The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-08 00:00:00

tically substituted for silver as the exclusive standard
of value." So, from WILLIAM to ELIZABETH, our
" ancient polity" recognised, NOT the pound of gold,
but the pound of silver, as the standard of value.
From a period not a century after the close of WIL-
LIAM'S reign ti 111567, say about 300 years, even this
pound was of greatly debased silver ; and fr0m1567 to

1719, or for 150 years, the enhanced value of the pound
remained unaltered. Farewell, the "ancient prac-
tice " by which our gold standard of value is said to be
sanctioned ! Well ;—"for a certain period afterwards,
both gold and silver constituted the standard of value;
and in 1717, it having been determined that the value
of the guinea should. be 215., in 1774 it was enacted
that no legal contract should be discharged in silver
for any sum of more than 251." Adieu! most con-
sistent, unbroken, venerable, presumptive " custom of
the country," only chequered by these trifling
changes !—" That" (measure of 1774) " therefore
made gold substantially the measure of value in this
country." Sir ROBERT'S " therefore" is about as
good a sequitur as his definition of " certain definite"
(that is, unchanging and unalterable) quantity.

One more citation, and we will leave Sir ROBERT
for the present. He supposes himself to be arguing
against any change in the existing standard of value.
" There is no more reason," he says, " why a pound
should not be bound by all transactions—notwith-
standing our increase in wealth—there is no snore
reason why you should change your pound—than
there is to say that a foot shall be a foot and a half."
The difference between the two cases, the reason for
such a principle of adoption in the one—the utter
absurdity
cf its application in the other—are things
o self-evident, that we will not waste one word of
s
commentary on such a preposterous analogy. Had
the Premier proposed his own "foot" for the standard
of Parliamentary symmetry in that member, it would
have had not one tittle less of relation to the matter
in hand, or been one iota less inefficient as a measure
of comparison !

Madrid journals of the 30th ult. have been received.
One of them, the Corresponsal, publishes the condi-
tions of an offer made by five Spanish capitalists, to
raise a loan of a thousand millions of reals (about 250
million francs) for the Government. The chief con-
ditions are that the Government shall give 100 reals
stock for 40 in money, and that the payment of the
interest shall be secured on the tobacco monopoly.
In one of the articles the Government engages not
to contract any new loan until the above be paid off,
and shall engage to fulfil all the above conditions.
The Funds had recovered alittle from the depression
caused by late events. Three per Cents. were done
31 for cash, and 30/, at 60 days ; the Four per
Cents. at 20.1 at 59 days; and the Five per Cents.,
at 21k.

The Paris papers of Monday published a telegra-
phic dispatch, dated Bayonne, May 4, announcing
the capitulation of Almeida on the 29th ult., from
which we learn that Count BOMFIM and a number of
officers, who raised the standard of rebellion, had
made their escape into Spain. The intelligence in
these papers possesses little interest. The Duchess
of KENT was much occupied in visiting all the public
places of note in Paris and the neighbourhood. On Sun-
day she went to Trianon, with the QUEEN and several
members of the Royal Family, and after the conclu-
sion of the water-works returned to the Tuileries
with the Royal party. The KING did not accompany
her Royal Highness, having to preside at a Cabinet
Council. On Tuesday there will be a fete at Fon-
tainbleau, at which the KING and Royal Fa-
mily, with the Duchess of KENT, will be pre-
sent. Her Royal Highness will remain at
Fontainbleau until Thursday, when she will leave
for Switzerland. The Constitutionnel has an ar-
ticle on railroads, attacking with much severity
the backwardness of the Government and the
Chambers in adopting any plan for carrying out
the proposed new lines. " The railroads," it states,
" were expected to be the great business of the ses-
sion. However, the Chambers have been sitting for
four months, and not a single report on all the diffe-
rent Bills presented by the Minister of Public Works
has been made. M. TESTS was accused of incapacity
and supineness, and it was hoped that his successor,
M. DumoN, would find means for getting out of the
dilemma in which the law of 1842 had involved the
railroad question. This was a misconception ; for
M. DumoN still drags on in the ruts and sloughs of
incertitude and sluggishness. He takes up every
system, but holds to no one. The new Minister of
Public Works, since he decided upon amending the
law of 1842, ought to have emancipated himself from
Parliamentary influence and the exigencies of local
interests ; but he has wanted the courage. He
has neglected the main lines, to favour those of a
minor order. Has not the law of 1842 classed the
lines from Paris to Strasburg, and from Paris to the
Mediterranean ? Do not these two lines predominate
by their importance and utility over all others ?
Are they not equally connected with our internal
prosperity and our foreign commerce ? These ques-
tions have long ago been answered by all men who
regard with judgment the general interest. Could
any doubts on this subject remain, it will suffice to
refer to the report of the Ministry as to its grounds
for presenting the law of 1842, in which a decided
priority is given to these two lines, and also to the
report of the Committee to which the Bill was re-
ferred. All the other roads form but the small veins
to these two great arteries. Well! what is M.
Duxtorr doing ? He seems to have completely aban-
doned the Paris and Strasburg line, and cuts short
the communication between Paris and Lyons, by
proposing at first to carry the work no further than
Chalons-sur-Saone, and by choosing afterwards a
direction which cannot fulfil all the conditions of a
line crossing the kingdom from north to south. In
compensation, he gives us the roads between Orleans
and Vierzon, and between Tours and Bordeaux.
This certainly is not what the country expected ; and
this arrangement will satisfy but very few localities.
The Chambers, we say it with regret, do not show
more ardour in coming to a resolution than the
Cabinet itself. Two months have elapsed since the
was presented, and not a
m a matter so urgent has
escapeßilld. the
I fN tohet
samerailroad
upon
pn
o drawling
system goes on, we
shall come to the end of the session without any
other means of action than the deplorable law
of 1842."

