The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-14 00:00:00

THE SUN, LUNDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 14, 1868.

Paid.

Closing Business
Prise. I dine.

82 ii 4
74j ;41,
20 . 30

3 4
75 77
7s' 72

102 10/
3t 311
7 8
15 8
102 i 1031
97 9S
122 141

P 4
5 S 534

L 5 57
3u 85
3u 33

-
128 12q

63i 51 I
181 liik

1151 1161
110
'4l 143
1113 li2

le4 ies
7 8.,

log 10i1

77 79

33i 34

1(2 103

684 5.a
1.4 95
130 134
1;:(1 132
116 118

11 114
57 69
LUG ICS

57 2
44 *d
732 741

d 10
143 145

5:1 I

127 i

53f I

1151 i
Sa.

42
111}

loft f

ESTATES IN BANKItUPTCY.

The costliness of the present bankruptcy machinery is
CO universally known that new illustrations of the fact are
almost unnecessary. But one balance-sheet published in
the Grocer certainly deserves attention. The estate was
that of a grocer in Manchester, who failed with debts to
the amount of £4OO. When his estate and effects were
sold by the trustee, they realised £6BlBs. sd. How these
assets were distributed can only be gathered from the
attorney's bill :

Auctioneer's commission - £6 16 0

Clerk's railway fares 0 13 0

Clerk two days
Railway fares of auctioneer, on valua-
tion and sale
Rent paid to save distress 9 0 0

1 1 0

Possession fee 1 1 0
Man in possession thirteen days, and
. railway fares
Man's law charges 4 14 1

Man's accountants' charges

Law charges on deed
Ditto stamps and agency charges on regis-
tering deed and obtaining signatures 10 0 0
Ditto on dividend and correspondence 6 6 2
Available fur dividend (or 3d. in the £) 5 12 8

£6B 18 5

7'llE BRITISH MUSEUM.

The number of persons who visited the British
Museum in 1867 was 445,036, a larger number than
in any other year since the Exhibition year, 1862.
If we add the 1.03,469 visits of readers to the read-
ing room, and also the admissions to the print-
room, coin-room, &c., and to the galleries of sculp-
ture for the purposes of study, the total becomes
556,317. It is estimated that 1,256,860 volumes
were consulted in the reading-room, or 4,304 per
day for the 292 days on which the room was open ;
and as the average number of readers was 354 a
day, the number of books consulted averaged over
12 books for each reader per day. Among the
noteworthy acquisitions of the department in the
year is a collection of nearly 200 volumes of
Spanish plays and poetry, mostly of the s'itecuth
4nd seventeenth centuries, presented to the Museum
by Mr. Chorley. Among the additions in the de-
partment of maps is a Japanese map of Japan,
made by the Japanese Government, and presented
by the Deputies of the Tycoon to Mr. Kingdon,
by whom it was presented to the Museum. Many
valuable acquisitions have been obtained in the
department of manuscripts in the year, and prepara-
tions have been made for commencing a general
catalogue of all collections in classes of subjects.
Ihe acquisitions in all the departments have been
numerous and important. The department of coins
and medals has secured some ancient and some
mediaeval coins, and has not omitted to obtain
more modern specimens that may become scarce
—a gold coin (22 pesos) of Maximilian, late Em-
peror of Mexico ; a £3 gold piece of George IV.,
A.D 1824 ; a silver coin struck at Luckuow, by
the rebels, in 1857 ; a complete set of notes of
the paper currency of the United States during
the Civil War. 10,587 persons visited the Blacas
collection of gems in 1867. Professor Owen
reports 81,228 additions. in 1867 to the department
of zoology, 9,156 to that of geology, and 813 to
that of mineralogy. The department of prints and
drawings enumerates among its acquisitions in the
year a perfect set of the Royal Academy Cata-
logues from 1769 to 1849, illustrated with upwards
of 2,000 prints and etchings, presented by Mr.
Anderdon ; also a full-length portrait of Queen
Elizabeth in State dress, by William Rogers, a
contemporary artist, no other impression of which
is known to exist; and many other engravings and
drawings of great interest. The vote for the Bri-
tish Museum this session is to £99,380, an increase
of £3,934, the item for retired advances being trans .
ferred to another part of the Civil Service esti-
mates. Half the vote is for salaries ; a fourth,
£24,305, for purchases and acquisitions; the resi-
due for bookbinding, printing catalogues, furniture
repairs, and incidental expenses.