The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-25 00:00:00

PROSPECTS OF PEACE.

A letter from St. Petersburg, dated the 17th
inst., states as follows :

" I now add some further details to my letter of
yesterday, which was written in great baste, and
under the first impression of the important news
which has astonished this city. The Moderate party
says nothing about it, and its leaders maintain great
reserve. The War party is very violent, and
openly accuses Prince Gortschakoff of treason, and
speaks of Austria with the utmost bitterness—of
Atiria, saved by Russia in 1849. According to these
men, Russia cannot accept a peace which will cost her
a part of her territory, and impose on her the most
humiliating of all conditions, that of razing her for-
tresses along the coast of a sea which is a Russian
lake, and this before th.ey avenged the honour of their
arms by an exploit different from that of Kars
peace, in fine, which will finish, once for all, with the
influence which they have exercised in Germany for more
than a quarter of a century. The eld Russian predicts
a convulsion if the Emperor signs, without being
constrained by force of arms the conditions prepared by
Count Esterbazy. In fact, the conduct of the Czar gives
rise to the strangest versions. Some suppose that the
Cabinet of St. Petersburg has, as before, accepted the
Austrian conditions only with the intention of separat-
ing the particular interests of Germany from the general
interests of Europe as represented by the Western
Powers. Others pretend that no Russian diplomatist
will sign atreaty of peace on these bases, for, according
to them, we are far distant from 1634 and 1711, when,
by the treaty of Weasina Vadislas, the King of Poland
forbade the Czar Michail, the founder of the Romanoff
dynasty, to assume the title of Autocrat of All the Rue.
sias, and when, by the treaty of the Pruth, Aohmet
obliged Peter I. to raze the fortresses of Taganrog,
Camenoi-Zatoum, and Sumara.
" Such are the remarks just now among the chief of
the Russian party, defeated as they are. The capital is
much agitated since yesterday. According to the sys-
tem of compensation which appears to have become for
some time the rule of conduct of our Government,
Prince Alexander Gortschakoff may soon be recalled
from Vienna, as his cousin has been from the Crimea,
"As to the interview between the two younger
brothers of the Czar on the subject of the resolution r
which the Grand Duke Nicholas was commissioned to
make to the Grand Admiral, and which interview took
place this morning only, was of a very violent character.
In spite of what is said to the contrary, the news is offi•
cial and certain, and the Czar has declared formally that
the Austrian propositions were to be the bases of ulte-
rior pacific negotiations, and for the present may be
considered as the true preliminaries of peace.
"It was no doubt to avoid painful explanations with
the Grand Duke Constantine that the Emperor sent him
his brother Nicholas. He has even the precaution to -
let his decision leach Vienna by the telegraph, and also
the official note of the Chancery reach M. Esterbazy,
bef re exposing himself to domestic scenes which could
only annoy and afflict him, but not change his resolu•
tion.

"The Grand Duke Constantine is greatly irritated
against his brother. The Vice-Royalty of Poland, re-
served for the Grand Duke Nicholas, and which, accord-
ing to u-age, should fall to his lot, is no small cause of his
irrit t on. Placed at the head f the eccentric faction ,
of the Russ an party of those who are !named the In-
tractable,
he Grand Admiral thought he should make
himself popular, but bas not succeeded, while his bro-
ther Niehi,las enjoys an indisputable popularity. This
young Prince, loved hitherto for himself, has seen
?he affection of the people increase in consequence
of his marriage with the Princess Alexander-Petrowna,
daughter of Prince Peter of Okdenburg."

PRIVATE AND JOINT-STOCK BANKS.

The Bankers' Magazine furnishes the returns of circu-
lation of the private and joint-stock banks in England
and Wales for the four weeks ending the 22d of Dec.,
1855, and gives the following as the average weekly cit..
culation of those banks during the past month, viz. :
Private banks
Joint-stock banks 8,058,165 .1

Average weekly circulation £6,901,153
On comparing the above with the returns for the pre-
ceding month, ending the 24th of Nov. last, it shows—
A. decrease in the circulation of the private
banks of £138,922
A decrease in the circulation of the joint-stock
banks of 62,338

Decrease on the month
And, as compared with the return for the correspond-
ing period of the preceding year—viz., Dec. 23, 1854, it
shows—
A decrease in the circulation of the private
banks of £6,069
A decrease in the circulation. of the joint-stock
banks of 14,573

Decrease on the year
On comparing the above with the amounts of the fixed
issues, the following appears to be the comparative state
of the circulation :
The private banks are below their fixed issues £750,729
The joint-stock banks are below their fixed
issues

Total below their fixed issues...—. £1,008,707

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day.)

LONDON, Jan. 25.—Wind Ulla day at noon, S.W.;
strong breeze and fine.

