The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-30 00:00:00

The meeting in the Bank parlour to-day has
closed without any alteration being made in the
rate of discount. There is a strong demand for
money on the Stock Exchange, and in the event of
its continuing the rate of the discount houses will
doubtless be increased. Consols have recovered the
slight depre..sion of yesterday, and in Foreign
securities the prices are better. in Americans there
is a fall in Erie's, but in other stocks prices are
nearly the same as yesterday. Ir. Telegraph shares
there has been an active busines; in Construction
and Maintenance, and in Itailw-Ays the demand is
steady and the prices firm.

Consols are now at 92 to 92k for money ;
ditto, for Account, ; Three per Cent. Re-
duced, 92 1k; New Three per Cents, 911 2 ;
Exchequer Bills £l,OOO, March, 2 dis. ; June,
par to 5 prem. ; ditto £lOO, £2OO, a ud £5OO, March,
prem. ; June, prem. ; Bank ce England Stock,
41 per Cent., 237. _

India Stock, 101 per Cent., Apvil, 1874, shut ;
ditto 5 per Cent., July, 1880, 11.11; ditto 4 per
Cent., Oct., 1888, 1001 e ; ditto :.F.infaced Paper,
4 per Cent., 911; ditto 5 per Cent., 1051.
The tendency of the Foreign Market is favourable,
but beyond slightly stronger prices thez•eisnofeature.
Argentine Bonds are quoted at 881 to B 9; Brazilian,
871 to 881 ; Egyptian (1868), 801 to 801; Viceroy's
Seven per Cents., 831 to 831; Italiar, , 561 to 56/ ;
Mexican, 131 to 131 ; Peruvian, 8511 to 831, ex
drawing ; Portuguese, 334 to 34 ; and Turkish
Five per Cents., 45/ to 451.
In English Railways, shares are rather firmer
than at the close yesterday, although business is
comparatively quiet. Great Northern is 1 higher,
at 109 to 110 ; Great Western 1, at 57 to 571; and
an improvement of * is marked in Caledonian, at
76 to to 761; London and North Western, at 1231
to 1231 ; and Midland, at 1231 to 1231 ; but
North Eastern (Berwick) and South Eastern are
each 1 lower, being quoted at 1241 to 1251 and 78
to 781 respectively ; London and Brighton is also
lower, at 47 to 471; and London, Chatham, and
Dover, at 15 to 151 ; Great Eastern, 3b to 381;
and Lancashire and Yorkshire, 1271 to 1271
American Five-Twenty Bonds are 86 to 861,
being an improvement of 1 ; Erie Shaves are 1
lower, at 17 to 18 ; and Illinois are f better, at
99/ to 100.

In Bank Shares there is an improvement of k in
Imperial Ottoman, the price being 21 to 21 prem.
The following are some of the principal quota-
tions:--Agra (A), 104 to 11 f ; Alliance, 121 to
131 ; Anglo-Austrian, 11 to 13 prem.; Chartered
Mercantile, 32 to 33 ; Consolidated, 4 1-16 to
4 3-18 ; Imperial, 164 to 161 ; London and County,
48 to 49 ; London and Westminster, 58k to 591 ;
Oriental, 41 to 42 ; London Joint Stock, 311 to
321 ; and Union of London, 37 to 38.
Telegraph Construction and Maintenance opened
without change, but have since advanced 10 the
present price being 36 to 36-1. French Cable is
also I better, at 14 to 161 ; and Anglo-American
at 191 to 191.

No bullion was sent into or withdrawn from the
Bank yesterday, nor have there been any opera-
tions there since the date of the last return.
The Benin, from the West Coast of Africa, bas
brought £1,916 in specie.

The failure is announced of Mr. Henry H. Severs,
general merchant. His liabilities are roughly
estimated at about £250,000, principally on bills
which have been drawn against consignments to
China, consisting of cotton and woollen goods.
Mr. Severs has been in business in London about
two years.
The London and North-Western Railway traffic
return shows this week an increase of £5,406 over
last year ; the Midland au increase of £4,837 ; the
London and South Western an increase of £583 ;
the Great Western an increase of £5,428 ; the
Great Northern an increase of £1,789 ; and the
Great Eastern a decrease of £1,822.

