The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-13 00:00:00

DEO. 13.

The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr James
Whyte Atkins as Consul in the Island of Barbados for his
Majesty the King of the Netherlands.
ADMIRALTY, DEC, 12.
The following promotions have been made :—Mr Ed.
mund Clark to be First Class Assistant Engineer in the
Fleet, with seniority of Nov. 15, 1864—Mr Nicholas
Dupen Chambers to be First Class Assistant Engineer in
the Fleet, with seniority of Nov. 19, 1864 —Mr George
Woollard to be Fiist Class Assistant Engineer in the Fleet,
with seniority of Dec. 7, 1864.

BANKRUPTS.
The following are the only bankrupts o: commrolal
im-
portance in the Gazette :
William Thomas Distin, publican, Salford
Robert Foster, outfitter, Leeds
Richard Fancourt, carpenter, Camden Town
Wm. Parsons, builder, Bromley
George Bell, farmer, Littleport
John Lake, builder, Forest-hill
John Bnshley, currier, Blackburn
Marshall Monk, saddler, Northampton
Harry Tuppen, drk er, Brighton
Isaac Jones, timber dealer, Old Kent-road
Thomas R. Baker, commercial traveller, Plumetead
Mary Ann Shepard, milliner, Pimlico

BANKRUPTCIES ANNULLED.
Henry Walter Seabrook, clerk, Chelsea
Robert Byrne, share broker, Liverpool
Samuel Baines, worsted spinnor Brighouse, Yorkshire

SCOTCH BANKRUPTS.
John Thomson, !Usher, Alloa
Steel and Gilchrist, drapers, Dumfries
George Sangster, manufacturer, Aberdeen
Alfred Wyatt, wine merchant, Glasgow

Course of Exchange,—This Day,

Amsterdam
Ditto
Rotterdam — 11 1S 12 19

Antwerp O •

25 521 25 G2l

Brussel; — 25 521 25 621
Hamburg
Paris . .
Ditto
Marseilles
Frankfort on Maine — 1201 1201
Vienna
Trieste
Petersburgh 3ll 31
Berlin
Madrid
Cadiz
Leghorn
Milan
Genoa
Naples
Palermo
Messina

46 46}
47 47
26 72} 25 774
25 724 25 774
25 721 25 774
26 72 25 77#
26 724 25 775
26 724 25 774

Agricultural Prospects.

The weather was dry on the first day of the.
week, but sunless and dull, while Monday was a
fine bright sunny day, very unlike December.
Wind S.W., thermometer 48 deg., barometer 30in.
down to 29.80, and still falling. Tuesday was
another fine dry day, but not so clear as the pre.
vious one ; barometer rather higher. Our advices
from Lancashire run thus—" Though latterly we
have had a deal of rain there has not been too much,
and field work iu West Lancashire has made steady
progress. The wheat plant is highly promising, but
many of our farmers have sown less of this ime
portant cereal this autumn, in consequence
of the unremunerative prices. Potatoes are
plentiful, good, and cheap. There are fewer
complaints now of turnips." In Northum•
berland it was stated, on the same day, " The
weather since our last report has been mild, but
damp, with the exception of Thursday and Sun.
day, when it was fine. Wind W. and S.W." In
Suffolk the weather was reported to be mild and
open for the season. Wednesday was a dull day,
with some slight rain at night. On Thursday much
rain fell up to noon, with a low barometer—down
to 29.50 in. Wind still S.W. Thermometer, 46
deg. The land having now been pretty well sate.
rated of late, a little water begins to run into the
ponds, and some additional showers would now tell
and replenish them sufficiently. This refers to farms
well drained, as those not in such condition have
been better off, and the brooks in low situations
have at last been running, and as mill.streams are
full at places, giving again the power to make flour,
which has been withheld so long by the very
dry season. This has been much against wheat
thrashing ; but the farmers show no anxiety to
bring out their winter stores, seeing that the prices
are so low, with no immediate prospect of improves
merit—this, too, in spite of the great falling off in
the imports from all quarters of the globe, which
during the winter are likely to be less than for many
years past at the same period of the year. Ulti•
mately, such a decrease may cause a revival after
the condition has been mended by a little sharp
frosty weather, and when the Christmas rents have
been paid. The average price this week was
38a 6d ; the corresponding week of last year was
408 9d ; the previous year, 46s 9d ; and that in
1861, 60s 4d per imperial quarter. The contrast
is very great, and has a desponding tendency on
agriculturists generally with no ameliorating cir-
cumstances to cheer up the downcast, struggling
to make up the amount wanted for the landlords.
The unfavourable weather is not so much against
the thrashing of barley, hard samples being a little
mellowed by the soft atmosphere ; and this work.
ing is going on lustily, furnishing supplies faster
than can be taken off by the regular demand. The
amount returned this week is the largest of the
season, being 117,789 qrs., but at only 29s 2d ; last
year it was 133,260 qrs., at 33s 6d ; the previous
year, 126,747 qrs., at 31s 10d ; whilst in 1861 the
amount was 121,642 qrs., at 37s per qr,—showing
much depression. Oats, beans, and peas command
more favourable prices, but then the yield has been
overso deficientformer asseatsoopnrs.e—vlta7i lass n,
7beneEt;tliv::3 results

A man named Robert Donath, a native of D ant zic,
was apprehended at Liverpool, on Saturday, under the fol-
lowing suspicious circumstances : He went to the shop of
Mr Woolf, jeweller,
Dale-street, and offered for sale 4i
which. appeared to have been recently
ouncesmelted.
of gold,
ehtd also m his possession 9 or 10 ounces of
silver in a similar condition. Mr Woolf suspecting some-
thing wrong, sent to the police station, and Detectives
Graham and Scaiff went to the shop. The man failed to
account for his possession of the property, and the officers
went to his lodgings in Bridport-street, and found there a
a crucible, and pawn tickets for jewellery pledged in Loudon
to the amount of £77 105 ; as well as letters, showing that
Donath was "wanted" on the continent, He was brought
before the stipendiary magistrate yesterday, and was re-
mended.

THE LATE M. MET ERB EER.—It has been erro•
neously stated in some of the continental journals,
and copied in the home papers, that the late M. Meyerbeer
had expressly engaged M. George Kastner to write his
biography when no more, and that the documents and papers
of the departed genius would be placed in M. Kastner's
possession for the purpose. This is altogether unfounded,
as no more will be placed at M. Kastner's disposal than at
that of Mr Gruneisen, who commenced the lite and career
et Meyerbeer some time before his lamented decease. Mr
Gruneisen's work will be published in London, and from his
long intimacy with the composer, having been present at
the opening performance of all his masterpieces in Paris, he
has much valuable and original matter for the book.

--
CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE.—PeopIe flocked
to the new suspension bridge at Clifton on Sunday in
crowds. Throughout the whole of the afternoon the toll
people had positively more work than they could well ma-
nage, and the greatest difficulty was experienced in getting
tickets. The bridge was severely tested. There was con,
siderable crush ng at the gates in the effort to get out, but
the difficulties encountered by the officials were lessened
by the assistance of I►tr Alderman Ford, one of the bridge
directors. It is computed that the number who crossed the
bridge during the day was nearly 30,000.—Western Daily
Press.