Money Market And City News.

MONEY MARKET AND CITY NEWS .

FRIDAY . THE report of the Chartered Bank of India , Australia and China , for the year 1874 , shows that the not profit amounted to £ 67 , 260 , which is distributed as follows : — £ 10 , 000 by dividends amounting to 10 per cent , per annum , £ 20 , 000 added to reserve fund , and £ 7 , 260 carried forward .

The balance sheet of the Bank of Victoria , submitted at tho 44 th half-yearly meeting , shows a net balance of £ 61 , 315 , out of which a dividend and bonus , equal to 12 per cent , per annum , was recommended , £ 5 , 000 was written off Bank Premises account , £ 15 , 000 carried to reserve fund , and the balance , £ 11 , 315 , carried forward . The report of the Bank of Constantinople for the year 1874 . shows

a profit equal to abont £ 160 , 000 ; a dividend of 6 per cent , has already been distributed , and another of 12 per cent ., making 18 per cent , for the year , is recommended . The Bank has paid to its shareholders , during the 2 \ years it has been in existenoo dividends amounting to 43 per cent . The profit ( subject to audit ) of tho Lima Railways Company

Limited , for 1874 , is stated to be £ 58 , 400 . Of this , £ 32 , 000 has been absorbed by an interim dividend of 4 per cent ., and the board intend recommending at tho annual meeting a further distribution of 3 per cent , ( making 7 per cent , for the year ) , which will leavo a balanco of £ 2 , 400 to be carried forward . A drviuentl at the rate of 8 per cent , per annum is recommended

by the St . Andrew s Railway Company for the half year ending 31 st January last , leaving a balance of £ 123 . The report of tho Demerara Railway Company shows that the net profit for the half year amounted to £ 8 , 944 , out of which a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent , per annum is recommended on the original stock , leaving £ 540 to be carried forward .

Meetings were held , on the 9 th inst ., of tho Rio do Janeiro Gas Company , and of the Anglo-American Telegraph Company ; on the 12 th , of the Cuba Submarine Telegraph Company ; on the 13 th , of the Recife and San Francisco Pernambuco Railway Company Limited ; on the 14 th , of the London Gaslight Company , and of the Australian Meat Agency ( Tallerman ' s ) Company Limited , the report being adopted in each case .

The Amsterdam Hill Water Company invite subscriptions for a loan of 1 , 700 , 000 fl . ( £ 141 , 666 13 s 4 d ) , in bonds to bearer of 1 , 000 fl ., to bear interest at 4 per cent , per annum , the price of issue being 88 per cent . It is decided by tho directors of tho Royal Mail Steam Packet Company to recommend , at the meeting to be held on the 28 th inst .,

a distribution of £ 2 15 s per share , free of income tax , for the halfyear ending 31 st December last . The directors of tho Nerbndda Coal and Iron Company Limited , state that copper has been discovered on their property , and that tho net profit for the past year amounts to £ 5 , 097 , out of which they propose to pay a dividend of 5 per cent , and to carry tho balance ,

£ 640 , forward . The report of tho City of Buenos Ayres Tramways Company for the year 1874 recommends a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent ., and the appropriation of £ 1 , 000 to the contingent fund . The Coal Consumers' Association notify that interest at the rate of 10 per cent , per annum will be paid by the London and County

Bank on presentation of the second coupon attached to each debenture bond of tho Association . A dividend of 2 } per cent , per annum , free of incomo tax , was declared by the Coinpagnio Generate des Asphalfes do France Limited at their meeting on Tuesday last , and £ 1 , 362 was carried forward .

The Chancellor of tho Exchequer stated , in the course of the annual financial statement in the House of Commons last night , that the income for tho past year had oxeceded tho estimates by £ 496 , 873 , and the expenditure by £ 370 , 000 . As tho estimates were calculated to leave a balance of £ 463 , 000 , the total surplus amounts to £ 593 , 833 . He states that the total expenditure for the coming

year is estimated to amount to £ 75 , 266 , 000 , and tho income to £ 76 , 6 S 5 , 000 leaving a surplus of £ 419 , 000 . In referring to the present high price of " safe" securities , the Financier says : — "Taking the English fnnds as representing the safest possible investment , it becomes a matter of comparison between the security and tho rate of interest yielded by them , and

tho security and rate of interest yielded by other investments . Although we aro not inclined to deny that some of ( he " safe " Stocks are practically as secure as the English Funds , wo are quite sure that the time has not yet arrived when this will generally be admitted . The great difference which has always existed , and which will probably continue to exist for a long time

yet , between the satety ot consols and the safety of any other kind of investment , in the mind of the public , must causo the legitimate difference between the rate of interest yielded by consols and that yielded by all other securities to bo very wide . In other words , when the prices of other safe stocks advance to such a level as to reduce the return from them to nearly a level with the

lowrate yielded by Consols , there is evidence that an extreme has been reached , and that the position is artificial , and a change is inevitable sooner or later , " nud goes on to say , that tho principal causo is the increased demand , attributable iu great measure to the scarcity of speculative and high interest paying stocks , thereby causing many of the speculative , capitalists to invest in first-class securities . The usual weekly return of the Bank of England shows that the

Reserve is equal to -10 per cent , of tho liabilities or a rise of 4 £ pci cent , compared with last week . The rate of discount remains unchanged . Consols aro quoted 93 J- to 931- for money . A project was brought before the House of Commons yesterday , to form a new line between the Metropolis and Birmingham , tiic principle feature being to utilise several existing Railways ; in fact , it is said that out of tho total distance of tho route proposed ( 117 miles ) there aro 65 miles already at work . The scheme , however

Money Market And City News.

may be considered for the present shelved , in consequence of the decision of the Committee of the House , who declared it " not proved . " Tho home railway market has experienced several changes during the week , but prices close , in most instances , about the same as last week . The returns of the Banker ' s Clearing House for the week ending 14 th April , amounts to £ 93 , 990 , 000 .

