The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-19 00:00:00

POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANKS.

If at any time the fund to be created under the
authority of this act by the investment of the
deposits shall be insufficient to meet the lawful
claims of all depositors, it shall be lawful for the
Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, upon
being duly informed thereof by the Commissioners
for the Reduction of the National Debt, to issue
the amount of such deficiency out of the Consoli-
dated Fund of the United Kingdom, or out of the
growing produce thereof : —and the said Commis-
sioners of her Majesty's Treasury shall certify such
deficiency to Parliament.

The interest payable to the parties making such
deposits shall be at the rate of £2 10s. per centum
per annum, but such interest shall not be calcu-
lated on any account less than £l, or some multiple
thereof, and not commence until the first day
of the calendar month next following the
day of deposit, and shall cease on the first: day
of the calendar month in which such deposit is
withdrawn.

It shall be lawful for the Commissioners of her
Majesty's Treasury from time to time to increase
the rate of interest payable to depositors,but no Bush
increase shall make the rate of interest greater
than three pounds and tenpence per centum per
annum ; and copies of all orders made for increasing
the rate of interest shall be laid before both Houses
of Parliament.

Interest on deposits shall be calculated to the 31st
day of December in every year, and shall be added
to and become part of the principal money.

THE TREATY JP ITII CHINA.

The following summary of the various provisions
of the treaty of peace with China is from a circular
of Messrs. Joseph Travers and Sons :
" The Treaty of peace with China, of which the ratifica-
tions were exchanged at Pekin on the 24th of October last,
has been issued by the Parliamentary printers. It contains
56 articles, and is accompanied by a supplementary agree-
ment which was signed on the Bth of November, and is of
special importance, as it embodies the rules for trade. The
tariff of import duties is likewise given. The leading stipu-
lations of the treaty are comprised as follows:
" Articles 2 to 6 authorise and regulate the respective
appointment of Ambassadors at Pekin and London.
" Article 7 provides for the nomination of British consuls
at each of the open ports.
"Articles 8 and 9 give religious toleration and freedom
of travel.
" Articles 10 to 12 anfhnrfee trade in the G,..t Ittyw.
(Yang-tze) and access to the cities and ports of sow-
Chwang, Tang-Chow, Tai-Wan (Formosa), Chau-Chow
(Swatow), and Kiung-Chow (Hainan), in addition to those
of the five ports previously opened.
" Articles 15 and 16 provide that all questions between
British subjects in China shall be solely under the jurisdic-
tion of the British Consuls or other' authorities, and that
Chinese subjects guilty of offences towards British subjects
shall be punished by the Chinese authorities according to
the laws of China; while, on the ether hand, British sub-
jects committing crimes in China shall be tried and punished
by the Consul according to the laws of England.
" Articles 21 to 23 comprise a mutual extradition ar-
rangemea

"-Articles 27 and 28 provide for the appointment of a
commission to regulate the tariff on imports and exports,
which, when fixed, is to remain in force for 10 years, each
Power at the end of that period having the option of de-
manding a revision. Article 28 renders it imperative for
the Chinese authorities to publish their scale of interior
transit duties, and fixes the maximum at 2t per cent. ad
valorem.

" Articles 29 to 49 relates to tonnage dues, pilotage,
clearances, smuggling offences, and other matters connected
with navigation.
" Article 52 gives freedom to British ships of war coming
for no hostile purpose, or being engaged in the pursuit of
pirates, to visit all parts of the empire.
" Article 53 contains an agreement for mutual efforts to
suppress piracy.
" Artiele 55 embraces the 'most favoured nation' clauses.
" The tariff is preceded and explained by 10 rules.
" According to Rule 1 all unenumerated articles are to
pay an ad valorem duty of 5 per cent.
Rule 2is highly important, as it specifies the duty
free goods.' These are—gold and silver bullion and foreign
coins, flour, Indian meal, sago, biscuit, preserved meats and
vegetables, cheese, butter, and confectionery ; foreign cloth-
ing (a heading which will take in a large portion of our tex-
tile manufactures) ; perfumery and soap of all kinds, char-
coal, firewood, and candles; tobacco and cigars (foreign),
wine, beer, and spirits ; household stores and ship stores,
perspnal baggage; stationery; carpeting and druggeting ;
cutlery (an important item) ; foreign medicines ; glass and
crystal ware. These pay neither export nor import duty ;
but, if transported into the interior, will, with the exception
of personal baggage and bullion, be liable to a transit duty
of 21 per cent. ad valorem. _ _

"'Rule 3 declares gunpowder, shot, cannon, musketry,
and all munitions and implements of war contraband. Salt
also is contraband.

" Rule 4 gives definitions of weights and measures.
" Rule 5 removes previous restrictions affecting the trade
in opium, grain, pulse, sulphur, brimstone, saltpetre, and
spelter ; and states its future conditions.
" Rule 6 relates to the liabilities of vessels entering port.
"Rule 7 fixes the interior transit dues at one-half of the
tariff duties. Goods free of import duties to pay 21 per cent.
transit dues.

