FINANCES OF NEW YORK CITY.

The New York Courier and Enquirer of a late date, in illustration of some remarks, contains the following table showing the population, valuation, and taxation, of the city of New York. In showing the wonderful progress of the commercial metropolis of the Union, inasmuch that the central city cannot grow without a corresponding increase in the prosperity of the vast circle of country of which it is the center, the table serves also as an index to the national progress. It proves, also, that the national wealth has more than doubled in the last 18 years, which period embraces the recovery from the disasters of 1837-39, and the great development which has since attended gold discoveries. The table will show the population of the city at each census since 1840, and the number at each intervening year, according to the ratio of increase indicated by the census. Also the total valuation of taxable property, taxes raised, and the rate of tax per hundred dollars:

STATEMENT SHOWING THE RATES, ETC., OF TAXES FROM 1841 To 1859.

Governor GIST, in his annual message to the Legislature of South Carolina, on the subject of bank suspensions, remarks as follows:

The report of the Controller will exhibit the financial condition of the State in all its details, and to it I refer you for information on that point. The banks, so far as I can learn, are in a sound and healthy condition, prepared to discharge all their obligations, and furnish a sound and stable currency for the State. Without being disposed to question the wisdom of the act of the Legislature in relation to keeping a certain amount of specie in their vaults, I would respectfully suggest, that while it would fail to remedy the evil of a suspension, (the banks frequently suspending with much less specie in their vaults than is now required.) it is an unnecessary tax upon them, without any great public good growing out of it. The banks, however, should not be exempted from a strict accountability; but it seems to me the best plan would be to put them immediately in liquidation upon the suspension of specie payments, and compel them to close business until new charters are obtained, open to all who may choose to subscribe, as when the banks were first chartered. If this is deemed too severe a penalty for suspending, something milder might be substituted that would tend to prevent a suspension, except under the most pressing necessity.

Governor HARRIS, of Tennessee, and Governor BROWN, of Georgia, both recommend the very severest limitations and restrictions upon the banks of those States. The latter says:

I also recommend, that the penal code of this State be so changed as to declare that a future suspension of specie payment, by any bank in this State, shall be adjudged as conclusive evidence of fraud on the part of the president and directors of such bank; and that the same be declared to be a high misdemeanor, and punished by confinement and hard labor in the Penitentiary of this State, for a term not less than five nor more than ten years; and that the grand jurors of each county in this State, in which a bank is located, shall, at the opening of each term of the court, in addition to the oath now prescribed by law, further swear that they will diligently inquire, and true presentment make of all cases of bank suspension which have occurred in the county since the last term of the court; and in case any grand jury shall present any bank as having suspended specie payment, that it shall be the duty of the Solicitor-General forthwith to make out bills of indictment against the president and directors of such bank.

CITIES OF OHIO.

The State Auditor of Ohio, Mr. WILLIAMS, has prepared the following table showing the taxable valuation of eighteen cities and towns in 1859, as compared with 1853.

It will be observed that there is a falling off in most of the places, though there is a small increase in the sum total. Columbus and Dayton change placesDayton becoming third and Columbus fourth in taxable value. Toledo advances from the eighth to the fifth, and Sandusky falls from the sixth to the twelfth. Lancaster advances from the sixteenth to thirteenth; Springfield from ninth to sixth; Chillicothe maintains the same relative position, while Zanesville recedes from the fifth to the eighth.

The greatest increase per cent is in Toledo-104 per cent. Springfield increases 59 per cent. The greatest decrease is in Sandusky-72 per cent. Columbus decrease is 53 per cent :

ABSTRACT, SHOWING THE TAXABLE REAL PROPERTY IN 18 PRINCIPAL CITIES AND TOWNS AS RETURNED TO THE STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION IN 1859, AND ALSO AS EQUALIZED IN 1853, TOGETHER WITH THE PER CENT, INCREASE OR DECREASE.

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DEBT OF SPAIN.

The total of the Spanish debt is 13,388,105,794 reals, or about £140,000,000 sterling. The interest paid for it is, however, according to the budget, only about £2,400,000 sterling per annum. This is so, because part of it does not bear any interest at all, and because the interest on another part is very small. The principal Spanish securities in which speculation is now taking place are of three kinds :-The consolidated, (interior and foreign.) the deferred, and the passive. The consolidated bears 3 per cent interest; the deferred pays at present 1 per cent, but is to increase every two years per cent until it bears 3; the passive bears no interest at all, but is being gradually bought up by the government at the lowest price it can get accepted below par; so that the securities becoming every year rarer, will naturally become every year dearer, whereby those persons who hold longest will be benefited most.

