The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-03-21 00:00:00

FRIDAY, MARCH 16.

Mr. HonsplLL presented a petition from the Liverpool
Chamber of Commerce, praying that no letters of marque
or privateering commissions should be henceforth granted
by the government of this country ; and that, among
other precautions against the Abuses of privateering and
letters of marque issued by foreign nations, it would be
declared that any vessel sailing under letters of marque
or privateering commission, issued against the property
of this country, unless commanded by a subject of a
nation at war with this country, and fitted out in and
having proceeded from a port or place of such nation
after such a declaration of war, will be deemed a pirate
by the law of this country, in accordance with the prin-
ciple proclaimed by the government of the United States
of America during the Mexican war in 1846. That the
Chamber considers it of the highest importance that the
government of this country should open negotiations with
France, the United States, and other countries, with the
view of obtaining their concurrence and co-operation in
declaring it to be piracy, at all times and under all cir-
cumstances, for any vessel to bear letters of marque or
privateering commissions, against the property of any
nation so declaring.

SIR JAMES WYLIE, for a long time the chief physician
at the Russian Court, has just died at St. Petersburg.
He is reported to have bequeathed the entire of his very
large fortune to the Emperor of Russia. Sir James Wylie
was a Scotchman, born in 1768.
FUGITIVE SLAVES.—There are 35,000 fugitive slaves in
Canada, who are represented as in a very flourishing con-
dition just now, owing to the high prices paid for labour
on the lines of railway building in the provinces. In the
town of Chatham alone there are 730 fugitives, who are
rapidly acquiring property in land. In the new abolition
town of Buxton there are 130 families of coloured people,
escaped slaves, who own a tract of 9000 acres of land. The
whole amount of land in Canada West, owned by the
fugitives, is stated to be 25,000 acres.
CONVERSION or STOOKS.—There has been printed,
by order of the House of Lords, a paper containing
returns of the stocks and annuities redeemed, paid off,
or commuted under the act of the 16th of Victora, chap.
63, showing the annual interest before and after commu-
tation. It appears that the amount of capital stock
directed to be redeemed or commuted was £11,133,210 12s.
The amount commuted was £3,063,906 18s. Bd. ; the capital
stock redeemed was £8,069,303 13s. 4d. • the amount paid
off on sth January last was £6,048,756 4s. 9d., and the
amount to be paid off on the sth of April next is
£2,020,545 Bs. 7d. The annual interest on the stock
before commutation was £91,914 3s. 10d, and after com-
mutation £84,658 13s. 4d. The amount of Exchequer
bills exchanged for Exchequer bonds was £408,000, and
the annual amount of interest payable on such bonds is
stated at £11,244 155., while the annual interest on the
same amount of Exchequer bills at the present rate of 2d.
per cent. per diem would be £12,437 Is. 6d., causing a
diminution of annual charge of £1,192 12s. 6d. From
the sth January, 1852, to the sth of January last, the
amount of Exchequer bills paid off in money was
£3,128,000. The amount of Exchequer bills purchased
by the National Debt Commissioners from the sth of
January, 1853, to the sth of January last, on account of
sinking fund, was £1,557,000, and on account of the
fund for banks for savings, £1,247.000.