"Rule 8 agrees that British subjects shall not be consi-
dered entitled to enter Pekin for purposes of trade.
" Rule 9 provides for the abolition of a fee called the
meltage fee.'
" Rule 10 provides for the collection of duties under one
system at all p,,rts.
"The general tariff comprises 350 items, on the whole of
which, with the exception of five that are ad valorem,
specific duties are charged. These duties are stated in
Chinese measurements and currency, and can, therefore, be
properly estimated only by persons of practical experience.
They are, however, all moderate, and the principle is under-
stood to have been kept in view as far as possible of making
them equal to about 5 per cent."

TRIS DAY'S JIARE.ETS.

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.—IIIeadow hay, £2 Os to £5 Os Od ; clover
do., £3 lOs to £5 lOs ; and straw, £1 108 to £1 18s per load.
Trade dull.

CUMBERLAND...—. Meadow hay, £2 Os to £5 5s ;
clover, £3 10s to £ss 15s Od ; and straw, £1 10s to £1 18s
per load. A slow demand.
- - - - -

WIIITECHAPEL. - Meadow hay, £2 Os to £s' Os Od ;
£3 lOs to £5 16s Od ; and straw, £1 lOs to £1 18s
per load. Both hay and straw move off slowly, at our
quotations.

COLONIAL.
TEA.—A very limited amount of business has been done,
and prices have undergone no material alteration.
SUGAR.—The market has been quiet, and prices are
steady. In the refined market dried goods have been dealt
in at slightly easier terms.
COFFEE.—No business of importance has been reported.
The stocks on hand, compared with those of the same
period of last year show a falling off of about 250 tons.
RICE.—The market has remained very quiet and prices
are unaltered.
SALTPETRE.—The dealings have been restricted,but the
fine descriptions have slightly improved in value.
TALLow.--Business has coetinued very inactive, and
the chief operations have been for forward delivery, P.Y.C.
on the spot 595. 9d. to 60s. and March delivery.

COAL MARKET—FEB. 18.
l'rices of Coal per Ton at the close of the market
S. d.

Davison's West Hart- --
ley ....17 0
Tanfield Moor 16 3
Tanfield Moor Butes 16 3
Wylam.... l7 6
Holywell lB 0
Howard's West Hart-

s. d.
Haswell Gas. l4 0

Walls End.

Acorn Close --
20 6
Eden 20 6
Hedley l9 6
Peases West .16 0
Low Bitchburn.. l5 0
Carway and Duffryn
Malting 24 0
Kelloe
Killingworth E, . „ ...17 0
t, 39; 801 d, 33,

;ley l7 0
West Hartley 17 0
Lambert's West Hart-

1ey.......... l7 0
Hastings Hartley 17 0
Ships at marks

The following are the principal provisions of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer's new measure :
It shall be lawful for the Postmaster-General,
with the consent of the Commissioners of her Ma-
jesty's Treasury, to authorise and direct such of
his officers as he shall think fit to receive deposits
for remittance to the principal office in London,
and to repay the same, under such regulations as
he, with the concurrence of the Commissioners of
her Majesty's Treasury, may prescribe in that
respect.
Every deposit received by any officer of the Post-
master-General appointed for that purpose shall be
entered by him at the time in the depositor's
book, and the en try shall be attested by him and by
the dated stamp of his office, and the amount of
such deposit shall upon the day of such receipt be
reported to the Postmaster-General, and the
acknowledgment of the Postmaster-General, signi-
fied by the officer whom he shall appoint, for the
purpose, shall be forthwith transmitted to the
depositor, and the said acknowledgment shall be
conclusive evidence of his claim to the payment
thereof, with the interest thereon, upon demand
made by him on the Postmaster-General ; and the
entry by the proper officer in the depositor's book
shall also be conclusive evidence of title from the
lodgment of the deposit until the receipt of the said
acknowledgment; provided always that such depo-
sits shall not be of less amount than ls., nor of any
sum not a multiple thereof.
On demand of the depositor or party legally
authorised to claim on account of a depositor,
made in such form as shall be prescribed in that
behalf, for repayment of any deposit, or any
part thereof, the authority of the Postmaster-
General for such repayment shall be transmitted
to the proper officer forthwith : provided always,
that in all cases where the said demand shall be
made at the place of deposit, the depositor shall
be absolutely entitled to repayment of any sum
or sums he may have deposited on the seventh
day at farthest after his demand shall be lodged
in the office of the Postmaster-General.
The officers of the Postmaster-General engaged
in the receipt or payment of deposits shall not
disclose the name of any depositor, nor the amount
deposited or withdrawn, except to the Postmaster-
General or to such of his officers as may be ap-
pointed to assist in carrying this act into operation.
All moneys so deposited with the Postmaster-
General shall forthwith be paid over to the Com-
missioners for the Reduction of the National Debt;
and all sums withdrawn by depositors, or by par-
ties legally authorised to claim on account of
depositors, shall be prepaid to them out of the said
moneys through the office of her Majesty's Post-
master-General.