The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-17 00:00:00

TEE CAMP AT CLIOBHAM COMMON.

The weather has held up well to the close of the
camp, and now at its last days it seems bent on giving
the troops another taste of Chobham inclemency. We
are afraid the men are destined to finish as they began,
and to wade out of their cantonments after all.

Yesterday, as all the metropolitan world knows, was
a very wet day, yet it did not in the least influence the
attendance at Chobham. The crowd.; of visitors were
very great, and poured into the camp almost as con-
tinuously as the rain. The fares by. the omnibuses (a
sure sign of the numerous concourse) rose at once to
4s. each way, and would, we doubt not, have run
higher, but that many visitors, deterred by the miser-
able aspect of the weather, went no further than
Chertsey.
Contrary to general expectation, a sham battle took
place, nevertheless, though its effect was much marred,
if not quite spoilt, by the drizzling showers which fell
during the whole time.
The troops paraded at ten in front of their tents, and
after inspection defiled by their right, and passed through
the tents across the Bagshot-road into the valley in the
rear of the lines. Here the whole force halted and un-
derwent the scrutiny of Lord Hardinge, Lord Seaton,
the Duke, and a numerous staff of officers.

The troops returned to their cantonments about two,
the evolutions having been considerably shortened owing
to the unfavourable state of the weather.

Directly the sham battle was over the sightseers, who
had crowded the hills in great numbers, made a great
rush off the common, to seek some shelter from the
heavy rain which they had braved the whole morning.
The fares by vehicles to Chertsey instantly, and, as a
matter of course, rose to most exorbitant rates, though
even then there were not half sufficient to convey the
numbers of persons willing and anxious to pay them.

°DEM/I.—The Odessa letters of the sth inst. state
that there was again great activity in the wheat market,
5,000 quarters having just been sold at 2s. to 2s. Bd.
advance, and transactions being checked only by the
high demands of holders. The purchases, however,
were apparently almost all destined for the Mediter-
ranean, scarcely any being now made for this country.
Freights were still enormously high, the quotations
being 100 s per ton for tallow, or 15s. 6d. per quarter for
wheat.
BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES.—The report of the
Bank of New South Wales, one of the Sydney institu-
tions, for the half-year ending the 31st of March last,
has just been received, and presents a result which the
directors truly state to be without a parallel in banking
enterprise. It appears that on a capital of 300,0001. the
profits for the six months amounted to 141,6401., the
appropriation of which has just been effected by increas-
ing the capital from 300,0001. to 400,000/. a step equi-
valent to a bonus of 61. 13s. 4d. on each 201. share,
be-
sides declaring a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent. per
annum, adding 14,280/, to the reserve fund, which now
amounts to 40,0001., and carrying 4,9601. to a new ac-
count for future distribution. The report, however,
admits that no repetition of these things can be expected
since " the harvest of the gold discovery has now been
reaped, and the profits of banking are rapidly returning
to their former standard." At the same time, it is con-
tended that colonial banking, notwithstanding the com-
petition of the new London companies, must, from the
rapidly extending trade of the country, continue to prove
remunerative. The branches of the Bank of New South
Wales are at Moreton Bay, Melbourne, Geelong, and
Mount Alexander, and it has also opened an agency oil
this side, in lieu of keeping an account, as had hitherto
been the case, with the London Joint-Stook Bank.