The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-18 00:00:00

BANK RETURNS.

The 8.,,k0y.' Magazine furnishes the returns of the cir-
culation of the Private aud Juint-Stook Ranks in viigh,Tia
and Wales for the four weeks ending Dec. 14. These
returns, combined with the circulation of the Scotch and
Irish Banks for the same period, and the average circula-
tion of the Bank of England for the four weeks ending the
11th Dec. (the nearest date furnished by their returns),
will give the following results of the circulation of notes in
the United Kingdom, when compared with the previous
month :

' Nov. 16, 5 Dec. 14,
1861. 1861. Increase Decrease.
Bank of England 20,804,876 20,049,895' 754,981
3
Private Banks ,503,810 3,354.503' 141.,307
Joint-stock Banks 3,009,131 2,908,938 100,193
Total in England 27,317,817 26,313,336 1,004,481
Scotland 4,513,062 4,647,725 134,663
Ireland 6,458,197 6,407,249 50,948
---
United Kingdom. 39,289,076 37,368,310 £920,766

And, as compared with the month ending the 15th •ec.
1860, the above returns show a decrease of £106,529
in the circulation of notes in England, and a decrease of
£187,994 in the circulation of the United Kingdom :
On comparing the above with the fixed issues of the seve-
ral banks the following is the state of the circulation :
Die English private banks are below their fixed

issue
The English joint-stock banks are below their
fixed issue

£993,405

__ ___.... ______
£393,419

Total below fixed issue in England.... £1,386,824
The Scotch banks are above their fixed issue .. £1,898,451
The Irish banks are above their fixed issue .... £52,755

The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of Eng-
land in both departments during the month ending the 11 th
Dec. was £15,016,454, being an increase of £791,821 as
compared with the previous month, and an increase of
£1,433,884 when compared with the same period last year.

The following are the amounts of specie held by the Scotch
and Irish banks during the month ending the 14th Dec. :
Gold and silver held by the Scotch banks 52,701,089
Gold and silver held by the Irish banks 2,392,919

£5,094,003
Being an increase of £220,889, as compared with the
previous return, and a decrease of £73,268 when compared
with the corresponding period of last year.

DEATH OF COMMANDER THOMAS PICKERING
CLARKE, R.N.—We have to announce the death of the
above officer, which occurred at his residence at Bath, on
the 11th instant, in the 75th year of his age. The deceased
officer entered the navy in April, 1800, and while cruising
off Bordeaux witnessed the capture, 26th October followirgr
of Le Diable a Quatre, privateer, 16 guns, and was pro-
moted to lieutenant 28th April, 1807. He shared in the
bombardment of Dieppe, St. Valery en Caux, and Bow
logne ; was present in several smart skirmishes with the
French flotilla, and attended the expedition to Flushing in
August, 1809. He was next employed in rocket service in
North America, and returned home in 1813. After fur-
ther serving in the Downs and on the coasts of America
and Fiance, he went on half-pay in September, 1815. I-10
retired with the rank of commander, January 17, 1843.
NEW BANKRUPTCY ACT.—We learn that `ir•
Charles Dance, chief clerk of the Court for Relief of In •
solvent Debtors, retired at tile end of September, but has
occasionally given his attendance since to the present time,
to make up his accounts. This circumstance gives no rise
to the other officers and clerks, as the new act provides that
no vacancy in that establishment shall be filled up. 1`Ir•
Dance has only been chief clerk sines May, 1858, but many
yeirs in the office. We are also informed of the retire-
ment of Mr. William Pennell, one of the official assignees
in London, and that two or three other gentlemen of that
class are spoken of as likely to retire soon. No vacancy in
the number of official assignees in London will be filled up
until reduced to three. There were nino. We Pare not at
present able to give the sums the above named g( ntlemeu
have retired upon, but we believe them to be from £l,OOO
to £1,500. Intimation has been given that the estimate of
retiring allowances under this new measure will amount to
£lO,OOO in six months from its coming into operation.--
Civil Service Gazette.

In consequence of the Spanish steamer discern.
tinuinE,” to run between Cuba and St. Thomas, the mail
will in future be made up for Cuba on the lith of the
month.

The Great In(Yan Peninsula Railway Compaq
have for the present ceased to issue debentures, having
raised £1,000,000, or three-fourths of the total sum to be
ultimately so obtained by them. The new shares, to the
amount of £1,500,000, which they have just put out, com-
plete the share capital estimated to be required for this un-
dertaking.

The Mercantile Fire Insurance Company Yes"
terday issued their table of rates for the insurance of mot.
chandise, &c., in the port ~f London, and a full inspectioa
by their surveyor of the various cocks and wharfs enunlc.'
rated in the tariff. the reductions of rates from those of the
combined offices are, on the docks and their uptown ware-
houses, about 30 per cent., and on the first-class what'd
about 20 per cent.