of the banks could hardly have earned the percentage paid, but, having a large surplus, have drawn a little from that, instead of reducing the dividend, with a view to better business hereafter. The Bank of Mutual Redemption, which went into operation August 23, 1858, does not pay a dividend. The 2 per cent of the Bank of the Metropolis is for the first four months of its operation. The Safety Fund Bank went into operation February 1, with $600,000 capital. The latter two are under the General Banking Law, and two other banks, the Revere and Mount Vernon, are soon to be organized. The following dividends and interest are also payable at the dates given. In addition to these, early in April is the usual period for dividends by the Boylston, City, Eliot, Manufacturers', Merchants', National, Neptune, Quincy, Warren, * The dividend of the Massachusetts Bank is 3 1-5 per cent, (par $250,) equal to $8 per share. and Washington Insurance Companies, as also the Boston Exchange Company a quarterly dividend of probably 1 per cent, adding, in round numbers, over $200,000, and making the total to be paid out in April nearly $2,000,000. Payable. Companies. April 1..Boston Steam Flour Mills bonds... 1..Boston city bonds, (interest) 1.. Philadelphia, Wilmington, & Baltimore Railroad. Total JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. The Secretary of the Commonwealth has prepared the annual abstract of the returns of joint-stock companies incorporated under the general law of 1851, and it has been distributed to the members of the Legislature. It contains the name and location of 156 companies organized under the general law, together with the amount of their capital stock, number of shares taken, par value of shares, amount of capital paid in, aumber of instalments, and when filed in the Secretary's office. The following table presents a comparison of these returns with those made last year :— No. of companies. 145 Amount of capital. $9,159,800 Capital paid in. $6,416,083 It should be recollected that these returns are from corporations organized under the general law only. The amount of the capital stock of the corporations having special charters is, of course, much larger than that here stated. TURKISH PAPER MONEY. The cancelment of a further sum of Turkish paper money took place at Constantinople on the 22d of January, to the extent of 82,058,000 piastres, which make up a total of 145,576,750 piastres; a further sum of 19,447,200 piastres was to be canceled on the Saturday following, making the total amount 165,023,950 piastres, or about one-fourth of the whole paper money in circulation; this represents pretty nearly the amount for which the Turkish Government has drawn on London, in addition to £650,000 remitted in bars. There are two kinds of paper money in circulation in Turkey, viz., the large "kaimes," in sums of 500 to 10,000 piastres, bearing interest at 6 per cent per annum. Of this description there are about 360,000,000 piastres in circulation, and this is the kind that has been canceled. There are also small "kaimes," of 10 and 20 piastres, amounting to about 270,000,000 piastres. The larger kind are a kind of treasury bond, as well as a circulating medium. It is intended by government to put a stop to this two-fold character; and from the time of publishing the "irade," they cease to bear interest, but the holders may convert them into a new series of "sehims," or treasury bonds, bearing interest at 8 per cent; and they who do not comply with this regulation may use them as a circulating medium, without interest, the same as the small "kaimes." Until the result of this plan is known, nothing can be done in the way of establishing a new bank. But the consequence has been that a storm of indignation has arisen from the fact that the government have made use of these new treasury bonds to pay for the services of the military departments; but those who did not want money refused to take them, and they were consequently hawked about at a discount of 20 per cent! Such appears to be the unfortunate issue of the Turkish Govern ment to redeem its paper currency. Whether this is the result of trickery or ignorance remains to be shown. It appears that the loan recently contracted for home purposes amount to about £700,000; but this is a customary plan in anticipation of the revenue, and they are generally made for six months. This table shows that in seven years the debt of France has increased by to less than £123,058,376, or at the rate of £17,579,768 a year. No doubt this period includes the two years of the Russian war; but even if we deduct £60,000,000 for the loans applied to that purpose, we have still a balance of increase for the period of £63,058,376, or at the annual rate of £9,008,337. The increase in the last year, ending the 1st of January, 1858, was £15,604,232, and we are informed that for the year just concluded it will certainly not be less. On the 1st of January, 1855, the annual charge of the debt is stated at £9,457,708; on the 1st of January, 1858, it was £12,435,200-so that in three years the annual interest to be provided for increased by no less a sum, in round figures, than £3,000,000. We have thus the broad fact before us, that from 1814 to 1858, a period of forty-four years, of which forty-two were years of peace, and only two of war, the public debt of France increased from £50,646.108 to £336,883,868; and the annual interest to be provided by taxes from £2,532,304 to £12,435,200. It is by this means that what is called the equilibrium of income and expenditure has been attained; and when it is considered that the price of public stock depends much more upon the fact whether it is increasing, or is stationary, or is decreasing in amount, it will be easily understood why English consals, which have been rather reduced than increased in amount during that period, should stand at 95, while French three-per-cents are only 684. CONDITION OF THE STATE BANK OF IOWA. This bank has been in operation about three months, and the first statement of its condition possesses unusual interest, from the fact of its being an index of the proposed course of the bank. The safety fund for the protection of the circulation, and the value of the charter, which is forfeited in case of suspension, are the guaranties to the people in taking the notes of the bank : ABSTRACT OF THE ASSETS, LIABILITIES, AND CONDITION OF THE STATE BANK OF IOWA, FROM THE OFFICIAL RETURNS FOR MONDAY, MARCH 7TH, 1859. $418,739 67 Immediate liabilities..... $429,590 13 | Immediate assets....... BRITISH PROPERTY TAX AND INCOME TAX. A Parliamentary return has been published, showing, under different columns, the annual value of all the real property, including railways and canals, rated under schedule A, for the year ending the 5th day of April, 1857, as well as the amount payable for that year in each county or Parliamentary borough of the United Kingdom, the population of each according to the census of 1851, the present number of Parliamentary voters in, and the number of members returned for, each. The information is first given separately for each county, borough, &c., and is thus embodied in tables, from which we learn that in England and Wales the annual value of property rated under schedule A is £60,501,161; the amount payable for which for the year ending 5th April, 1857, at a rate of 1s. 4d. in the pound, was £4,033,369. These two sums in the case of Scotland were respectively £8,013.005 and £534,197 ; and in the case of Ireland £9,826,095 and £655,062, making, in the aggregate, a sum of £5,222,628 derived from this source in the year mentioned, and showing that the annual value of property classed under this schedule A, belonging to counties exclusively, is £78,340,267. For boroughs and cities, in England and Wales, these sums are £42,995.086 and £2,866,363; in Scotland, £4,569,744 and £304,603; and in Ireland, £2,089,191 and £139,259. Added to the sums above mentioned, we get a total of £127,994,288 as the annual value of property under schedule A in the United Kingdom, and another total of £8,532,858 derived from it in the year ending 5th April, 1857. The proportions borne to one another by the population, the constituencies, and the members, may be best shown in the following tabular form. The population is in accordance with the census of 1851 : |