The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-01 00:00:00

Bouverie.

The Duchess of Orleans, with the Conte de Paris and
the Due de Chartres, visited her Majesty to-day.

The Earl of Aberdeen left town yesterday afternoon
for Windsor Castle.

Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Board of Inland
Revenue, and Mr. Pressly, had an interview with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at his official
residence in Downing-street. Sir Thomas Freemantle,
Chairman of the Customs, had also an interview with
the Right Hon. Gentleman.

The -Duke of Newcastle left town yesterday for Clum
ber, Notts.

Le Chevalier S. de Macedo, Brazilian Minister, at
tended Lord John Russell's diplomatic levee on Thurs
day.

The following were present at Lord and Lady John
Russell's dinner party on Thursday :—The Duke of
Argyll, the Duke of Newcastle, the Earl of Aberdeen,
Earl Granville, Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston,
the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Mr. Cavendish, and
Mr. Arthur Russell.

Dispatches were sent yesterday from the Colonial.
office to the Governor-General of Canada.

MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS.

Lord Stanley of Alderley has been appointed Vice-
President of the Board of Trade and Paymaster-General
to the Forces. • 1

Viscount Canning is the new Postmaster-General.
The Hon. F. Charteris has accepted a Lordship of the
Treasury. The Treasury Board is now, therefore, com-
plete, the Lords being, besides the First Lord and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. John Sadleir, Lord
Alfred Hervey, and Mr. F. Charteris.
Vice-Admiral Hyde Parker, Captain the Hon. R. S.
Dundas, and Captain A. Milne have been appointed
Lords of the Admiralty. The Admiralty Board is,
therefore, also completed. It is thus constituted
Sir James Graham, First Lord.
Vice-Admiral Hyde Parker, First Sea Lord.
Rear-Admiral M. F. F. Berkeley, Second Sea Lord.
Captain R. S. Dundas.

Captain A. Milne.
Hon. W. F. Cowper.
Mr. Bernal Osborne, Secretary.
Lord Alfred Paget has been appointed Clerk Marshal
to her Majesty.

Mr. Lo-we has been appointed to one of the joint
Secretaryships of the Board of Control.
The other Secretaryship has not been yet filled up ;
nor has any appointment been made to the offices of
Surveyor-General to the Ordnance, Solicitor-General for
Scotland, or Under-Secretary for Ireland.
Mr. James Henry Cole has been appointed private
secretary to the Earl of Aberdeen, First Lord of the
Treasury.

Mr. 'Victor Houlton has been appointed private
secretary to Sir William Molesworth, the Chief Com-
missioner of Public Works, &c.

NEW YEAR'S EVE.—Yesterday being the last day of
the year 1852, late services were performed in some of
the churches. In most of the dissenting chapels, but
especially the Wesleyans', the congregations assembled
as early as eight o'clock in the evening, and continued at
prayers until the morning ; some, more strict in the per-
formance of their religious customs, remained at their
devotions until daylight. In the Roman Catholic
churches vespers and benediction were solemnised. The
attendance at the several places of divine worship was,
as usual, very numerous. As is customary, the bells of
the several churches struck out peals to welcome the in-
coming of 1853.

NEW YEAR'S DAY.-This is the 101st anniversary of
the first day of the year commencing on the Ist of
January, from which day, 1751-1752, it was ordered
annual time was thenceforward to be computed—all
previous years commencing on Lady Day (25th March). •
The year 1752, the new style, was adopted by calling the
2d September the 14th September ; thus deducting eleven
days, which the reckoning by the old system had gained
upon the true time by the sun ; and it was ordered by
Act of Parliament that the days were to be computed in
the ordinary manner from the last mentioned date, con-
sequently the 14th September, 1852, was the centesimal
anniversary of the adoption of the new style in England.
Russia is now the only Christian European nation that
adheres to the old system ; and the obstinacy of the
several Czars in persisting to compute the time by the
now nearly obsolete method, has frequently been the
cause of serious errors in mercantile transactions.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT STAVELEY.—A fatal accident oc-
curred on Christmas-day morning about six o'clock, by
which two young men lost their lives at the Speedwell
Pits, belonging to T. Barrow, Esq. The men above al-
luded to were being lowered down to repair the engine
boiler in the pit. The wind was blowing very strong at
the time, and, according to the statements of the " en-
gine tenter," the wire rope by which they were descend-
ing the shaft was blown on to the top of the guide horns
of the engine shaft, and thus being out of gear it snapped.
The poor fellows were precipitated to the bottom, a dis-
tance of about thirty yards. They had each an arm on
the cross rail of the chair, which were cut off by the rope
falling on them—one at the elbow, and the other close
up to the shoulder. As soon as possible they were
brought out ; one expired almost directly, and the other
in a few hours after.

