The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-08 00:00:00

roe, and he wee assured by morosatile oorreepOndents in
Russia, that at the time the four propositions were consented
to a few weeks ago, as a bash for negotiation, the Qat was
'lacers in offering those terms, end would have honestly and
fully carried them out. (Hear, hear.) He (Mr. linage)
believed some of his friends had invited hint te this
meeting with the view of his makiog allusion to
sone statistics ef the corn trade put forth by this
fins with which he woe oftanseiea, ion,', Zi'"ut which
there had besu some oeste3veny, The extent to which eft
were indebted to Russia for the supplies of grain wee a
question of great importance, sa effecting the welfare of this
nation ; and he confessed it was much greater than he had
sapwood himself, until he had gone fully into the investiga-
tion of the subject, so rapidly had it increased. In the first
of their circulars in which they Case Messrs. Starr) called
attention to this subject, they went a little into the question
of what was the average price of wheat since the abolition of
the eorn-laws, and found that for four years it was only
41s. Id. per quarter. Taking that as a data, they assumed
that, considering the deficient harvest of last year, they
t have gone down to • price of about 60e. • quarter
the ensuing winter. Of course, that was only an
to ; but they stated a fact—that the direct imports
of corn, chiefly wheat, from the different ports of Russia,
including those of the Black Sea and Sea of Azoff, were,
in 1853, 1,701,887 quarters; and from Wallachia and Mol-
davia, stopped in consequence of the Danube obstruction,
about 660,000 quarters; making a total of about 2,360,000
quarters. Upon this fact, and upon the fact of a very large
quantity berg exported to other pans of Europe, they of
course assumed that they 111*bl fairly trace to the exclusion
of this supply the great rise of corn, and estimated it at
'iota 40 per cent. As there was some controversy respect-
ing the tonnages of theta statements and calculations, they
(listen. Barge) in their next circular said :—" We have
esdeareand to ascertain the actual quantities of wheat
shipped in 11553 to the differsatcountries of Europe, at those
ports from which the export Is now prohibited owing to the
war." and they showed a total export of nearly 4,900,000
qrs. from Russia, and 700,000 from Moldavia and Wallachia -
and adding to it the quantities for the north of Europe,
they earned at the total estimate of 6,000,000 quarters.
One of the papers, disputing these facts, admitted a report of
4,600,000 quarters ; and perhaps he should be allowed to
say that the error had been apparently fallen into, of sup-
posing that they intended to say that these 6,000,000 quar-
ters were imported into this country, wh , they never
said so; but that they were exported from Russia, from
those ports whence the war had prevented their export after-
wards. Every commercial man would see that if the
sleeken of Europe were deprived of that quantity, it had
the same effect as though it all came to this country, upon
the market. In one of their circulars, at the letter end of
Amery, they said:—" Since the pub'ication of our
last monthly circular, we have procured a little further
information respecting the exports of wheat from Russia in
1853, which fully bears out our estimate that it was at least
6.000,000 quarters." We should state that although they
had inadvertently stated that the exports bad been wholly
from Rustda, and omitted to consider the 700,000 quarters
from the Danube; yet, on further investigation, they were
folly convinced that, even exclusive of that 700,000 detained
is Me Danube, the exports from Russia alone were not less
than 6.000,0e0 quarters for the year 1853. They went on to
say: "It is not surprising, therefore, that, with stocks ex-
hausted's' every other part of Europe, the stoppage of this
mace ;of supply should have produced the present high
range of prices. Even with a continuance of ge crops
we 'cannot expect much lower rates in the absence of im-
ports from Russia, while another harvest similar to that of
18.53 would make the continuance of the present war a cause
of incalculable misery to the poor throughout the rest
of Europe." In consequence of the reiteration of
statements that these estimates were too high, they
published the other day the grounds upon which they
made the estimates. They said :—" The returns pub-
lished by the Board of Trade show that Taganrog,
51arianopie, and Berdianski exported, in 18.53, 1,860,829
quarters; and we learn from other souroes that Odessa ex-
ported 2,239,231 quarters, and Road! 383,671 quarters, in
the same year, making a total of 4.483,731 qn. from those
five ports alone. From Kertech, Kale, Eupatoria, Chenon,
floodosis, and Ismail, we have no accounts on which we
can rely, nor of the large quantities carried Item Russia
overland into Austria; but we believe that all competent
judges will admit that 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 quarters is a
very low estimate of the quantity supplied by these and all
the northern ports of Russia in 1853—even without the
700,000 quarters from the Dula., which it will be seen
by reference is included in the estimate in our circular of
the 6th December." In reference to the wheat taken from
Polish Russia into Austria, they gave an extract from a
letter from one of their Wats correspondents, which said:
" Ever sines the exportation from Russia was prohibited,
purchases fur Austria have been snaking on a large scale,
extending even as far from the Austrian frontier as the
°slats district, while near the frostier most exorbitant
prices (never known before) are being paid; so that not
only is the grain from the vicinity of the frontier, which in
former years came to Dilate for shipment, withdrawn from
us, but the grain already in Gant: is conveyed back."
that was a fact probably never known before in the history
of the trade, lie need not say anything to remind com-
mercial men of the effect upon the markets of an increue
or decrease of 10 per cent. in the supply of grain. (Hear.
hear.) In reference to the present war and its object", he
would merely say that he knew either civil or rell-
- gaits liberty to be advanced by the sword, which only
I served to create despotism ; and he was perfectly sates-
, fled we bad done more to retard the progress of oath-
' sation in Russia by preventing the continuance of the rail-
, way from Warsaw to Bt. Petersburg, than we should ever de
, to promote liberty by Oho war. (Hear, hear.) He had
suggested to his friend John Bright, and he had no che..bt
he would remember it in the House of Commons, that it
, was desirable if possible to procure an armistice whilst the
negotiations wets going oil, in order to avoid the possible
sacrifice of some thirty or forty thousand troops, even after
we had concluded a peace. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Emmen ASHWORTH and Mr. T. THOMASSON also
, addressed the meeting, and • motion was carried that a me•
=oriel be drawn up urging the government to negotiate an
, early peace, and placed for public signature.
, The meeting then adjourned until Tuesday next.