The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-04 00:00:00

FIAItDWARE.

IttamisnztAx, JAN. ha% been to s
great extent suspended the manufactories of this town
during the past week ; it is customary for such to be the
case the week after Chnettnas ; it affords time for stock.
taking and repairs of machinery ; and the workpeople are
glad of a holiday. especially as the bulk of them have lin is
well employed of late, and ID the receipt of good wage..
Next week business will be resumed, and io all the prim
pal branchee there are eufficiert orders in hand to keep the
manufacturers hoing untalench time as the factors' travell,i.
again resume their journeys, and the orders on account s
the home trade again come in. The lest quarter was a very
successful one for manufacturers here generally ; their re.
turns were very large, and trade was so stead.,
that .it was very profitably dune. In a re.
of the trade of the town during the past year, the
Birmangkain Journal of to-day has the following t.s,
trade of this town sad of the district was upon the wisede
steady throughout the year, and affords but little scope is I
remark in consequence. In the month of January noise
degree of quietude prevailed, but this disappeared .0
February, and in the first quarter a good business was d sm.
In April and May there were agliu complaints of a want of
animation; ID June a favourable reaction took place, and
no retrograde movement was again experienced ; on the
contrary, there was a gradual and contiuuous improver:ant
up to the second or third week in the last quarter.
when business became decidedly more active than st
has been for many years, and in that condition
it remained up to the close, manufacturers havens
so many orders in band that business has been ales ady
resumed, and will be generally at a much earlier perad
than is usual The *ear's trading has also been favourable
in other respects ; there has been a freedom from fluctua-
tion. which must alwess tell in favour of the manufacturer ;
and the price of metal has been subject to lees frequent
change than in some former years. It is aeatisfactory
dication, too, that notwithstanding the large amount of
business which has been done, and the power of produc.
turn is constantly OD the increase, manufacturers' stocks in
their warehouses are as *mull as was ever knows. In the
gun trade a great reverse has undoubtedly been ex-
perienced. It is not necessary here to touch upon the
causes which have brought about soddenly a revulsion
from a state of almost unparalleled prosperity to one of
extreme &preen= ; the cessation of the Amnions demand
was no doubt the immediate GODS, hut there have been
circumstances at work for many years having a direct ten-
decry to bring about that which hes taken place, and in all
probability a Wog time will elapses before this important
breech of our manufactures is again in a sound and healthy
condition. In the buthou trade, and some other of the old
'staples,' at one time of great importance in munition
with the trade of the town, some degree of slackness war
sow and then experienced, but in none of the modem
trades which provide employment for a large portion of our
skill and industry has anything of the kind pre-
vailed. Labour has been in incessant demand, and
skilled industry has participated in the increased
trade, the earnings of our artisans having been
greater than was before known. The failures directly affect-
, lug the trade of this town have been few and incoesiderable
in amount ; and other circumstances have contributed to
make the result of the trading of the past year in every
respect satisfactory." In the South Staffordshire and East
Worcestershire district trade is in a very healthy state, and
labour is every department fully employed. It was stated
in the Doily News on Friday that the thin-coal masters on
the Wolverhampton aide agreed to advance the wages of the
colliers 3d. per day; this move has been followed by the
thick-coal masters in the Dudley district, who at a meeting
held in that town yesterday resolved to advance the wages
of the men 6d. per day, to commence from the 16th inst.
The price of coal to be raised 6d. and Is. per ton.

VESSELS SPOKEN WITH.

Brrlag, fro!, !Calcutta fur Loudon 27 days, Oct. 12, lat 21.2 Z

S. ion 7.1.6.15 _
Bremen Si;, bound East, Dec. 23.
Berkablre, of Liverpool. for Boston, Dee. 16, tat 46.58. lon 11 W.
Debini,, from Bombay fur London 68 days, Nov. V, Mt

kin 17.'54 E . . .
Edinburgh !is', bound West, 21.
Penis s., bouud West, JAL. 25.
Rays! AUee, from Calcutta for London 100 days, Dec. 12, let
21.15 E, lon 33.15 W.

