The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-24 00:00:00

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS

(THURSDAY EVENING.)
TIMES.—'An order came down to the Bank this morn-
ing that no powers of attorney shall be acted on in future
on which the stamp duty has not been paid. Heretofore
suebinstruments bave been freely used with no other tax
than a fee of is. 6d. to the clerk by whom they were
made out at the Bank; but it is now discovered that such
exemption ftom stamp duty is contrary to law, and so
rigidly is the new order to be acted on, that it will take
effect upon all the old powers for receiving dividends,
however distant the period at which they were granted.
The parties presenting such powers hereafter will be
required to pay the stamp duty on each, which
amounts, it is said, to 205., so that where the dividend
to be trken is a small one it will operate as 'a heavy
tax. What excites surprise is, that the discovery should
now be made for the first time after so many years of the
existence of an illegal practice in regard to transfers and
dividends of stock, in which so important a public body as
the Bank has been the instrument and the Government the
sufferer by it. Undoubtedly the circurmitance ;hat Govern-
ment securities were held to be subject to no such tax has
been an inducement with many persons to invest in them,
and the-alteration will he felt by many holders as a great
hardship, among foreigners especially, who nave no alter-
native but to effect all their transactions of the kind by
powers of attorney. The sum to be produced by it can
scarcely be compensated by the annoyance and disagree-
able feeling which it will produce universally.
There have been no fluctuations of importance in the
English stock-market. Consols have remained all day at
the closing prices of yesterday—viz., so to for Money,
and 91 to k for the Account. Money has not been greatly ,
in demand, and Exchequer Bills are at 21s. to 3s. prem.
which has now been their price for several days.
In the Foreign House but little has been done. The
last news of the fail of Aliaga still seems to hltve an in-'
fluence in keeping up the price of Spanish securities,
which are firm, although they have not advanced since yes-
terday. The ruling price throughout the day for the
Active Stock 'has been 29k, and the closing quotation is
29} to I.

C H RON IC LE. —The Consul Market is scarcely so
good as yesterday, having closed at 9O to for money, and
91 buyers for the account, having been, however, at one
time sellers at the last mentioned price. The cause of
this slight depression is the reports which we noticed yes-
terday as to the settlement fa the question of the Maine
boundary not being fully cootresi and that several sales
were effected in consequenee.of of'' being afloat on
the Stock Exchange that the Cbasqlkitor of the Exchequer
was about to issue notice for a Iowa; and that it might be
expected to be sent down this week. Exchequer Bills
continue at 21s. to 235. preen.
In the Foreign House the business transacted was prin-
cipally confined to a few operations in Spanish Actives,
which remained firm at the advanced quotation of yesterday.

SUN.—The Funds closed steadily. Consols for
Money at 901 8, And for Time at 91 to ; Excheque r
Bills were 21s. to 235. premium ; and India Bonds ss.
premium. Bank Stock was dull at 175 ; but India
Stock rallied from 2491 to 250.
Business was not animated in the Foreign Securi-
ties, and prices varied to no extent this aftea
rnooghtn.
Spanish Active Bonds were marked 29i, being
improvement ; Portuguese New Five per Cents. 354 ;
Mexican Stock 28i ; Brazilian 76 ; and French Five
per Cents. 112.
There was a brisk demand for Railway Shares at
fully previous rates.

THE LATE MAJOR•GENERAL SIR ALEX-
ANIMIL J. DicKsoN.—The death of this Gallant Officer,
took place on Wednesday., after ac)n Illness of several weeks. The
allant officer, who was in his 6-cl year, entered the artillery as
,Second Lieutenant, the 6th of November, 1794, and during '
the forty-five years he was in the service had gone through all
in
tie intermediate grades, and June, 18.37, was gazetted as a
Major-General. The following record of his services is ex-
tracted from Lieutenant Harts " New Annual Army
List ": " Sir Alexander Dickson was at the capture
of Minorca in 1798; blockade of Malta and surrender of
La Valetta, IXOO ; siege and capture of Monte Video, and
attack on Buenos Ayres, 1807 ; served throughout the
campaigns of the Peninsula, France,and Flanders, in-
cluding, in 1809, the affair at Grigo, capture of Oporto
and expulsion of Marshal Soult from Portugal ;
1810, battle of Basaco and lines of Lisbon ; in 1811, af-
fair at 'Campo° Mayor, siege and capture of Olivenca, first and
second siege of Badajoz, attack and capture of the forts at
Almarez, siege and capture of the forts and battle of Sala-
manca, capture of the Retire, .Madrid, and siege of Bur-
gos ; in 1813, battle of Vittoria, siege and passage of Adour,
and battle of Toulouse; served n the last American war, '
i
in-
cluding the attack on New Orleans, and siege and capture of
Fort. Bowyer, Mobile; pres. nt in the battles of Quatre Bras
and Waterloo: commanding battering train in aid of the Prus-
sian army in the sieges of,Mauberg, Landrecies, Philippeville,
Marienberg, and Rocroy. He was director-general and de-
puty-adjutant-general of the royal artillery, a G.C.B. and
IC. C. H. We learned that the funeral of the deceased
officer is fixed for Tuesday next, when he will be interred
at Plumpstead, rear
oolwich, with military horours.
Lord Bloomfield, colonel-commandant; Sir Hussey Vivian.
master-general of the ordnance ; Colonel Sir A. Wilson, and
a great number of the officers of the royal artillery, intend at-
tending the obsequies.

WOODEN PAI'EMENT.

TO THE EDII OR OF THE SUN.

tt—ilaviug observed an article in your paper
this evening headed" Wooden Pavernett, 'ellw,v
for information, to observe I have had considerable
experience in the formation of foundations, and I
consider that the pavement cai-;L'elt Possibly stand
onliss there is a stratum of concrete formed of
Thames or Slagle, with a proportionate
quantity of Dorking lime, not than six inches
deep, to withstand., the superincumbent weight that
must be expected on the roads of the metropolis
sencrally I ath, Pliff
l'our's, most respeethinvf
HENRY NIXON.
Islington, April 93,,,18.10.