The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-17 00:00:00

DIO.NEY kIARNET

A ND

CO IMERCMAL ii,ITELLIGZNGE,

crrY, Two o'CLocK.

We have to report a slight improvement in busi-
ness to-day, but the preparations for the Christ-
mas holidays, it is more than likely, will prevent
any very large transactions, as all are now
busied in making up their accounts. In
the foreign market Turkish nearly recovered the
late depression, but Spanish lower. The railway
market also participated in the improvement.
Money is in request, but it is not to be had under
the Bank rate.

Consols are 92i f for money; ditto, for Ac-
ount, 92} f ; Three per Cent. Reduced, 92f f ;
New Three per Cents, 921 3 ; Bank of England
Stock, 4 per Cent., 2411 40.

India Stock, 101 per Cent., April, 1874, slut ;
ditto, 5 per Cent., July, 1880, 112 ; ditto, 4 per
Cent., Oct., 1888, 102+ ; ditto Enfaced Paper, 5
per Cent., Jan., 1872, 1051 ; ditto 5k per Cent.,
May, 1879, 1101.
In the Foreign Market Stocks are dull. Turkish
Five per Cents, improved 1, and New Spanish and
Italian Five per Cents. are k lower. The quota-
tions are as follows :—Peruvian Five per Cents.,
811 811 ; Egyptian Seven per Cents., 1868,
73+ 744 ; Greek, 12 121 ; Mexican, 15 151 ;
New Spanish Three per Cents., 321 32+ ; Italian
Five per Cents., 56k 56+ ; and Turkish Five per
Cents., 391 39g.
The Honduras Loan is 90 901, and in request.

Italian Scrip has fallen to 3 3f prem. ; Russian
(Charkoff-Azof) Railway Scrip is i lower, at 2 1i
dis. ; and the last Russian Railway Loan is 1 dis.,
Par-

In Railways stocks have improved a little. Great
Westerns are 1 ;Great Eastern, 8 ; Great N orthern,
1 ; ditto A f;; Lancashire, 1 ; Metropolitan, 1;
North British, I ; North Western 1 better ; Cale-
donian are lower. The prices are as follows :
Caledonian, 721 4 ; Great •Western, 481 to ;
Great Eastern 41/ ; Great Northern, 100 7 ;
ditto A, 108/ 91 ; Lancashire, 128 1 ; Metropoli-
tan, 1021 a ; Sheffield, 471 ; Brighton, 48f 9 ;
North British, 32 3 ; North Western, 1114 121 ;
North Eastern, 991 ICO ; South Eastern, 784 91 ;
Chatham, and Dover, 161 171; Midland, 111 to
1121.

Great Indian Peninsular Railway New Four per
Cent. Debenture stock is 94 to 95.
American Five-Twenty Bonds have improved
to 741 to 74i ; the Bonds of 1885 are
better, at 72j, 73i ; and the Ten-Forty Bonds
remain firm at 71 74. Atlantic and Great Western
Debentures have improved to 44 41, and the Con-
solidated Mortgage Bonds to 421 424. Erie Rail-
way shares have recovered 4, to 27* 28 ; and Illi-
nois stock is firm at 96 to 964.
Gold to the amount of £35,000 was withdrawn
from the Bank of England yesterday for transmis-
sion to India via Alexandria. Since the date of the
last Gazette return £65,000 on balance have been
taken to the Bank.
The mail steamer Neva, for the West Indies,
takes to-day only £959 in specie.
The tenders for the loan of £2,000,000, invited
by the directors of the Great Indian Peninsular
Railway Company, with interest at the rate of 5
per cent., were opened yesterday. The applications
amounted to £2,600,000; the highest price offered
was £lOB, and the lowest £99 lOs. The minimum
fixed by the Secretary of State and the chairman of
the company was 102. The whole amount was
allotted to all tenders above 103.
The biddings for bills on India were opened at
the Bank of England yesterday for £lOO,OOO on
Calcutta and Madras. The amount allotted to

Calcutta was £76,000, and to Madras £23,100.
The minimum price was fixed, as before, at Is. 11d.
Tenders at is. Did. will receive 77 per cent. on
both Presidencies.

The Bank of New South Wales have, given
notice that they will pay the half-year's interest
due in London on the Ist of January next on
all debentures issued by the New South Wales
Government.
The directors of the Chartered Mercantile Bank
of India, London, and China have declared a
dividend of 3 per cent. (free of income tax) for the
half-year ending the 31st inst., payable on the Ist
January.
At a meeting of the Committee of shareholders
of the Italian Irrigation Company, a letter was ad-
dressed to the Stock-Exchange Committee to with-
draw the shareholders' protest against the quota-
tion of the Italian Tobacco Loan.

The coupons of the Egyptian Government Rail-
way Debenture Loan, due the Ist proximo, and
the bonds of Series E, Nos. 20,001 to 25,000, drawn
for redemption ; also the coupons of the United
Danubian Principalities Eight per Cent. Loan of
1867, due the Ist proximo, and the bonds drawn
for redemption, are advertised for payment by
Messrs. Fruhling and Goschen.

The directors of the Provincial Bank of Ireland
have declared a dividend for the half-year ending
Christmas next at the rate of 4 per cent. on the
Paid-up stock, and also an extraordinary dividend
of 30s. on each £lOO share, and 12s. on each £lO
share, payable on the 15th of January.
The Committee of Spanish Passive Bondholders,
Rive public notice that a persistent opposition will
be offered by that body to the quotation on the
Stock Exchange of any new Spanish loan until the
Claims of the Passive Bondholders shall have been
Wholly settled.

Rumours were prevalent yesterday that the Go-
irernment at Athens had yielded to the advice of
the protecting Powers and conceded the demands
of Turkey. A strong idea is entertained that the
Great Powers will prevent a general disturb-

- ante between Greece and Turkey ; it is at the

. .
Batue time well understood that the question is a

very complicated one, and requires the exercise
of careful diplomacy. A leading broker, in his
circular to his clients, says :—" Much indigna-
tion has been evinced at the prospect of peace being
Jeopardised by a Power like Greece, which not only
makes no effort whatever to pay its debts, but which
nlay fairly be regarded as one of the worst governed
countries in Europe."
The traffic return for the past week of the Mid-
land Railway shows an increase of £6,752, and that
of the Metropolitan £1,883. On the London and
North Western there is a decrease of £1,402.