TERMS AND RETURNS.

HILARY TERM begins 11th January-Ends 31st January. EASTER TERM begins 15th April-Ends 8th May. TRINITY TERM begins 22nd May-Ends 12th June. MICHAELMAS TERM begins 2nd Nov,-Ends 25th Nov.

TRANSFER DAYS.

The Transfer Days are now Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Dividends are due at the following dates after an interval of three days, or if a Sunday intervenes of four days.

Powers of Attorney for the Sale or Transfer of Stock must be deposited at the Bank, &c. for examination, one day before they can be acted upon; if for receiving Dividends, it is sufficient to present them at the time the first Dividend becomes payable.

The expense of a Power of Attorney is 17. 1s. 6d. for each Stock separately, but for Bank and India Stock, 17. 11s. 6d. ; and when required to be made out on the same day, half-past Twelve o'clock is the latest time for receiving orders. The boxes for receiving Powers of Attorney for Sale close at Two o'clock.

All Probates of Wills, Letters of Administration, and other proofs of decease, are required to be left at the Bank, &c., for Registration from two to three clear days, exclusive of holidays.

PUBLIC OFFICES IN 1856.

HOLIDAYS KEPT AT THE By an Act of Parliament passed in 1834, much of the money business of the Exchequer is removed to the Bank of England. At the EXCHEQUER all holidays are abolished except Christmas Day and Good Friday.

EXCISE, STAMPS, AND TAXES OFFICES.

Good Friday, March 21. Day appointed to be kept as the Queen's Birth-day. Coronation Day, June 28. Prince of Wales's Birth-day, Nov. 9. Christmas Day, Dec. 25. All the above days are also ordered to be kept as holidays by the officers and servants of the Custom House and the Dock Companies of the United Kingdom, except the Prince of Wales's birthday and the Coronation day. At the Stamps and Taxes Office, the Restoration of Charles II., May 29; Whit Monday and Tuesday (May 12 and 13), are kept in addition.

N.B.

And in the Transfer Offices, 1st May and 1st November in addition. Whenever the 1st May or 1st November falls on a Sunday the holiday will be kept on the Monday following.

BRITISH MUseum.

The Public are admitted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, between the hours of Ten and Four during the months of November, December, January, and February; between Ten and Five during the months of September, October, March, and April ; and between Ten and Six during the months of May, June, July, and August. The Reading Room is open every day, except holidays, an hour earlier, but closes at the same times.

The Museum is closed between the 1st and 7th January, the 1st and 7th May, and the 1st and 7th September, and on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Christmas day. Any Special Fast or Thanksgiving Days ordered by Authority are kept in addition by all the above establishments.

QUARTER-SESSIONS (1856)

IN THE SEVERAL COUNTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES.

By the Act 1 Will. IV. c. 70, it is enacted that " in the year 1831, and afterwards, the justices of the peace in every county, riding, or division, for which Quarter-Sessions of the Peace by law ought to be held, shall hold their general Quarter-Sessions of the Peace in the first week after the 11th of October, in the first week after the 28th of December, in the first week after the 31st of March, and in the first week after the 24th of June." The following list has been computed according to this rule.

The Act 4 and 5 Will. IV. cap. 47, allows a discretionary power to the Justices of Peace as to the time of holding the Spring Quarter-Sessions, and empowers them to alter the day for holding the Sessions, so as not to be earlier than the 7th of March, nor later than the 22d of April.

1. British Museum closes.

MONTHLY NOTICES.

1. Leipzic fair-manufactured goods and pleasure (the business commences 3 or 4 days earlier), 1. Quarter Sessions commence on Monday in this week.

5. Half-yearly dividends on some species of stock become due. See Table of Transfer-days. 8. British Museum opens, 10 till 4; Reading Room, 9 till 4.

