The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-24 00:00:00

_ .
rejected at • the public meeting, because it not only
cancelled all the valuable privileges of redemption at
par within a specified date, viz., 6 and 12 months,
secured by the law of 1836 (which and which alone
prompted persons to purchase them at all), but actually
called upon the holders to submit even to a reduced
rate of interest of from 5 to 3 per cent. ; a proposition
so at variance with the spirit and letter of the law, that
it seemed only an insult to the parties, many of whom
had been induced to purchase the said Treasury paper
at 601. and 701. per cent. in 1837, interpreting the
law and the Ambassador's notices of payment in their
plain and literal and common-sense meaning. They
have to regret, as your Excellency will easily conceive,
their most misplaced confidence.
" The Earl of Aberdeen kindly interested himself,
and has made appeals in our behalf. To him I again
appeal.

" I do once more implore a speedy and final settle-
ment, and that your Excellency will acknowledge as
early as possible the receipt of this letter.
" I remain, in the meantime your Excellency's
most obedient humble servant,
" JOSEPH TASKER

" Chairman of the Spanish Treasury Bondholders.
" Committee-rooms, 3, York-buildings,
New-road, Dec. 20."
SUN.—Money, which was plentiful in the morning,
at about 1 per cent., became rather more in demand this
afternoon, and as much as 3 per cent was paid in the
Stock Exchange for temporary accommodation. lt
was said the Bear party were inclined to change their
accounts. The broker acting for the Government took
Reduced Three per Cent. Annuities to about the usual
amount at 94i. Consols were 931 93 for the open-
ing ; Reduced Three-and-a-Half per Cents. 101 to
108; and the Old Three-and-a-Half per Cents., 100 i
to 101. Bank Stock was steady at 172. The premium
on Exchequer Bills remained at 495. to 51s.
There were some symptoms of buoyancy in a few
of the Foreign Securities, but the transactions were
limited. The Five per Cent. Spanish BondS were
marked 18-1 to 18k; and the Three per Cents. 23i to
23k. Portuguese Converted Stock improved to 32i
32k. Mexican dull at 31i. Brazil Bonds rose to
69i- and 70. Dutch Five per Cents. were at 1001 to
1001.

The Shares were scarcely so well supported, and the
only bargains this afternoon were in the following
lines :—Edinburgh and Glasgoiv were 21 ; Brighton,
14 ; Northern and Eastern, 9 ; North Midland,
Thirds, 1i; and South Eastern and Dover Scrip, 3i
discount. London and Birmingham were 99k; and
Paris and Rouen, 4} premium. London Joint Stock
Bank Shares were 3+; London and Westminster, li
to 2 ; and Provincial of Ireland, 181 premium. Co-1
lonial Bank Shares were 5.1 discount.
Bills of Exchange on the principal Continental ci-
ties were in many instances quoted at a slight ad-
vance this afternoon, being taken at these rates :—On
Paris at 25c. 921 c. to 951 c. ; on Hamburgh at
13 11i t ; on Frankfort at 1521; on Amsterdam,
at 12 6 ; on Antwerp at 12 51 ; and on Trieste at 10 1
COURSE OF EXCHANGE—(YESTERDAY. )
Amsterdam C F. 12 'Si Gibtaltar .. .. 46
Ditto, at sight
Rotterdam .........2 U. 12 9 Genoa
Antwerp l2 ei Milan
Hamburgh M.B. 13 15 Venice 47
Altona , 13 15i Naples ............... ..... 40
Paris, 3 days' sight ... 25 SO. Palermo, per oz 12f i
Ditto, 3 months 26 5 Lisbon .
Marseilles
13ourdcaux 26 10 Rio Janeiro 25
Frankfort on Maine ...1521 Bahia
Petersburgh, 3 Us. 4361 Buenos Ayres
Berlin . 7 New York, 21 days sight 461 t
Vienna, effec. fl. 3M. 10 2 'Philadelphia 4€
Trieste, ditto
Madrid ..
Cadiz 36 Portugal Gold C0in...3 17 5
Bilbao
Barcelona
Seville ,.. 36 Silver in Bars... ..... 0 4 11A

GREAT FAILURES AT YORK AND
WAKEFIELD.
(From the York Herald of this day.)
STOPPAGE OF THE YORKSHIRE AGRI-
CULTURAL BANK.
We regret to state that this Banking Company sus-
pended payment yesterday (Friday).
There is not any possibility of stating at present the
cause of this lamentable event ; nor can we form any
opinion as to the probability of the Bank ever again
resuming payment.
As this establishment has had branch banks at Brid-
lington, Driffield, Hull, Leeds, Mahon, Market-
Weighton, Pickering, Pocklington, Tadcaster, Whitby,
Ike., we fear that its suspension will be seriously felt
throughout the country.
GREAT FAILURE AT WAKEFIELD.
We lament to state that Mr. Dunn,' the great corn
dealer, at Wakefield, has failed. The liabilities are
said to be about 300.0001. This will be seriously
felt by thousands.

