The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-24 00:00:00

MONEY AND COMMERCIAL NEWS.

- In the Foreign market prices are lower generally,
but not much is doing. The Turkish Loan
is to 1 premium. Mexican have dropped to
24 and 23k. Baron Goldsmid, the chairman,
of the Committee of Bondholders has resigned, it
is said, on account of ill health, and Mr. James
Capel, the deputy-chairman, from pressure of busi-
ness. Portuguese- 4 per Cents. are 40 f f, and
Spanish 3 per Cents. 50k' being dull, although the
quotations come better from Madrid. Grenada
Deferred Stock is 12 to lb Dutch 2j per Cents, have
been up to 68i f, but are now 68f.
Railway shares were heavy again, but with few
sales making.
Gold mines are rather firm. Australian Agri-
cultural fluctuate, South Australian Land are lower.
The banks are rather heavy.

BRITISH FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK THIS DAY.
(From the Official List.)

3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities.........
... Business acne,
1014
3 per Cent. Consols Annuitiesshut
New 34 per Cent. Annuities
India Bonds, £lOOO B2
Consols for Opening 18th January
Exchequer Ells lid. March.
£1000.
£5OO
68 9 6 •
Small -
PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK
Equador Bonds 5ll
Grenada Bonds, 11 Cent —
Ditto New Deferred,er 3 per Cent 124 12
Mexican 3 per Cent 24 31 4
Portuguese 4 per Cent.
Ditto for the Account .
Russian Bonds, 5 per Cent.
Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent SOS
Venezuela Bonds 3i per Cent. • 4l
Dutch Exchange 2.1 per Cent 6Bl i
Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates.
994
HALII-PAST TWO.
Consols for Opening 18th January IC94 lex div.

SOUTH SHIELDS LIFE-BOATS.—The invaluable ser- Si
vices which these life-boats, with their gallant crews,
5(
have rendered, during the late disastrous gales, to ship-
wrecked crews, have of late been frequently referred to, St
and the following is a list of the ships' crews they have St
rescued from destruction between the 21st September and
the 20th December of the present year :—The Providence, 50
of Falmouth, 5 saved ; William Sally, 6 ; Friends, of
Banff, 4 ; Abraham, of Yarmouth, 3 ; John Wesley (the 12
tide being full, the crew landed on the rocks) ; Unity, of
Lynn, 6; La Petite Marie, from France, 6 ; Union, of 12
Wisbeach, 6 men and 3 women-9 ; Marie Elizabeth, of
Norway, 7; Lively, of Clay, 5 ; Dorothy, of South Shields,
7 ; Elizabeth and Caroline, 8 ; Ninus, of Jersey, 6 ; Jane 25
and Elizabeth, of Shields (drove out with the fresh and
upset), Penelope, of Teignmouth, 7; total saved, 80. 6
ity
The new life-boats, on the design of Mr. Peake,
assistant-
master-shipwright in her Majesty's Dockyard, Woolwich, 1212
which are placed on various parts of the Northumberland
12
coast, are also very highly spoken of, and have, from re- St.
cent trials made with them, inspired the greatest confi-
St.
dence in their crews, as a life-boat is almost useless with-
out she possesses the confidence of those who have to ma-
20
l
ei
nage her. The necessity for good life-boats has been se-
felt during the last month, as upwards of 300 wrecks 5
have taken place during that period, involving, as usual 2
on the occasion of such disasters, a large sacrifice of human
life.

St. THE RETIRING LORD CHANCELLOR.—The
importance 20
of the following provision in the New Chancery Act (15 St.
and 16 Vict. cap. 80) will be felt in the retirement of Lord
St. Leonards as Lord Chancellor. Section 60th : " Whes
as it has frequently happened that after cases have been lB
fully heard by the Lord Chancellor in the Court of Chan-
cery, and are standing for judgment, the Lord Chancellor 10
has delivered up the great seal without being able, by
reason of other urgent public business, to deliver judgment 10
therein, and much inconvenience and expense to the parties 25
has been thereby occasioned. For remedy thereof, be it 10
enacted that in every case it shall be lawful for the person 1.04
who has delivered up the great seal, within six weeks after
he shall have so delivered up the same, to give to the St.
registrar of the said court a written judgment' therein, 20
signed by him • and a decree or order, as the case may 121
require, shall be drawn up in pursuance of such judgment,
and every such judgment and every such decree or order 5
shall have the same force and effect as if the judgment in St.
pursuance whereof it is drawn up had been civen in open
court the day before he shall have so deliveredbup the great 17
seal."
GALLANTRY REWARDED.—In consideration of the 25
brilliant and gallant conduct of No. 844, Seageant
Richard Perry, 24th Foot, in securing the colours of
the regiment at the battle of Chillanwallah, after both
the officers who had carried them had been killed, and
nearly the whole of the two centre companies had been
100 40
swept down by grape-shot from the enemy's guns, his 100
Grace the Commander-in-Chief has been pleased to place 100
this brave non-commissioned officer's name on the list to
receive a medal " for meritorious conduct," with an an-
nuity, •••
so soon as a vacancy shall occur ; and the Right
Hon. the Secretary-at-War, at the instance of the Lords 20
and others, Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital, has
transmitted a warrant under the royal sign manual, au- 5050
thorising the grant of a special pension of 2s. 6d. a-day 100
to Sergeant Perry, instead of the rate to which he was 100
entitled for service under the ordinary regulations, viz., 20
ls. 64d. per diem.—Bombay Telegraph and Courier. 50
THE STATUES OF LIFE.—In ancient times there stood 25
in the citadel of Athens three statues of Minerva. The
first was of olive wood, and, according to popular
-Gradi- 250
tion, had fallen from heaven. The second was of bronze,
'1
commemorating the victory of Marathon ; and a third,
of gold and ivory—a great miracle of art, in the age of 5
Pericles. And thus, in the citadel of Time, stands man
himself. In childhood, shaped of soft and delicate wood, 25
just fallen from heaven; in manhood, a statue of tironze., 25
commemorating struggle and victory ; and, lastly, in
the maturity of age, perfectly shaped in gold and iyory 50
—a miracle of art.

