The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-08 00:00:00

BANKING D]

Proprietors' capital.. 14,553,000
Rest ....... ....... 3,469.957
Public deposits (in-
eluding Exchequer,
Commissioners of
National Debt, Sav-
ings-banks, and Di-

vidend accounts) .. 9,990,6'24
Other deposits ...... 7,903.959
Seven day and other

901,139

# 36,818,579

Dated the 7th day of January. t

.COURSE OF EXCI-14
Amsterdam ......C.F. 12 4
Ditto, at sight • • .... 12 1
Rotterdam ...... 2U. 12 4%
iintwerp ...... ........25 85
lianiburgh .... • • M.B. 13 101<
Paris, 3 days' sight .... 2$ 55

Ditto, 3 months...... 25 85
Marseilles • • •• • 25 90
itourdeaux......... • • 25 90
Frankfort on Maine.... 121

Petcrsburgh, 3 Us . .
Berlin • • .. • • .... .. • • • •
!germs, effec. o••• • . • 10 fi
Trieste, ditto .... • .. 10 5
Madrid • ...... 35
Cadi2 • • : .. 36 IA
Barcelona • • • .

LIGHT DUTIES ON SHIPPING.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, JAN. 5.—A public meeting of
shipowners and others interested in the trade of this port
was held this day at noon, for the purpose of petitioning
Parliament to abolish the light duties on shipping. The
Mayor presided.
Mr. Alderman LAxu, president of the Chamber of
Commerce, moved the first resolution, which set forth
the injustice and oppressiveness of the light duties, and
recommended the adoption of the suggestion of the last
Parliamentary Committee on this subject; namely, that
the expense of maintaining the necessary lights be de-
frayed out of the. ordinary revenues of the state. In
conclusion, Alderman Lamb proposed a petition to the
House of Commons, in accordance with these views.
Mr. LOWREY seconded the proposition, and, as a ship-
owner, enumerated various facts to show the unfair ()Fe-
ration of this tax, which, he contended, was in reality
for the protection of the revanue. and ought, therefore,
to be defrayed out of the Consolidated Fund.

Mr. Ilurr, M.P., supported the motion at some
length. He believed that the shipowners had reason and 1
justice on their aide in the present movement, and that
no Government could refuse to listen to their demands
without culpable neglect. lle thought the time was come
when it behoved all to use °rely attainable means for
the relief of the shipping interest. It appeared to him
that the position of the British shipowner was at this
moment one of a very critical character; and he did
think, that whether this country should hereafter retain
that large share of the commercial navigation of the
globe which it had long enjoyed, or whether it should
surrender that pre-eminence to other nations, was a pro-
blem which the wisdom and prudence of the next few
years would probably decide for ever. The British ship-
owner was now engaged in an anxious struggle with his
foreign competitors, and under the many disadvantages
which now existed it really seemed as if the prestige
which we had long possessed was passing from our
hands. Ile was a member of Mr. Lynn's committee,
and it was satisfactorily established before that com-
mittee, that the carrying trade of the globe was no
longer in the exclusive possession of the British ship-
owner, but, on the contrary, that at the various ports
of South America, the Dane, the Swede, and even the
Prussian was often preferred to the British shipowner,
and obtained more readily their charter parties, and
even a higher freight. Not only had the British ship-
owner difficulties to contend with abroad, but at home
he was subjected to difficulties of no ordinary character.
He had difficulties in what he (Mr. Hutt) conceived to
be the unfair competition of rail% aye. Ile called it un
fair, because it did net arise out of natural circum-
stances, but parliamentary enactments. But this was
not all. The principles of free trade had been applied
to the manufacturer, the landowner, and the West In-
dian colonist, and their application to shipping was now
inevitable. What were they to do, then ? He could
not suppose that they would put their hands in their
pockets and sink quietly. On the other hand, he trusted
that they would demand of the Legislature the removal
of every possible obstacle. At the head of those ob-
stacles were the light duties, and he was glad to think
that efforts were at length being made toseinoie those
duties from the shoulders of the shipowner, and to
place them—where they ought to be—upon the state.—
(Applause.)

Sir. (Sr. STRAKER said a few words in support of the
proposition.

Air. W. Ric-.plum) maintained that the removal of
the light duties would benefit the consumer, not the
shipowner; and moved, as an amendment, that the con-
sideration of the subject be deft-rrod for twelve months.
The amendment was not seconded ; and after some
remarks by Mr. W. H. BROCKETT, the original motion
was carried, with only one dissentient.
Thanks were voted to Mr. Hume, M.P., for his pro-
tracted labours in behalf of the British shipowner; and
after making arrangements for the presentation of the
petition, the meeting broke up.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
The terms offered by the Waterford and Limerick to
the land proprietors of Iffy and Offa, Tipperary, for
such part of their ground required on the line, aro twenty-
tfievneanytesaarts'wpiltli.rchase to fee holders, and seven years' to

It is expected that the heavy portions (" heavy'
indeed, whore the contractors have to fight through
fifteen tunnel.) of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, gi
and
Midland, in the neighbourhood of the High Tor tunnels,
will be ready for opening in eighteen months.
The amalgamation system is migrating very far north.
The old Dundee and Arbroath, a six per cent. line, has
thought fit to fuse itself with the Dundee and Perth, one
of the generation of last session.
Rumours are afloat that the proprietors of the East
Lothian Central Railway are in negotiation with Mr.
Hudson for the sale of that line, extending, as it does,
through the valley of the Tyne and the principal lime
and coal districts of the richest agricultural county in
Scotland.
Every train on the Leeds and Bradford to and from
Leeds, says the Railway GazEtts, has now attached t) it
third-class covered carriages, very comfortably fitted up,
and securing their inmates from the wet and cold of this
inclement season. Parties taking third-class day tickets
are excluded from these carriages; so that, by taking a
single ticket, the passenger obtains a place in a carriage
almost equally comfortable and weather-tight as the first
and second-class passenger.
MINISTERIAL G RA NT.—The Minister of Public Works,
by a decision dated the 16th of December, makes an ad-
vance of one million six hundred thousand francs to the
Prefect of Creuse for the purpose of proceeding with the
works of the central line.
Every now and then examples occur showing the dan-
ger of swing gates and level crossing, corroborating the
position of those who contend for their abolition by the
general substitution of light bridges, likely in the long
run to be more economical to the companies and protec-
tive to the public than the machinery at present in use,
which must of necessity have annexed to it a lodge and
a keeper, or salaried superintendent of some sort. As
an illustration, we understand that last week one of the
most miraculous affairs occurred on the Ardrossan line.
The Londonderry steamer, which should have arrived at
Ardrossan on Friday morning, did not arrive till a late
hour in the evening, and the passengers had to be con-
veyed by a special' train to Glasgow. On the signal
given by the engineer, two gates have to be opened at
the crossing of the railway on Raise-street. The
keeper, not expecting it to pass through, went away,
and left the gates closed, when the train came up and
carried away gates and posts. The crash, which re-
sembled thunder, did not discompose the passengers the
least. Happily, no lives were lost, nor any bruises sus-
tained.

THE MENAI BRIDGE EXPERIMENTS.—Tbese experi-
ments on the large scale, of which we formerly gave en
gravings and notices, have been continued till now, and
are quite satisfactory. The only point on which doubt
remained Was as to the ability of the bridge to withstand
the effect of gusts of wind by its lateral strength. Fur