The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-18 00:00:00

MONETARY AND COMMERCM,

LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY EVENING
The tenor of our East India advices seems to
have induced spinners to act with greater activity
in our Cotton Market. Although the offerings are
still plentiful, holders aro very firm in price.
To-day the sales reached 10,000 bales, of which
speculators and exporters took 2 000, the market
closing with great steadiness The prices paid
to daY,.were as ifolhiyl, :—Brakil, 61- to 7k ; Surat, 4f
to 51 , and Egyptian, 7 teeBl per lb.
Although •a fair extent of business has been
transacted in Railway, property on -Ppm Stock
Exchange to-day, the market is in a worse condi-
tion than it was a week ago. Holders of Stocks
and Shares on the leading lines manifest a desire
to realise, hence prices have a declining tendency.
The market opened fiat, and prices receded as the
day wore on, closing at the lowest point. The
sales were—Caledonian, 311, 1,4, 1,1, e ; East
Lancashire, 224 ; Great Western, 69 1; Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire, 97, 7, 61 ; London and
North Western, 1051, 1,1; Manchester, Shef-
field and Lincoln, 34k, 31, f;, Midland Stock,
821.4,1, k. 2, 18, I, 1; Berwick Capital Stock, 208;
South Eastern and Dover, 221, 22,11, 2, Ik. From
the foregoing quotations it will- be perceived
that business left off at the lowest rates of the
day. • Subjoined aro the latest closing prices :
Aberdeen, 13 131. Blackburn, 7 76. Chester and
Birkenhead, 178 171. Caledonian, 31 311. Chester
and Holyhead, 191 19k. Eastern Counties, 9 5716
9 7-16. East Lancashire, 22k 221. Great Northern,
22 22k. Ditto A shares, 9t 9/. Great Western,
69 691. LanCashire and ygrkshire Stock, 961964.
Liverpool, Crosby and Southport, 181 .18a. Lon-
don and North Western Stock, 105 k 1051
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, 331 331.. Mid
land Stock, 811 81k; North British, 91 10.
'North Staffordshire, 51 sd. South Eastern
and Dover, 211 22. York, Newcastle, and
Berwick, 20k 21; York and North Midland,
291 30. Leeds Capital Stock 18k 18k. Buffalo
and Lake Huron, -1-„ gyp.. Dutch Rhenish, §-
Great Western of Canada, 24k 241 Do. New
Shares, 21 2 5-16 p. Great Luxemburg, 10: lokd
The demand for discount accommodation con-
tinues brisk, and it is expected, under the eir-
stances, the bank directors will not lower the
minimum rate of interest to-morrow; and consider-
ing that the next Thursday will be Christmas Day,
no alteration will, probably, take place this year.
Owing to the increased activity in the silver market
the price of that metal has risen is 8:1 per ounce.
A further parcel of 10,0001 in gold was taken from
the Bank yesterday, for the purchase of five franc
pieces on the continent.
The English Funds exhibit rather a heavy ET.
pearance, and as business is exceedingly dull the
market tends downwards. To-day a few small
sales have been effected, which, together with the
further decline of 1 per cent. on the Paris Bourse
yesterday have occasioned a decline of about 1 per
cent. Consols have been 93f /, 93/ a, and 943! t
Exchequer Bills are is lower, viz , 4s to 7s prem.,
and the Bonds are 988. The New Thr3e Per rents
have been dealt in at 93f 1, and the Reduced 93k
1. India Bonds are 2s prem.
There has been but little business transacted in
the London Railway Share Market, and with one
or two exceptions, prices have rather tended
downwards. Caledonian, East Lancashire, Great
Northern, North Western, Manchester, Sheffield,
and Lincoln, North Eastern Berwick, Oxford,
Worcester and Wolverhampton, and South
Eastern have all declined shout 5s to lOs per
share. (ireat Central of France, Northern of
France, and Paris and Lyons are also at reduced
quotations, and -Grand Trunk of Canada have
advanced about ss. Among the sales of the day
were the following—Caledonians, 63, 62k; Eastern
Counties, 98 ; East Lancashire, 89, 88; Great
Northern, 80, 88i ; Do. B Stock, 121. 21, 11; Great
Western, 691, a,l; London and North Western, 1051;
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 341, 4 ;
Midland, 821, k ; South Eastern, 74, 24.
There is still a very quiet and tame demand for
both the home trade and exports of Colonial
Prodnce; To day we had rather a better enquiry
for sugar, and prices were steady. Some Santos
and Mysore coffee sold, the former at 525, and the
latter at 55s per cwt. The market for textile
