The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-26 00:00:00

IRISH AND S'COTOII BANK RETURNS.

The returns of circulation of the Irish and Scotch
banks for the four weeks ending the Ist of October,
1853, when added together, give the following as the
average weekly circulation of these banks during the
past month, viz. :
Average circulation of the Irish banks £5,510,985
Average circulation of the Scotch banks 3,843,226

Average circulation during the past month £9,354,211
On comparing the above with the fixed issues of the
several banks, as given in the Banking Almanac, the
following appears to be the state of the circulation :
The Irish banks are below their fixed issue... £843,509
The Scotch banks are above their fixed issue 756,087

Total below fixed issue
The amount of gold and silver held at the head offices
of the several banks during the past month have been
as follows :

Gold and silver held by the Irish banks £1,513,093
Gold and silver held by the Scotch banks 1,183,623

Total of gold and silver held £2,695,716

These returns, combined with the average circulation
of the Bank of England for the same period, show a
decrease of 303,0501. in the circulation of notes in Eng-
land, and an increase of 91,8841. in the circulation of
the United Kingdom, when compared with the month
ending the 3d of September ; and, as compared with the
month ending the 2d of October, 1852, the above returns
show an increase of 775,8041. in the circulation of notes
in England, and an increase of 1,811,2481. in the circu-
tion of the United Kingdom.
The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of
England in both departments during the month ending
the Ist of October was 15,839,2741., being a decrease of
1,146,8141. as compared with the previous month, and
a decrease of 5,942,2621. when compared with the same
period last year.
The stock of specie held by the Scotch and Irish
banks during the month ending the Ist of October was
2,696,7161., being an increase of 74,8281. as compared
, with the previous return, and an increase of 696,621/,
when compared with the corresponding period last year.

STRAND THEATRE.—The attractions at this house bring
nightly very large audiences. Miss Marshall, so excel-
lent in farces and burlesques, has been re-engaged, so has
also Mr. Ran4er, a very finished actor of the high school
of comedy, whose merits begin now to be fully appre-
ciated. Mr. Gourley, one of the best delineators of
Scottish character on the stage, made quite a "hit" last
night as Jemmy in Polkama7zia, and Jock Howieson in
appearancethe Scotch dramaat the
e of
Strand, Cr a c
wt Brig.eThis
engaged was
is
brief period of twelve nights.
DESTRUCTIVE FlRE.—Yesterday or
few
minutes before three o'clock, the police officer
at a
on
duty
on Ludgate-hill, on patrolling his beat, discovered smoke
issuing from the back part of the extensive range of pre-
mises belonging to Messrs. R. Willey and
linen-
drapers, hosiers, and haberdashers, situate at C0.,.15, and
16, Ludgate-street, St. Paul's. The officer at once
sounded an alarm, and, after some trouble, he succeeded
in arousing the inmates, consisting of nearly forty per-
sons, who were asleep in various portions of the build-
ing, So dense was the smoke and so great the heat
that the occupants were compelled to make for the roof,
and to get out the best way they could. A plentiful
supply of water was obtained from the mains of the
New River Company, from which the engines were set
to work, but, in spite of the indefatigable exertions of all
present, the fire continued to rage, and it was upwards
of an hour before the flames could be extinguished, and
not until the basement floor was burned out, and the
stock and fixtures in the warehouse on the ground floor
considerably damaged by fire and water. The upper
part of the house and contents are likewise damaged by
smoke and heat. The total loss, it is expected, will
amount to between 7,0001. and 8,0001. As to the origin
of the fire nothing could be learned. Fortunately the
sufferers are insured in the Imperial, the Sun, the Royal
Exchange, the Union, the Hand-in-Hand, the Atlas, the
Globe, the Plicenix, and London Fire offices.
A GRAND GAME OF CRESS.—It is said that the En-
glish and French chess clubs, have made a novel match
to be played shortly tit the Hippodrome. A gigantic
chess board will be marked out upon the turf. The
castles will
be carried on the backs of real elephants,
and every other piece will be represented by an eques-
trian performer dressed in character. The kings and
queens will be in gorgeous robes, the knights in full
armour, and the bishops will represent the "true church
militant."
NEW YORE RAILWAYS.—The New York Herald
of
the 11th of October, received by the steamer, last
• con-
tains a paragraph to the effect that the General Railroad
Act of that State has been declared unconstitutional by
the Court of Appeals, and that the v •
arious acceptances
and bonds issued by some of the e ppal companies are
as based on no legal re-
sponsibility. The report, however, is understood to be
wholly erroneous, one of the Judges of the court having
immediately caused a contradiction of it to be published,
the act having been held by
them to be perfectly con-
stitutional. Many of the bonds of the New York rail-
ways are possessed in this country, and the correction
of the error i
s therefore essential to prevent anxiety and
loss.

AUDACITY OF PERSIAN THlEVES.—Accounts from the
Camp of the Persian army state that the audacity of the
thieves shows that there exists no system of police what-
ever. The sword of the commander-in-chief had been
carried away from under his pillow. It was a present
from the Shah, and was richly mounted with diamonds.
One of the ministers had his inkstand, seals, and hand-
kerchief taken out of his hand while sleeping ; and an-
other chief, high in office, had the gold buttons of his
uniform cut off; and the Prime Minister, who was dozing
in the afternoon in a chair in his tent, next to that of
the Shah, had his gold spectacles taken off his nose.

DEATH FROM CHOLERA IN MILLBANK PRISON.—
Yesterday Mr. Bedford, coroner for Westminster, held
an inquest in Milibank Prison, on the body of a feinal
convict named Sarah Howard, aged 48. The deceased
was received in Millbank Prison, on the 24th November,
1851, under sentence of transportation for ten years.
Mr. John G. Paine, the resident surgeon of the prison,
deposed that he was called to attend the deceased on the
17th inst., when she complained of looseness of the
bowels. She was also seen by Dr. Baly, the superin-
tendent. On the 18th she was attacked with cramps
and vomiting, and from that time got rapidly worse, and
was by order of Dr. Baly removed into a room apart from
the other patients in the infirmary. She, however, gra-
dually sunk into a state of collapse cholera, and died on
Saturday last. It was a decided case of Asiatic cholera.
After some further evidence the jury returned a verdict
of "Died from Asiatic cholera."