The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-03 00:00:00

FRANCE.

BOURSE, August 2, Two o'clock.—The monthly
settlement for railways, foreign stock, and miscel-
laneous shares is taking place. Conditions for con-
tinuation remain easy. After a deport of 7c., Ita-
lian Fives are now at par, as also Credit Mobilier
after a deport of 45c. The report on Comptoir
d'Escompte shares has varied from lf. 75c. to 2f.
25c., on Orleans from 75c. to 25c., and of if. on
Northern shares. The market is weaker with lower
quotations. Threes have fallen to 69f., a loss of
171 c. ; Italian Fives have declined 32ic., at 49f.
10c.; Credit Mobilier 6f. 25c., at 332 f. 50e. ; Spa-
nish Mobilier, 5f., at 217 f. 50c. ; Credit Foncier
and Comptoir d'Escompte also 5f., at 1,365 f. and
732 f. 50c. A slight decline is likewise quoted on
railway shares. lbe tours de compensation have been
fixed as follows :—ltalian Fives, 49f. 20c. ; Turkish
Fives, 30f. 50c. ; Mexican Sixes, 12f. ; Orleans,
880 f. ; Lyons, 880 f. ; Northern, 1,145 f. ; Eastern
535 f. ; Western, 565 f. ; Southern, 550 f. ; Austrian,
445 f. ; Lombard, 370 f. ; Saragossa, 90f. ; Paris
Gas, 1,550 f. ; Immobiliere, 160 f.; and Suez Canal,
280 f.

Three o'clock.--The market closed as follows :
per Cents —
Do. end month —

Bank Shares —
Italian Loan
Do. end month 4B 90
Mexican Loan —

3 por Cents. —
Do. end month 69
Credit Mobilier
Do. end month

Do. Bonds
Spanish Throes
Homo Debt
Deferred
'&178.

Credit Fonder —
Do. and month 1365

RAIL'

Orleans

For Account.
878 75

Northorn ll4O --
Lyons and Mediterranean B7B 75
Southern —
Western —
Eastern
Sardinian —
Austrian
Lombard 367 50
North of Spain —
Boman.. —

TIIE BRITISH ./IRCIL/ROLOGICAL ASSO

CI A.TION.

LUDLOW, Friday,

The proceedings of last night's meeting for dis-
cussion and the reading of papers were the most in-
teresting of the week. The promised paper on

4g Comus" drew together a large attendance at the

Assembly Rooms, and there was an interesting com-
munication respecting some recent archaeological
discoveries in the neighbourhood. Mr. Thomas
Wright, F.S.A., presided.
Mr. GOI:DJN HILLS read a communication, which
he had just received from Mr. Jackman, of Leint-
wardine, respecting an important discovery in an
arcbasological point of view that had been made in
some fields at Broadwood llall, Creighton, near
Leintwardine. _ There had been some draining and

ell-sinking going on there, and the workmen in
sinking one of these wells had come upon a mass of

spear heads, some being very perfect, and others
oxydised and welded together by the effects of wet.
Soule of these masses weighed as much as one cwt.

A jar was also found, but unfortunately was broken;
some of the fragments, however, were saved. These
remains were found at a depth of 7ft. from the sur-
face. There were aft. or 4ft. of soil, and the rest

was clay, except some gravel on which the spear
heads were lying. The writer said it appeared to
him that the place was originally a morass, and
that animals had been entrapped in it, for a great
number of bones of animals were found, and among
them quantities of teeth, apparently of large ani-
mals, probably some of them horses' teeth.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Wright) said no doubt this
was a discovery of considerable interest. The re-

mains were of the nature of many others found in
other parts of the kingdom. It was a fact of consi-
derable importance that they had found a piece of
pottery, and they would be able on examination to
ascertain the date of its manufacture.

The Rev. W. PEIITON gave a highly interesting
description of an ancient and originally Saxon
church at Stottesdou, near Cleobury Mortimer,
which was illustrated by admirable drawings. The
font was the finest specimen extant of a Norman
font, with bold carvings upon it. Some coats of
arms in the windows were referred to in one of the
Ilarleian MS. In 1840 the church was restored,
when the beautiful rood screen was pulled down,
and most of it used for firewood, and a three story
pagoda was built for the parson and clerk, but a
few fragments of the original rood screen had been
rescued, from which he hoped to be able to restore
the whole.
Mr. DILLON CROKER read a paper on Milton's
" Masque of Comus," which was performed in
Ludlow Castle in 1831. After reviewing the origin
of this form of entertainment, of which " Comus"
may be considered the most important, he
glanced at the literary history of the work of Mil-
ton, tracing in certain passages of it a likeness to
the writings of Chaucer, Spenser (in his " Faerie
Queen"), Shakspere (notably in the " Tempest"),
and other authors ; and in the plot a striking resem-
blance to a scarce oil play by George Peele, called
" The Old Wives' Tale" (1515). The incidents
were so similar that he thought there was
much reason to believe that the old drama
may have furnished Milton with the idea
and plan of " Comus." Again, from Fletcher's
" Faithful Shepherdess," and from Browne's
" Inner Temple Masque," it was thought Milton
might have taken some hints. But to whatever
extent Milton might have been indebted, either to
the ancient writers or to those of his own time, it
could not be questioned that be had interwoven
many new allusions and refined sentiments. The
story, for which Oldys was the earliest known
authority, was that Lord Brackly, then aged 12
(who performed the part of the elder brother, and
who was the eldest surviying son of the Bad of