CITY, Two o'ClocE.
The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday, were
estimated at 5,000 bales, of which 500 American
were taken on speculation. The market closed
steadily. The sales comprised 4,250 American,
350 Egyptian at 6fd. to 11d., and 400 Surat at
3id. to 4id. per lb. Railway Shares were quiet.
The influence of the proposed alteration in the
Tea duties upon the market, during the last two or
three weeks is thus described by a leading
broker :

" The market has experienced much excitement, oc-
casioned by the government proposition for a reduction
of the duty from the present rate of 2s. 2id. to ls. 10d.
immediately, and the further reduction to ls. in equal
instalments of 2d. annually for the five succeeding years
—the defeat of the Government on the House Tax,
and their consequent retirement, has interfered with
the immediate adoption of this measure ; but there
is little doubt, from the reception the proposal met with
on all sides, that whatever the composition of the new
Government, the same or a more liberal measure will
become law before many months have passed, and thus
a trade of the first importance will be no longer tram-
melled by a duty bearing so excessive a proportion to
the first cost of the article. The immediate result of
this measure on the market was a rise of ld. on the
common congou, and of lid. to lid. on the better
classes up to ls. 3d., at which rates both speculators
and the trade effected a considerable business. The
temporary loss of the measure by the resignation of the
Ministry checked the progress of the market, but the
accounts at hand by the October mail, showing a de-
crease in shipments, and confirming the expectations of
a short supply have served to support the market, and
indications are not wanting that a further and more
extensive demand is at hand for the good and fine de-
scriptions of congou, in which the deficient supply is
reported to be most apparent."
Accounts from Lisbon state that reforms in the
tariff were likely-to be introduced before the meet-
ing of Congress.
The existing commercial arrangements between
the Zollverein and Belgium are to be continued
until Dec. 1855.
The justice of our caution to the public as to em-
barking in colonial undertakings brought out here
at a premium, and without adequate warranty of
their goodness, or the necessary- control over the
management by a London Board, is strikingly ex-
emplified by the facts to which a correspondent has
called attention to-day in the Times. The Great
Nugget Vein Company, formed in Sydney, has,
through its London agents, directed one-third
of the Shares (21. paid) to be issued at
255. premium--a most cool proceeding, seeing that
the shares were publicly offered at par in Sydney,
and that the additional inducement to subscribe
was, that parties who took more than 10 shares
would be allowed to deposit only 10s. instead of 21.
per share. This notice is given in full ; and,
making every possible allowance, there is a strong
exemplification of our view, that where
.property is
considered so very valuable as to be worth a pre-
mium, local capitalists should be appealed to, and
would doubtless respond.
The Australian Agricultural Company are form-
ing a new company, for the purpose of taking up
the gold lands. Every existing share will entitle
tlie holder to 10 free shares, of 51. each, in the new
or Peel River Company ; and for any further num-
ber beyond 10, the holder must pay 51.—it being
intended to issue 20,000 such shares in order to
provide a working capital.
There were exported from London, direct, during
the week to last Thursday, 223,085 ounces of silver,
and 42,830 ounces of gold, nearly all to the Conti-
nent. The amount sent to India went by way of
Southampton.
During the fortnight to last evening, the Honour-
able East India Company drew bills on Bengal to
the amount of 185,6561., on Madras for 11,5291.,
and on Bombay for 3,5881.
The Committee of the Stock Exchange have a
resolution under consideration, to the effect that
every buyer of scrip shares must have them verified
by the Company which issues them, or sustain the
loss if they prove to be forgeries.
The shares in the Eastern Steam Navigation
Company, which the directors were authorised to
dispose of by a recent meeting of the proprietors,
were allotted yesterday.
The English funds have been improving, and the
new Ministerial arrangements seem to inspire con-
fidence. Consols have been 100 k to 101, and the
new 3f per Cents., mg ; Exchequer Bills of
March are 665. to 695. ; and India Bonds, 82s,
premium.