The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-27 00:00:00

BANKERS' HOURS.

From the following letter, addressed on Friday by the
Governor of the Bank of England to Mr. Masterman,
the chairman of the Committee of Bankers, it will he
seen that the proposal of the Bank to alter its hour of
opening has been abandoned. The reasons given, both
for the original announcement of the measure and the
final withdrawal of it, show that the public conveni-
ence, and the satisfaction of effecting an arrangement
that would, as it was hoped, without injury to any one,
have lightened the position of many thousand persons,
were the only considerations entertained. The obsta-
cles to its success are therefore to be regretted, and it
may yet be hoped that at some future time the practica-
bility will arise of getting over them :

" Bank of England, Feb. 23.

" Dear Sir,—The Bank are about to advertise their
withdrawal of the notice issued on the 19th of January,
' That from the Ist of March the business of this establish-
ment would commence at 10 o'clock instead of 9,' and I
feel bound to record in this communication to you the
circumstances under which they rescind a measure ori-
ginating in your suggestion. When you first spoke to
me of ' opening at 10 o'clock' as a change for which
the private bankers had been, with few exceptions,
long desirous, the subject was new to me, although
it had been brought before my predecessor in office
two or three years since ; but I made immediate in-
quiry of the chief officers of the Bank, and found, by their
reports, that the proposed change could be effected without
inconvenience to the Bank or to its customers, and that the
attendance of the clerks of the establishment might be con-
sequently deferred from nine to half-past nine. I learnt,
also, from all the inquiries I was able to make, that the
mercantile community generally would cordially approve
the postponement for an hour of the preseutaticn of bills,
now often most inconveniently left for acceptance as early
as nine o'clock, when, owing to the altered habits of the
times, and their distant residence, they have not reached
their offices. _

"After interviews with members of the three banking
firms you had mentioned to me as dissenting from the pro-
posed change, which tended to diminish still further the
amount of objection, I brought the entire question before
the Court of Directors, who unanimously adopted the pro-
position for a change of hour, in harmony, as they fully
believed, with the wishes of the private bankers generally
—unobjectionable upon its own merits to the joint-stock
banks—acceptable, as they hoped, to the mercantile com-
munity—and conducive, as they know, to the convenience
and comfort of that most trustworthy, laborbus, and de-
serving class, the clerks of bankers and merchants.
" On the 7th of Feb. you placed in the hands of the chief
cashier the following memorandum :
" ' We, the undersigned bankers, having learnt from the
public announcement of the Bank of England, that it is
their intention to open their establishment at 10 o'clock
instead of 9 after the Ist of March next, beg to express
our strong opinion of the great inconvenience that would
result from such a measure to the transaction of business,
and our earnest hope that they will not carry the same in-
to effect.

" BARCLIY, BEVAN, TRITTON, and CO.
PRESCOTT, GROTE, and CO.
GLYN, MILLS, and Co.

JONE:3, LOYD, and CO.
BARNETT, HOARE, and Co.

DIMSDILE :

DREWETT,

and Co.

HANKEY and Co.
ROBARTS, CURTIS, and Co.
" ' London, Feb. 7, 1854.'
" Surprised as I naturally was at so unexpected a com-
munication, I felt bound not only to require an explana-
tion from yourself, but to investigate still further the na-
ture and extent of the ' great inconvenience which would
result from such a measure.'
"Your explanation has been brief and frank—viz., that
your brother bankers have changed their minds, while our
further investigation has only confirmed the Court in their
opinion that, as regarded the opinion of this establishment,
the partial inconvenience which might result to a few in-
dividuals would bo far outweighed by the general advantage
in the economy of time that would result from the altera-
tion. As, however, the Bank have acted in this matter in
compliance, as they supposed, with the requisition of those
bankers of whom they considered you the representative,
and you now withdraw that requisition, the Bank with-
draw their public notice ; for they are most anxious that
neither the benefit which would arise from the general
adoption of this measure lie defeated by its partial intro-
duction, nor that they appear to force its adoption on the
private bankers in a manner at variance with the friendly
relations which it is their anxious desire to maintain.
" I have merely to add, in conclusion, that, should the
private bankers at any thee see cause to modify their pre-
sent objections to the abridgment of the hours of business,
the Bank will gladly entertain any proposition they may
offer.—l remain, dear sir, your faithful servant,
" J. G. HUBBARD, Governor.
" John Masterman, Esq., M.P."

THE SHIP WATAGA-CASE OF THE IRISH
EMIGRANTS-JUDGE KANE'S DECISION.

The late important decree of the Court of Admiralty,
in the case of the Irish emigrants recently landed in
Philadelphia, and turned adrift here, in violation of the
contract by which they were to have been taken to New
York as the place of destination, for which latter place
they took passage and paid their money at Cork, will com-
mend itself to the approbation of the community the
more its principles are examined and the facts of the
case become known. These are sufficiently set forth in
the decree, but the case should not be allowed to pass
without the natural and proper comment fairly due from
a free press. We observe, with pleasure, that the de-
cision of Judge Kane, an well as the prompt and ener-
getic course of the Britikh Consul in the matter, have
elicited the warmest approbation of many of the most
influential journals of New York, but it is right that
the press of Philadelphia should speak out.
Of ,the gross and monstrous frauds practised almost
daily at some of our prucipal ports of entry upon the
poor emigrant, whether English, Irish, or Scotch,
Swiss, German, or Swede, we could write a vol-
ume. The subject has been so often brought before
the public, that we could say nothing new,
though we could enlarge upon former statements.
An authentic exposition of some of these has very
recently been made :n the report of the dele-
gation appointed by the Emigrant Society of our
city to inquire into the nature and operation of the emi-
grant laws of New York, published not two weeks ago,
from which, if we were `) recall some extracts, nothing
that we could say would be too strong. But we forbear
to enter upon this task, It is sufficient for our purpose
that public attention las been roused, and we regard
this decision of Judge Kane as doing more for the emi-
grant and for the character of Philadelphia, in affording
protection to the strayer, than anything which has yet
happened. _ _

All honour, then, to the city of Penn, which has led
the way in this grew, and important work ; to the en-
lightened magistrate who has thus publicly vindicated
the claims of justice, and established on a secure basis
the legal rights of the friendless stranger ; and last,
not least, to the faithful public representative who
did not stop to colnt the cost in estimating the rights
and wrongs of his countrymen, upwards of 100 in
number, but prorxptly came forward, at every sacrifice
of personal convenience and personal feeling, and every
pecuniary risk, to claim for them from an American
tribunal the meed of justice to which he felt they were
entitled, and in which honest purpose he persevered till
he succeeded. We perform an agreeable duty in thus
referring to the newly-arrived British consul at this
port, Mr. George Mathew, who has already made the
most favourable impression upon our citizens.
The decree will be productive of great benefit to Phila-
delphia and Pennsylvania,. It will promote emigration
to the shores of our own city. It will bring more
men and more money direct to Philadelphia from the
old world ; and if we sometimes get bad men and men
without money, we shall get a larger proportion of such
as will soon tecome useful citizens, and help to swell
our aggregate prosperity and increase our strength.
The decree, we predict, will constitute an era, sooner
or later, in the solid prospects of our city and state.
—Philadelphia Inquirer.

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