A VLSARL CARRIED OVER NIAGARA FAL/S.—An
obliging correepor dent at Chinpawa sends ua an account of
a melancholy occurrence which took place on the Niagara
River on Monday last, which resulted in the death of one man
by being carried over the Fall, and caused imminent peril to
five others, as well at the hies of a small vessel. About
eleven o'clock in the morning the steamer A. D. Griffin. of
Buffalo, reached that port, baring in tow two sours. the Abby
and the A. Murray, of Port Robinson. The captain of the
steamer, not knowing the depth of water, kept too far into
the river with not sufficient steam to keep headway on the
scow,. One of the latter, the A. Murray. striking agniust
the spike at the entrance of the harbour, swung around with
the current almost into the jaws cf the mighty cataract.
The captain and four men who were on board, seeing the
helpless position into which the vessel had got end the
great peril with which they were threatened—being
' within less than five minutes' dietetical of the great fall
leaped from the vessel and boldly ',truck for shore. Four
of them, the captain included, succeeded by great exertions
io maintaining themselves above the surface; but, ssd to
relate, the fifth sank amid the laming and boiling waters,
and was carried over the cataract. In the meantime a bwit,
manned by two brave mm, shot out from the mouth of
Welland River to the assistance of the helpless beings in
the scow. The oarsmen, Mune. F. 1A131:1112, jun.. and
George Morns, pulled boldly and swiftly out, rescued the
men from their perilous position, and succeeded in reaching
the shore just above the first rapid. Ooti minute more and
they would have been carried over the Falls to the great
gull below. Too much praise cannot be given to the men
by whose premium of mind and courage four human beior
were thus rescued from certain destruction. The 'WOW
glided along the stream till it reached a rock almost on the
brink of the cataract. where its course was etopped, and
where it will probably remain till broken up by the ice in
the spring.—Toronto Leader, Dec.l6.

BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS.

BIRTHS._

BRAND.—December 31, ar 147111;dhill-house, Belham, Surrey
the wife of J. Brand, Eau of a daughter.
COWARD —December .11, at Whabledon.hill, Surrey, the %Ire

daughter.
DAUNAY.—December 31, at Upper Brrkeeperreet, Portman.
&pare. the wifeof A. Danner. of &daughter.
Mr?CALPß—DecemM•r 31, at Chlf.vit gr. frith. Cent, the wife

-..—
of P. R. C. Meteslle. daughter.
It.GCKETT. —Deo/antler 31. at the Bank. Goole. the wile of John
H. Rocket; Fag., of a daughter
BTI RLI NO.—December 31. at Part.honae. sear Whitehaven.
Cumberland, the wile of John Stirling, EN.. of a daughter.
CARRIAGES.
DOBRIE—DRILDIIAN.—Dreeinher 31, at reigntou, R. Devon, I."
the Rev. R. St. John Sheriff, M.A., Captain DMAie. R N t
Mary Anne Illeatien. daughter of R. Gredasan. Kgq..o. relent. °
GAILA ND—KERLlL—Deeember 31, all Trinity Church, Hot
gate, T. L. fie:land, req.. Billiteretreet, London. to Mare Jr.
Rubbed, daughter."( T. H. Made, Req., Nernst&
TRZVKLYAN—DUPI'I3.—December 31, at the pellet chant
of Olsten, Warwickshire, 1.3 the Rev. K Healdna W. J. If"
fe171115,E01.. of Perrin l'thnoe, Cornwall, to 121 z•, dauJitter
of the ger. C. Dards, rector of Milton.
DEATHS.
COLlgAN.—December 31, at X ensingten itardensequare, Herm •-t
, son of G. Colman, L. 41 , aced 15.
OgeAn7lN. - December 31, at Camden New-town, K. Grow..

Keg— formerly of Derby, egad 7e.
MAROTON.—December 80, T. Mantes, Esq., of Charlwo,l
street, Plo.
BTIELINO.od—JIe aueary 1. steer:on street, Mayfair, W. Mtn;
Lo. of of Metopelller, aged al.
TORllllNB.—lfeemsher Si, at Balsaakle, Tlfeshlre, Perak relvt
of the late Air H. Toffees, K C 8., K T. 0., aged

PADUA sod MAabed by WILLIAM Lam HAM, of No. •
lemalioriotfort, to tie City of Loaaaa. PdMreGS 11,*
Mee to loriliord.otreve. to the Precise& of waitartars.-
mama. 'Milian 4. IBOL