The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-28 00:00:00

THE stiN, LONDON MONDAY EV-EN-I-NG, MAY 28, 1855 a
_ ~EPIVPA

SHARE• MARKETS

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-11- A-4 it

(THIS DAY.)

RAILWAYS.

CO ITMERCIAL ELLIGENOE.

RAILWLYII.

Clostng Prices
this day.

Basin=s dons
this day.

CITY, Two o'CLocs.

The Cotton Market at Liverpool, on Saturday,
closed firmly, with an upward tendency in prices.
The sales were estimated at 20,000 to 25,000 bales
(2,000 of which wore taken for export, and 11,000
on speculation), comprising 400 Pernam and Ma-
ranham at sd. to 7d., 400 Bahia at did., 200
Egyptian at did. to 70., 5,000 Surat at 3id. to
51d., and 100 Sea Islands at 11d, to ls. 4d. per lb.
The Railway Share Market was very active, and
prices of all the leading stocks advanced.
Letters from Birmingham respecting the iron
trade mention that sellers are realising ss. to 10s.
per ton advance upon the prices obtained last
month, and most of the works were affording con-
siderably increased employment. It is stated that
the production of raw metal is reduced below the
requirements of consumption, so that higher quo-
tations may be expected.
The New York money market is described in
the advices received by the Atlantic as being in a
plethoric state, and the bankers found a difficulty
to obtain good bills. Stocks were rather active,
but the market exhibited an unsettled appearance.
During the week to May 11 there was an excess of
imports over exports amounting to 873,380 dollars.
The Californian accounts report the markets as
being dull, and the prices low. Those engaged in
trade continued to complain bitterly of the exces-
sive supplies of merchandise which had been forced
into San Francisco, and it is confidently asserted that
there is a sufficiency of almost every article to supply
the local requirements for two years to come, so
that the prospects of a revival of business are not
very cheering. The diggings were yielding satis-
factorily, but miners were unable freely to obtain
coin for their gold, as coin was so scarce in the
State. The Kern River diggings were still attract-
ing large numbers, and supported their high cha-
racter of productiveness.
Accounts from the Baltic state that a complete
panic prevailed in the Russian ports, and even at
St. Petersburg there was a talk of a probable at-
tack by the allied fleets, which had penetrated far
into the Gulf of Finland much sooner than was
expected. The inhabitants of Revel had taken to
flight very generally, carrying with them as much
of their property as possible ; but the German and
Dutch merchants at Riga are stated to have large
stocks of grain and oil seeds in the magazines,
which would be liable to destruction in the event
of a bombardment.
A n umber of rich families had come to Hamburg
for safety. The enlistment for the Anglo Foreign
Legion had proceeded so openly, and with such
success, that the Senate at Hamburg had ordered
a great many parties from various German States,
who were suspected of an intention to enlist, to
leave the city, and the authorities at Altona had
seized a boat, with several on board, bound for
Heligoland. The Russians appear to apprehend
an attempt on our part to land at Wyborg, but
they have immense military forces stationed at
different points, and have sunk vessels and stones,
especially off Riga, to impede the navigation.
Advices from Madrid mention that the commis-
sion upon the Badget had decided by a small ma-
jority, in favour of a loan of 200,000,000 reals,
partly voluntary and partly forced, to be reim-
bursed in 4 instalments from the proceeds of the
national properties, with interest at the rate of 8
per cent. per annum. Unless M. Madoz obtains
a larger majority in the Cortes, however, it is
feared he will resign.

The letters from India and China by the over-
land mail are expected in town on Wednesday, and
there will be Adelaide dates of March 25..
The 4hip Indemnity is off Plymouth, from Mel-
bourne, whence she sailed March 5. She has on
board 15,000 ounces of gold.
The railway "calls" due in June are as fol-
lows :

Company.

Date due. Call.
.. 19...£1 0 0

Amount.
£6,500

Bridport
East Lancashire New 4 per
Cent., notallotted to Fiiths'
proprietors
Grand Trunk of Canada, A
issue
Ditto, Cert. of Debenture,,
Nos. 1 and 2
Great Luxembourg (Constit.) 1... 1 0 0... 78,310
Lond. and S.-West., New 50/. 4... 5 0 0 ...unk no wn
Ditto ditto New 401. 4... 4 0 o...unknown
N. and S.-Western Junttion. 1... 110 0... 2,250
Sambre and Meuse 101. Pref ,
issued at 1 die 15... 2 0 o...unknown
South Wales, 5 per Cent ,
201. Guaranteed

64,000

£305,892 17,
Total called in 1855 £7,629,487 20
The railway meetings announced are the follow- 20
ng 20
20

