The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-12 00:00:00

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

A correspondent of the Atheneum communicates some
interesting statistics of the press of Italy. " A Turin
paper," he says, "entitled Il Mondo Illustrato, enume-
rates the journals published in each state of Italy in the
years 1836 and 1845, together with the population ;
thus showing the advance which this branch of litera-
ture has made within the last nine years, and the pro-
portion of the population for each journal. The table
is as follows : Population
1836. 1845. to each
Journal.
Province of Lombardy
Province of Venice 9 15 138,000
Sardinia
Duchy of Modena, Modena, Lucca 11 13 74,000
Grand Duohy of Tuscany • 14 16 80,000
The Pope's Dominions
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies 52 61 122,000

171 205 702,000
Taking this table as being some indication of the degree
of mental progress in Italy, it will appear that the Pope's
states have made a greater advance than any other por-
tion of the peninsula, whilst the Venetian states have
made a retrograde movement—the first part of this state-
ment being, perhaps, almost contrary to expectation.
But then we must not forget that the Pope's states em-
brace Bologna—almost the most enlightened and inde-
pendent spirited portion of Italy. The Lombard pro-
vinces, though they have made but a slight progress
within the last nine years, are supplied with Journals
better, it seems, in relation to the population, than any
other portion of Italy; and, indeed, any one coming from
the south, and remaining some little time at Milan, will
perceive that he is amongst a people wider awake, and
more under the invigorating influences of northern civili-
sation. The worst supplied are the Sardinian states—
then the Venetian—then the Neapolitan. Now, the first
and last of these are completely under the dominion of
the Jesuits ; and so severe is the censure of the press,
especially in the kindom of the Two Sicilies, that it is
difficult to get anything sanctioned for printing or publi-
cation. What wonder is it, then, that a literary famine
should be the consequence ? Besides those above men-
tioned, seventeen journals in the Italian language were
published in 1836 in Lugano, Magliaso, Paris, Roveredo,
Trieste, and Zara ; whilst, in 1845, others were pub-
lished in Malta-Fiume, Constantinople, Corfu, and Mon-
tevideo. Having thus disposed of Italy, the writer in II
Mendo Illu.sti ato proceeds to give a statement of similar
particulars with respect to the other states of Europe,
and thus silently institutes a comparison between them
and the Peninsula. Thus, adopting the same arrange-
ment as in the other table, he gives the number of jour-
nals in the first column, and the relative population for
each journal in the second.

- • Journals. Population
Austria, including the Lombardo-
Venetian kingdom
German Confederation, Austrian
and Prussian Depencies included 1,836 18,000
France
Belgium
Great Britain
Russia