PAPER MONEY OF EUROPE.

The Statistical Annual of Orro HUBNER, of Berlin, gives the following as the amount of paper issues by the governments of Europe, and also those of the banks, on the 1st of January, 1859 :—

The total bank and government issues is here shown to be 1,822,900,000 Prussian thalers; at 72 cents per Prussian thaler this would be $1,312,488,000, nearly seven times the amount of paper money in circulation in the United States. The banks and governments circulate, it will be seen, about an equal amount, though the circulation of Austria, 250,000,000 thalers, which is put down as bank issue, more properly belongs under the head of government issue, since the bank is directed and supported by edicts compelling the people to recognize and circulate the notes. The last monthly return of the national bank shows a specie reserve of scarcely one-eighth.

The total specie currency of Europe amounts to about $1,700,000,000.

OHIO CANALS.

Annexed is the exhibit of the receipts and disbursements on the public works of Ohio, for the year ending November 15th, 1859, and a comparative statement of the same for the year ending November 15th, 1858

Other payments connected with leases and contracts swell the excess of expenses to $97,075, for 1859.

MONEY NO REMITTANCE.

A suit involving the question whether money sent in a registered letter is a remittance, was recently decided in New York. EDWARD MORRISON sued the Farmers' Bank of North Carolina for $250, the product of a draft collected, and which was sent to him in a registered letter, but not received. The court held that, as the defendant was not authorized to remit money instead of drafts, as is the usual custom, the money mailed to the address of the plaintiff could not be considered payment, and the defendant was therefore liable in the action. The jury found for the plaintiff accordingly.

ZOLLVEREIN REVENUES.

The receipts of the Zollverein during the first six months of the present year were $11,495,000, (£1,650,000,) against $13,268,000 (£1,900,000) in the same period of 1858. The falling off is attributable to the stagnation of commerce caused by the war in Italy. The principal decrease in the imports was in raw sugar, iron, both manufactured and unmanufactured, coffee, and unbleached cotton goods. The importation of unmanufactured tobacco has increased rather largely.

STATISTICS OF TRADE AND COMMERCE.

COMMERCIAL LAW.

There appears to be a strong and growing desire among the commercial classes for some more direct and simple mode of adjusting differences that arise in commerce, than in the present very unsatisfactory mode through the law courts. This want was long since felt in most of the commercial countries of Europe, and in France a remedy has been applied in the establishment of tribunals of commerce with power to decide cases, and the working of this system has been found very satisfactory. Thus the operations for the years 1855 and 1856 were as follows:

In addition to the new cases there were remaining over in 1855 11,182 from the previous year, and in 1856 10,541 cases remained over. Of the cases settled in each year, about 25 per cent were defended. This system reduces litigation, and by keeping the calendar clear admits a prompt justice, very different from the results obtainable elsewhere.

In France the Chamber of Commerce is a committee of seven merchants, elected from the whole body of an assembly of merchants at the Exchange, who are called deputies. They are, in fact, a deputation of commerce, and as such they are the legal organ of the Exchange with the government. The Chamber of Commerce has members sitting, with a vote, on such public board as have anything to do with commerce, such as the Board of Navigation, of Customs and Excise, Post-office, Emigrant-office, and other administrations. They also recommend the appointment of foreign consuls. The Chamber of Commerce meets weekly at their rooms at the Exchange, and oftener if required.

The members retire annually by seniority of election. The senior member but one presides; the senior member sits on the president's right, and gives advice. The Tribunal of Commerce generally names one of its members a Juge Commissaire, to preside over everything that takes place relative to bankruptcy. By the code, the whole jurisdiction in bankruptcy is vested in the Tribunals of Commerce. According to the French law, there are two kinds of bankruptcy; there is the commercial bankruptcy, and some persons, otherwise subject to the civil courts, may become bankrupt; and there is the discomfiture, which goes before the civil tribunals. All those engaged in trade and licensed as traders, who fail to pay their debts, become bankrupt, and are subject to the Tribunal of Com

merce.

The preliminaries of a suit before the French tribunals are performed by agrees, who are, in a legal class, attached to the tribunals, and somewhat similar to solicitors in this country. Sometimes, when the sum is very important, the parties have recourse to a barrister, and the barrister may plead; but, according to law, the person who appears before the tribunal must have a power of attorney from the complainant or defendant.