The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-19 00:00:00

BANK RETURNS.

The Bankers' Magazine furnishes the returns of the cir-
culation of the Private and Joint-Stock Banks in England
and Wales for the four weeks ending Oct. 15. These
returns, combined with the circulation of the Scotch and
Irish Banks for the same period, and the average circula-
tion of the Bank of England for the four weeks ending the
12th Oct. (the nearest date furnished by their returns),
will give the following results of the circulation of notes in
the United Kingdom, when compared with the previous
month :

Sept. 17, I Oct. 15, I
1861. 1861. Increase. Decrease
------- -
Bank of England... 20,618,6E2i; 2(1,787,20i £:68,5191-
"
Private Banks 2,971,7251 3,172,435 20., 710:
I
Joint-stock Banks 2,768,686! : 2,883,9361 97,030
Total in England 26,379,293; 26,45,5721 463,279:
Scotland 4,174,356 4208345 123,9891
Ireland 5,325,073' 5,
811984' 986,91
,

United Kingdom

35,831,722 36,958,9011 1,077,1;9

And, as compared with the month ending the 17th Oct.,
1863, the above returns show a decrease of £1,043,606
in the circulation of notes in England, and a decrease of
£929,047 in the circulation of the United Kingdom.
On comparing the above with the fixed issues of the seve-
ral banks the following is the state of the circulation :
.The English private banks aro below their fixed

issue .................................... £1,040,351
The English joint-stock banks are below their
fixed issue ................................ £340,421

Total below fixed issue in England £1,380,772
The Scotch banks are above their fixed issue £1,549,083
The Irish banks are below their fixed issue £539,510
The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of Eng-
land in both departments during the month ending the 12th
Oct. was £13,074,183, being a increase of £152,248 as
compared with the previous month, and a decrease of
£1 960,160 when compared with the same period last year.
The following are the amounts of specie held by the Scotch
and Irish banks during the month :
Gold and silver held by the Scotch banks £2,316,481
Gold and silver held by the Irish banks 2,036,662

2,043
Being a decrease of £223 £4,35
,440 as compared with the
previous return, and a decrease of £94,075 when compared
with the corresponding period of last yoar.

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THE PLANET MARS, says a weekly contemporary,
arrives at perigrtee on the 24th and opposition on
the 30th inst. Bearing in mind tho very successful attack
planet itself has been in such a generally
made upon it in 1862, we
.re glad to know that several
observers, among them
i'rofessor Phillips and the Rev. W.
R.
PP Dawes, are?gain engaged upon the stud of its tele-
scopic There is ndifficulty this year in re-
eognist:4 the equatorial features sketched in 1858, but occaa
sitheeP ;a
lacy
clouded state that these features were of the faintest. We
shall endeavour to return to this subject ; in the meantime
we recommend that all with telescopes of 5 inches and
upwards in aperture should faithfully note the dark por-
tions of the planet, laying them down on a scale of 2f or 3
inches to the planet's diameter, the direction of diurnal
motion, with regard to the features, and tho time, being
given with the most rigorous exactness. Mars's axial ro-
tation is so rapid that too touch time should not be taken
over one drawing. Of course the central meridian is the
one to which attention should best be directed.
A NEW COINFEDERATE CRIIISER.—`'fie have
touch pleaeuro in being able to state that, almost at
the same time that the Florida was trcacherouely seized in
Bahia harbour, the Confederate flag was hoisted on a new
cruiser at least the equal of the Florida in armament, speed
end general efficiency. The Shenandoah starts upon her
career with every prospect of emulating the fame of her
predecessors. She is commanded by Lieut. Waddell, Con-
federate States Navy, and a gallant staff of officers. Having
received her crew and armament—everything, in fact, that
constitutes her a belligerent vessel —on the high seas, far be-
yond anyneatral jurisdiction, thlre can fortunatelybo no pro-
ton co of accusing her of any violation •)f municipal laws or
international obligations, It is evident that Federal com-
merce is baulked of the expected reward of the murderous
outrage in Bahia; for already the telegraph has advised us
of the doings of no less than throe Confederate cruisers, the
Tallahassee, the Chickamauga, and the Olustee, all of which
have recently issued from their own ports and are busy at
work avenging the Florida's fate. To this formidable liot
of übiquitous enemies the New York Chamber of Commerce
must now add a fourth; and Confederate sympathisers,
paraphrasing the familiar " Le roi est mort—vivo le roi 1"
may exultingly exclaim—The Florida is gone—long live the
Shenandoah