The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-18 00:00:00

THE BRITISH CORN TRADE.

(From the Mark-lane ispress.)
no past week was a great improvement upon
the preceding, the rain not coming down so heavily, and
there being longer intervals between the showers ; but the
weather was lunch behind the requirements of the time,
so far as injury from sprouting and bad condition were
concerned. Perhaps one er tire fourth of the wheat and
barley in the kingdom has thus been caught, and placed in
jeopardy, the greatest harm being done to the barley by its
sprouting more freely as well as from discoloration. Oats
also and beaus have shared in the misfortune, and we can
no longer count upon well-gathered stores. Complaints not
only have come from the northern counties, Scotland, and
Ireland, but many other localities, and the potatoes show
more unmistakably that they are seriously endangered.
The same rough weather has swept over the Continent,
and brought similar reports, The new wheat in Switzer-
land turns out very inferior, and the potatoes there, as
well as in many parts of Germany, are decidedly bad.
Wheat prices have consequen :ly furtherriaen, on the average
this week to 3s. to 4s. per qr., the tendency being still up-
wards ; but, doubtless, this advance will be taken advan-
tage of by Kentish and Essex farmers who were lucky
enough not to push off their produce at lower rates.
Should it break out and continue fine for a week or a fort-
night, we may see some reaction again, unless a further rise
in France bring on a fresh stimulus to the markets. Paris
has again been rapidly rising, and in the provinces
the movement has been upwards, though at a slower
pace ; while Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Russia
have all been in sympathy with French and British
adi:ces- In Canada the sates have been fully sustained ;
but at New York the tendency has been downwards,
without however coming to anything like a parity with
European quo.ationa. There thus appears no chance of
business with the United States, excepting in the article
of maize for over six months to come. Loog ere this the
precise amount of injury sustained in the western States
will have been made apparent, and we shall then know
whether there will be any considerable surplus of wheat
for export. Our own opinion is quite against free ship-
ments thence, while we expect but a poor quality from
E urop
Thearrivals off the coast since the 7th instant were 26
cargoes, of which 16 cargoes were wheat, 4 maize, 1 barley,
1 rye, and 4 beans. Business was reported as follows :
wheat, 31 cargoes in all, viz., Ghirka, at 46a. Cal. to
51a. 6d. ; Banat, at 51s. Gd. ; biarianopoli, at 50s. to
52e. 6d. ; Berdianaki, at 493. to 50s. • maize, 3 qrs., at
275. 6d. to 29a. 9d. • rye, 1 qr., at 301:. 3d. ; millet, 1 qr.,
at 23a. ; barley, 11,4b0 qrs., at 245. to 255.
The sales of English wheat noted last week were
60,075 qrs., at 475. 3d., against 60,834 qrs. in 1865.
The London averages were 495. 4d. on 4,094 qrs.
The imports into the kingdom for the week ending
Bth Sept. were 282,064 cwts. wheat, 27,297 cwts. flour.
Monday in Mark-lane commenced on moderate arrivals
of wheat, both English and foreign. The show of samples
during the morning from Kent and Essex was small
Much rain haring fallen, and the country markets noting,
in many instances, a large advance, factors were ena-
bled to realise an improvement on dry samples of new,
say 3a. to 4s, per quarter. The foreign trade had
rather more doing, and business was moderately transacted
at fully 2a. per qr. more money. Floating cargoes sold
freely at the same advance. On Wednesday there were
620 qrs. per coast, 18,480 qrs. foreign. Rainy weather
continuing, English factors were asking is. per qr. more
money for their fresh samples, but it was paid only in very
few instances. millers having bought freely at the previous
advance. The foreign trade was more firm, and the same
improvement sought, but without leading to much busi-
ness. Friday's returns were 1,060 qrs. coastwise, and
20,750 qrs. foreign. The weather having taken up, then
was no disposition on the part of millers to pay more
meaty, and trade was quieter than on the previous day.
It was the saws and no advance on. Monday's
rates could be then
There was a good supply of country flour on Mon-
day, but the foreign arrivals consisted of only a few