Company. Date. Place.
Chester and Holyhead May 28, Euston-station.
Killarney Junction
Kilkenny and Great S. & W May 29, London.
London and Blackwell May 29, London Tavern.
London and North-Western May 28, Euston-station.
London and South-Western May 31, Waterloo-station.
North-Eastern
Royal Swedish July 5, Gottenburg.
St. Andrews and Quebec,
(Class A)
Southern of France May 30, Paris.
Waterford and Kilkenny MayGracechurch-si
Western of Switzerland May 28, Lausanne.
The English Stock market has been exceedingly
buoyant, and the cheering news from the Crimea,
with the satisfactory change in the weather, all
conduce to the improvement. Consols have been
91i to 921 for transfer, and since 921 I. For the —'
July account they have been 92g Bank Stock 100
is firm at 209 to 209. East India Stock has been 100
at 235. The Omnium is up to 3i and 41 premium, 100
and the Annuity is at 161. Exchequer Bills are
15s. to 17s. premium.
Foreign Stocks have been very quiet. Turkish
Bonds have been 781 to 79, and since 79i and
80. Spanish 3 per Cents. bring 371 to 38, and the
New Deferred 18i. The Committee's Certificate
is at 4. Mexican Bonds have been a shade firmer,
viz., 22 to Brazilian Small Bonds are at par.
The following are the nominal prices of foreign
stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 61 to 71; Mexi-
can, 22 to 221 ; Peruvian, 67 to 69 ; ditto Three
per Cents., 47 to 49 ; Portuguese Four per Cents.,
42 to 44 ; Russian Five per Cants., 98 to 100 ;
ditto Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 88 to 90 ;
Spanish New Deferred, 18i to 1.84 ; Ditto 3 per
Cents., 37i to 38 ; Ditto Certificates, 4 to 41 ;
Ditto Passive, Si to 4.
Railway Shares have been favourably influenced
by the buoyancy in the Funds, but there is not a
large business doing. Grand Trunk of Canada
Shares are heavy ; Paris, and Lyons, and Madras
are highef.
Mines are quiet ; but in Joint-Stock Bank
Shares there are numerous dealings at steady quo-
tations. Miscellaneous undertakings are compara-
tively neglected.

BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY.-CLOSING PRICES.

(From tie Qficial Lid. ,

Tinonnmq don,

iK,nk Stock
3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities 9l i
3 per Cent. Consols Annuities
New 3 per Cent. Annuities ..
tonv Annuities, Expire sth .Tan.. 18440
Ditto 30 Years, Expire sth April, 1885 164
India Stock
C,,,, ors ,or Account, 30th May 9 i 21
Omnium
Cxctiequer Bills, 24d.
kIOOO
10

14
Small
Ditto Advertised 5 9 pm
PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY.
Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent
Ditto Small
Buenos Ayres Bonds, 6 per Cent 54
iexican 3 per Cent.
Ditto for the Account 22
Portuguese Bonds, 5 per Cent , Con. 1811
Ditto 4 per Cent.
Ditto, 1848, 3 per Cent
Bpanisn Bonds, per Cent 3B 7i
Ditto New Deferred, 3 per Cent. lBt
Spanish Committee Cert. of Coup. nit fun 4 p c
Turkish Bonds, 6 per cent
Ditto for the Account ...
Venezuela Bonds, 44. per Cent..
Ditto for the Account 2B
Dividends on the above payable in London.
Belgian Bonds 24 per Cent. ex. 25 fr —
Ditto 4t per Cent. Ex. 25 fr 931
Dutch Exchange, 2t per Cent. 12 Gull 64i
Ditto 4 per Cone. Certificates
THREE 0' CLOa.
Consols 92}
Ditto, May Account „, 924

