The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-30 00:00:00

IRISH AND SCOTCEI BANKS.

Total above the fixed issue £2,002,339
The amounts of gold any silver held at the head offices
of the several banks during the past month have been as
follows :
Gold and silver held by the Irish banks #.2,295,901
Gold and silver held by the Scotch banks 1,944,019

---
Total of gold and silver hold £4,239,990
The above statements complete the returns of the cir-
culation in England, Scotland, and Ireland for the month
ending the 22d of Dec.
These returns, combined with the average circulation
of the Bank of England for the same period, will give
the following results of the circulation of notes in the
United Kingdom, when compared with the previous
month :

_ _ •
Nov. 24, Dec. 22' Increase. Decrease.
--7 1853. 1855.
Bank £ £ £ £
Bank of England .. • • 19,533,269 1a,679,169 904,100
rivate Banks
Joint-stock Banks • • 3,120,533 3,058.163 62,322
33
Total in England •• • . 26,635,632 A 13,580,322 1,105,360
Scotland 4,547,997 4,490,163 141,234
Ireland
....__.__, United Kingdom ...•1 ' 38,19 M 051 1137,024,36 .._HI — 11,173,6J3
-

fShowing a decrease of 1,105,360/. in the circu-
lation of notes in England, and a decrease of
1,173,690/. in the circulation of the United Kingdom,
when compared with the month ending the 24th cf
Nov. ; and, as compared with the month ending the
231 of Dec., 1854, the above returns show a decrease
of 638,1941. in the circulation of notes in England, and
a decrease of 232,896/. in the circulation of the United
Kingdom.
The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of Eng-
land in both departments during the month ending the
22d of Dee. was 11,148,6921., being a decrease of
85,616/. as comnared with the previous month ; and
a decrease of 2,861,670/. when compared with thia same
period last year.
The stock of specie held by the Scotch and Irish banks
during the month ending the 221 of Dec. was
4,239,9901., being an incrarise of 24,286/. as compared
with the previous return, and an increase of 378,399/.
when compared with the corresponding period last year. I

ANOTHER PROJECTED RAILWAY TUN-
NEL BET WEEN ENGLAND AND
FRANCE.

(From the Alining Journal.)
The construction of a tunnel for a railway beneath
the bed of the Straits of Dover, with a view to unite the
shores of England with those of France, and then with
the entire European and Asiatic continents, is occupy.
ing much public attention, from the several projected
plans which have recently been promulgated. Mr.
William Austin, many years in Messrs, Pete, Betts, and
Brassey's establishment, hail, since 1853, matured a
plan which has been highly appeoved of by first-rate
engineering talent. The plea proposed by him hag for
its object the accomplishment of a really permanent rail-
way and enduring strueeere extending from shore to
shore, a distance of ce2 miles, and connected at each
end with the alleady constructed and future lines of
railroad. It is intended to have a triple way of
three are'ees, oval in form, and securely locked to-
gether by inseparable and indestructible masonry, eon-
s:srueted of approved imperishable material, impervious to
moisture ; and for such unavoidable leakage or collec-
tion of water as will occasionally occur, three efficient
culverts will be provided to carry it to each shore, from
whence powerful lift-pumps would convoy it into the
sea. The fall is to be from the centre towards each
shore, and it is calculated that the crown of the tunnel
will have a thickness of chalk of 60 ft. between it are(
the ocean bed, at the deepest point, which does not ex-
ceed 149 ft. below the tidal level, as proved by sound-
ings. There will be three double lines of railway (three
each way), which will be ample for ordinary good
traffic and express train,. Ample space is afforded
for all necessary pathways, and the telegraphic wires
will be laid in the centre, on a new principle of eco-
nomy and ready access. The tunnel, by its length, will
thoroughly ventilate itself; but should it prove neces-
sary, three or four, or even more, aireehafte can be
readily constructed, the upper portions forming light-
houses, or refuge he case of shipwreck, and for sig-
nalling ships in the Channel. The cost is estimated
at 6,000,000/., and the time for construction seven
years. The whole of these works are proposed to be
carried out in connection with fir. William Hutchison's
patent, which we have so often noticed in our columns,
for converting into an indestructible building-material
river or sea sand, shingle, chalk, and other soft and com-
paratively worthless substances. As it is to be geolo-
gically assumed that the stratum to be cut through is
chalk, Mr. Austin proposes touonatruct his three road-
way-arches of large blocks of masonry, bound together
in a peculiar Manner (illustrated by a diagram in their
description in the Mining Jouritctl of Dec. 1), such
blocks to be formed from the excavated material, carried
to the indurating works (to be constructed at each end),
and re-conveseed to the portion under completion, ready
to be pieted in site. As these blocks would occupy the
space of 40 or 50 bricks, be rapidly formed in the nit
state of the material to the shape required, and quickly
indurated to a degree which the chisel will scarcely touch,
it in expected the work would proceed with a rapidity
hitherto unknown in the history of tunnelling, and that
the time named by Mr. Austin will be ample for its
completion,

~' PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold At Paris is
about 5 per mills premium (according to the last tariff),
which, at the Enqlish Mint price of 3/. 17s. 104 d. per
ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 26.29 ;
' and, the exchange at Paris on London at short being
25.821, it follows that gold is about 0.12 per cent, dearer
in London than in Paris. By advices from Hamburg
the price of gold is 425 per mark, which, at the English
Mint price of 3/. 17s 104 d. per ounce for standard gold,
gives an exchange of 13.41 ; and, the exchange at Ham-
burg on London at short being 13.6/, it follows that gold
is 0.87 per cent, dearer in London than in Hamburg.
i The course of exchange at New York on London for
bills at 60 days' sight is 108} per cent., and, the
par of exchange between England and America being
109 23-40 per cent,, it follows that the exchange is nomi-
nally 1.08 per cent, against England ; but, after making
allowance for charges of transport and difference oi in-
terest, the present rate leaves no profit on the trat.gpi-
gm 0 gold either way Debwout to two coutitii. -
. . ,

The returns of circulation of the Irish and Scotch
banks for the four weeks ending the 22d of Dec., 1855,
when added together, give the following as the average
weekly circulation of these banks during the past month,
viz..—

Average circulation of the Irish banks . £7,043,279
Average circulation of the Scotch banks 4,40),7b3

Average circulation during past month —211,414,012
On comparing the above with the fixed issues of the
several banks, as given in the Banking Almanac, the
following appears to be the state of the circulation :
The Irish banks are above their fixed issue £688,785
The Scotch banks are above their fixed issue 1,113,554