Click image to open full size in new tab
Article Text
266'601$ Increase $3,542,680 $658,360 $1,685,055 Decrease The suspensions of banks at the South and West, announced within a day or two, brought about almost a panic in uncurrent money, and the brokers' offices were crowded to-day with sellers. The rates rapidly advanced, partly from the inability of buyers to meet the rush, and partly from the uncertainty in regard to the future. At the latest, Messrs. Thompson Brothers quote New-York State and Eastern P cent discount; IIdiscount; Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, 5 cent linois, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Iowa, 15 ₽ cent disdiscent count; Maryland and Pennsylvania, 1@2 P count; Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, cent discount. Land Georgia, and Alabama, 25 Warrants are unsettled, and nominally 60c. P acre. The rush to sell uncurrent money has been 80 great that the brokers have had no time to assort it. Mobile and New-Orleans, if assorted, could be sold at 10 cent. Telegraph dispatches announce the suspension of all the Richmond Banks, and that at Baltimore uncurrent money cannot be sold. The Bank of Commerce at Erie, and the Pittston Bank, are thrown out at Philadelphia, and the weak banks all over the country are shaking in the wind. State and Eastern currency is coming in very freely at the Metropolitan Bank, and that institution, we understand, now requires the guarantee of brokers depositing uncurrent funds. A scheme was incubated yesterday, to seal up these notes of State and Eastern banks, instead of sending them home for redemption, and issue certificates upon them, as in 1857, to be used between the banks in settlement of balances at the Clearing-House. This scheme, however, was superseded by the action of the banks this afternoon. The Exchange Committee of the Banks have bought about £30,000 at about 102, and have negotiations under way for a much larger amount. The offerings of bills to-day were quite moderate. The difficulty of finding the right description of bills, hampers the operations of the Committee, and they will probably be obliged to resort to the bankers to fill up the amount authorized. The true policy of the Committee would be to buy commercial bills of the bankers, with their indorsement, paying a fair advance for the risk thus assumed by the bankers. The object of the movement, we apprehend, is not to make money for the banks on the import of specie, but to relieve the stagnation in the Exchange market. The bankers know the standing of commercial drawers, while the Committee have to make nun erous inquiries, which cause delay, when in mediate relief is needed. To-morrow is the day of payment for the Government loan awarded last week. The speculative lots will not probably be paid for. In the mean time, Treasury notes are going in rapidly for redemption, and we shall not be surprised to see the Treasury bankrupt by Jan. 15, 1861, unless Congress intervenes to save it. There was little or no relief in the money market today, but a rather easier feeling in anticipation of some relief by a more liberal course on the part of the banks. First-class names go at 12@15 cent, and good at 18@24 cent. There is no currency, even at these rates. Demand loans are 7 P cent, and the supply of money is moderate. The managers of our banks this morning became thoroughly awake to the precarious character of their condition, and held a meeting to consider measures for the relief of the mercantile classes, and to prevent a general suspension of specie payment by themselves. A scheme was proposed and adopted, subject to the approval of an adjourned meeting, to be held in the afternoon. This plan contemplates a general and liberal expansion of loans to meet the full wants of the worldcommercial Committee of five to be appointed, to whom any bank which should be drained of its gold could apply, and by the deposit of bills receivable, stocks, &c., in trust, Clearing-House certificates to the extent of 75 cent of the deposits would be issued, which certificates are to be receivable at the Clearing-House in payment of balances. This practically establishes a community of all the specie in the bank vaults, and no single bank can bebroken 80 long as it has good assets. In the present state of our foreign trade, there being no shipping demand for gold, we can see no danger in this expansion of loans contemplated, and if the step had been taken two weeks ago, much suffering would have been averted. The want of a leading spirit in the banking circle has been painfully evident, and the banks, each one for it self, have gone on scrambling for coin until the merchants and banks have together been brought to the brink of bankruptcy. We trust the action of this afternoon has averted the danger, and that the relief to be afforded will be sufficient to infuse new vitality into all the avenues of trade and commerce. No better proof of the thorough fright and earnestness of the bank officers is needed than the fact, that for the