The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-01-17 00:00:00

Crain anb Contincrce.

lama, Jan. 10.—The weather was very thick and
foggy during the hours for the public markets ill the
this moniing, no that business transactions
were a good deal impeded. The tone of the market,
however, was cheerful, and • good deal of business wan
done, chiefly in mixtures and other light fabrics, in the
course of the day.
ALINCHMTER, 10th.—An exceedingly large busines
has been dune in 20's, 24's, and 214's warps and pincops
for Holland and Germany, and prices have advanoed id.
to id. per lb. In other yarns there is not much doing,
in consequence of the higher rates spinners have been
led to ask through the considerable business done last
week for India, China, and other markets. These
advances buyers do not seem disposed to give, but the
market is strong and healthy, and the tendency of the
market generally is upwards. In cloths we have
a quiet market, without any change in prim.' as
regards India fabrics. There are no stocks. however,
and therefore ',rims are well kept up. The demand for
bingcluths and T-clutlis continues good, and prices are
steady. For printing cloths the liner makes ore most
in request. The lower qualities are not so brisk, but
, prices are fair. Fine and doubled yarns continue in me'
quest. Messrs. John :Mau and Co. report :—" There I
is no change in the market since our last repart. The
improved demand for 40. inch shirtings continues, and a
steady business ma doing in them at the full rated of hunt
week. Isingcloths and T-cloths, especially the lighter
weights, are still in good reqiiest, without change in
price. Printing cloths are rather quieter, but well en- '
gaged, and prices linii."
RoCHIMLE, 9th.—The trade for wool to-day has been ;
rather inactive, but prices are very firin. The inandae.
turers are partly keeping holyday today, but they have
plenty of work to go on with. The Yorkshire trade
continues good, and the prospects for the season are
satisfactory.

MINIMAL STATISTICS.— From sonic Mice ro / Mar ire its
now before no we find that the "total value of metals,
metalliferous iii i tt erals, and coals produced in 12k1,4 was '
£31,266 ,M 12. This enormous sum is, it mind be remem-
bered, the repre:yntative of real wealth, added to our
national income.ilt was buried in the rocks of our island;
it had no value. Man's industry pierced those recesses,
and the " lioanled treasure of the Isles," of which Mer-
lin prophesied, is brought to light, and made to increase '
the power and the comfort which ilistingniahes this
kingdom above all otherA. In addition to those returns
of produce, the exports and huports of 'inhere's are given
in such in manner an to chow the relations between them.
It is interesting to know that, with the exception of
6,529,48:4 tuns of coal exported to foreign countries, the
whole of the coal raided is consumed in this country, and
that, setting aside the proportion employed in our domes-
tic economic*, it goes to the production of that gigantic
creative power which so dhtinguishes manufacturing
England. The coal producing power of this country, an
compared with the Continental States, connected as it
immediately in with 011 r manufacturing capabilities and
our co 1.64 relation*, forms an important section of
them statistics. This work enables us to draw the fol-
lowing conch:slops:—
The annual production of—

France is ...
Belgic=
Austria (coal and lignite)
Prussia (coal and iirsit)
Spain (coal and peat) ..

English Tons.
. 5,490,702
. 6,2.45.432
. 1,162.950
. 7,454,624
. 144,293

Total pmduce of the Continent ... 22,5311,001

The British Islands producing of coal, in every respect
superior to that ohtaineil in ally foreign State, with the
exception of that found in a portion of the Belgian coal-
field. three times this quantity, or, as before stated,
nearly 06,000,000 tons.
live TRADE WITH FRANCK —Why cannot we do more
trade with France? This is • plain question, and pro-
bably SAVOUCII of simplicity, but it is one in which we
are all interested, and winch deserves more attention
than is usually paid to it. In the first place, we Aimed
have no objection to a little iflare custom. The larger
the number of our customers the higher our profits are
likely to be ; and MI increased amount of business, to
say nothing of a higher rate of profits, would find a
larger number of our workpeople iii constant employ-
ment. Besides, it is less expensive to ship a cargo across
the Channel than to send it ^cease the Atlantic, and
when we have the chance of doing the same amount of
business with two sets of customers, one 0100 miles off,
the other only 20, it is not difficult to determine which
ought to be preferred. But setting commercial consider-
ations aside, we have reasons of the very strongest kind
for desiring to cultivate • closer connexion with our
neighbours across the Channel. They are putting us at
present to. great deal of expense. Instead of having
to congratulate ourselves that so great and gallant •
people live within hailing distance of our own shores, it
would be a fortnuate thing for us if they were " located"
somewhere at the antipodes. We owe it solely to them
that we are paying a double income-tax upon one-half of
i the present year's amount, and we have been gratified
with the distant sight of a little bill of 1:10.000,000 for
stone walls and Armstrong's guns to protect us against
their possible inroads upon our security. We are told
that henceforth it will not be safe for us to have our
chief arsenals within reach of their artillery. So • new
establishment on • gigantic scale is to be fixed somewhere
in the midland contittes, and we observe that the two
council of Birmingham are petitioning the flovernment
to make that place the selected site. Now, as these de-
fensive measures involve considerable outlay, it is well
to ask whether we cannot adopt some other steps which
would he not only economical hut profitable. How is it
that we take any moonlit of blustering and threatening
with the utmost equanimity, our merchants giving and
taking milers as if it were only the chirping of a grass-
hopper ? The reoion is to be found in the annual returns
of trade and navigation. The simple fact is, that the
people of this country and those of the United States are
such excellent customers to each other that they can
never Walls to blows. In any unpleasant crisis there is
an argument in the pocket which never fails to make
itself heard when the diplomatists have finished their
wrangles. No shopkeeper will knowingly knock blithest
customer on the head, and this persuasion makes us
sleep quite comfortably, though we are aware that all is
not ail serene as it might he in the neighbourhood of
Vancouver's Island. The Methuen Treaty, wait is called,
has been an insuperable obstacle in the way of our
Fnincli trade, not only in consequence of the disabilities
thereby imposed on it, but because the spirit in which
we then negotiated has been allowed to preside over the
rest of our intercourse with France. A wiser apirit is
beginning to prevail. It is well-known that the Empe-
ror Napoleon is sincerely desirous of relaxing the heavy
duties which impede the entrance of British ansiniodi-
ties into France; and it is hoped, on lei feeble grounds,
that lie is preparing to set the monopolists of timber and
iron at defiance in the interest.; of the French consumers
generally. Cannot we meet him half-way? A Congress
is, Or was, about to asaeinlile, to determine the politics
of Europe; what if we had a congress to discuss the ex-
pediency of those barbarous laws which makes two great
reoples almost strangers to each other. If we want •
plenipotentiary for this purpose, we have one already on
the spot. Mr. COlittell is known to be on at. intimate
footing with the ElllpCror ; talplalaC we coiiipuiissiaied
Will to talk over the imatter anil arrange terms with our
august ally? In that taw, we might in a few years find
a better guarantee of peace in the pockets of the French
nation than in iron-plated Odle, coast fortifications, and
rifled artillery.—Mancheafer &meaner.