loam,
gbX.
RAIIW"6. °OM.; . this day. this day.
50 all Bedford and 1-,Ga(l-011
Bletchley N. • •
„s,„
St. 100 Buckghamsh. L. ov:T.W. 7 99 mil 0
St. 100 Clydesdale Je. (lalc,lon 100 102
25 24 Col. Stour Vy. E. Un. &
Sud. and Hal. E. C..... •• •
St. 100 E. Lin. g. 6 pc Gt•Nrtan. 134 136
St. 109 Glas. Barr. & Caldonian.
Neils. Direct ••• •••
St. 103 Do. New, , Do •• •••
25 all Glstr.dt Dn. Fr It. Weer.;
100 all Hrtlpl. Dk. Sr, Tk• Now.
Railway & Berw.
50 all Hull & Selby Y. &NM 107 109
25 all Do. 1 Shares. Do ..• •••
12. all Do. d Shares. Do .
12i all Lon.&Greenw 3. Easton 121 —l3
20 all Do.Preforenee Do 23 —24 23
10 all Lon., Til., &S. ?et° &Co ll 111 111
St. 100 Lowestoft gr.
4 per cent. l'orfolk —
St. [OO Do. 6 per ct. Do
56 all Manch. Bxtn. L.&N.W
and Matlock & Midid. 21 —24
50 all Middlesbro' & Stckton
Redcar . Darling—
St. WO Midld.Bradfd Midland 93 95
61 51 Newmarket
Bury Exton... En. Coun. par 1p pm
50 all N.& Est.s p.c. B. Count. 57
50 all Do. 6 per et. D 0... ••• •••
50 all Do. Fixeds p Do
25 all Prest. & Wyre L. &N.W
&Ln&Yk
12A all Do. 1. Shrs. A Do —
St. 00 Boys-tn.& Hit. OtNorth, 130 133
25 18y Shef. Roth and Lancash Rt
Gooleg.sp.c. Vorksh
10 all Shrews.&ller T. Brassey 71 81
t 2 S. Staffordsh. M.MCleai: 3 21
50 Of Wear Valieygr •itockt. &
6 per cent... Darlingt
25 all Do ')0....... 33
St. 100 Wilts&gornrst ItWestn. 90 92 916
MISCELLANBOUti.
25 1 171 Australian Agricult. 31 33 321
10 all Ans.:rain. Royal Mail
10 7 Berlin Water Works 3/ 2/1
50 40 Brit. American Land 55 58
5 1 Brit. & Coln. Smeltg.
and Reduction Co.
100 321 Canada 118 122
St. WO Canada Gov. 6p. ct
Jan. and July ll2 113 113
5 all Crystal Palace 3l 34 33
5 4 Do. Preforenc...
4 all Crystal Pal. of France
1 g Duston Iron Ore .
20 81 Eastern Steam .
25 23- Electric Telegraph l7 19
1 all Electric Teleg. of Ir —
15 14 Gen. Steam Navigat
20 all General Screw Steam 14
20 10 Irish Beetroot Sugar •,.
20 10 Magdalena St. Navig. „.„
10 all Mediterau. Elec. Tel
10 9 Mexicau&S.Americn. 61 7
10 21 Do. New
1 all Nat. Pat. Steam Fuel
10 5 Netherlands Land 1 11
2 1 N. S. W. Coal &Inter
Steam Navigat. Co
1 all N. D. Australasian • I 1 I
20 15 Nrth.ofEuropeStsam
1 all Oriental Gas l— 1} 1
5 all Peel Rr. Ld. & MinrL 24 3 2i
50 all Peninsular& Oriental ...
Si) 10 Do. New l2 124 12
2 all Portland Iron Co ll 14
100 60 Royal Mail Steam
1 all Scot. Austral. Invest l4 2
1 1 Ditto New
25 all South Austral. Land ,!81 391
1 all Submar. Tel. Scrip 4— 1
1 all Do. .• • 1
20 5 Trust &L. Co.U. Can.
1-JO\ ',!lz}, Van Din'ncn's Lan() 131

