The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

HAY MARKETS.

SmrrarrELD.—Meadow hay, 2/ lOs to 5/ 03 ; clover
ditto, 3/ 10s to 6/ Os ; and straw, 1/ 16s to 2/ 2s per load.
A moderate supply, and a sluggish demand.
CIIMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, 2/ 12s to 5/ Os ; Clover
ditto, 31 103 to 61 Os; and straw, 1/ 16s to 2/ 2s per load.
Supply tolerably good, and trade rttie! dull.

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WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, 2110 s to 6/ Os; clover
ditto, 31 10s to 61 6s ; and straw, 1116 s to 21 2s per load.
Trade dull.

DECIMAL COlNAGE.—Yesterday a public meeting of
merchants and bankers and others interested in the
adoption of a decimal system of weights, measures, and
coinage was held at the London Tavern, Mr. W.Browne,
M.P., in the chair. The chairman gave the meeting a
succinct account of the origin and progress of the move-
ment in favour of the decimal system, from the time
when the late Lord Wrottesley, then Sir John Wrot-
tesley, brought it before the House of Commons forty
years since. The next step was the royal commission
of 1838, presided over by the astronomer royal, which
reported in favour of such a system. This report
was followed by a lull until the public were again
awakened to the importance of the change by his
own and Sir John Bowring's labours. The people were
now desirous of having such a system, and petitions were
daily pouring into Parliament praying for its introduc-
tion, and all that was wanted was to convince the
Chancellor of the Exchequer that the country was ripe
for the change, which could be effected with ease. Mr.
Hodgson moved, and Mr. J. Ingram Travers seconded
al resolution, which set forth that the establishment
of a complete decimal system would effect ac important
saving of tune, and insure accuracy in all commercial
and monetary transactions, would render our coins,
weights, and measures more intelligible to foreigners,
and more in accordance with these of the countries with
which the greater part of our trade is carried on, and
would greatly facilitate popular instruction in arithmetic,
sparing the time and energies of both pupils and teachers.
An association was then formed to spread information,
collect subscriptions, and to take measures to secure the
early issue of the requisite decimal coins. The next re-
Under Miss Homer's management the operatic performances
solution approved of the pound sterling as the unit of here have been attended with even greater success than those
accounts, its subdivisions being the florin, the cent. equi- of former years. Last night there was another repetition of
valent to one-tenth of the florin, and the mill, to repro.
Robert le Diable, and it was one of the most effective render-
sent one-tenth of the cent., or the 1-1000th of the pound i ings of this favourite opera by English artistes that W 4 have
sterling. Mr. Minasi opposed this resolution, insisting seen. Miss Lowe is more at home in the Countess than she
on the merits of the penny as the unit of account ; but was in Alice, which latter part is taken by Miss Rebecca
as his arguments were, in the opinion of the meeting,
Isaacs, and is one of the highest successes which that young
such as could be best considered by a committee, he
lady has yet achieved. The ballet department, under Mr.
Flexmore, was better than. is usual at a minor house. Miss
bowed to that decision and withdrew. A deputation was Julia St. George, from the Lyceum, made a sensation in the
,
then appointed to wait on the Chancellor of the Exchequer burlesque of Beauty and the Beast, which followed the opera.
in reference to the subject, and the proceedingstermi-I Her fine, clear voice is as true and as ringing as ever, and her
nated with a vote of thanks to the chairman. acting does credit to her instructress, Madame Vestris.