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

nage in the foreign trade to the amount of 700,000 tons
the increase of sailors was 20,000; at the same time the
home trade had suffered from an actual want of shipping
to carry on the usual traffic ; freights and wages, indeed,
had risen nearly 50 per cent. The consequence, Lord
STANLEY argued, was that the public had to pay a great
increase in the price of coals and other articles, inde-
pendently of loss and inconvenience to manufacturers,
farmers, and others. Here let me say that the increase
in the price of coals was mainly attributable to the
strikes ; for at the time there was plenty of craft unem-
ployed ; and that the great increase in provisions was
owing to the deficient harvest, not only here but on the
Continent, and also to certain advantages taken by the
unprincipled, as is always the case under such circum-
stances. A striking anomaly was mentioned, that, during
this demand for shipping, thousands of foreign ships,
which had arrived in English ports, bringing the produce
of their own countries, were obliged to go in ballast to
other English ports to obtain return cargoes. The noble
lord, as far as he went, made a very good case in favour of
the bill; so did those opposed to it, if the phrase opposition
really could be applied. It was by others stated, that the
increase of the foreign shipping trade of the country was
entirely attributable to the discovery of gold in Australia,
and the increase of emigration to that colony. As the law
at present stood, a British ship, either in the foreign or
the coasting trade, might be commanded by a foreign
captain, and manned by a foreign crew ; hence, no great
harm could arise from the present measure, especially as
all admitted that the home trade had suffered more or less
by the deficiency of British ships.
Mr. CHORLEY, one of the critics of the day, has had
another failure in the production of a full-blown play, at
the Haymarket, called the Duchess Eleanour. The
beaver, naturalists tell us, is wonderful in the art of con-
struction. So is not Mr. CHORLEY in the construction of
a play. There are clever dramatists equally characterised.
JERROLD, for example, is not highly distinguished for
depth or cunning in the plots of his numerous plays ; but,
then, all his dramatis personme are characters drawn
from nature; he bites vice through and through ; snaps
at folly, and makes it hide its head, cap, bells, and all; his
sentiment also is pretty, and by no means tawdry or wea-
risome; hence his plays always please, though without
distinguishable plot. Mr. CHORLEY'S excellence in the
Duchess Eleanouris as a felicitous copyist of Elizabethan
blank verse, a thing that can never serve or save gentle
dulness. The author *shows himself to be what nobody
disputed,--a scholar and grammarian. The Herenlean
periods he adopts, without masculine wit and point, fail
worse than vapid on the ear and understailing.

COMMERCIAL 4, MONETARY NEWS-

MONDAY NIGHT.
TFIE effect of preparing for war is beginning to
be felt in monetary affairs, and must shortly tell
with far heavier pressure. The Bank returns, on
Friday, showed a decrease in the stock of bullion
to the extent of more than half a million, arising
from the shipments of specie to the Continent ;
and it is expected that the next retain will show
a still greater decrease, owing to the continued
shipments to the Continent, particularly to France,
where the new Gan has been eagerly taken up.
Others loans will also be required, so that a tight-
ness in money affairs may reasonably be anticipated
for some time to come. The Bank of England, at
the half-yearly meeting, last week declared a
dividend of 41 per cent.
Notwithstanding the near approach of the anti-
cipated warlike operations, the departure' of the
fleets for the Baltic,. and the hostile tone of minis-
terial declarations, the value of the public- funds
has been well sustained, and the fluctuations have
been very slight Money for discount has been
more difficult, owing to the anticipated demands for
foreign loans, and the rate of interest instead of
being reduced has been. rather higher._

Without anything' occurring of partioular
moment to shake public- confidence in. •gefferal
mercantile security, the• length of time to which
negotiations have been. protracted on the Eastern
question has had an. injurious effect upon some
houses, and a few failures have occurred. in Man-
chester and the neighbourhood.. The whole extent
of liabilities is not, however, of large amount.and
no very serious consequences are entertained.. The
state of trade in the manufacturing districts-has
been far from satisfactory, the demand. being con-
fined to actual wants;. but holders, on the other
hand, have not been inclined to press sales, so that
prices, though on. the decline, are not greatly
depressed.
The corn trade has suffered a general depression,
not only in the markets of the United Kingdom,
but also on the Continent, notwithstanding the
near approach of a. European war, a circumstance
which might be supposed to operate in a contrary
direction. The fall in prices is supposed. to be
owing to the recent large arrivals, the prospect of
still further large. supplies from Canada,.and the
favourable appearance of the growing crops.. Some,
however, are of opinion that prices will rally, and
attribute the depression to monetary difficulties,
and the necessity of some large holders 4reparing
to meet their engagements without relying upon
accommodation..

