The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-01-12 00:00:00

Erabe anb Commerce.

&MAR.—Considerable activity prevails in this market,
and an extensive business had been done in raw sugar,
at 2s. to 3s. per cwt. above the quotations realised pre-
vious to the holidays. Refined goods have moved off
freely at enhanced quotations. Brown grocery to fine
titlers have sold at 555. 6d. to 60s. 6d.; and Dutch
crushed has realised 325, to 345. 64. per cwt. The total
stook of sugar is now 84,000 tons, against 68,000 tons
last year, and 74,500 tons in 1856.

THR MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS. - The accounts
from the manufacturing districts this week are more
satisfactory than they have been for some time past, for
although depression and distress are still prevalent to
a considerable extent the reports of improvement are on
the increase. .

At Halifax trade is steadily recovering. The working
time at several of the factories has been increased, and
there is an increasing feeling of confidence and hopeful-
ness. More buyers appear in the market, though prices
still rule low. At Hull trade has been prejudicially af-
fected by numerous recent failures, and continues de-
depressed. At Kidderminster there is little trade doing.
At Leeds the commercial crisis has been very little felt
by the working classes. There has been more briskness
in the cloth halls, and trade is steadily increasing. At
Manchester the returns of employment in the mills
show a gratifying improvement. The number of hands
working full time last week was 16,253, while it has in-
creased this week to 18,594. There is an increase of
1,688 of those working full time, and a decrease of 649
of those wholly out of employ. Dealers in the home
trade are making more offers to the manufacturers, as
also other classes of buyers. At Nottingham the lace
trade continues extremely depressed; restricted hours
are still in force, and the operatives are suffering from
the shortness of employment. The lowering of the rate
of interest has had a beneficial effect on trade, but
manufacturers do not reckon on much reaction until the
end of the month. The disaffected paupers who re-
cently got up a disturbance with a view to intimidate
the guardians have been curbed and compelled to sub-
mit to the regulations of the Board. At Rochdale
most of the cotton mills are running fuller time than
they were a fortnight since. The amount of relief
given to the poor, however, shows an increase of 96, the
numbers last week being 2,961, and this week 3,057.
The potteries in Staffordshire have now pretty generally
resumed work, but the iron trade continues depressed,
many of the forgemen still remaining out on strike, and
their families are necessarily suffering great privations.
The district is now in a peaceable state, and the turn-
outs exhibit a quiet and orderly demeanour.

The Staffordshire ironmaaters are about to make a re-
duction of 20s. per ton in their price, and they an-
nounce a reduction in wages; but upon the whole, late
reports from the manufacturing districts are much more
cheerful than they were last week.

THE IRON TRADE IN SOUTH WALES. —The iron trade
of South Wales has experienced a slight change for the
better, more confidence being shown. Several of the
works have received an amount of orders that will en-
able them to carry on until the reviving trade of the
country shall be fully restored. The Tredegsr works
are fully engaged, good orders for rails being on hand.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RECEIPTS.—The traffic returns of
railways in the United Kingdom published for the week
ending January 2 amounted to £392,507 and for the
corresponding week of 1857 to £403,074, showing a de-
crease of £10,567. The gross receipts of the eight rail-
ways having their termini in the metropolis amounted
for the week ending as above to £167,107, and for the
corresponding week of last year to £165,998, showing an
increase of £1,109. The increase on the Eastern
Counties Railway amounted to £1,602; on the Great
Northern to £2,687; on the Great Western to £406; on
the London and Blackwall to £111; on the London,
Brighton, and South-Coast to £1,232; on the London and
South-Western to £743; and on the South-Eastern to
£1.90; total, £6,973. But from this must be deducted
£5,863, the decrease on the London and North-
Western; leaving the increase as above, £1,109. The
receipts on the other lines in the United Kingdom
amounted to £225,399, and for the corresponding period
of 1857 to £237,076, showing a decrease of £11,677 in
the receipts of those lines, from which must be deducted
the increase on the metropolitan lines, leaving the total
decrease 210,567 as compared with the corresponding
week of 1857.