Railway Traffic Returns.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS .

The following statement shows tho receipts for traffio on the undermentioned railways for the past week , as compared with the corresponding week in 1874 : — Miles open . Receipts . Railway . 1875 1875 1874 £ £

Caledonian 737 * 54 , 581 50 , 578 Glasgow and South Western . . - 315 J 18 , 023 15 , 848 Great Eastern . . . . 763 44 , 318 46 , 092 Great Northern .... 517 51 , 608 48 , 378 Great Western .... 1 , 525 100 , 750 104 , 774 Lancashire and Yorkshire . . 430 63 , 822 62 , 768

London and Brighton . . . 376 i 28 , 187 31 , 746 London , Chatham and Dover . . 1534 ; 17 , 718 17 , 414 London and North Western . . 1 , 582 $ 162 , 160 164 , 728 London and South Western . . 626 f 34 , 870 36 , 460 London , Tilbury and Southend . 45 2 , 257 1 , 802 Manchester and Sheffield . . 259 J- 30 , 046 28 , 770

Midland 944 J- 101 , 151 104 , 604 Metropolitan 8 8 , 988 8 , 704 „ „ District ... 8 5 , 072 4 , 511 „ St . John ' s Wood . . If 447 454 North British 839 40 , 865 38 , 150

North Eastern .... 1 , 379 113 . S 55 117 , 953 North London .... 12 6 , 895 7 , 336 North Staffordshire Railway . . 190 10 , 146 9 , 735 Canal . . 118 1 , 668 1 , 475 South Eastern .... 350 32 , 537 34 , 731

The Drama.

THE DRAMA .

Salvini as Othello—The Gaiety—Trial by Jury—The Charing Cross Theatre . rnilE theatrical event of the day is tho appearance on the London - * - stage of the great Italian tragedian , Salvini , iu tho character of Othello . Playgoers who have learnt Italian , and playgoers to whom that beautiful language is only a beautiful mystery , have alike hastened to avail themselves of this opportunity of seeing one

ot the most difficult impersonations m the entire range of Shakspearian heroes worthily and adequately represented . Since Edmund Kean no actor lias produced such grand cflcets in this part on the English boards as the distinguished artiste now before tho public . A noble and commanding presence , dramatic power capable of giving expression to the most tempestuous passion , and an

intelligence , subtle and comprehensive enough to understand tho fine shades of thought which underlie every line of Shakspeare ' s works , all these qualifications aro possessed by Signor Salvini , and are apparent in a high degree in his finished interpretation of the " noble Moor . " That the Italian version contains some variations from the

English text which may and will bo objected to by English critics , and that tho actor is only fairly well supported by the other members of the company , is only what might , reasonably have been anticipated . The representation , despite all deficiencies , deserves to bo seen by every admirer of Shakspeare and every judge of good acting .

As we stated last week , the partial failure ot Rose Michel at tho GAIETY has been followed by the revival of London Assurance , with Mrs . Gladstancs in the character of Lady Gay Spanker . That lad y shows to much better advantage in comedy than in heavy melodrama , but we do not think that she will ever become a favourite in London . Her style of acting seems rather too loud for tho present

taste of the metropolis , and she is wanting in that repose which is a great featuro in good acting , based as it is on conscions power . The other characters in the comedy aro sufficiently well played , but we do not think that Mr . Cowper as Dazzle will efface the recollection of Mathews in the same part . London Assurance is now followed by The

Tempcst , whoso performance shows no features of special interest . Miss West is not quite a perfect Ariel , but she plays the part fairly well , and Mr . Cowper , always reliable , is a very good Caliban , With this lengthy bill of fare , visitors to the GAIETY ; are sure to be well amused .

One of the brightest , maddest , merriest little pieces we have seen lately is 3 Ir . Gilbert ' s new dramatic cantata , at the ROYALTY , which wo briefly alluded to last week . The Trial is one for breach of promise , and when we state that the trial is ended by the learned judge himself proposing to the lady plaintiff , we only indicate one of the many funny situations which abound in it . The plaintiff is

capitally played by Miss iSelly Bromley , aud Mr . W . II . Fisher is an equally good defendant . The judge is represented extremely well by Mr . F . Sullivan . The piece is conceived iu the true spirit of burlesque , and well deserves the shouts of laughter with which it is nightly received . Tho CIIAKINC , CKOSS THEATRE continues prosperous under the

management of Mr . Field , and The New 2 Iagdalen is still attracting large and appreciative audiences . At Whitsuntide Mr . Field promises an entirely new play , entitled Jeanne Dubarry , the author of which is annonnced to be Mi : H . Herman , and an opera by Messrs . Reece and F . Clay , to be entitled Cattarina , in which Miss Kate Santley will appear .