The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-29 00:00:00

NONEY MARKET AND CITY NEWS.

CITY, Two O'CLOCK,

ALTERATION IN THE BANK RATE.

The Bank of England directors, at their meet-
ing to-day, reduced their minimum to 4 per
cent. This proceeding, however, was fully
expected, both in commercial circles and at
the Stock Exchange, where it assisted
in promoting the buoyancy experienced during the
last few days. As the supplies of money continue
abundant, and capitalists engaging in discount
operations are anxious to employ their resources,
increased easiness is likely to prevail, since the
terms current in the open market will, no
doubt, be adjusted, as for some time past they
have been sufficiently below the official quotation to
prevent any large proportion of the bills brought
into circulation being taken to the Bank of Eng-
land.

On Saturday a call of 25 per cent., amounting in
the aggregate to £250,000, becomes due on the
East India Railway 5 per Cent. Debentures.
In the Liverpool cotton market yesterday a fair
amount of business was transacted, and prices were
very firm. The sales were 12,000 bales.
About £40,000 in gold was sent into the Bank
of England yesterday.
The Shannon has been announced this morning
from the West Indies with £372,469 in specie, and
the Magdalena has arrived at Lisbon from the
Brazils with £164,391 for England.
The official returns relating to trade and naviga-
tion for the seven months ended the 31st of July, have
just been published ; the total declared value of the
exports during that period amounted to £70,237,685
against £74,542,687 in the like period of 1860, being
a falling off of £4,305,002, The decrease is most
perceptible in beer and ale, cotton manufactures,
cotton yarn, haberdashery and millinery, hard-
wares, cutlery, linen manufactures, linen yarn,
woollen manufactures, and woollen and worsted
yarn.

The importations of the principal articles were
smaller as regards raw cotton, flax, fruit, thrown
silk, spices, tallow, and sheep's and lamb's wool.
There is an increase, however, in coffee, wheat,
flour, unrefined sugar, tea, and tobacco.
The shipping accounts exhibit an increase in
the amount of tonnage employed in the foreign
trade of the United Kingdom during the above
period of 569,445 tons for the entries inwards, and
of 411,023 for the clearances outwards.
In the eountry trade there has also been a slight
increase in tonnage engaged for both the entries
inwards and the clearances outwards.
The half-yearly meeting of the Victoria (London)
Dock Company has been held to-day, at which the
report, which stated that 1,475 vessels, measuring
485,154 tons, entered these docks, exhibited an in-
crease of 119 ships, and 102,738 tons, when com-
pared with the like period of 1860, was adopted.
.At the commencement of business in the Eng-
lish Stock Market to-day symptoms of depression
were apparent, but as soon as the decline in the
Bank rate of discount was announced a recovery
took place, andConsols improved to 921 e for money,
and 921 4 for the account, but they are again rather
flatter, being 921 and 921 respectively. The New
Threes and the Reduced are flat at 921 1 ; Bank
Stock is at 233; India 5 per Cents. is firm at 1031 1;
ditto New Loan Scrip 1031 B ; Exchequer Bills,
March, are steady at 4s. dis., ditto June, 4s. to ss.
prem.

The dealings in the Foreign market have been
to a fair extent, but prices, in some instances, have
slightly receded. Turkish 6 per Cents. are 781 79;
ditto, 1858, 69 1 ; Mexican have declined to 21 ;
Sardinian are steady at 79f ; Brazilian 41 per
Cents. are flat at 891 ; Buenos Ayres Deferred are st
261 ; and Dutch 4 per Cents. are heavy at 1001:
The last week's railway receipts, ascertained up
to this day, are in round figures as under :
sto
1861. 1860. st(
North-Western £92,479 L 92,835 si,
Great Western
South-Western
ilt((
Brighton 24,353 20,611, st,
Midland
South-Eastern
Great Northern 27.674 29,287 stc
Lancashire and Yorkshire
Bristol and Exeter
North-Eastern ..
Edinburgh and Glasgow 7,135 6,956 10
Glasgow and South Western 3,406 8,399 1
Great Luxembourg
Grand Trunk of Canada

These returns exhibit some favourable features;
on the Great Western there is an increase of
£2,218, on the South-Western of £2,962, on the 81
Brighton of £3,742, on the Midland of
£683, on the South-Eastern of £96, on
the Lancashire and Yorkshire of £lO5, on the °I
Edinburgh and Glasgow of £179, and the Grand
Trunk of Canada of £B7O. The London and North
Western exhibits a decline of £367, the Great :1
Northern of £1,613, and the North Eastern of et
£2,122.

