The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, 2/ 10s to 5/ Os ; clover
ditto, 3/ lOs to 6/ Os ; and straw, 1/ 16s to 2/ 2s per load.
A moderate supply, and a sluggish demand.
CIIIIIIERLAND.—Meadow hay, 2/ 12s to Si Os ; clover
ditto, 3/ lOs to 6/ Os; and straw, 1/ 16s to 2/ 2s per load.
Supply tolerably good, and trade rather dull.
WHITECHAPZL.—Meadow hay, 2/ lOs to Si Os; clover
ditto, 3/ lOs to 6/ 6s ; and straw, 1/ 16s to 2/ 2s per load.
Trade dull.

DECIMAL COlNAGE.—Yesterday a public meeting of
merchants and bankers and others interested in the
adoption of a decimal syt;tem of weights, measures, and
coinage was held at the London Tavern, Mr.W.Browne,
M.P., in the chair. The chairman gave the meeting a
succinct account of the origin and progress of the move-
ment in favour of the decimal system, from the time
when the late Lord Wrottesley, then Sir John Wrot-
tesley, brought it before the House of Commons forty
years since. The next step was the royal commission
of 1838, presided over by the astronomer royal, which
reported in s favour of such a system. This report
was followed by a Jull until the public were again
awakened to the importance of the change by his
own and Sir John Bowring's labours. The people were
now desirous of having such a system, and petitions were
daily pouring into Parliament praying for its introduc-
tion, and all that was wanted was to convince the
Chancellor of the Exchequer that the country was ripe
for the change, which could be effected with ease. Mr.
Hodgson moved, and Mr. J. Ingram Travers seconded
al resolution, which set forth that the establishment
of a complete decimal system would effect an important
saving of time, and insure accuracy in all commercial
and monetary transactions, would render our coins,
weights, and measures more intelligible to foreigners,
and more in accordance with th,,se of the countries with
which the greater part of our trade is carried on, and
would greatly facilitate popular instruction in arithmetic,
sparing the time and energies of both pupils and teachers.
An association was then. formed to spread information,
collect subscriptions, and to take measures to secure the
e Under Miss Romer's management the operatic performances
early issue of the requisite decimal coins. The next r
here have been attended with even greater success than those
solution approved of the pound sterling as the unit of I
accounts, its subdivisions being the florin, the cent. equi- of former years. Last night there was another repetition of
valent to one-tenth of the florin, and the mill, to repre- Robert le Diable, and it was one of the most effective render-
sent one-tenth of the cent., or the I.loooth of the pound ings of this favourite opera by English artistes that we have
sterling. Mr. Minasi opposed this resolution, insisting seen. Miss Lowe is more at home in the Countess than she
on the merits of the penny as the unit of account ; but was in Alice, which latter part is taken by Miss Rebecca
as his arguments were, in the opinion of the meeting,
_lsaacs' and is one of the highest successes which that young
such as could be bent considered by a committee, he lady has d3' yet achieved. The ballet department, under Mr.
Iclexmorc, was better than is usual at a minor house. Miss
bowed to that decision and withdrew. A deputation was Julia St. George, from the Lyceum, made a sensation in the
, 'burlesque of Beauty and the Beast, which followed the opera.
then appointed to wait on the Chancellor of the Exchequer
I Her fine, clear voice is as true and as ringing as ever, and her
in reference to the subject, and the proceedings termi-
nated with a Tote of thanks to the chairman, acting does credit to lin Metructresi, Madame Yeatric