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On Tuesday morning, the payment of the quarterly dividends com- menced at the Bank of England. The dividends now due are on the 3 per Cent. Consols, the New 31- per Cents., the 3.4 per Cents. of 1726, South Sea Stock, and India stock. The amount to be paid to the public during the present quarter is upwards of eight millions sterling. A Court of Directors was held at the East India House on Wednes- day; when the following Commanders took leave of the Court previous to departing for their respective destinations : Captain Edward M. Daniell, Duchess of Atholl ; Captain James Dalrymple, Orwell, Bom- bay and China; and Captain George Kinnaird Bathee, Asia, Bengal, and China. Captain John Rennie, Manderson, was sworn into the command of the Charles Grant, consigned to Bengal and China.
At the weekly meeting of the National Political Union, on Wed- nesday night, the propriety of a petition to Parliament on the subject of the newspaper-tax was discussed. Mr. Hume, who was present, dwelt at some length on that portion of the Six Acts which still disgraced the statute-book, and on which not less than thirty-six convictions had lately taken place. It was suggested in the petition, that Government might substitute for the present stamp-duty on news- papers, a duty on all printed matter transmitted by post. To this Mr. Hume objected, as he thought no new duty ought to be pointed out nor imposed until every means of reduction had been tried. Mr. Place explained, that a halfpenny of postage per printed sheet would not be looked on in the light of a tax, although it was so called. No one at a distance would grudge it : on the contrary, it would be looked on as a very great convenience. Ultimately, the petition was referred back to the Committee, to embody in it the facts mentioned by Mr. Hume. A separate Committee was then appointed, "to in-. quire into the nature, extent, and productiveness of the taxation by which the communication of knowledge is impeded in this country; the mode in which that taxation operates, and the most prompt mode of obtaining a repeal of it."
The quarterly meeting of the Royal Naval Charitable Society was held at the Thatched House Tavern on Wednesday. The Secretary read the amount of donations and subscriptions of the last quarter, with the sums distributed; the former of which amounted to 1,4951.. and the latter to 835/. leaving an available balance of 6601. "Extensive surveys are being made between Southwark and Green- wich, preparatory to the formation of a rail-road from the south side of London Bridge to the parish of St. Alphage, Greenwich, and to which is intended to be added numerous branch tram-roads, with warehouses, - wharfs, and premises, for the most speedy transit of goods and pas- sengers." We find this announcement in several newspapers, and of course not without design : we are afraid, however, that a rail-road, which must pass over ground that is so very valuable, will not pay. The estimated expense for these five miles is 400,000/. The Select Committee appointed by the House of Commons to in- quire into the state of trade between Great Britain, the East Indies, and China, have agreed that such information should be reported to the House, without thinking it at present necessary to make any observa- tion upon it.
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