13L,
In the railway share market the dealings have :I',
been chiefly in connection with the arrangements t
•
for the liquidation, and the favourable character of st,
the traffic shares on most of the principal lines, :1:
combined with the reduction on the bank rate of sti
discount, has caused a further advance on prices.
Great Western and North-Western have improved
55.; Eastern Counties, Lancashire and Yorkshire, '
and South-pastern, 10s.; Great Northern A Stock, etc
and North-Eastern (Berwick), £1; and Caledonian, stt
£1 10s. s

The foreign and colonial lines have also shown
incrrased firmness. Dutch Rhenish advanced 55.,
Great Luxembourg, 55.; Great Western of Canada,
55.; and East Indian, ss.
Joint Stock Bank and Miscellaneous Shares
continued in limited favour, at about previous 8
rates. 8

BRITISH FUNDS—ONE O'CLOCK.
B ink Stock ..
i per Cent. Reduced Annuities 921
3 per Cent. Consols Annuities
New 3 per Cent. Annuities
India Stock •••• lle )•• • ...".
Ditto 5 per Cent.
Ditto Loan Scrip, 5 per cent
Ditto Enlaced Paper, 4 per Cent. —
Ditte 5 per Cent.
Ditto 51 per Cent.
Ditto Debentures, 4 per Cent., Oct., 1863 98A
Ditto 1859
Ditto Bonds £l,OOO
Ditto under £l,000
Consols tor Account, Sept. 10
India Stock for Account, 5 per Cent
Mar. 2d p. day. June 3f p.ct
Exchequer Bills, £l,OOO, 2d 4 dis 5 pm
D tto £5OO .. 4 dis 4 pm
Ditto Small
FOREIGN FUNDS—ONE O'CLOCK.
Brazilian 5 per Cent ..
Ditto 41 per Cent., 1860 B9k
t uenos Ayres, 6 per Cent —
Ditto Deferred
Danish 3 per Cent., 1825
Mexican 3 per Cent .. 21a 1
Russian 5 per Cent. 1822. £ St ..
Ditto 4/ per Cent.
Ditto 41 per Cent., 1860 9O
s'ardinian 5 per Cent...........
Spanish Cert. of Coup. not funded..
Turkish 6 per Cent ..
Ditto Now Loan
Dividends on the above payable in London.
Dutch 21 per Cent., Exchange 12 Guil.
-Oitto Certificates. 4 per Cent.
Peruvian Dollar Bonds, 41 per Ct. Ex. 4s B4

TWO O'CLOCK,
Consols, Money 921
Ditto Account

The last weekly return of the New York banks
states their aggregate amount of bullion to be £9,730,000.
This is the largest total they have ever held. On the other
hand, owing to the universal limitation of business, the
amount of discounts is at the lowest point touched since
March, 1858, when they were brought within a singularly
small compass in consequence of the erisis of the preceding
autumn.

LONDON SHOEBLACKS AND THEIR EARNINGS.
—Nine years have elapsed since this branch of labour was
introduced, and these boys, it is said, have earned about
£11,950. Their united earnings for the last financial year
amounted to £4,548—a sum representing tho blacking and
polishing of no less than 1,119,330 pairs of boots.
PROPOSED MEMORIAL TO THE LATE LORD
EERBERT.—On Tuesday morning a meeting was held at the
Town Hall, Wilton, under the presidency of the Mayor, for
the purpose of considering the advisability of erecting some
lasting monument in memory of the late Lord Herbert,
when it was proposed by Mr. Swayne, seconded by Mr.
Lander, and carried unanimously, that a stained glass win-
dow be placed in Wilton Churcb, which as our readers are
aware, was erected by his lordship about 16 years since. It
must be mentioned that this proposition is not intended in
any way to interfere with that made by Mr. Estcourt, at
Shaftesbury.—Wiltshire Mirror.