The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-01 00:00:00

great an inconvenience at the office on the 4th of every
month. The letters would be weighed and stamped
in the houses of the parties who sent them, and not a
moment's delay would arise at the Post-office. These
suggestions seem altogether unobjectionable, though
there appears no reason that a shilling should be fixed
upon as the nzazinzion of the postage stamps, and why
these may not be issued of every amount for which
use might be found.

POST.—The transactions of the foreign market
;lave been generally limited, and with a view to the
settlement and effects of the account, which closes to-
morrow. There was a good deal of stir in the Spanish
funds, which continue to advance, though with an evi-
dent, and probably a well-founded, suspicion on the part
tof the de; ers that there may be something unsound in
.the view I those who are operating for the rise. Co-:
lornbian Ito 2-I ; Mexican 281 to 29 ; Fiver
Cent. I tuguese 321 to 321 ; Active.*ftanish 2-Q to
t 25 ;an i 4 Treasin y Bonds, 26. i
IP642at,\_illrern Railway Shares cu at 26 to 2q
prem. ; •di1015; (new), 111 to 12 ken]. ; ,London and
South Westkrn, 17 to 171 prem. ; Brighton, (4 to 61-
did,.; Birmingham 81 to 83 prem.; and London Joint-
StiiClZ Bank', 2a to 2-,7; prem. per share. This market
exhibits but little activity (it was settlity day). Prices
as will be seen, are nevertheless, still rather upon the
rise—a circumstance which may be ascribed to the easy
state of the money market. Discounts en first,rate
foreign bills were effected at 4i per cent,
Every day seems to bring to light some fresh defect
in Air,. Rowland Hill's Post Office arrangements. A
money order received by a respectable merchant from
Jersey, was yesterday presented at the proper window
for payment by the gentlemen in person. The answer
was, that no advice to pay had come hand. •
In the midst of the uncertainty that exists, with
regard to the position and prospects of our money
market, it is gratifying to the commercial interest in the
City to find, as they do, from the advices just received
by the Great Western steamer from New York, that
there is no reason to apprehend a drain, or even a
demand, for specie from that quarter. On the departure
of the steamer the exchange on England ranged be-
tween Si and 91- per cent. prem., the supply of bills
being at the same time very niodeiatc. 1. th..1,...
of any fresh State loans, and with the exchange as-
suming so satisfactory a tone, tinder an adverse state of
trade, the confidence displayed by our commercial men,
as respects the relations of this country with the United
States, seems to be perfectly warranted. 'Tice matter
may be placed more strikingly before our readers by
the aid of figures. In the table here annexed it may be
readily perceived how disastrous the late crisis must
have have proved to the manufacturing and other pro-
ducers in Europe. It is shown that in the year 1839
the imports of various commodities were double those
of the present year. It is enough, for the purpose of
comparison, to refer to the return for New York for the
period named :
INIPORTS INTO NEW YORK.

Wine. Brandy. lEnWare.

From Jan. Ist to Nov.
1,30, 1840. ..... 61,760 9,781 16,961
Same time in 1839 147,9241 16,402 34,596

Pipes, I Pipes, Crates.
easks,&e. easks,e.

Iron.

56,089
92,995

Tons,
pigs, and

bar s.

Our manufacturers are now busily occupied in the
execution of orders for the United States markets, and
it may be taken for granted in the event of no extra-
neouscircumstance occurring to interfere with the natu-
ral course of trade, that the exchange will improve, and
continue favourable for this country the whole of the
ensuing year, especially when it is considered that a
large amount of American paper will have to be nego-
tiated through this country for the purpose of liquidat-
ing certain outstanding liabilities on the Continent. We
have, in IS4O, during which the imports from the United
States did not fall short of the average received from
thence for several seasons past, a most unpropitious
year. We come, then, to the conclusion—a conclusion
in which there is scarcely room for error—that the ba-
lance of trade must be so decidedly in our own favour as
to justify the importation of specie from America as a
safe and profitable investment.
When it is recollected how large a proportion of our
foreign trallic is with the United States, it will be con-
ceded that to see the exchange in that part of the world
placed upon a satisfactory footing must necessarily fur-
nish the trading part of the community, as well as our
capitalists, with fair grounds for all the exultation which
they seem to experience.
The only thing that can well go counter to this en-
couraging state of things is the unfortunate propensity
that is, we fear, still prevalent, for the dirty loan-jobbing
that acts so prejudicially to the interests of the country,
both public and private. If this is kept under control
there can be little tear that the Bank will before long
begin to recover their stock of bullion, and relax the
"screw."

As many persons in England are deeply interested
in the progress of the canal, coal, and iron works in
America, we give, far thplr information, the following
extract from the National Gazette (Philadelphia paper)
of the 30th ultimo :

" The Danville lutelligencer of Friday last says The
north branch division of the public works continues to work
well, and such a rush to get down Wyomin coal and up
Shamokin coal to Danville before the close of navigation
was never before known. At the wharfs of Biddle, Cham-
bers, and Co., in front of the Nlonteur iron works, and in
front of the steam-engine manufactory and machine shop
of Heywood and Snyd,r, mountains of coal are raising
from the continual stream of boats there unloading. All
the assurances of the canal officers that the canal should
be navigable this fall are more than fulfilled. Our iron-
mon will have fuel plenty on the spot where they want it
for the winter season, and three, if not four, anthracite
furnaces will be in blast at Danville throughout the ensu-
ing winter. One of the large now furnaces of Biddle,
Chambers, and Co., is now ready for business, and another
nearly completed.'"
Commercial letters from St. Petersburgh continue
to speak of the appearance of the British at Pekin. In
one of them we find it stated that two considerable
towns, besides the capital, had been taken possession of.
The Manchester Guardian gives the following (dated
St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11), which has been addressed
to " an eminent Foreign house" at Manchester, and
which was received yesterday morning :
" At the beginning of this week a Tartar arrived here
from hiachta, wish the news that the English had taken
the capital of China after havng bombarded it, and de-
stroyed all the forts near the river. The Emperor, the
Son of the Sun, had fled with all his mandarins. The
consequence of this event will be a good treaty, which
will completely change the commercial dealings with that
empire."
This informatioun seems to be express and intelli-
gible enough. It is given, not as a matter of hearsay,
but as one of fact, and, as it agrees substantially with
a variety of statements previously obtained here and at
Liverpool, it may be considered, in the opinion of tlio
Guareliqn, as not without foundation. Kiaehta is geo-
graphically the nearest, and, moreover, the most cue-
venient point from which news might be expected over-
land. It is a frontier town, in which there are sta.
tionwl custom-house officers, Chinese as well as Itus-
s'Lin, to see to the regulation and payment of duties on
tile part of the respective Governments.

HERALD.—The Post-office appears to be getting
into disgrace. An order has been exhibited in the City
from a provincial office which has been refused payment
on the ground of " no orders," that is, as regularly disho-
noured as any bill of exchange ever protested.
in reference to the " London and Westminster
Water Company," noticed sorne time ago under this
head a report has appeared in the City drawn up by
Mr. Robert Stephero,on, the celebrated engineer, which
ppeffs highly se.Csfactnry. As it may probably appear
in another part of the Herald as being a document of
public iihnortance. thri, tu refer to here
more particularly at present.