fabrics are firm, and a pretty fair business is doing
therein The. sales of drugs and dyes to day
passed off satisfactorily. Laguna logwood brought
Ei 7, and St. Domingo 51. The value of saltpetre is
well supported. There is not much passing in
Russian produce.
Accounts from the manufacturing districts re-
part increased firmness in the ()loth markets and
Manchester, in consequence of favourable advices
from India relative to the import trade, and also
to the advancing tendency of cotton at Liverpool.
'Goods suitable to the Indian and China markets
have been in request, and a large business is in
progress.' The Leeds markets are in a very satis-
factory condition, and the inquiry is of an average
character. Wool is exceedingly firm, at late rates.
The meeting of the shareholders of the Cont.
mercial Bank was held yesterdays, for the special
purpose of appointing a director, in the place of
Mr. Oxenford, whose protracted absence from this
country rendered it necessary that his place at the
board should be filled up; but as it was known
that the directors would take the opportnnity of
denying the various adverse rumours which have
recently been circulated with regard to the stabi-
lity of the concern, a considerable number of the
shareholders was present. The chairman replied
to these prejudicial statements in a manner which
elicited inneh applause, and fully restored the con-
fidence of the proprietors as well as the'depositors
in the soundness of the establishment. Mr. M.
Hunter said that the Bank had lost nothing what•
ever by Messrs. Fox Henderson, and Co., that no
application had ever been made to Messrs. Jones,
Lloyd, and Co. for assistance, or in fact to any
others ; and that the Bank of England never sat
'for two hours in deliberation on the subject of
lending the establishment 180,0001, all of which
reports had been industriously circulated after the
failure of the Royal British Bank. A. vote of thanks
was passed to the Direct°, s and the manager, arid
the meeting separated, fully satisfied with the ex-
planations that had been offered.
The commercial accounts from India to-day ate
generally favourable. At Calcutta large sales of
manufactured goods had been effected at full prices
Three days' later intelligence had been received
from Chinas and the rate of exchange at Shanghai
still presented a declining tendency, the quotation
being 7s, ad, to 7s. 7d.
By our recent accounts from the Cape of Good
Hope, we have satisfactory accounts of the progress
of Natal, especially as regards the growth of sugar.
Three steam mills were in full working, and the
aggregate result of their operations for the season
was likely, in a great degree, to meet the con-
sumption of the . colony. Several others were
about to be put up, and additional orders
were in course of execution. The culture
of the cane was rapidly extending, and it
was hoped that next season the production
of 'sugar will be at least double the quantity
hitherto imported in one year. Arrowroot was
likewise attracting increased attention, and the
year's production would be 40 tons. Its luxuriance
of growth in the soil of Natal, and the simplicity
of the mannfapturing process, render it popular
with persons of small capital, and there was a
prospect of its being rapidly extended. At the
same time the modes of preparation and packing
were receiviug the requisite cat-c. Tallow has also
proved a satisfactory article of export, several
shipments made to England in 1855 having turned
ont satisfactory.

PROVIDING FOR THE FUTURE.—M. Boulanger, judge of
the Imperial Court of Paris, who lately died at his resi.
deuce, No. 3, Rue d'Alger, has, it appears, left not fewer
than 95 wills I - As he was of very parsimonious habits, he
wrote many of them on the backs of letters, tradesmen's
bills, and prospectuses. Not a few of his legatees are
perfect strangers to him, he having selected them from
amongst persons mentioned in the newspapers as having
distinguished themselves by acts of virtue or devotedness.
In one of his last wills he expresses the desire that his
family will not attempt to dispute his bequests. A singu-
lar circumstance is related of the deceased. He himself
wrote letters to his executors and most intimate friends,
announcing his death, with the day of his decease left
blank; and he ordered his servant to fill up the vacant
space the moment he expired, and to despatch the letters,
which was doge•