The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-04 00:00:00

COMMERCIAL.

The Share Market since last summary has been
quiet, but prices of most securities hare somewhat '
recovered from the depression noticed in our last re-
port. The calls on the new shares of the Bank
of New South Wales and Australian Joint Stock
Bank caused for some time a great desire on the
part of holders to realise, and some forced sales of
the former were made at the commencement of No-
vember as low as £37 per share, but since then they
are much firmer, and are now held for £4O per
share. Australian Joint Stock Bank shares hare
undoregone but little change in price during the
month, sales of the new shares having been effected
at a variation of 2s. 6d. to ss. per share ; but in the
old shares £l2 10x. per share has been the ruling
rate. Australasian Steam Navigation shares hare
been in some request, and have improved 15s. per
share. Hunter River New Steam Navigation
shares are not so firm, owing to a serious accident
having happened to two of theii boot.. New-
castle Coal and Copper Company's shares are dull
of sale, and have declined 5 per cent. In General
A ssurance and New South Wales Marine Assurance
Company's shares there have been no transactions
of any amount, and prices are quoted the same.
Gaslight shares are a shade firmer. Sydney Insu-
rance shares have been sold at a decline of is. per
share on last month's prices. The capital offering
for investment in our several securities is about the
average ; and prices have on the whole been well
sustained. Government debentures are not quite

so much in request, and sales of terminables due in
1876 have been made at par. Intel minables are
steady, and have changed hands at 98 to 99. 'The
rates of discount charged by the banks continue at
7 per cent. for bills at three months. The rate of
exchange on London is the same as last month, the
buying rate for bills at 60 days' sight being par,
and the selling rate one per cent, premium.
The quantity of gold dust imported into the
Sydney branch of the Royal Mint for the purpose
of coinage from the Ist of January to the 9th of
December has been 318,808 ounces. The amount
of gold coin issued during the same period has been
917,000 sovereigns and 321,000 half-sovereigns.
Total value, £1,082,500.

The Customs revenue collected at the port of
Sydney during the month of November has amounted
to £48,815 7s. The receipts during the correspond-
ing month of 1858 were £46,319 17s. 6d. There is
therefore an increase of £2,495 Os. 6d.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
(From the Adelaide Register of December 20.)

Rather more than a month has elapsed since the
publication of our last summary, which was issued
on the 19th November, and transmitted by the
Benares, which called at Kangaroo Island on the
following day. Our present summary is to be
forwarded to-day by the branch steamer, to be
put on board the Malta, due at Kangaroo Island
to-morrow. We have again to complain of delay
in the arrival of the English mail, the Columbian,
with the October mails from Suez, not having ar-
rived at Nepean Bay until the 10th instant, or six
days after her time.

Another subject of complaint is the habit of the
General Post Office to mis-sort Adelaide letters
posted for transmission Ilia Marseilles. It has
again and again happened that Adelaide letters
thus addresse have been sent on in the Sydney and
Melbourne bags ; and the same thing occurred
again with the September mail brought by the
Malta. In that case 157 letters clearly addressed
to Adelaide were sent to Melbourne and 13 to
Sydney. As as a sample of the inconvenience re-
sulting from this error we may mention that our
London correspondent's letter, written at the last
moment for the sake of conveying the latest intelli-
gence, was among the number, and was thus ren-
dered completely useless.
The postal question has formed a prominent topic
of discussion during the month. In our last sum-
mary we stated that despatches had been received
from the Home Government enjoining us to connect
Nepean Bay with Adelaide by 'telegraph, and to
snot a lighthouse on Point Marsden. This piece
of information transpired unofficially; but although
the Government were called upon to place the
public in possession of the despatches, their reti-
cence was impenetrable. Since then, however, we
have obtained the principal portion of the de-
spatches, and have also learned that the Ministry
have obeyed the injunction of the Lords of the
Treasury, and sent home prompt orders for the
submarine cable required, and the lantern for the
lighthouse.
The barque Early Dawn, from Leith, has arrived
at Port Adelaide. She sailed on the 18th August,
and some anxiety has been felt about her.