The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-15 00:00:00

MONEY MARKET AND COMMERCIAL
INTELLIGENCE-(THIS DAY.)

CITY, TWO O'CLOCK.
The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday were
estimated at 7,000 bales, of which 1,500 Ame-
rican were taken for export. The market was
very firm at previous rates. The sales comprised
5,000 American, 100 Pernam and Maranham, at
62d. to 7Ad. ; 250 Bahia, at 64d. to 6/d. ; 500
Egyptian at 6id. to 10d. ; and 1,000 Surat, at 31-d.
to 40. per lb. Railway Shares were dull and in-
active, at lower prices.
The Produce Markets have been steady, and ex-
porters have made a few purchases. There is,
however, scarcely any speculation in progress. The
supplies generally are moderate, and prices have
ruled steady. Tea has been dull in the absence of
any later intelligence from China. Rather more
has been done in coffee. Sugar has been at full
rates for West India, and East India is held firmly,
although not in much demand. For hemp and flax
there has been a good inquiry. Cotton has been
rather dull. Surat at 31 to 48 per lb. The
Indigo auctions are progressing rather better.
The public sales of wool have commenced, and
of colonial alone there will be over 60,000
bales put up. Foreign samples also will be
offered. The attendance of buyers is good,
but owing to the large quantity and the state of
the Eastern question, prices rule lower, the reduc-
tion, compared with the May sales, being id. to Id.
per lb.
The Overland Mail arrived at Marseiles at seven
o'clock this morning, and the letters will be de-
livered here on Monday next.

The Committee of the House of Commons now
investigating the subject of the decimal coinage,
has closed its examination of witnesses, and there
appears to be a strong impression that the result
will be a recommendation favourable to the
changes proposed. Supposing 25 farthings to be
henceforth comprised in the 6d., it is contended by
some parties that there will be an inconvenience
because 6d. and 12d. are the only fractions which
can be confined within the limit of 3 places of
decimals, 3d. and 9d.. requiring 4 places; Lid., 4d.,
74d., and 104 d., requiring 5 places; id., 20., 3/d.,
51d., 62d., 8/41., 91d., and 111 d., being inexpres-
sible strictly in less than six decimal places. A
correspondent, therefore, urges that—
" Disposing thus of sixteen out of the forty-eight
fractions of a shilling, we then find that no number of
figures whatever can represent precisely in decimals the
remaining 32 fractions required for the expression of
id., id., ld., lid., 2d., 20. 2id., 3Jd., 341, 4d.,
4kd., 4p., 5d., 54d., 54d., 61d., 64d., 7d., 7id.,
Bd., 84d. 8/d., 91d., 94d., 10d., lOid., lid., 114 d.,
and
The practical way of dealing with these thirty-
two incommensurable quantities, is to take a suffi-
cient number of places of decimals—three, ten,
twenty, or more, according to the magnitudes in-
volved in the computation, whereby we attain an
approximate truth, "as near as you please," ac-
cording to Professor de Morgan ; but " the abso-
lute answer cannot be obtained without resorting
to the use of vulgar fractions, from which the new
decimal system is intended to release us."
The English Stock Market which assumed a
much more buoyant tone yesterday afternoon, has
preserved the same to day, owing to the renewed
assurances by Lord John Russell, last evening,
as to the pending negotiations for peace, in
which the German powers acquiesce, and the
news from the Continent appears likewise
to be favourably interpreted. There is not
a large business doing in Consols, either real
or speculative, and the approach of settling day
regulates most of the transactions. For transfer
the quotations have been 97-4 to 984, and for
August 98 to a. Exchequer Bills remain at Is.
discount to par. The New Three-and-a-Quarter
per Cents. have been 101 to 4, and the Three per
Cents. 984 tor. Bank Stock has been firmer at
22.`). South Sea Stock has realised 1144 to 116.
Voreign securities have been in some cases rather
better, and the settlement of the account has been
the principal cause of this. Portuguese 4 per cents.
are 41 to 4, an improvement of to R. Mexican,
have rallied to 264 and 274. Brazilian 5 per
cents. have been at 101. Russian 41 per eents.
have been done at 1001 and 10)2. Danish Stock is
worth 107. Sardinian Bonds have been marked
944. Spanish Securities are still rather heavy, the
Three per Cents. at 46a to 4, the Deferred at 22g.
The Railway Share Market has been inactive,
and the payment of differences upon the account
has occupied chief attention. There has been a
rase and a decline subsequently in Caledonian
Shares, an improvement in Brighton, North-
Western, Oxford and Wolverhampton, and Great
Western, French Shares have advanced about
.too.
The Gold Mine Shares are merely nominal, and
the Land Companies and Banks are heavy. •

BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK,
(.From the Official List.)
Business done.
Bank Stock 229
3 per Cent. Reduced ...... 983
3 per Cent. Consols Annuities 9B 6 7,f
New 3 per Cent. Annuities lOl
Loug Annuities, Expire sth Jan., 1860
South Sea Stock
South Sea Old Annuities
Consols for Account 984 7i
Exchequer Bills, id.
£l000
PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK.
Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent
Ditto New, 1852, 46 per Cent 99 x d
Danish Beads, 1825, 5 per Cent lO7
Mexican 3 per Cent.
Ditto for the Account 27
Pe. ivlan De'erred 3 pc- Cent.
Portv3uese Bonds, 4 per Cent.
Rv.s'an Bonds, 5 per Cent.
Ditto 4 per Cent.
Sardinian Bonds, 5 per Cent 944

Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent 46
Spanish New Deferred, 3 per Cent 22/1

LF-P ST TWO.
Consols 97i 98i
Ditto August Account 9B

ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE.—The following gentlemen
passed their examination yesterday, and received com-
missions to-day as Acting Lieutenants :—W. H. Wright,
J. L. Lawrence, E. Stubbs, C. H. Stevens. Mates for
Lieutenants.—H. T. Templer, H. T. Burgoyne, J. M.
Wilson, S. C. Robinson, W. Johnson, S. Stanley, E. S.
Kerby, T. G. Baillie, D. Boyle, J. T. Pringle. Second
Masters for Masters. Messrs. Renny, Sedworth,
Mitchell, and Williams.
DECIMAL COINAGE.—The committee of the House of
Commons have concluded the examination of witnesses,
and it is believed the result will be a unanimous report
in favour of the adoption of a decimal system, making
the pound sterling the integer, and dividing it into 1,000
mils or farthings. Dr. Bowring, on whose motion in
Parliament the first step was taken, in 1848, by the
coinage of the florin, or 1-10th of a pound sterling, was
the last witness examined, and he gave the most satis-
factory evidence as to the accuracy, rapidity, and ease
with which all calculations are made and all accounts
kept throughout the vast Chinese empire, with its
400,000,000 of dependent subjects. He produced to the
committee the abacus, or instrument by which the art of
re:;lroning is taught in all the elementary schools of
China, and stated, that after a single month's instruction,
a Chinese youth is far more competent to apply the rules
of arithmetic to all the business of life than is a learner
in any of our common schools after the lessons of years.
It was suggested that the general employment of the
abacus (called swan wan, by the Chinese) in the education
of the young would greatly promote and popularise the
introduction of a decimal system of currency and ac-
counts.

SINKING OF A SCHOONER AND Loss OF Two LIVES,
AT DEPTFORD.—Yesterday morning, between the hours
of nine and ten, a painful sensation was caused amongst
some hundred persons on board the different craft lying
in Limehouse-reach and Deptford, in consequence of the
following dreadful occurrence, by which we regret to
state two human beings were prematurely hurried into
eternity. The Prince Albert, Captain Millingham, of
Gainsborough, arrived in the river a few days since with
a cargo of Yorkshire goods, and after discharging her
cargo she was, yesterday morning, proceeding down the
river in order to take in ballast preparatory to returning
back to Yorkshire. A heavy squall of wind, however,
sprang up, which struck the schooner on the starboard
and threw her completely on to her larboard side. The
unfortunate captain made an attempt to save his wife
and child, who were below, but the rush of water down
the hatchways and companion to the cabin was so great
that he was obliged to give up the attempt as fruitless,
and at length he had the greatest difficulty in saving his
own life, being obliged to jump overboard to escape
going down with the ill-fated vessel. As the water
rushed down the hold of the vessel a few faint screams
of the woman and child were heard, but they were
quickly drowned by the rush of water.
SHOCKING DISCOVERY IN THE ADELPHI ARCHES.—
Yesterday, considerable excitement prevailed in the
vicinity of the Adelphi and Hungerford market, in con-
sequence of a man being found in ono of the dark arches
with his throat cut from ear to ear. From inquiries
that were instituted it has been ascertained that the
name of the wounded man is James Pigot, a coach
turner, who resided at 45, Clarendon-street, Somer's-
town, and was in the employ of Messrs. Pierce and
Countz, coach builders, of Long-acre. He was at work
as usual in the early part of the morning, when he ap-
peared in his usual health and spirits, and left at break-
fast time: At half-past ten o clock Mr. John Peek,
residing in Chapel-row, Chelsea, having had business at
the wharf, in passing one of the angles, saw an appa-
rently respectable man lying on the ground, and hearing
a gurgling sound, went towards him, when he discovered
a tremendous gash in his throat, from which blood was
issuing. Assistance was immediately obtained, and the
unfortunate man conveyed to Charing-cross Hospital,
where he was placed under the care of the resident sur-
geon, but faint hopes are entertained of his recovery.
It is stated that a razor has been found underneath the
arches, but at too great a distance from the body to lead
to the supposition that it was the weapon used, and the
extensive nature of the injuries preclude the- possibility
of the sufferer giving any explanation of the circum-
stauces.