The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-24 00:00:00

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK:

As the day for the assembling of 'the weekly
e°llrt of the Bank of England directors draws near,
the number of bills brought forward for negotiation
ulfainishes, and business in the general discount
market is almost at a standstill. Ia fact so general
has been the expectation of a reduction being made
to
-morrow in the official quotation, that what was
Yesterday an idal is regarded to-day in the light of
a certainty. The joint stock and private establish-
tll'ats very forcibly demonstrate their view of the
state of affairs when they are willing to discount
paper per cent. under the official minimum of
4 per cent. _ _

There was no material alteration in the foreign
elchanges yesterday afternoon.
About V 4,000 in gold was taken into the Bank
Yesterday.

Two o'CLocK.

The City Mercantile Club, having disposed of an
(leen of the required capital stock, are enabled to
announce that the premises secured by the company
terra the very eligible pile of buildings, 107 and
I°B, Cheapaide.
.trAt the Paris Bourse this morning, according to
fir• Reuter'e telegram, the 3 per Cent. Rentes were
quoted 66f. 70c,—Firm on account of the rise in
lon don.
The Lammermoor, from China with a cargo of
°r Cotton, was lost in Gaspar Straits.
The markets for stocks and shares aro now favour-
-11,1°13' inflaanced by monetary and political prospects.
The expected reduction of the Bank of England
rate to-morrow, perhaps to 6 per cent., has created
satisfactory feeling in speculative circles. The
telegram announcing that England had proposed a
eauference for the settlement of the Danish
War, and that Austria and Prussia had accepted
thetlt Proposal, and promised to suspend operations in
atttlaud also very materially assisted to influence
the buoyancy of quotations. Both purchases and
'ales have been largely effected, and the Funds ale
110?1 'I per cent. higher than last evening, Consols
1,
money being 911 fc„ and for the acfount 91 a.
The New Threes and Reduced Annuities are 911 a ;
t nlebequer Bills, ss. die. to par.; Indi4 5 per Cents.,
1`144 2; and the Bonds 6s. dis. to par.
general improvement has taken place in the
•uoreign Market, and business is very active.
m
"lean have risen 11, viz., to 441 1; Spanish
i:t:Bive, to 34/ 2; the Certificates are firm, at
34
141 • Greek, at 221 23; Turkish 6 per Cents.
have advanzed to 691 ; do. Consolides, have risen
a
,141 7'z., to 50a 1; but the Confederate Loan has
"'Coed to 52 53.

ustaess in the Railway Share Market has con-
tinued moderately active, and prices have in most
i
48tanees slightly improved. Great Eastern, Lan-
,tThire and Yorkshire, Brighton, and North
western have each advanced 55., South Eastern
153.) Midland £l, and Metropolitan £2.
14 the Foreign and Colonial undertakings there
not much variation.
Bank and Miscellaneous Shares are in some in-
et
Ictilnes at slightly enhanced rates. London and
„
veatminster realise 801; Alliance of London and
Liverpool, 461 47 • Oriental Bank, 64-1; South
4o
4stern Banking Company are quoted 1 to 14
tera• ; Ottoman Financial Association, I to 1 prem.;
Enid &entities, id 11 prem.

