MONEY MARKET,

STOCK EXCHANGE, FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

The operations of the week have been precisely of the same character of those of the last. The sales have been almost entirely of a speculative character while the great majority of the purchases have been for money. Stock has consequently become scarce and money plentiful ; and unless the great mass of the public should bring stock to market, the anticipations of a fall can scarcely be realized. Till yesterday morning the transactions bad not been extensive nor the fluctuations important : the opening price of Consols for Ac- count was 92/, which had been the closing quotation of Wednesday evening. A sale of 50,000/., however, caused an immediate depression ; and as this was followed by several others of minor importance, the price speedily gave way to 92*; at which rate another sale of 50,000/. occurred : the market, however, gradually recovered ; and at the close there were buyers at 92*. It was gene- rally believed that the first sale was made in consequence of intelligence having reached the City of the intention of Ministers to move in the House of Com- mons last night the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act as far as regards Ireland. In the absence of all proceedings in the House last night, the mar- ket opened this morning at 92*, but speedily declined to 92i ; to rally again, under the effect of a purchase of 200,000/. Reduced Three per Cents by the broker of the Bankruptcy Court ; and finally closes at 921 1. Among other reports, is one that a message from the Crown will be delivered to,the House of Commons this evening calling their attention to the necessity of an increase of the Army ; which it will be proposed to do by calling out the Militia. Bank Stock has remained without any material change in price. So has India Stock. The premium of Exchequer Bills has improved, and from 48s. to 51s., the clos- ing quotation of last week, have risen to 54s. All these circumstances, coupled with the fact of the general disposition of the public for investment, may be taken as indications that the alarm occasioned by the posture of affairs in Ire- land has but a very limited existence, and is really confined to the speculative portion of the public.

Another scheme has been put forth by the Dutch Government for the re- duction of the Five per Cent Stock, which it is proposed to reduce to Four per Cent ; and though it is not likely to succeed, its immediate effect has been to produce a rise of 11 per cent in the Two-and-a-half per Cent Stock, which has been as high as 554, and closes this afternoon about 55. Spanish Stock has ex- perienced a fluctuation of rather more than 1 per cent ; the price varying with the various reports of the outbreak or suppression of local revolts; and the value of the Three per Cent Stock being chiefly supported by the certainty that the dividend, which becomes due on the 30th instant, will be duly paid, the quotations of this Stock have been as high as 30*, but have today been as low as 29*, and the last price was 291 The Active Stock has been proportionally in a greater demand than the Three per Cents, in consequence of a reported arrangement with the Government, by which a considerable portion of this description of Bonds, in conjunction with Deferred and Passive Stock, was to be received in payment of a loan to be advanced upon the security of a na- tional property : but the temporary impulse thus given has not been sup- ported, and it is now quoted at about 9 per cent below the price of the Three per Cents. The intelligence from Mexico of defeats in Yucatan, has produced a decline of nearly 1 per cent in the price of the Bonds, without the occur- rence of any business of importance. The business in the Railway Shares has not been extensive ; neither does there appear any general disposition for improvement in price. The Shares of some of the French Railways appear to have become attractive to English capitalists ; those of the Paris and Lyons being the most in demand. These shares advanced recently 20 francs in Paris, (the tolls of the week ending on Saturday last having exceeded those of any preceding week by 10,000 francs,) and are quoted today in our market at 26*. Other schemes for thelornsation

of French Railways are before the public; and it is not improbable that, from the simplicity of the French commercial law, which, dispensing with the neces- sity of an act of incorporation, secures by the formation of a company under the title of " Societe anonyme " the limitation of the liability of the share- holder to the nominal amount of the shares, that these enterprises may become popular here, particularly as the French Legislature are becoming more tract- able upon the subject of railway bills. Nothing of importance occurred at the meeting of the proprietors of the Blackwell Railway, held yesterday : the special report, which we briefly noticed some time since, was received by a trifling majority; and the shareholders did not seem inclined to try any of the experiments recommended for the purpose of increasing the traffic of the line. The price of the shares continues the same, viz. 4*.

SATURDAY. Two o' mom.

The English Stock Market has been lower, a single bargain having occurred at 92i in Consols for Account ; the price has, however, since slightly improved, and closes at 92* I, being nominally the same quotation as in the morning; but the market must be considered as heavy at that price: scarcely any business of importance has occurred during the aftenionn.

The only change in the Foreign Market has occurred in Dutch Two-and-a- half per Cents, which have fallen on the receipt of lower prices from Amster- dam by express. The Stock which at one period of the afternoon was in de- mand at 55*, has since fallen to 54i, at which price there were sellers at the close.

We have to notice the following transactions in Railway Shares, in addition to those noticed in the morning. Railways—Edinburgh and Glasgow, 49/ ; Brighton, 32k; Blackwell, 4; South-western, 64. Union Bank of Loudon, 10.

3 per Cent consots

Ditto for Account ex. div.

stint 921 g

Chilian Deferred Colombian 6 per Cents, 1824 31 3 23 1 3 per Cent Reduced

931 1 Dun sit 3 per CeuSi ...... ... 4i 1

5856 34 per Cent Ditto.

1( 01 1

Dutch 2+ per Cents

New 31 per Cents ...

shut Ditto 5 per Cents ...... .... 991 1001 Bank Stock fur Account

180 Mexican 5 per Cents Consd . 281 g Exchequer Bills mem 51 53 Put tuguese New 5p. Cis. 1841 41 + India Stock

shut Russian 5 per Cents 1131 141 Brazilian 5 per Cents

71 3 Spanish (Active) 5 per Cents. 201 I

Belgian 5 per Cents 1024 3+

Ditto 3 per Cents 1842 291 4 Chdian 6 per Ceuts .... ...... 92 94

SATURDAY, TWELVE O'CLOCK.

The Stock market was firmer at the commencement of business. Consols for Account being done at 924. Since then, however, the Bank broker has shown himself a seller and disposed of a small quantity, but discontinued his operations when the market gave way. The price has consequently fallen to 924. and is now 92* k.

The business of the Foreign market has been quite unimportant, and prices are the same as yesterday.

The only transactions we can notice at present in shares, are the following. Railways—Paris and Rouen, 27 6i.; South-eastern and Dover, 234. Na- tional Provincial Bank of England, 355. Mexican and South American Company, 5*.

The return of the circulation of the United Kingdom for the four weeks zoding 27th May, exhibits as compared with that of the last month a decrease of 927,4011. in its gross amount.

The decrease of the circulation of the Bank cf England is .£907,000 Private Banks (England) 224,428 Joint Stock Bank (Englandj 94,281 Total decrease of the circulation in England 1,225,709 There is a decrease in the circulation of Private and Joint Stock Banks in Ireland of. .£110,393 And an increase in that of the Bank of Ireland of... 52,850 Making the net decrease 57,543 The decrease upon both the English and Irish circulation is therefore 1,283,252 From this must be deducted an increase in the Scotch circula- tion of 355,851 Leaving the net decrease £927,401

The bullion in the Bank of England has, during the same period, increased 9,000/. only. The amount of the present average being 11,325,000/. against one last maoh of 11,316,000i.; as compared with the corresponding month of last year, there is an increase of 748,835/. in the gross circulation, and of -3,942,000/. in the amount of bullion in the Bank of England. The circulation of the United Kingdom at that period being 34,366,629f. against a present amount of 35,115,4641.; while the bullion in the Bank of England, in May 1842, amounted to 7,383,000/.2 and the amount of the present return, as al- ready stated, is 11,325,000/.