The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-17 00:00:00

ST. CLEMENT'S DANES.

Last evening a numerously attended vestry meeting
of the above parish was held in the Vestry-room, Pickett-
street, for the purpose cf auditing the churchwarden's
accounts of the past year, and also to make a church-rate
for the ye..r ensuing.
The Rev. W. W. Ellis, the rector, presided, and after
the minutes had, been read by the vestry clerk, and con-
firmed, the accounts of the churchwardens were laid be-
fore the vestry, and approved.
Mr. Churchwarden SPENCER sttted that the esti-
mated expenditure for Vie support of the church for the
ensuing year was 9721. ss. 2d., and the amount in hand,
and receivable, partially derived from re.v-rants, 2741.
Is. 4d., leaving to be previded for 6981. 3s. 10d. ; and to
meet which he therek e felt that he should be able to
provide, Without ceiling for a greater rate than 2d. in
she pound.
Mr. BELLAMY accordingly moved a vote to that
amount, which was seconded by Mr. JUDRINS.
Mr. SPENCER, in ac.sws r to inquiries, having declared
that he could only ink et the necessarry expenses with
great difficulty by a rate of 2d..
Messrs. Woodward, Peters, Harrison, and other gen-
tlemen, urged lucre isieg the rate to 2id., and an amend'
meta to that effect was accordingly proposed, end
eventually carried, in lieu of the original resolution,
which was withdrawn by consent of the mover and se•
eonder.
The. RECTOR having expressed his
gratification at tie
extraordinary unanimity which prevailed in support of
an economic and necessary church-rate,
Mr. Churchwarden SPENCER.
beemfeaeitrilnyg
and
the vote, which he pledged himself is
economically expended. 'thanlikoeudldth

The proposed increase of
THE STAMP TIES'
Dej2vltninhee:transfer of all shares and stock, ex-
ceptingfunds, is met in the City with
dissatisfaction. A few, days back a
the stamphe duties
u uv
gCommittee of the Stock Exchange had
tenhe Chancellor of the Exchequer on the
strong and increasith
dit was believed that the actual bearing of the
bheenlp-ointed out, the requisite modifications
danepiunttaetrivoinewfrowmit
subject, an
gted. t, appears, however, that the Bill has
nwmooewualsdbuer be
en
abairPught into the House of Commons without any
alteration of the objectionable points, and that, consequently,
the:value of all investment in the public 'enterprises of the
'country— for the new scale would apply alike to dock'stocks,
mining shares, assurance shares, railway shares, &c.—. is -in
danger of being lessened. The extent to which this damage
would be inflicted cannot be measured by the precise increase
of the tax, since expenses and difficulties in the way of
transfers are always observed in a commercial community to
produce worse results than would at first have been ima-
gined, but the direct and actual amount of the evil about to
be inflicted is of itself in the present case important. A.
person investing 5,0001. in railway or other shares under the
old scale would be required to pay stamp` charges to the
amount of about M., while according to what is now pro-
posed the payment will be 501. Apart from other considera.
tions, the existing state of railway property is enough to
suggest the inexpediency of such an addition to its unfavour-
able aspect, and it is felt that if instead of the contemplated
tax of 11. per cent. the scale had been limited to 10s. per
cent., the alteration would have been deemed a most de-_
f,irable one, while at the same time the gradual increase of
transactions would have prevented any long-continued loss
to the revenue.— Times.

THE COLD WEATHEE.—In the last monthly paper
of the Royal Astronomical Society, Dr. Forster calls atten-
tion to the simultaneous phenomena of numerous solar spots
and unusual cold, which have occurred since March IS. . It
is remarkable, that during the nights of severest cold the
wind has blown from the south and south-east, which is t°
he viewed in connexion with the extraordinary cold.4elt in
the Levant, and particularly at Constantinople, during the
--
present spring.
THE SOUTH-EASTERN RAIEWAY.- THE CONTI-
NENTAL THAFFIC.—The South-Eastern and Continental
Steam-packet Company's steamer the Prince Ernest arrived
yesterday at Folkestone, from Boulogne, at 1.45 A.M., with
merchandise and twenty-two passengers. The Princess
Mary sailed from Folkestone Harbour, for Boulogne, at 12.20
P.M , having on board seventy-five pass-ngers, one horse, arid
a pack cf fox-hounds The Princess Helena arrived from
Boulogne bringing,eeventy:five passengers and six horses.