The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-31 00:00:00

MONEY MARKET

AN
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE,

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK.

is The money market has been active to-day, owing
to the number of bills held in reserve till after the
alteration announced yesterday in the rate of dis-
count. There are also several heavy payments to
be made in connection with the Indian trade, which
a
" also have imparted animation. The rates are now
n and 4 per cent. for the best short-dated paper.
About £32,000, in gold, was taken into the Bank
yesterday.
[r The Bank of England return is of a favourable
character. The bullion has been further increased,
but at the same time there has been a diminution in
s
the reserve of notes. This was to be expected from
1 the usual operations incidental to the quarter. The
other Securities have likewise fallen off. Annexed
are the particulars :
g Active Circulation £19,951,320

Increase
Bullion ...
Increase
Bat ...

• ... 377,825
• ... 15,358,999
• ... 50,363
3,923,637

Increase
Public Deposits .

... ... ' 10,053
9,839,430

Decrease ... 359,559
Other Deposits ... 13,478,242

leerease ... ... ... ... 73,552
Seven Day and Other Bills ... ... ... 437,424
Decrease 17,972
Government Securities ... ... ... ... 11,023,211

Other Securities ...
Decrease
Notes Unemployed
Deere..

No alteration.
... '21,150,843
113,568
... 9,272,780
268,065

The return issued by the Council of the Bank of
France is likewise encouraging, the bullion having
increased £427,000 ; the notes in circulation de-
creased £392,000, while the discounts have received
an addition of £947,000.
The failure has been announced of the Ports-
mouth, Portsea, Gosport, and South Hants Banking
Company. This is the third bank that has closed
its doors within the present month. The institution
in question was established in 1839, and was sup-
posed to have held a very good local position. The
liabilities are estimated at £170,000, but as there
are sixty shareholders who are responsible for all
losses, the creditors will, no doubt, receive their
money in full.
During the last few days there has been very
little animation in the foreign and colonial produce
markets. Sugars have been dsalt in to a limited
.extent at rather easier rates, while coffee, rice, and
cocoa have barely sustained former values. In
tallow the operations have been on a very limited
scale for both present and forward delivery, and
prices generally are a shade lower.
The directors of the Imperial Mexican Railway
Company held an extraordinary meeting to-day,
and the report presented stated that as soon as pos-
sible after the formal constitution of the company
and the receipt of the deposit (in the allotment of
the shares, the board proceeded to take measures for
the establishment of the company in Mexico. For
this purpose Mr. Thomas C. Sandars, who had
joined the board as a director, and Mr.
Samuel, the consulting engineer, were sent out to
Mexico ; the former to enter into relations on behalf
of the company with the Imperial Government and
to represent the company generally in Mexico in its
relations with the State, as well as to obtain execu-
tion on the part of the Concessionaire of the
arrangements entered into by him with the com-
pany, and the latter to receive charge of the works
and line. The terms concluded between Mr. Sandars
and the Imperial Government are, in various
respects, more advantageous for the interest of
the shareholders than those contained in the ori-
ginal concessions.

The official returns relating to trade and naviga-
tion for two months ended Feb. 28 have just been
published. From these it appears that the total
declared value of the exports from the United
Kingdom during that period amounted to
£21,865,553, against £23,111,707 in the corres-
ponding period of 1864, and showing a decrease of
£1,246,154. The falling off is most perceptible in
coals and calm, cotten yarn, haberdashery and mil-
linery, linen yarn, iron and unwrought steel, silk
manufactures, British spirits, sheep and lambs' wool,
and woollen and worsted manufacture. The impor-
tation of the principal articles in the like period have
been larger as regards raw cotton, palm oil, raw silk,
sheep and lambs' wool, cocoa, currants, pepper, and
unrefined sugar, while there has been a falling off
in flax, hemp, provisions, quicksilver, rice, tallow,
wheat, flour, brandy, tea, tobacco, and wine. The
shipping accounts exhibit a slight decrease in the
amount of tonnage employed in the foreign trade of
the United Kingdom for both the entries inwards
and the clearances outwards. In the coasting trade
there is a slight increase in the tonnage employed
during the same period for the entries inwards,
While the reverse is the case with the clearances
Outwards.

Two O'CLOCK.
At Paris, this day, according to Mr. Reuter's
telegram, the French 3 per Cent. Rentes were 67f.
60c. Firmer.

In the market for the English Funds there has
been a further improvement of / per cent to-day,
and the tendency of quotations points to another
advance. Consols for money are 894 8 ; for the
6th inst., 898 ; and for May next, 908.
Foreign Stocks, which opened firmly, have since
become rather weaker. Turkish 6 per Cents., 1862,
are 741 4 ; ditto Consolides, 54 1 ; Mexican, 264
27 ; ditto New, 254 26 ; Greek, 21/ 218 ; Spanish
passive, 321 328 ; do. Certificates, 17 171; Italian,
63i
33 35. 64 ; do. New, 28 4 dis. ; and Confederate Loan,

In the Railway Share Market there has been