BRITISH FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES.
Gov,
3 ...RNMENT FUNDS.
Piler Cent. Consols
a 0 Account, March 5 9ll I *
NPer Cent. Reduced • ' 91f ! 1
Aew 3 per Cent. 914 .
-4111nities, 30 yrs, expire bth Jan., 1880 —
Ditto for 30 yrs, expire sth April, 1885 —
z Ditto (Red Sea'Telegra ph), Aug. 1908 —
411equor Bills, £l,OOO, 21 & 3 per Cent par
Ditto 4500
t Ditto £lOO and £2OO
ailk England Stk, 4} per Ct., last hf.-yr 23Bk 9 71
Ig„I,,NDI SW GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.
ait% Stock, 101 per Cent., April 1874 213
Ditto Account —
_Ditto 5 per Cent. July, 1870
_Ditto Account
Ditto 4 per Cent., Oct. 1888 —
Ditto Enfaced Paper, 4 per Cent ..
Ditto 5 per Cent., Jan. 1872 ..
Ditto 5i per Cent. May, 1879 ••
Ditto Debentures, per Ct., April 1881
Ditto ditto Aug., 1866 --
Ditto Bonds £l,OOO '
Ditto under £l,OOO par 2 dis
FOREIGN FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES.
)3razilian 5 per Cent
Ditto 41 per Cent., 1852-58-60
Ditto 1863 ' —
Ditto 'Scrip, 1863, £55 paid
Buenos Ayres 6 per Cent
''gyptian 7 per Cent lO3l
labia°, Second Issue
reek 5 per Cent., 1824-5, ex-Coupons..
Ditto Account .... „, .. 23i 2i
Ditto Coupons —
Ditto Account ....
ran 3 per Cent ....
e Account - 41 a 4 2 4
New.„ Granada
~
Ditto 2 per Cent. —
Dittope Deferred.., • • • --
Irian 41 per Cent .
~.tto Account —
tto 3 per Cent.
_—
Ditto Ditto
0 43/4 13 er ' Cent., 1862
Ditto Account
0, If per Cent ....
bluttogueso 3 per Cent., 1353
Ditto flkccount —
Ditto - per Cent., 1856, '7, '9, '6O, 62;3 —li4,ti: Account 471 f 8
1)14 7:1 6 Per Cent., 1822, £ St 93
bittc:)'“ per Cent 1850.. .•••
Di 3"per Cent., 1859
13go 5
partioa n per Cent, 1862
6 per Cent
Ditto Account
Ditto New Deferred
Ditto ew
Ditto -
Passive
ti bitto Account
Ptiac,,,4eount . 3ll 1 I I
,p Auto ‘-',. en. of Coup not funded .. —
-Atiti,al4-ezount l4
I),itto ,6 per Cent. 1854 —
Ditto account
911
•Oitto6,l:,er Cent. 1858
711 1
Ditto 00
tlit:, 6 Per Cent. 1862 ... i --
1, Ditto
_n4CCOUnt • • 691 I
7 etlez"rloo Bonds
1)ito ~a 3 Per Cent.
Ditto Ti'eeonot 25 4
"'Jilt° .per er Cent., 1862 ..
unt
/ Divide
talima ends on the above payable in Load ,n.
Ditto 5 Peeor Cent., led6l, Ex. 25 francs —
fA.c „ . _ l 3
004015 THREE O'CLOCK.
I)itto mount 911
1
Qcolint 911 /

Li,
' °Pool Cotton Market—This Day,

et steady. Sales about 5,000 bales. Im-
ports'Marik
C 66; previously, 9,007.

The Danish Cruiser,

PLYMOUTH, Wednesday, 10 a.m.
10,7.116 Danish frigate Niels inel, 46, Capt. Gotlieb,
hive returned to the Sound on Monday afternoon,
IvrePoaerlsieg to start again, and she has filled up
meatdestination is unknown. The re•engage-
teulliti °f the Pqmouth Branch pilot indicates an in-
Dort-4),_° of resuming her search for psizes near this
but it in, rumoured that she will shortly go to
fne°llagen.
from' the (Tinned the wind is blowing strongly
the e 9 stward.

rs SILVIIEL SHARPE was elected a Fellow of the
00e
tY of Antiquaries on the 4th of February.
T 1E SLOW MARCH OF INTELLECT.—Catkins is
hiotoak a
t expectable young man, though I have known
lives lae otherwise. He has a young wife and child, and
Isk:ilk another of our " models." The child was lately
Ileiti"Cm so Catkins tells me, and adds that "no doctors,t
ylth parish nor rmary, can cure him." I answer, that
e mother's care and nursing the child may outgrow
110 44,easo. " There is a quicker way," he replies, myste •
11:132-Y, "if it.warn't for a difficulty we are afraid of."
I „ 18 going to take the child some fine morning before
,:gg) at sunrise, to a young ash sapling hard by. The
aithig is to bo split. The child is to be strip-
Catkins is to be permitted to bold the split
:t8 of the sapling far enough asunder to allow his in-
tillt to be passed between them by the wise woman, while
in-
et repeats mysterious words, which either he does not
Z""-, or ho dares not communicate. After this is done, the
-Pliug will be carefully bound together, end its wound will
ehiplastered with mud and clay. If the tree grows, the
certainly recovers ; if it dies, or is cut down, the dis-
tle returns, and will remain for life. "And here," says
: ~,t1111", "is the deuce of it all. All the sticks in these
b
iiLB is wanted for hop-poles every ten or twelve gear, and
" Mire is, never safe. because folks won't let,'em bo and
tt.°W Into timber,"—Dickods "Al/ the Year Round.",