The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-25 00:00:00

MONEY AND CITY NEWS.

(PROM TIIg MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.)
TIMES.—Some notice has been drawn in the city to
the circumstance that the French Minister of Commerce
has addressed to the Commercial Chambers of all the
great ports a circular, stating that a letter, dated Bomb :my,
informed him " that most English houses there addressed
urgent demands to England for an early supply of pro-
visions ; but that he gave to the French houses this early
intimation, that they might send them. out before the
supplies from England can arrive there."
This circular letter of the French Minister was written
the day that the mail from Bombay, by way of Alexan-
dria and Marseilles, arrived at Paris, and it has been
remarked upon it as very unlikely that such a let-
ter should have been written from a French house
at Bombay to a mercantile house in France, be-
cause it is improbable that a French house should
know that most English houses have sent such orders
hoine for certain named articles ; and, even if it were so,
a mercantile house in France is not likely to have gone to
the Minister of Commerce with the letter, that he might
issue a circular to encourage operations which the house
would naturally wish to make itself with as little competi-
tion as possible.
Hence the conclusion arrived at is, that the French
Ajinister must have read the contents of the English
letters from Bombay passing through Paris to Eng-
land, and also that the letters from England to the
East Indies are made the same use of, This view of
the case i 3 strengthened by the fact, that the French
government, as part of the arrangements under dis.
pussion for the communication with India, refuse to
allow sealed bags under special messengers to pass through
h
their count.
Hence the merchants express their
fears,
that that if the English Government will not insist firmly on this
condition, and not enter into any arrangement without it,
they will deliver the interest of the English traders into the
hands of their French rivals.
It is to be hoped that the suspicions o e
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ystated,
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never deficient in susceptibility on the score of character,
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coerce.
HERALD.—We have received this morning, for the
perusal and edification of those sapient frequenters of the
Stock Exchange who have embarked their property in the
Peninsular bonds, a flattering production from her Most
Faithful Majesty Donna Maria of Portugal.
The prospects held out by the youthful Queen of an early
improdefoent in the public resources of her kingdom, and of a
resumption of the payment of the dividends on the foreign
debt which have been so long ousponded, would seem
to be considered pretty sure to be realised by the
tiding ciazs of persons to whom we have alltled, thasMuPh as
speculation upon a mote pltel4e4 scale than we have had
occasion to notice for a long time past was fißce the poll_
sequence ; and an advance of no less than i to 1 one per
cent. on Saturday's quotations was, for the moment,
established, the Five per Cent. Bonds being done at 30 to
and the Three per Cents. at liti to 2f) ; the former, how.
ever, eventually receded to 29i 30, and the latter to l
We wish that the hopes expressed by her Portuguese Ma-
jesty, and which are, it is needless to say, most sincerely