CHARGE AGAINST A MEDICAL OFFICER OF MARYLE-
BONE.—Yesterday, at the meeting of the Board of Di-
rectors and Guardians of this parish, the report of the
medical committee appointed with reference to a charge
of neglect on the part of the medical officers and midwife
of the parish, in being accessory to the death of a woman
named Higgins, of Stephen-street, Lisson-grove, who, it
was currently alleged, died from want of proper treat-
ment in her confinement, was brought up and read. It
stated that the facts relative to the death of Mrs. Higgins
had been fully inquired into, and that the committee
were fully satisfied that the medical officers and the
midwife were free from all blame. Upon a division
of the board the report was adopted, the numbers
being—for the adoption, II ; against it, 7. The board
then broke up.
COAST DEFENCES.—Forts are now erecting at Fresh-
water, Niton, and Sandown, at the back of the Isle of
Wight. At Freshwater a large number of men are em-
ployed on the erection of the fort, and the work will
shortly be accomplished. At Sandown the old dilapi-
dated fort will be restored. A body of soldiers are
already stationed there. Branch railways will, is ex-
pected, be formed between all these places, and the main
trunk line through the island, not only for general traffic
but for the purposes of government, such as conveying
troops, &c.

A. letter from Warsaw states that the Emperor of
Russia on going to Venice will pass through Vienna,
and remain there some days.

-- - - 4 • •
MONEY 4,ND COMMERCIAL NEWS.

CITY, Two o'CLocx.
The sales of ( _;otton at Liverpool, yesterday, were
estimated at 4 ,000 bales. The market was dull,
and closed heal :ily. Railway shares were flat.
Very import.- int changes occurred in the items of
the Bank of .England balance sheet, during the
week to the 2, 4th ult. The reduction of bullion
was anticipated , and is quite as large as was pre-
dicted. We 1u we every confidence, however, in an
early and rapid!. increase, and we should consider it a
matter of congratulation if a million or two were
withdrawn yet. ; provided we observed a corres-
ponding increase of loans, as such would justify the
opinion that ti -ade was increasingly active. Look-
ing to the securities, we find an addition exceeding
three quarters of a million sterling, the amount
being far above what it was, at any time previously,
last year. The public deposit account had reached
nearly, if not fully, its maximum for the quarter,
we may presume. It certainly looks well for the
revenue, even as compared! with January, 1852.
The changes, as against the previous week, were
as follows :
Rest

Increase..

Public Deposits
Increase..

Other deposits .
Decrease

£3,083,969
3,196

9,297,726
649,000

12,264,343
231,927

Seven day and other Bills 1,423,287
Decrease 45,427

Other securities .
Increase ..

Notes reserved...
Decrease .

Bullion
Decrease

14,135,952
799,916

Active circulation
Decrease

11,846,420
412,240

20,749,190
416,034

22,235,505

The amount of the Government Securities re-
mained as before.
During the year 1852 the highest and lowest
amount under the heads given in the Bank of
England accounts were at the following dates :

July 10. Jan. 10.
Bullion
July 17.
Circulation
Jan. 3. July 24.
Public Deposits
Dec. 24. Aug. 28.
Other Securities 14,135,952 10,646,723

Yesterday bills of exchange were quoted at a
slight decline upon the principal cities of the Con-
tinent.' Paris, 90 days, was taken at 25 22i to
25 ; Amsterdam at 11 11- to 18 ; Hamburgh at
13 5+ to 6 ; Frankfort at 118 k to 119 ; and Trieste
at 11 to 11 5.

Of the Funds, looking to the highest and lowest
prices, it may be said that the first and last months
presented nearly the extremes ; but there is one
exception, viz., July, when Bank Stock was up to
234, while Exchequer Bills were in June as high
as 83s. premium. We may contrast the prices of
the commencement and the close of the year, to
show the marked rise that has occurred :

. Jan. Dec.
Consols
Bank Stock 216 to 2191 222 to 2241
India ditto
Exchequer Bills 535. to 645. 58s. to 725.

Foreign Stocks have pursued their course guided
respectively by particular circumstances, as well as
by the general state of the money market. The
comparison is as under :

Jan. Dec.
Buenos Ayres 49 to 51 73 to 74
Grenada l5B to 17 22 to 224
Mexican 271 to 311 231 to 251
Portuguese 321 to 341 381 to 41
Spanish Deferred l7l to 191 221 to 25

BRITISH FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK THIS DAY,
(From the Official List.) _ .

Business done.
Bank Stock
3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities lols i
3 per Cent. Consols Annuities
New 34 per Cent. Annuities.
India Bonds, £lOOO B3
Consols for Opening 18th January
Exchequer Bills lid. March. June.
£1000
£5OO 69 72
Small
PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK
Chilian Bonds, 6 per Cent lo6i
Equador Bonds 54
Grenada Bonds, Deferred,
_ .

....iR it Mexican 3 per Cot.
Peruvian 6 per Cedt.
Spanish Bonds, 3 ler Cent
Ditto New Deferred, 3 per Cent 23i .x tl.
Spanish Committee Cert. of Coup. not fun, 4.i p c
Turkish Loan, 6 per Cent., 1852 1 p
TWO O'CLOCK.
Consols for Opening 18th January lOO3 i ex d.