PORTSMOUTH, Jan. 24.—Wind W.S.W., blowing a
gale.—Arrived—Wide Awake, from Malta ; Jane and
Isabella, Loudon, for Hong Kong; Irene, London, for
Hobart Town ; Forester, London, for the West Indies ;
Herald of the Morning, London, for Nobile.
A vessel of about 15 tons, not coppered, bottom upwards,
was seen yesterday, 10 miles S. by W. of the Owers.
PLYMOUTH, Jan. 24.—Wind S.W. ; it blew a heavy
gale to-day, but is now more moderate.—Arrived—Louisa,
from St. Domingo, for Hamburg, leaky ; Star of Peace,
London, for Sydney, N.S.W., with loss of maintopmast.
FALMOUTH, Jan. 24.—Wind W. to W.S.W., violent
gale, with squalls. Arrived— Sornorrostro, from Havana,
leaky ' • Rigtri, London, for Sierra Leone ; Eureka, Lon-
don, for New York.

SHOREHAM, Jan. 24.—Arrived--Laura, from Shields, for
Cette, brovgbt in dismasted, having been run into by a
:arge three-masted vessel, on the 23d, nine miles east of
the Isle of 'Wight.
WEYMOUTH, Jan. N.—The Goodwill, of Portsmouth,
came on shore near the Old Castle, and is in a perilous
position ; cargo is being saved.
COWES, Jan. 24.—Wind S.W., a gale.—Arrived—
Earl of Shaftesbury, from London, for Calcutta.
MARGATE, Jan. 24.—The Charles Louis, from London,
for Brest, which got on the French Rock, yesterday, has
come off.

(PER ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
SOUTHAMPTON, Friday Morning.
Arrived—Alliance, (s.), from Havre; Pet, Shields ; Fox,
and Twyfird, Newport; Breozo, Plymouth ; Eleanor,
gey ; Ouesora, Swansea ; City of Limerick, (steamer),
London.

LIVERPOOL, Friday Morning.

Wind W.

Arrived.—Matilda, from Calcutta ; Fleetwood and
Francis, Bahia ; Pathfinder, Maranham ; Dusty Miller,
Alexandria; Lizzy Garrow, Messina; Guelhelmina, Per-
nambuco.

QIIBENSTOWN, Jan. 23.

Wind S.

Arrived—Lone Star and Olive, from Callao; Spray,
Parailla ; George Cathy, Trieste; Ector, Syra ; Brewer,
New York.

BT SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.I
GRAVESEND, Friday, 10.15 a.m.
Wind W.S.W. ; tide, low water.
Arrived, Jan. 25—John May, from Rouen.
DEAL, Friday, 9.47 a.m.

Wind W.S.W.
Passed Dungeness, 24th—North Star, from China, for
London ; Isabella, St. John's, London.
Passed—Driving Mist, brig, from Westward, for
London.

Anchored—John Bonds, from Madras, for London.
The Cybella, from Berbicc, for London, has lost her
anchor and 30 fathoms of chain, and is about being sup.
plied with others.
____

LORD CHANCELLOR'S COURT.—FRIDAY, Jan. 25,1856
--The Lord Chancellor this morning intimated to the
gentlemen of the Bar that he would not sit with the
Lords Justices to-morrow, as he was obliged to rise
early. His lordship
will hear appeals by himself to-
morrow, and with the Lords Justices on Monday.
A MATRIMONIAL CABS.—On Monday week, a young
man named Thomas Mercer, a butcher, in good business
in Chester, was taken into custody at Wrexham, when
about to be sworn in as assistant-overseer of the district
where he resides, on the charge of perjury, he having
sworn before the surrogate that his wife, to whom be was
newly married, was twenty-one years of age. The in-
formation on which this charge was preferred was laid
by tho wife's father, a retired publican, named Davis,
who had been averse to the marriage of his daughter
with Mercer. The latter was not liberated until he had
given bail to the amount of 4001. for his appearance.
The case was heard at Wrexham on Monday, when the
Rev. Mr. Cunlif&, the surrogate, deposed to prescribing
the oaths to the defendant, who distinctly swore that
the young lady, his bride, was twenty-one years of
age. Mr. William Davis, the father of Mrs. Mercer,
said his daughter was nineteen years of age. He did
not know of the marriage until after it had taken
placc>. The Rev. A. J. Bruce, curate, deposed to
marrying the couple in the parish church of Gresford, in
the latt;:r cad of December. For the defence, Mr.
Bretherton strongly urged that no evidence bad been
produced to show that Mr. Mercer bad "knowingly,
wittingly, and falsely" sworn that which was untrue,
or that he was in possession of information to enable him
to form a correct estimate of the young woman's age.
Re then called several witnesses, who all spoke to the
(lefendant's good character. The magistrates said they
were bound to send the case for trial. Mr. Mercer
was then bound over in 2001., and two sureties in 1001.
each, to appear at the next Ruthin assizes. The court
was crowded during the bearing of the case, and the
young bride, who was veiled, was a special object of
attraction. The young husband was regarded as a per-
,ecuted mon, and on leaving the court he was warmly
greeted by a number of friends who symp#hissa with
him.--Manche:lv',Exanti”e;

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