The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-29 00:00:00

FRANCE.

An Imperial degree has been published, based on
the law of the 19th of May, 1866, abolishing ton-
nage dues in French ports on and after the Ist of
January, 1867, except for vessels of those nations
which, like the United States, impose differential
duties upon French vessels in their own ports. The
report of M. Behic, which precedes the decree,
states that the English Government have under-
taken to bring forward in the next Session of Par-
liament a Bill for the abolition of local duties of a
differential character. " The English Government,"
continues the Minister, " do not contest our right
to re-establish tonnage does in event of the rejec-
tion of their bill by Parliament."

The Commission upon the Anglo-French Fisheries
Convention held their first sitting yesterday at the
Ministry of Marine, under the presidency of M.
Chasseloup Laubat.
BOURSE, Dec. 28, Two o'clock. The market
is heavy, and all securities are lower. Threes are
at 69f. 50c., with per cent. fall ; and there is a
similar decline in Italian Fives—at 56f. 50c. to 56f.
55c. Credit Mobilier shares have again fallen below
par, at 497 f. 50c., with a loss of 12f. 50c. Comp-
toir d'Escompte lose 7f. 50c.—at 850 f. Railway
Shares likewise are lower—Lyons at 898 f. 75c., and
Northern at 1,198 f. 75c. English Consols are
telegraphed with a decline of if.
Three o'clock, The market has closed as
follows :

4 per Cents 9B 35
Do. end month —
3 per Cents. 69 45
Do. end month 69 471
Credit Mobilier
Do. end month
Credit Fonder —
Do. end month 1390

Bank Shares 3555
Italian Loan 56 53
Do. end month 56 50
Mexican Loan —
Do. Bonds —
Spanish Threes
Home Debt —
Deferred -
rAYS.

For Account.
Orleans
Northern 1197 50
Lyons and Mediterranean 895
Southern 5BO
Western —
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard 383 75
Noi of Spain l2O
Saragossa 135
Ditto to Barcelona
Roman.,.

77 50

The Colliery Explosion in North
Staffordshire.

Yesterday afternoon a public meeting, called by
he Earl of Lichfield, the Lord-Lieutenant of the
county, was held at Stoke-on-Trent, to consider the
subject of assisting the sufferers from the colliery
accidents at Barnsley and Talke. Lord Lichfield
presided, and was supported by the Earl of Shrews-
bury and Talbot, the Earl of Harrowby, Lord San-
don, Sir E. M. Buller, M.P., the Rev. L. T. Starner,
Mr. Child, and others. Lord Lichfield explained that
he had called the meeting to consider the raising of
funds for the sufferers at Barnsley and Talke, but
he had found since his arrival at Stoke
that the feeling of North Staffordshire was
decidedly that the money raised in that division
of the county should be devoted to the
relief of the sufferers at Talke, and not divided
as lie had suggested. He willingly gave way to the
feeling which he had heard expressed, but he thought
it would have been far better to have sent all the
money raised on account of the late accidents to a
centre committee. There would then have been a
uniform scale of relief in both cases, and a central
committee would have better dealt with the surplus,
which he had no doubt there would be from the fund
now being raised. He hoped, if there was a surplus,
it would be devoted to the establishment of a per-
manent relief fund for the widows and orphans of
the colliers, so to obviate the necessity of making ap-
peals to the public for relief whenever an accident
occurred. The Earl of Shrewsbury moved a resolu-
tion expressing deep and heartfelt sympathy with
the sufferers for the calamities at Barnsley and Talke,
and admiration of the brave and noble qualities dis-
pliyed by those who assisted in the rescue of the in-
jured and the recovery of the dead. The Earl of
Harrowby seconded the resolution, which (as were
those succeeding) was passed unanimously. Mr. J
Bateman proposed that the funds raised in the
northern division of the county be devoted to the
relief of the sufferers from the Talke accident, which
was seconded by Sir E. M. Buller. Mr. S. Child
then moved, " That any surplus that should remain
of the fund now being raised should be applied
towards the establishment of some permanent fund
for affording relief to sufferers from any further
colliery accident in that county." This was seconded
by the Rev. Sir L. T. Starner. A vote of thanks to
the chairman closed the meeting.
On Thursday afternoon a meeting was held at
Tunstall, and a subscription was opened for the
widows and orphans. Upwards of £lOO was contri-
buted at the meeting. Further subscriptions to the
local fund have been received, among them the fol.
lowing :—Mr. E. Wood, £lOO ; Mr. C. B. Adderley,
M.P., £5O; Mr. W. Davenport, £25; Mr. W. Brown-
field, £2O ; Mrs. Clive, £2O ; Workmen at Berry-
hill and Holly-bush Collieries, £l6; collections at
Christ and St. Mary's Churches,Tunstall, £21135. 4d.;
Mr. H. T. Davenport, N. (per Rev. O'Neil Pratt),
Mr. W. S. Cope, Messrs. Pinder, Bourne, and Co.,
Mrs. Clive's workmen, Messrs. Elsmore and Foster,
Mr. E. Clarke, and Mr. J. Johnson, £lO each ;
Lord Hatherton, £25 ; Mr. John Bateman, £lO ;
Lord Harrowby, £2O ; Mr. J. Southwell and
workpeople, £l5 ; Collection at Ham Church, £l5 ;
Messrs. Macintyre and Co., £lO 10s.

CHARGE AGAINST THE BIRMINGHAM PROOF
HOUSE MA.STLP..—On Thursday Mr. March, the master of
the Birmingham Gun-barrel Proof House, was summoned
before the magistrates of the town for allowing two gun
barrels to leave the proof-house without the usual proof
marks. Mr. Brooks, a gun manufacturer, was the prose-
cutor, and he stated that ho sent a double-barrelled
breech-loader to the proof house and had it returned to
him in due course. He subsequently discovered it had no
proof marks, and had he sold it in that state he might
have been prosecuted. The defence was that the gun had
been properly marked, and that the marks muse have been
obliterated in the process of "finishing" at the prosecutor's
factory. The bench took this view of the case, and dis-
missed the mums.