The halt-yearly meeting of the Victoria Station
and Pimlico Railway Company is called for the
14th January.
An extraordinary meeting of the Millwall Free-
hold Land and Docks Comi any will be held ou the
12th of January, to authorise the disposing of the
5 per cent. preferential shams created by the com-
pany, and remaining unissued.
It is understood that a British Guiana Six per
Cent. Loan for £lO,OOO, offered by Mr. Charles
Cave, banker, has been taken at a premium of 2i
per cent. There are six bonds of £l,OOO each, and
eight of £5OO each, having five years to run from
the Ist of January next.

The following relates to the Suez Canal :
" 21, Regent-street, Dec. 29.
" Sir,—l have received the following telegram
from M. de Lesseps

" ' Ismailia, Dec. 27.

" ' 'The steamer Stirling, from Glasgow, left for
Bombay immediately after her arrival at port Said.
She passed through the Canal in 12 hours. Other
English steamers were followiug.
" LESSEPS.'

"I am further informed that since my return
from Egypt great efforts have been made to remove
the inequalities in the depth of the Canal. Between
Port Said and Ismailia this work has been success-
fully completed, then between Ismaili and Suez the
piece of rock had been reduced 70 centimetres in a
fortnight ; in other words, that part of the Canal is
70 centimetres deeper than it was at the time of
the inauguration, and the entire removal was con-
fidently looked forward to towards the end of Jan-
uary next.

"I have had many inquiries from shipowners and
merchants with regard to a rumour afloat that the
Canal is likely to be closed for the purpose of blast-
ing this rock, and hasten to inform your readers
that there is no foundation whatever for such a
rumour.

" I have the honour to be, sir, your very obedient
servant,

" DANIEL A. LANGE, Director and Representa-
tive of the Suez Canal Company."

By the Patagonia, which left Rio de Janeiro on
the 2d inst., with dates of the 26th of November
from the River Plate, it appears despatches from
Paraguay bad been received by the Brazilian G -
vernment, dated Assumption, the 20th of Novem-
ber. His Highness Count d'Eu was upon the point
of marching on Curuguaty. General Camara, by
reaching Conceicao, had succeeded in interrupting
all communication between General Lopez and the
north, from which point he bad been receiving his
supplies of cattle, and which, moreover, was the
only remaining route whence they could be drawn.
Major Martins had surprised an officer of General
Lopez, Colonel Canete, who had abandoned in his
flight not only his arms and ammunition, but his
correspondence with General Lopez subsequently to
the retreat from Curuguaty, and which, it is said,
affords ample proof of the state of demoralisation
into which Lopez and his followers have fallen,
_as
also of their want of food.

BRITISH IUNDS—TWO O'CLOCK.
GOVERNMENT UNDE.
3 per Cent. Consols - 92 N.(l.
Ditto for Account, Jan. 6
3 per Cent. Reduced 92
New 3 per Cent
Now 2i per Cent. Jan. 1894
Do. 5 per Cen J 5n.1873
Annuities, SO yrs, expire bth Jan., 188 t!
Do. for 30 yrs, expire sth April 1885 —
Do (Red Sea Telegraph), Aug., 1908 —
Exchoqu.pr Bills, £l,OOO, 2i p. Ct. March
Da. 3 do. June
D 1 £lOO, £2004,5z ££soo — . pin
Bank of England Stock, 4} per Cent
D(A. opening
Canada 4 per Cent. Bonds
nter-Colonial Otnnium
LNDIAN GOVERNMENT tiECUltalEb
tock, 10i per Cent., April 1874... Shut
Dc. Opening, for Account
DJ. a per Cent. July, 1880
Do 1 per Cent. Oct. 1888
140. Enlaced Pape' 4 per Cent..
Do. 5 per Cert., Jau. 1872 ~...
Do. 5i per Cent. May 1879 --
DJ 5 per Cent., Rup. Deis. 1872 —
Do do le.-
Do. do. 1882
Du. Deb., 5 per Cent., Aug. 1873
Do. Bon; 4 per Cent., £l,OOO
Do. under £l.OOO