THE SUNDAY TRADING BILL AND TBE
EXETER-HALL SPIRIT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—In the midst of the terrible humiliation and
general sadness caused by aristocratic dishonesty, inca-
pacity, and misrule, perhaps no one circumstance is cal-
culated, as food for contemplation, to make the philoso-
pher more melancholy than the evident increase of
power in the House of Commons which the narrow
Exeter-hall spirit is obtaining—a spirit adverse to all
rational enjoyment, and ever ready, with the most un-
christian bitterness, to attempt to enforce religion by act
of Parliament. lam ono of those who hold that the
philosophy of life is innocent enjoyment, and that it is
an insult to the spirit of an all-wise and all-merciful
Creator to attempt the enforcement of observances that
become, by and through such enforcement, mere hollow
forms, devoid of all true associative feeling. Law can-
not make religion; yet the " saints" are for ever craving
the assistance of its strong arm; and no greater despots
exist than those who are wont to meet in the Strand, at
" The hall where bigots rant, and cant, and rave,
And laud each other face to face."
So sang Tom Hood of this same Exeter-hall, and never
breathed man with a stronger contempt for the Mrs.
Grundy school of religionists than he had.
Sunday is, sir, emphatically, the poor man's only day
for relaxation and enjoyment, and no man has any right
to prevent him from taking his pleasure on that day, so
long as he shall think proper so to do. The poor man
does not attempt to interfere with those who choose to
go to church ; and he will not, of course, allow the rich
church and chapel goers to interfere with him if he
chooses to take a trip instead. Yet, if he do not speak
out now it will be too late soon, for priestcraft and cant
are eagerly at work hand in hand ; they have cut off his
dinner and refreshment in the country during the entire
Sunday afternoon already, and they will soon attempt,
if not effectually stayed in their stupid course, to stop
his train and his steam-boat. The passing of the ten
o'clock Sunday bill through the house was quite uncalled
for, and has proved a most wanton and aggravating an-
noyance to the poor man, while it dues not in any way
interfere with the rich man's convenience. In short, a
systematic interference on the part of the rich with the
pleasures of the poor has been commenced. This ten
o'clock bill is now to be followed by the Sunday Trad-
ing Bill, and the object of this last bill is to prevent the
poor man from obtaining any one thing, either a neces-
sary or an enjoyment, on the Sunday. Hard work all
the week and heavy gloom all the Sabbath, say the
"saints "—not so, says the philosopher.
If this Sunday Trading Bill be allowed to pass I feel
certain that a bill will be introduced next sessions to pre-
vent the running of excursion trains and steam-boats ;
and if that were carried I should not much wonder, if it
suited these toleianl- religionists, who would have every-
body made to think as they do, if they sought the re-
eitabli,liment of the Curfew. They won't stop the trains
altogether, because that would interfere with themselves ;
and they won't stop the carriages in Hyde Park, and
shut up the West-end clubs, because that would be
evincing a spirit which they can never be accused of pos-
sessing, namely, a spirit of sincerity and justice ; for
surely, Sir, we have a right to doubt the sincerity of
those who prescribe for the use of others that which they
do not apply to their own cases. The poor man has as
much right to buy his beer and his tobacco on the Sun-
day as the rich man has to ride in his carriage and em-
ploy his coachman and footman ; and the rich must
take care not to provoke the poor man too much, or he
may in his turn interfere with the rich. It is well to
tell these narrow-spirited Mrs. Grundys in the House of
Commons that their proceedings make them stand in the
contempt of every thinking man.
" 'Tis too much proved, that, with devotion's visage
And pious action, we do sugar o'er
The devil himself."
What right has any man to say to me, " Ah, you may
go into the country for fresh air ; but if it be on Sunday
afternoon, when I am dining on made dishes that have
kept half-a-dozen servants at work to prepare, I'll take
good care that, being a poor man, you ought to go to
church to be taught how to behave to the rich ; you
shall not have any dinner at all." Why, Sir, one almost
has a contempt as great for those who obey such laws as
fur those who make them.
Fuller says, "Trust not him that seems a saint," and
he is right. When do those who advocate, by the mea-
sures I have mentioned, the treating of men like chil-
dren, and who do all this specially to insult the poor ;
when do they, I say, curtail themselves, by legislation,
of one single convenience or luxury? If they had heard,
what I have math, it my business to hear, the indignant
complaints against these measures, they would be rather
startled at their tone, and they might, perhaps, be
brought to question the policy of being the Mime-
diate and want in causes of such utterances. I have
heard such toasts calmly given out, concerning the
voters for such bills, as would rather astonish them,
eculd they also hear them.
If the poor desire any legislative interference with
their customs and habits they will make that desire
known ; but it is sheer impertinence to make laws in
the spirit of old women and canting bigots to control
them without their having any voice, or being in
way consulted in the matter. These Sunday bills haveany
little effect upon any but quite the poor. Personally, I
never knew any such acts that I could not, always have,
and will not always, break and evade. Lavattr declares'
that "Everything may be mimicked by hypocrisy, but
humility and love united," and it's little enough of
humilityor love the dictatorial Grundys have in all truth.
One would think that hatred of oppression and dis-
content were the proper feelings to arouse on the Sab-
bath, and that such feelings were infinitely better than
a cheerful and pleasurable enjoyment of a life given to
be enjoyed.
Hotel and tavern keepers had better look to it, as the
people have been driven to a remedy within their own
hands. I myself know of six poor men's clubs upon the
principle of the Reform and the Carlton, and they can-
not be legally closed without closing the West-end ones
also ; and I hear, too, that the cabmen are about to
establish the like houses, and no doubt this system will
spread rapidly into adoption. Such houses are per-
fectly legal ; they cannot be put down, and will un-
doubtedly prove a serious injury to the publicans. Lord
Grosvenor arid Lord Ebrington will find, perhaps, next
election, that their aristocratic care for the poor man is
not appreciated by him.
In conclusion, sir, I cannot do better than finish with
a few lines from " Hood's Ode to Rae Wilson"—an ode
that ought to be read by all the Agnewites. The greater
number of this class
"Think they're pious, they're only bilious,
And study in their sanctum supercilious
To frame a Sabbath Bill."
Bat they never allow the public to forget for a moment
that
" The saint alone his preference retains
For bills of penalties and pains,
Auci marks his narrow code with legal rigour l"
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
TRAVELLER.