works of Messrs. R.
Gordon and Co., iron founders and engine builders, Stock-
port, A building of great length and three stories high,
containing valuable lathes, tools, and patterns, was con-
siderably damaged, the roof and pattern room being des-
troyed, and the machinery generally much injured. The
loss is estimated at upwards of £5,000. The property is
insured.

THE EMPRESS EUGENIE AND THE STAR CROM—YOU
Will doubtless before this have learned that the Empress
of the French has received the order of the Star Cross
(Stern-Kreuz Orden) and a letter from the Empress-
Mother, Carolina Augusta, but the official organ will
hardly publish the imperial epistle, although it must have
made an extremely agreeable impression on the Emperor
Napoleon. You have frequently been told that the
rela-
tions between France and Austria were far more inti-
mate than was generally supposed, and the information
which will now be given is well calculated to remove all
doubt on the subject. When it was settled that Count
Buol should go to Paris, his Majesty the Emperor wished.
to give his brother Monarch some striking proof of the
high consideration in which he held him, and it was
thought that this could not be better done than by treat-
ing his consort as if she had been of imperial or royal
descent. The Stern-Kreur is Only worn by those ladies
whose pedigree has, during a :Jng series of years, been
without spot or blemish, and it was resolved that this
high order should be presented to the Empress of the
'Trench. In order that the impression produced on the
imperial pair might be the more agreeable, the badga of
the order in brilliants was accompanied by a letter from
the Empress Carolina Augusta, who is a Protectress and
Superior of the Institution. in which it is said that the
attention has been shown "in order to consolidate the
intimate relations already subsisting between the two
families." The other parts of the letter were of little
moment, but the passage quoted appears most significant,
when it is considered that it was written at the express
desire of the Emperor Francis Joseph.—Letter from
Vienna.

DARING ROBBERT.—One of the most daring robberies
that has taken place in Glasgow for a considerable time
was perpetrated on Wednesday in the head office of the
Edinburgh and Glasgow Bank. About three o'clock in.
the afternoon, a young man, employed in the counting..
house of a respectable firm in the city, entered the bank
to "retire" a bill due by his employers for 251/ odds. He
proceeded to the teller's table and commenced counting
the money in the usual way. 2501 of the money was
in notes, which, being counted and found correct,
was laid upon the table. The balance was in
silver, to count a pound of which he, without the
slightest necessity on his part for so doing, retired
about a yard's length from the table. He had just done
so, when a man, who had no doubt been watching all his
movements, stepped between him and the counter, and,
accosting him, very innocently asked him " What bank is
this ? " The young man politely answered the question,
which was no sooner done than the interrogator pulled
from his top-coat pocket, a pocketbook, which con-
tained what appeared to be a small parcel of 1/. notes.
Drawing one of the notes from the parcel, he showed
it to the young man, at the same time asking him what
bank he should take it to. He was told that it was a
Commercial Bank note, and he might take it there if he
chose to do so. He then put the note in the pocket-
book, and coolly walked to the door. Turning to the
table with the pound of silver the young man missed his
notes. Thinking the teller might have lifted them, he
asked him if he had got them, and being answered in the
negative, suspicion that he had been robbed by an accom-
plice of the party who had asked him the questions at
once crossed his mind. He asked several of the by-
standers if they had seen any one lift the money, and,
receiving answers in the negative, he immediately ran to
the door, but of course neither thief nor accomplice could
be seen. Information was immediately given at the various
police stations, but nothing as yet has been learned as to
the perpetrators of this daring theft.

FRANCE.

(FROM 01:131 OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, TuEsbAls

The AeCtet of the Vonferences was eO well kept
yesterday that, even at a late hour at night, very
feW people, indeed, knew that an armistice (of
Which it ha+c 'cent you news by telegraph, and
which, I presume, must have been dnnounced in

parliament last night) had been concluded in the
course of the day. The fact was made public in
the Moniteur of this morning, in these
terms The first meeting of the Congress
took filao4 !tlresterday, nt the Hotel of

the Ministry of Foreig-ti Affairs at one o'clock,
and the sitting lasted to half-past four. It wan
agreed that the armistice shall be concluded
between the belligerent armies, and that it shall
formally cease on the 31st March next. This ar-
mistice be without effect on the blockade
established, of to tie, establi6hed, "It will be ob-
served that the 'official journal does not say that
the armistice has been concluded between the
belligerent fleets; but no doubt, as the French
say cela va sans dire."