159 198,000

Numerically considered, then, France, Belgium, and
the German provinces are better supplied than Great
Britain with periodicals, whilst Russia and the Austrian
provinces are the worst supplied. This is, however, no
proof that the periodical literature is less diffused in this
country than in the others, with which it is compared
above. Some of the foreign journals have but a very
limited circulation; for instance, a particular journal at
Bolagna has only 500 subscribers—and it is cited
as a proof of the encouragement of periodical literature.
Yet a political journal in London has its 20,000 pur-
chasers and upwards, and readers it is impossible to say
how many.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
LIVERPOOL, JANUARY 11.
STOCK EZCHANGE.-The business done in railway stock
here to-day has been limited ; the market was dull, and
prices generally lower. The sales are-Birkenhead, Lanca-
shire, and Cheshire, 1/. 3s. 9d. p. ex int.-Birmingham and
Dudley, 63A p.- Birmingham and Oxford, 11 p.-Boston,
Stamford, and Birmingham, 214 p.-Buckinghamshire, %p.
-Caledonian, p.-Ditto, Clydesdale Junction, 15 p.-
Edinburgh and Northern, New 251. Shares, 2 p.-Glasgow
and Dumfries, 11. 18s. 9d. p.-Great Northern (Nos. 1 to
108,000), 13s. 9d. p. ex int.-Ditto (No. 108,001 and up-
wards), % p. ex int.-Huddersfield and Manchester, 414 p.-
Ditto Extension, 1% p.-Leeds and Dewsbury, Halves, 53/4
p.-Leeds and Thirsk, 11% dis. ex int.-Ditto, New, 14 p.
ex int.-Ditto, Preference, 1/. Bs. 9d. p.-Leicester and
Bedford, % dis.-London and North-Western, 198%-Ditto,
Quarters, (G. J.), 22 p.-Ditto, New Quarters, 1314 p.-
London and York, 1 p. -Ditto, Direct Northern, % p. -
Manchester and Leeds Extension, 1% p.-Manchester, Bol-
ton, and Bury Extension, 11. lls. 3d. p.-Manchester and
Southampton, Is. 3d. p.-Ditto, One. eighth Shares, % dis.-
Ditto (late Sheffield and Lincoln), 16s. 3d. dis.-Midland
Stock, 401. Shares, 814 p.-Ditto, New, 43% p.-North Staf-
fordshire, 4 p.-Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster, 3/4 p. -
Shrewsbury and Hereford, 14 dis.-Shrewsbury and Chester
(late N.W.M.), 5 p.-Ditto, New, 21% p.-Shrewsbury and
Chester, New, Is. 3d. p.-Shrewsbury and Birmingham,
(B), % p.-South-Eastern, No. 4, Thirds, Ils. Bd. p.-
South Staffordshire Junction, 11. 6s. 3d. p.-West Riding
Union, 214 p.-York and North Midland, Preference, 11 p.
-Northern of France (Constituted), 514 p.
MA.NCH.ESTER, JANUARY 11.
STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-Ambergate, Not-
tingham, and Boston, % p.-Birkenhead, Lancashire, and
Cheshire Junction, 114 p.-Birmingham and Oxford Junc-
tion, 114 p.-Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour
Valley, 3% p.-Blackburn, Clitheroe, &c., dis.-Black-
burn, Darwen, and Bolton, 14 p.-Buckinghamshire, 9.16 p.
-East Lancashire, 3% p.-East Lincolnshire, 2 3-16 p.-
Edinburgh and Glasgow, Quarters, 19-Fleetwood, Preston,
and West Riding, 11/8 p.-Huddersfield and Manchester Rail-
way and Canal, 32-Ditto, Thirds, 1% c. p.-Leeds and
Thirsk, Preferentials, p.-Leeds, Dewsbury, and Man..
cheater, New Branch, Scrip, (blue), 3 p.-Manchester and
Leeds, Halves (H. and S.), 6 p.-Ditto, Extension, p.-
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincelnshire, Eighths, c.
Ditto, Sheffield and Lincolnshire, 1% dis.-Manchester and
Southampton, 1% dis.-North British, Extension, 15.16 p.-
North Staffordshire, 3% c. p.-North Union (A), 224-
North-Western, 11-16 p.-Oldham Alliance, 3/4 p.-Shrews-
bury and Birmingham (A), 2 p.-Shrewsbury and Hereford,
dis.-Shropshire Union, 14 dis.-South-Eastern and
Dover, No. 4, 9-16 c. p.-West Riding Union, 21A p.-.
Whitehaven and Furness. 23/4 dis.
LEEDS, JANUARY 11.
STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-Ambergate, Notting-
ham, and Boston, ss. 6d. p.-East Lancashire, 33/4 n. p.-
Ditto, New Shares, 3% n. p.-Ditto, New Scrip, 345. p.-
East and West Yorkshire, 3s. 6d. dis.-Great Northern (late
London and York), Ils. p.-Great Grimsby and Sheffield
Extensions, 20s. n. dis.-Huddersfield and Manchester, 4%
c. p.-Leeds and Dewsbury, Extensions Scrip (green), 235.
6d. p.-Leeds and Thirsk, 20s. dis.-Ditto, Preference, 295. p.
-Melton and Driffield Junction, 295. p.-Midland, Pre.
ference, 43/4 p.-North British, Quarters (late Carlisle
Branch), 445. p.-Ditto, Extension (scrip), 18s. p.-North-
Western, 14s. n. p.-Sheffield, Rotherham, and Goole, 12s. p.
-Wharfdale Junction, 6s. dis.--York and Newcastle, Pre-
ference, 5% p.-York and North Midland, Preference, 11/.
ls. 3d.-Ditto, East and West Riding, 1314 p.-Leeds,
Wakefield, and Midland, ss. dis.-Leicester and Bedford,
2s. dis.-West Riding Union, 41.65. 6d.
HULL, JANUARY 11.
STOCK EXCHANGE.-But a limited amount of business con-
tinues to be done, and prices are scarcely so well supported
to-day as on Saturday. The sales are-Blackburn, Clitheroe,
&c., dis.-Eastern Counties, York Extension, 325. 6d. p.-
North British, Quarters, 705.-West Riding Union, 414-
York and Newcastle, Preference, 51. Ils. 3d. p.
EDINBURGH, JANUARY 9.
STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-Aberdeen, 251/2-Ayr
and Galloway, 475.-Caledonian, New, 565.-Direct North-
ern, 595.-Dundee and Perth, 281.-Dittn, New, 141-East
of Fife, 525. -East Lothian Central, 535.-Edinburgh and
Bathgate, 605.-Edinburgh and Glasgow, Halves, 22 -
Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton, 21 lA-Edinburgh and North-
ern, 15% ex new-Ditto, New, 985.-Ditto, Newport, 61. 88.
:x new-Edinburgh and Perth, 565.-Glasgow, Kilmarnock,
and Ardrossan, 51.-Great Northern (late Direct Northern),
855.-North British, 36-Ditto, Thirds, 785.-Ditto, Quar-
ters, 715.-Ditto, New. Quarters (scrip), 325. 6d.-Scottish
Central, 221.-Scottish Grand Junction, 255.-Stirling and
Dunfermline, 755. 6d.-Strathern Junction, 82s. 6d.-Direct
Bombay and Madras, 45.-East Indian, 11s. 6d.

SCIENCE v. HYMEN.—The Lancaster and Carlisle
Railway is now opened throughout, and as it constitutes
the route to the far-famed Gretna, if the electric tele-
graph should be adopted by the directors on that line,
elopements would become almost impracticable. What
au enemy science is to,romance and love ! And what a
shame that young ladies who are kind enough to go a
hundred miles out of their way to make a man happy,
should, like mere nice, be thus snared and caught by
wires ! To establish the telegraph in the south may be
all well enough, but to carry it to Carlisle—the last
stage to Gretna—the very vestibule to bliss— is an
encroachment which ought never to be permitted. It
would be directing the galvanic battery of science against
the rarest temple Hymen has—it would destroy the little
romance of life which still lingers in a manufacturing
age, and would take away all the piquancy of love's
adventure.
COLLISION ON THE MANCHESTER AND LEEDS
RAILWAY,—The train which left Manchester on "files-
day night last, at twenty minutes to six, ran into a lug-
gage train about two hundred yards from the Rochdale
station, smashing one and damaging several other of the
carriages. Several of the passengers were injured, and
all of them much shaken, but none seriously hurt. The
guard suffered the most injury. Mr. John Bright was
one of the passengers in this train, which runs no fur-
ther than Rochdale. It is supposed that the luggage
train was too heavily laden to move ou,—Leeds Mercury.