Registration.-Births-Persons should cause their children to be registered within forty-two days after birth, by giving personal notice to the registrar of theirdistrict, without any fee whatever, Deaths.-Intimation should be given of deaths in the same manner as births. This is of importance to be done early, as the undertaker must have a certificate to give to the minister who reads the funeral service.

8. Fire Insurance due at Christmas must be As the cause of death is to be entered, sound paid by this day, or the Policy becomes void. discretion should be exercised in ascertaining the 21, 22. Melton Mowbray fair-horses, cattle. real nature of the deceased's death, for which im26. Brunswick-miscellaneous, including ma-portant purpose every facility should be given. nufactured goods, &c.

ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA.

Mercury, in the constellations Sagittarius, Capricornus, and Aquarius, is invisible till the 12th, then an evening star throughout the month.

Venus, in the constellations Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, is a morning star throughout the month; on the 15th rises at 4h. 43m. A.M.

Mars, in the constellation Virgo. On the 4th, at 7h 23m. A.M., in Aphelion. On the 15th passes the meridian at 5h. 19m. A.M.

Jupiter, in the constellation Aquarius, is an evening star throughout the month. On the 15th passes the meridian at 2h. 47m. P.M., and sets at 7h. 54m. P.M.

Saturn, in the constellation Taurus. On the 15th, passes the meridian at 9h. 58m. P.M.

Uranus, in the constellation Taurus. On the 15th, passes the meridian at 7h. 20m. P.M.; on the 25th, at ih. 5m. P.M., stationary.

The Moon, on the 3rd, at 7h. 20m. A.M., in conjunction with a2 Libræ, at 10 31' N.; on the 4th, at 0h. 41m. P.M., with Venus, at 5° 22' N.; at 5h. 32m. P.M., with 31 Scorpii, at 30 42' N.; on the 5th, at 3h. 33m. A.M., a Scorpii (Antares), at 1°36′ S.; on the 8th, at 6h. 26m., A.M., with Mercury at 20 54 N.; on the 10th, at 8h. 0m., A.M., in Perigee; on the 11th, at 0h. 5m. A.M., in con

junction with Jupiter, at 30 30' N.; on the 16th, at 9h.

33m, A.M., with Uranus, at 10 56' S.; on the 18th, at Oh. 51m. A.M., with a Tauri Aldebaran) at 8° 47' S.; at 9h. 44m. P.M., with @ Tauri, at 1° 29' N.; on the 19th, at 5h. 10m. A.M., with Saturn, at 50 15' S.; on the 21st, at 8h. 27 m. A.M., with 8 Geminorum (Pollux) at 1° 45' N.; on the 24th, at 4h. 47m. A.M., with a Leonis (Regulus) at 4° 13' S.; on the 26th, at 8h. 0m. A.M., in Apogee; on the 28th, at 2h. 33m. P.M., in conjunction with Mars, at 20' N.; at 6h. 52m. P.M., with a Virginis (Spica) at 2° 54' S.; on the 30th, at 4h. 13m. P.M., with a2 Libræ, at 10 49 N.

The Constellation Canis Major will be on the meridian about midnight in the beginning, and Gemini and Canis Major about the middle of the month.

Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites.

First Satellite. 1st. Em. at 4h. 53m. 42.4s. P.M.; 8th, Em, at 6h. 48m. 59'0s. P.M.; 24th, Em. at 5h. 8m 3.2s. P.M.; 31st, Im. at 7h. 3m. 0.7s, P.M. Second Satellite. 20th, Em. at 5h. 54m. 29 7s. P.M. Third Satellite. 5th, Im. at 6h. 18m. 27 7s. P.M. Fourth Satellite 4th, Im. at 7h. 18m. 373s. P.M.; 21st, Im. at 5h. 38m. 5 6s. P.M.

Days. Taking of Constantinople.

When they fall

The Monthly List of Fairs is only a selection of the more important ones. on Sunday they are usually held the day after. We have also added a few of the German Fairs which are of commercial interest, each of which continues for three weeks.