The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-06 00:00:00

And as compared with the month ending the 2d of June,
1860, the above returns show a decrease of £2,004,441
in the circulation of notes in England, and a decrease of
£2,632,546 in the circulation of the United Kingdom.
On comparing the above with the fixed issues of the seve-
ral banks the following is the state of the circulation :
Ile English private banks are below their fixed
issue
The English joint-stock banks are below their
fixed issue £360,195

Total below fixed issue in England £1,511,373
The Scotch banks are above their fixed issue £1,784,538
The Irish banks are below their fixed issue £24,663
The average stock of bullion held by the Bank of Eng-
land in both departments during the month ending the 29th
May was £12,354,858, being a decrease of £697,700 as
compared with the previous month, and a decrease of
£ 004,388 when compared with the same period last year.
The following are the amounts of specie held by the Scotch
and Irish banks during the month ending the Ist June :
Gold and silver held by the Scotch banks £2,668,751
Gold and silver held by the Irish banks 2,221,777

£4,890,528
Being an increase of £20,853, as compared with the
previous return, and a decrease of £157,890 when compared
with the corresponding period of last year.

THE SEMI-MONTHLY CHINA MAIL.—Yesterday
an influential deputation waited upon the Chancellor of the
Exchequer to represent to him the importance of continuing
the semi-monthly mail to China. Among those present
were Messrs. W. Buchanan, M.P., W. Nichol, M.P., Har-
vey Lewis, M.P., James Youl, J. Mackinnon, Andrew
Henderson, T. Jones Gibb, Walter Gledstanes, T. Griffith
Frith, G. G. Macpherson, James Matthews, Robert Smith,
C. G. Mansell, and F. J. Angier. Mr. Samuel Gregson,
who introduced the commission, referred to the memorial
which had previously been presented. He thought the
Government should not hesitate about the payment of even
£12,000 a-year for the mail service, should even this be re-
quired. Now that the Tae-pings had approached Pekin,
and the Emperor was dying, it might be most injurious to
trade to cut off the usual communication with China. Mr.
Buchanan then presented a memorial from the Chamber of
Commerce in Glasgow, enforcing the views of the commis-
sion. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said they must
consider that their application was virtually- one for a new
subsidy. Neither he nor the Post-office authorities were
aware that there was any increase of communication with
China in consequence of the fortnightly mail, and it was a
very delicate thing to grant subsidies on grounds not
strictly postil. It had been said, no doubt, that an increase
of pestago might obviate the difficulty; but he was not pre-
pared to give an opinion on the point, and he would rather
they should consider the question and communicate with
him again through Mr. Gregson. The Government hadof an alleged
conversationshould be
e commu-
nicate i t was
arranged no knowledge of the approach of the The-pings, of the anti-
- ts i
Postmaster-Generals hu li cipa ted death of the Emperor of China, or
surrender
ige
d chat h
ofTiien n.
d with, and that Mr. Greg-son should
Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject, t write to the
J as the repre-
sentative of those interested in the trade with China and
Australia.