The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-04 00:00:00

THE FUNDS.

Consols, which left off yesterday at 90 for the Opening,
opened this morning at the above quotation, soon after
they receded t0.89i 90, at which price they are at present;
Reduced 88n ; Exchequer Bills 26 28 ; India Bonds
14 16 ; Bank Stock 209 210.

In the Foreign Market Spanish Active has improved,
owing to the confirmation of the relief of Bilboa ; left off
at 24—at present 24i- ; Passive 6/ 7 ; Deferred 81 4 ;
Portuguese 46 47 ; Three per Cents., 29 30 ex. dividend ;
Dutch 21 per Cents., 54; ; Colombian 27i 28 ; Mexican
264 27 ; Brazilian 84 86 ; Chilian 43 45.
HALF-PAST ONE.

Consols, which were in the morning heavy, at 89i for
the opening, have resumed a better appearance, and may
be quoted at 90k. Reduced, 89 ; Exchequer Bills, 26 ;
India Bonds, 16 13 ; Bank Stock, 209.
In the Foreign Market Spanish Active has reached 254 ;
Passive, 6i ; Deferred, 10-1- ; Portuguese, 48 ; Three per
Cents., 30:1 ; Columbian, 28 ; Brazil, 87 ; Dutch, 54i ;
Spanish dividend Debentures, 44.
THREE 0' CL 0 CK.
Consols for the Account, 90.

On Thursday last the Hon. Sidney Herbert and
Colonel A'Court drove into this city in a sledge drawn by
a pair of horses.—Salisbury Journal.

Theodosia Dowager Viscountess Powerscourt died
of scarletina, at the residence of her step-son, Lord Powers-
court.

The Monmouthshire colliers, who were standing out
for an advance of wages during the last three weeks, are
again at work, and coals may now be bad at Newport, as
usual.—Cambrian.

The measure adopted by Mr. Bunn at Drury-lane
Theatre, in reducing the prices to the level of the minor
houses, has succeeded beyond expectation—at least if
crowded houses are any criterion. Whether the receipts at
the lower prices leave a surplus after the payment of the
expenses is another affair.

The first meeting of the Metropolitan Society of
Florists and Amateurs for the season, was held yesterday
evening at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, the Rev. F. J.
Stainforth in the chair. The specimens exhibited were of
an interesting character, being one of bunzea elegans, a
dwarf variety of beautiful habit, and Mr. Chandler also had
a seedling chrysanthemum of very beautiful form, which he
named heal perfections. Several members were ballotted
for and others proposed for election, and the meeting ad-
journed to January 19, when the anniversary dinner of
florists and gardeners will be held.
A somewhat novel exhibition was witnessed in White-
haven harbour, on Monday noon, to wit, that of a gentle-
man belonging to the theatre sailing in a washing tub drawn
by two geese! The web•footed towers did not seem to relish
their harness, and even though in their proper element re-
fused to move, save a yard or two immediately after the
unsightly vessel was launched. The crowd of spectators
was immense.

On Tuesday last, an inquest was held at Waltham
Abbey, on the body of Rosetta Culver, the daughter of a
labourer, who died from fright.

Extract of a letter from Calais :—" The quantity of
snow which has fallen is prodigious, far beyond any that we
have experienced for many years. Some of our streets are
covered with it to the depth of several feet. At the north
of the rue Royale an immense white barrier has been raised
by the drifted snow, so as completely to blockade the houses.
But this is trifling compared to the state of the surrounding
country. Between Boulogne and Calais, the accumulation
of snow on the road, in several places, is so vast that all
communication has been cut off for two days. The esta-
fettes, diligences, and waggons, have been compelled to stop.
It is said that at the bottom of the bill of Saint Inglevert,
at the place called La Muraille, the snow is eight feet deep ;
and further on, at the Pont de l'Assassin, near Leulinghen,
there are twelve feet of snow. The diligence which started
from Calais on Monday could proceed no further than Haut
Buisson, and the passengers returned to Calais on foot.
The same day, the two estafette mails, one coming from
Paris and the other going back, were stopped by the same
impediment, and neither of them being able to advance with
their carriages, the couriers exchanged bags, and each re-
turned the way he came. One hundred men are employed
in cutting through this immense mass of snow, and our com-
munications to the south have been again opened, the car-
riages and other conveyances passing between two walls of
ice. We are fortunate in not having any serious aecident
to deplore."

Though water expands with so great a force by heat,
its expansive power is still greater in freezing, for there is
nothing in mechanics can resist it. The cause is, the
diversion from its figure in its fluid state. Water, says Sir
Isaac Newton, when pure, is a highly fluid salt, in form com-
posed of minute globular particles ; now, it is a well known
fact that no figure contains so great a quantity within super-
ficies as the globe. Water in freezing is diverted from its
globular form, and assumes figures composed of planes and
angles of various degrees—consequently it occupies a
greater space, which is shown by ice floating. _ _

The actuary of a savings bank, in the neighbour-
hood of Fitzroy-square, has invented a machine for expedi-
tiously and accurately calculating the interest due to depo-
sitors, the value of which may be deduced from the following
particulars :—The accounts open on the 20th Nov., 1835,
were 2,421, and occupied the late actuary four weeks. The
accounts open on the 20th Nov., 1836, were 2,733, and oc-
cupied the present actuary only 74 hours. An opinion may
be formed of the assistance given by the machine, from the
following detail of the minutia 3 necessary to arrive at the ma-
terials for the annual return required from savings banks by
the Commissioners for the reduction of the National Debt.
The time taken to calculate the interest to 2,734 accounts
—to enter it in the ledgers—to make the additions—to rule
the lines—to take out each account under its proper
classification—and to take out the folios of 4,192 closed ac-
counts, amounted to 74 hours, making an average of 94
hours fer each of the eight ledgers, or 90 34-37 accounts
per hour.