On Monday the Three per Cents. closed at 84f. 60c.,
and the Fives at 122 f. 15c.
THE BOURSE—MONDAY, MAY 6.

First Highest Lowest Last
Price. Price. Price. Price.
French Five per Cents .• •• • • 121 65 .. 121 90 • • 121 65 .. 121 85
Four per Cents. ••.• • 106 90 • • 106 90 • • 106 90 .. 106 90
Three per Cents.• •.. 84 55 .. 84 60 .. 84 55 .. 84 50
Bank of France .••3100 ..3100 . 3100 .. 3100

EttfiTtte Bank,ls,ooof. Sharessl6o ..5165 .. 5160 ..5165
Belgian Bank,..•. 692 50 •• 692 50 .• 692 50 .. 692 50
1841. lllO ..1110 ..1110 .•1110
Belgian Fives, 1831
1840 •• 106 .. 106 .. 106 .. 106
1842 .• • • 1081 .. 1081 loaf .. 108}
Spanish Active •
Threes
Passive . . 6 .. 6 • • 6 .. 6
Portuguese Five per Cents.. 451 .. 46 • • 451 • • 46
Neapolitan •. • • •• • ... • .. 101 8.5 .. 102 05 •• 101 85 . • 102 08
Roman, exidiv.... ..... 104 .. 104 .. 104 • . 104

RAILWAY SHARES.
Versailles, L. 8... • • 255 .. 253 75 .. 251 25 .. 252 50
Rouen ..... .............. 967 50 .• 967 50 .. 965 965
Rouen to Havre. ••••• • • • • 735 .. 737 50 .• 735 • • 737 SO
Orleans ...... ........... 975 975 •• 972 50 .. 975
Strasburg to Bale ••• • • • 276 25 276 25 .• 273 75 . • 275
Avignon to Marseilles ••• • • • 770 • . 770 . • 770 • . 770
RAILWAY SHARES, FOR THE ACCOUNT.

Vevailles,R.B..• • • ....•••• 375 .. 375 .. 375 .. 375
L. 8.• ••• •• 255 .. 255 •. 252 50 .. 252 50
Rouen ••
Rouen to Hgvre.• •• .• • ...
Orleans • •
Strasburg to Bale•
Avignon to Marseillee.• •• .. 772 50 • 772 50 • • 770 .. 770

THE CoußT.—Her Majesty and Prince Albert,
accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the Princess
Royal, and the Princess Alice, and attended by the
Royal suite, are expected to arrive at Buckingham
Palace, about three o'clock this afternoon, from
Claremont. A grand dinner will be given in the
evening, at Buckingham Palace, to the Noble Direc-
tors of the Concert of Ancient Music, the Prince
being the Director for the evening. The Illustrious
party will afterwards proceed to the Hanover-square
Rooms.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN SHOE..LANN.—This morn-
ing, at half-past three o'clock, a dreadful fire broke out in
the lower part of the house of Mr. Lescombe, a glass manu-
facturer, Shoe-lane, nearly opposite the London National
Schools. The police ran instantly to Farringdon-street,
where they procured fire-ladders and hastened onward to
rescue the inmates ; and in three or four minutes the engines
were on the spot, followed by the West of England ; but
the firemen, although well supplied with water, could save
but a small portion of the stock. The premises of Messrs.
Pontifex and Co., as well as several small houses at the back,
were alone saved through the instrumentality of the assist-
ance rendered by the neighbours. The family all escaped,
but saved not a particle of clothing. The fire was not ex-
tinguished
till half-past four, when several of the engines
left for another fire in Pall-mall.