The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-21 00:00:00

MONEY 11A ET AND CITY KETT'S.

CITY, Two O'CLOCK.
REDUCTION IN THE BANK RATE OF

DISCOUNT.

The directors of the Bank of England have, at
the meeting to-day, reduced the rate of interest and
discount from Bto 7 per cent. This alteration was
fully anticipated, owing to the improvement exhi-
bited in the last Gazette return, and the accu-
mulation which must have taken place since
the period to which it was completed. A
further addition has no doubt been made to
the reserve of notes and the stock of bullion
through the contraction of the circulation conse-
quent upon the revenue collections and the influx
of Australian and other gold. It may also be
presumed that the securities under discount have
been materially reduced, because accommodation
has been obtainable for several days much below
the terms enforced by the authorities. Under
these circumstances, therefore, considerable sur-
prise would have been created if the measure of
relief had been postponed even for another week.
A large amount of business was transacted in
the Liverpool Cotton Market yesterday, and full
prices were current for all descriptions. The sales
Were 25,000 bales.

Small quantities of gold continue to be sent
into the Bank, about £B,OOO having been purchased
yesterday.

The directors of the Paris and Orleans Railway
have determined to propose a dividend of .E 4 per
£2O share, being at the rate of 20 per cent. per
annum, which will absorb £1.200,000.

The interest coupons on the Dutch Rhenish
Railway will be paid on and after the Ist proximo.
At the annual general meeting of the proprietors
of the Canada Company, held to-day, it was stated
that the affairs of the Company had made very
satisfactory progress, and the transactions during
the past year showed an increase under every head
'when compared with 1859. The receipts amounted
to £85,243, being £25,000 more than was collected
ill 1859, while the disposal of land was larger by
7,742 acres. After some discussion the report was
adopted. _ _

The market for Public Securities has been flatter
to-day, notwithstanding the reduction in the rate
of discount, Consols being 91 92 for transfer, and
928 4 for the 10th. Speculative sales have caused
this depression, but business is extremely inactive.
India Stock is flat at 220 ; ditto 5 per Cents. at
100 i ; and ditto 'Scrip 100?,-. Exchequer Bills,
lid. per diem, are 10s. dis. ; ditto, 2d. per diem,
3s. dis.

There have been very few dealings in Foreign
Securities, and prices in some instances show less
firmness. Turkish 6 per Cents. are 741 to 751 ;
ditto, 'lB5B, 55 to 551 ; Mexican are steady at
24i; and Equador at 121 ; Russian 3 per Cents.
are heavy at 61; and Dutch 21 per Cents. remain
at 631.

The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up
to this day, are in round figures as under :

1861. 1860.
Great Western
North-Western
1
South-Western
Brighton
Midland
South-Eastern
Great Northern 25,056 23,894
Lancashire and, Yorkshire
Bristol and Exeter
North-Eastern . 37,249 35,208
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln 11,030 10,58 i
West Midland
Edinburgh and Glasgow 5.912 5,539
Grand Trunk of Canada
Great Western of Canada . 9,056 8,226
These returns show a further considerable im-
provement compared with those of the same period
of last year. On the Great Western there is an
increase of £1,312; the North Western of £2,292;
the South Western of £1,996; the Brighton of
£1,721; the Midland of £493 ; the South Eastern
of £1,187; the Great Northern of £1,162; the
Lancashire and Yorkshire of £1,505 ; the North
Eastern of £2,041 ; the Grand Trunk of Canada of
£1,407, and the Great Western of Canada of 18301.
A rather heavy tone has prevailed in the Railway
Share Market, and with one or two exceptions,
prices have slightly given way. Lancashire and
Yorkshire, Midlands, and North Staffords, have
-needed ss. ; Eastern Counties, Great Northern A
Stock, and South Westerns have advanced ss.
The Foreign and Colonial lines remain very
inactive, without any change of importance in
values.

Joint Stock Bank and Miscellaneous Shares •re
a shade firmer. Bank of Australasia have im-
proved .£1 ; Oriental Bank, 65., and Peninsular and
Oriental Steam, lOs,

BRITISH FUNDS—CLOSING PRICI4.
Z per Cent. Con'sels Annuities c)li 2 li
India Stock . .
Ditto i per Cent
Ditto &rip .
Ditto Debentures, 1858
Ditto 1859
Ditto Bonds £l,OOO —
I)itto under £1,000
Consols for Account .. 921
Vd. I 2d.
Exchequer Bills, £l,OOO lO 1:5 d I 3 7 dis
Ditto, Small
FOREIGN FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES.
Brazilian 5 per Cent
Ditto 43 per Cent. 1860 . Bsi 6
Equador New Cpasolidated

_ x
DMA:. Recount
241
4
New Grenada Active, 31 per Cent.
Portuguese 3:per Cent., 1853
Russian 5 per Cent. 1322, £ St ..
Ditto 3 per Cent, 1859 .. .. 611
Spanish 3 per Cent
Ditto Account
Ditto New Deferred —
Ditto Account
Spanish Cert. of Coup. not funded q
Turkish 6 per Cent .. 7a
Ditto Account
Ditto New Loan
Ditto Account
Ditto £lOO Bonds
Ditto Guaranteed, 4 per Cent.
Dividends on the above payable in London.
Dutch Exchange, 12 Guil. 2i, per Cent 63i
THREE O'CLOCK.
Consols, Money 911 92
Ditto Account

Mexican 3 per Cent 24±

THE WEATHER.

METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS.

This Day,
between 8 and B. E. IM. i D. F. C. I. S.
9 a.m.
Nairn 28'78 35 32 S. S.W. 2 2 b. 2
Aberdeen
Leith 28.98 37 36 S.W. 4 9 s. 2
Berwick 128'95 39 1 36 W. S. W. 3 3 b. 1
Portrush 129'04 36 1 35 W.S.W. 5 4 s. 4
Shields ; 29.05 36 33 N.W. 5 2 b. 3
Galway... -. 12913 38 36 W. 8 9 s. 6
Scarborough 29'10 37 W.N.W. 3 2 b. 2
Liiverpool , 2915 38 36 W. 5 5 s. 3
Valenta 29'49 43 1 42 N.W. 6 7 o. 6
Qeenstown 2111•44 38 37 jNV .S.W. 4 3 s. 2
rmouth... :129 23 36 35 I W.N.W. 5 3 c. 4
Loudon 2915 40 36 W.N.W. 4 2
Dov er 29'33 44 40 W.N.W. 6 2 c. 5
Portsmouth 29,12 40 37 I N.W. i 5 6 0. 4
Portland 29'51 43 40 W. S.W. 4 6 c. 4
Plymouth • •
Penzance • •
Jersey,
4nEn,XPant...Ax..A.72:.7.—8.
_Barometer, corrected and reduced

EXPLANATION. B.
_Barometer, corrected and reduced
to 32 dog at mean
sea level ; each 10 feet of vertical rise
causing about 1-100th of an inch diminution, and each 10
deg above 32 deg causingnueaerly 3-100ths increase. E.
shade. Exposed thermometer in M. Moistened bulb (for
sevaporation and dew-point),
D. Direction of wind (true—
mot magnetic). F. Force (1 to
12c—estimated). C. Cloud
s(1 to 9). I. Initials :—b , blue y ; c., clouds (detached) ;
1., fog. ; h.. hail ; 1., lightning ; ra, misty (hazy) , 0.,
.
overcast (dull) ; r., rain; a, snow; t
,repeated augments—thus, r.r., muchg thunder. A. letter
rain. S. Sea disturb-
ance (1 to 9).

v.
WIND AND WEATHER REPORT, TH,, DAY, A.M.
u ,
Ayr, S.W. ; heavy snow . Holyhead,
w.s.v_ ;stormy
Birmingham, W.; fine I Hull, W. ; fine
Boston S.W.. fine 1 nverness, S.W.. frost
Brighton, W., fresh breeze ; Kingstown, INT,isi.-w..
"Tie
fine Limerick, N.W.; snow
Bristol, E.N.F.I . ; fine Lowestoft, W.N.W.; fresh,
Cardiff, W.; fine fine
Manchester, N.W. • fine
Chatham, W N.W.; fine
Cork, N.W. • rain Milford Haven, S.W. ; unset.
Deal, W. ; ffie Newcastle on Tyne, N.W.;
Dublin, S.S.W. ; fine, cold frost
Dundee, N.E. ; frost Perth, S.E. ; snow
Edinburgh, W. ; fine Port Glasgow, S.W.; snow
Faltnouth, N.W. ; stormy Sheffield, S.W. ; snow
Glasgow, N.; snow Waterford, N.W. • snow
Goole, S.W. ; snow West Hartlepool, 'W.N.W.;
Gravesend, N.W.; fine fine
Greenock, S.W. ; snow I,Vhitehavon, W.; damp
Harrogate, W.; fine Wolverton, S.W. ; fine

MR. ROEBUCK AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.—At a
meeting held is Sheffield, on Monday night, Mr. Council-
or Booth in the chair, it was resolved that a copy of the
following resolution be forwarded to llr. Roebuck, and a
prompt reply requested That in consideration of the
wide-spread surprise end regret with which Mr. Roebuck's
recent. speech on Italian affairs has been received, this meet -
mg deems it 'an imperative duty respectfully but urgently
to request that gentleman to pay a visit to his constituents,
for the purpose of fully explaining the views enunciated in
the before mentioned speech."