of this day.)
:EFFECTS
(F
ro
nlt h e
Lf
eteides 2
viS
eLr
ur Dr
yING•SC A L E.
The sliding-scale is slaving its hecatombs, and
piling them upon the altars 'of monopoly. Tempted
pect of large gains to be suddenly realised on the
beyond the power of most men to resist by the pros-
opening of the ports, the corn merchants of England
imported two millions and a-half quarters of 'wheat
this year. If the harvest had been like those of the
previous four years the supply would have been abso-
lutely necessary to avert scarcity, and the importers
would, perhaps, have made fortunes by their specu-
lations. The sliding scale induced them to col-
lect the greater part of this grain against one
particular week, namely, the week of the open-
ing of the ports ; but for that scale, they would
have bought the grain as it was wanted, or
at all events they would not have eagerly
brought every bushel they could lay their hands on,
to be ready for introduction at the lowest duty : the
sliding-scale offered them a profit, perhaps a for-
tune, if they were in time, with the prospect of a
severe penalty if they were tao late. The particular
week arrived ; the flood-gates were opened ; but the
corn came to a declining market, and the large im-
port greatly accelerated the fall of price. In the
week ending the 16th 'July the average price of
wheat was published at 655. Bd. By the week end-
ing the sth of November an average price is pub-
lished of 48s. 7d. After having paid Bs. per quarter
duty, and perhaps as much for expenses, that is, 16s.
per quarter in the whole, the importer has to bring
his commodity to a market which has fallen 17s. Id.
per quarter, or about 26 per cent. in three months
and a half! What can be expected but wholesale de-
struction ? And this is just what has happened.
Failures to a very large amount took place in the
corn trade in London within two months after the
opening of the ports. In various parts of England,
and also in the principal corn-exporting places 4 the
Baltic, similar disasters have occurred. And within
the last fortnight two great houses in the trade at
Wakefield, Messrs. Fernandes and Messrs. R. Durin
and Son, whose liabilities are exceedingly heavy, have
failed, drawing down several other houses with them.
One house is likely to stop (if it have not already
stopped), which a short time since entered the busi-
ness with an unfetterred capital of 20,0001. Of course
the losses must be exceedingly great to the corn mer-
chants generally, though happily in the majority of
cases they are not ruinous. It is the less prudent
houses which get ensnared; but the law presents so
great a temptation, and so suddenly entraps its vic-
tims, that the sliding-scale ought to be symbolised by
an enormous Trap. And we say it is an infamous
shame, that these Man Traps should be laid by Par-
liament in the very highway of lawful and recessary
commerce. Among the merchants of London, and
throughout the country, the opinion against the
Sliding Trap has become almost, if not quite, uni-
versal ; and we apprehend the tanks of the Corn-law
repealers will have been materially swelled by the ex-
perience of the last three months.

STATE OF TRADE.
(From the. Leeds Mercuryof this day.)

_hough this is the season of the year when business
SI DEC. 3.—Al.
FOR liIGN WOOL TRADE, LE-ED
generally is done on a more limited scale, the trans-
actions of the past week,, though not perhaps equal to
the average of the fortnight or three weeks previous,
have, nevertheless, been fully as extensive as might
reasonably have been expected, and prices continue
very steady.
ENGLISH WOOL MARKET, LEEDS DEC. 23.—Con-
sidering the near approach of Christmas, the sales of
wool during the present week have been .to a moderate
pricesare firmly maintained.
MARKET,
3,:h_.
extent,
lvA KaEnrdi
Ely! It week
WOOL s
trade has been in a perfectly quiescent state this week
scarcely ao havingnbguhytetrobe
obeenipoeted
, inon
the eve of the close the market, which,
perhaps,
of the year. Stocks of long wool are, however, light
in the market, and prices are firm at late quotations.
LEEPS.—From the circumstance
continuing so unusually mild at this late period of
the season, the demand for winter of the weather
goods has entirely
ceased, and the time for taking stock being just at
hand, very few purchases are made on speculation.
The markets at both our Cloth Halls have, in conse-
quence, been exceedingly dull this Week.
however, a few orders out for goods for the East
India and China markets, which There are,
will give employ-
ment, to a certain extent, in several of the clothing
villages. There is also an increase of. confidence that
an improved state of trade will take place early next
year. There has been very little doing in the ware•
houses this week.

-
TRADE OF HOLMFIRTIL—As we ventured to pre-
dict at the time, the impulse given to our trade in the
beginning of October,•by the demand for plaid ker-
seymeres, has proved of short duration, and the mills
are now very inadequately employed ; in fact, they,
were never worse off for work than they have been
during the last three weeks. Very few of them_ have
been lighted up, and many of them have not half
work for the brief period of daylight. Every body is
complaining ; what goods are sold is at a loss, and pay-