The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-10 00:00:00

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

The New York stock market, on the 29th ult., exhibited
for a time some slight weakness, but it subsequently im-
proved, and prices generally closed firm. The following
are the latest quotations :—New York Central shares, 711;
Erie shares, 10; Illinois Central shares, 61; Panama shares,
1349 ; United States Fives, 1009 ; Michigan Central
Shares, 41a.
In the discount market and in foreign exchanges there
is not the slightest alteration to note. The supply of money
continued easy.
Cotton was in moderate request at former rates. Sales of
the day, 1,000 bales; coffee, steady; flour, freely offered at
prices favouring buyers ; wheat, irregular ; corn in fair re-
quest, and good qualities tending upwards ; iron, quiet;
spirits of turpentine quiet, at 46c. to 46/c. 2c. ; pork, in
good request ; lard heavy ; beef, in good demand ; sugars,
firm; freights, steady; cotton taken for Liverpool, 7. 32d. ;
tobacco for London, 3s.

NEW ORLEANS, March 27.—Cotton quiet; sales to-day,
15,000 bales. The Bohemian's news gave greater firmness.
Middling, 101 c. to 10Ic.
MOBILE, March 27.—Cotton sales to-day, 8,000 bales,
with an improved demand at 10c. to 101 e. for middling.
Sales of threo days, 14,500 bales ; receipts, three days,
5,000 bales. Freights of cotton to Liverpool, 17-32 d. ; to
Havre, 1 1-16 c. Sterling exchange, 81 to 8f per cent
premium.

CHARLESTOWN, March 27.—Cotton sales to-day 1,500
bales; prices easier; but quotations unchanged.
StVANNAH, March 27.—Cotton sales to-day 500 bales;
market quiet.

LIFEBOAT SERVICES.—LYTHAM, Monday Night.
—This afternoon, during a heavy storm and a terrific sea,
the brigantine Nancy, of Teignmouth, Devon, was observed
on shore near the Horse Bank, some miles distant from this
place. The lifeboat of the Royal National Lifeboat Insti-
tution was immediately manned and launched and proceeded
off to her assistance. She was soon reached, and found to
be rapidly breaking up, and her crow, of nine men, were
only too glad to jump into the lifeboat, as they must with-3r-
wise have perished. There is no time left, before the night
post starts, to furnish any additional particulars ; but, I
may add, that this valuable lifeboat was instrumental last
year in rescuing 18 persons from a watery grave from three
wrecks. It is also satisfactory to be able to report that our
lifeboat station is in a thoroughly efficient state; and that
the promptitude with which our gallant boatmen man the
boat often excite our admiration. No matter how dark the
night may be, or how heavy the storm blows, these brave
men instantly turn out of their warm beds, leave their wives
and children, and proceed on their errands of mercy with
unfaltering courage in the lifeboat which possesses their
entire confidence.

The Avenir Comnzercial demands that the treaty
of commerce with England be modified with respect to the
mode in which the duty on French wines imported into
England is computed. The treaty says that French wines
containing not more than 18 degrees of alcohol shall pay a
duly equival.nt to 63f. 30c. for a cask containing 228 litres,
and all wines containing more than 18 degrees alcohol shall
pay for tke same measure 94f. 95c. The consequence of this
arrangement, according to the Avenir Commercial, will be,
that Bordeaux'wines will pay half less duty in England than
Burgundy wines, and that Burgundy will be sacriticec.
Again, the strong, coarse wines of the Herault, which are
shipped in such large quantities from Cette, will pay in
England 50 per cent. more duty than the most expensive
Bordeaux wines. The Prefect of the H4rault, and the 11
chamber of Commerce of Montpellier, supported by the
Wine Commissie aers, have, it is said, opened the eyes of the
Emperor to this anomaly, and demonstrated to the contract-
ing Powers the impossibility of equitably taxing wines on
their arrival in England wording to the quantity of alco-
hol they contain. •