The news from Australia, by the Sydney, are not
many days later than those brought by. the Great
Britain. Without any new discoveries of gold to
excite speculation, the state of trade was steady,
and the improved communications withib.e interior
will tend considerably to improve the demand for
imports.
The return from the Bank of England for the
week ending•the 11th of March gives the following
results, when compared with the previbus week
Public deposits ... £2,899,597; Increase £157,746
Other deposits ... 10,887,396; Decrease 357,213
Rest ... .. 3,718,228; Increase 4,313
On the other side of the account—
Government securities £11,747,728, Decrease £3,827
Other securities ... 13,054,655; Decrease 187,166
Notes unemployed ... 7,626,655; Increase 26,935
The amount of notes in circulation is £21,014,415,
being a. decrease of £543,535 ;, and the stock of
bullion in both departments is £15;396,685, showing
a decrease of £512,218, when compared with the
preceding return.

ISSUE DEPARTMENT.
Notes issued ... £28,641,070 Gorernmt. Debt £11,015,100
Other -Securities 2,984,900
Goltl coin & bu11'n.14,641,070
Sicker bullion

£28,641,0701
BANKING DERAJIIIIENT.
Prop. Capital ... £14,553,000,G0y. Securities £11,747,728;
levo
Rest „ • . 3,718,22 Other Securities 13,054,65 a.
Public Deposit's 2,899,5 Notes ... 7,626,655,
Other Deposits 10,887, Id & Silver Coin 755,615
7-day & other bills 1,126,43
X 33,184,663

£28,641,070

£33,184,85a

The SHARE MARKET continued languid all week,
the business being almost altogether speculative'
with a gradual decline in prices. On SaturdPy the.
intelligence of tho rejection of the ultimatum, by
the Czar caused a fdirther decline of about half per
cent. To-day prices have again fallen, to, the
extent of about elle per cent. in addition,, which
appears to have brought in some real buying, and
has produced a steadiness of tone at the ch)se, We
annex the prices of the day :—Aberdeen, 111 d;
Caledonian, 268 East tancashire,.
; Great Northern A, 91 ; Lancashire and
Yorkshire, Gat 2 13 2 ly 4 ; Liverpool, Crosby,
and Southport, 11 11 1-16 11; London Stock,
99; 1- 9 ; Sheffield Stock, 201 1 ; Midland Stock,
5871- 8711111; Birmingham and Derby, 331;
Dover Stock, 181 3-161 3-16 I 1-16 ; York and
North Midland, 221; Midland 41 per cent. pref., 11. ;
Royal Rank 383 ; Royal Bank pref., 7 per cent.,
1144 ; Royal Insurance 131. p.
PBODUCE.—The market during the week pre-
sents few features worthy of notice. The sales of
Sugar have been chiefly for refining purposes. To-
r A.Y the sales in Sugar, ineinding Saturday's busi-
ness, consist of 60 hhds. Demerara at 355.; 1,500
bags Pernams at 225. ; 14 eases Bahia at• 20s. to
235. ; and 1,400 mats elayed Manilla at 21s. 6d. to
the refiners, with 1,275 boxes Havana at 235.
to 245. 3d. per cwt. for export. There is nothing
to notice in Molasses, Rum, or Coffee. In Tea,
transactions have been to a small extent at fbrmer
rates. Nothing has transpired in Rice. Of Salt-
petre, 400 bags are reported at 345. per cwt. 51
per cent. refraction. Of 400 tons Logwood, offered
by auction, this morning, only a small part sold at
£6 10s. for Jamaica ; £6 12s. 6d. for St. Domingo,
and at £8 ss. per ton for Campeaehy. A small
lot of Bombay Hemp has realised £3O per ton.
COTTON.—The market during the week has been
very dull, owing to the uncertainty which prevails
as to political affairs, and prices have been a fraction
lower, but holders generally have been firm. There
has been a general disinclination to purchase
beyond immediate necessities, owing to the flatness
whin' prevails in the market for manufactured
goods ; and this dulness has been increased by the
reports of several failures in the neighbourhood of
Manchester, which, however, are not to a large
amount. The sales of the week, up to Friday,
amounted to 32,450 bales, of which 2,620 were
taken by speculators, and 2,172 for export, leaving
27,658 bales for the trade. The advices by the
Baltic were received to-day, but had very little
effect on the market, which closed heavily, without,
however, any
alteration In prices. The sales to.
day were bqtwcell
moo and
_6,000 6000 bAlest ThQ