From the delight which the bulk of the
Parisian population manifested at the prospect of
peace, it might have been expected that the
Bigning of au armistice would have been hailed
with acclamations of joy; but nothing of the kind
has been observed anywhere. Indeed to speak
truth the conviction in peace is not quite so firm
to-day as it was yesterday. This may seem
strange, and almost incredible, in presence
of the signing of an armistrice ; but
so it is; though no reason can be
given for it, except the proterbial fickleness of the
French. Even on the Bourse, where siti itiitnense
multitude flocked, expecting an enormous rise,
there has been a general fall in all securities.

Not only are the plenipotentiaries pledged to
solemn secrecy on all that may take place in the
Conferences, but most extraordinary precautions
have been taken at the Hotel of the
Ministry of Affairs, to prevent any one
even the highest dignitaries from knowing
what takes place. It is therefore with
some hesitation that I communicate to you what
.t hate heard of the proceedings yesterday, because,
naturally, I am unable to guaraiitee ita truth j but
it comes to me from a quarter to which, on °Hi_
nary occasions, I should attach the highest im-
portance. It is this :—When the question of the
armistice was brought forward—but with the
express condition that the blockade in
the Baltic and the Black Sea should not
be raised—Count Orloff insisted that it would
be grossly unjust to impose any such condition on
an armistice; for, said he, Russia has little or no
need of an armistice by land, but she has need to
have her ports relieved from the blockade ; and he
argued that the Allies had no right to take just
what suited them, and to reftse What happened
to suit Russia. Lord Clarendon firmly insisted
that the armistice should be accepted with the
proposed condition, or that none at all should be
granted. Count Orloff replied, and after an argu-
ment in which some heat was displayed on both
sides, the Count yielded.
If this be true, it is, it must be confessed, an
awkward commencement of the Conferences.
Squabbling at the outset does not augur unani-
mity at the end, unless it be " unanimity to
differ.'

The Conferences, or as the Moniteur (erroneously)
calls them the Congress, have not held a sitting
to-day, and Lord Clarendon has profited by the
day's holiday to take a long ride on horseback.

According to the Journal des Debats, the Plenipo-
tentiaries are not seated at the Conference table in
the alphabetical order of their respective countries
but (in that in which they were presented to the
Emperor : thus, Lord Clarendon is on the right
hand of the President (Count Walewski), Count
Buol next to him, Count Cavour next, Count
Orloff next, and Aali Pacha next; whilst Lord
Cowley is on the left of the President, Baron Hub-
ner next to him, Marquis de Villamarina next, Baron
Brunow, next, and Mehemet Djemil Bey next.
The Constitutionnel says that Count Walewski
opened the proceedings with a speech ; that the
plenipotentiaries then decided the form in which
their proceedings should be recorded, and that
then the respective powers of the plenipotentiaries
were examined.

I am credibly informed that the Emperor, per-
sonally, has determined on not allowing the affair
of the Constitutionnel and the Moniteur to rest where
it is. It was, I am assured, his Majesty himself
who ordered the article of the Siecle to be repro-
duced in the Moniteur, and that the story of a
mistake having been committed, by taking one
article for another, is, it is added, quite unfounded.
The article the Emperor ordered to be printed in
the Moniteur was printed, and no other. Hence
his Majesty is in huge indignation at the Consti-
tutionnel presuming to say, that the reprint of the
article had taken place "by error," and
he insists that some more severe punish-
ment shall be inflicted on it than the
dismissal of an editor. The Constitutionnel, however,
has powerful friends, and it is not known how the
matter will end. _ _

All the accounts from Sweden say that the
probability of peace is looked on with alarm and
indignation in that country.
P.S. All the political salons favourable to Russia
are ringing with complaints of the " severity"
of the armistice. This, as far as it goes,
is a sort of confirmation of what is said above
of the discussion in the Conferences yesterday.
A dejeuner was given to the Plenipotentaries last
evening, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and
he proposed a toast—" May the negotiations be
brought to a happy conclusion."