The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-04 00:00:00

MELBO URNE MARIt ETS.

Wool.—. Tho news per Sussex that the prices at the
London wool sales had gone a shade easier, caused less
spirit at the public sale on Thursday, and prices realised
were not quite so firm. Some large parcels were knocked
down for the owners ; and out of the whole lot offered,
say abet 300 hales, only a small quantity changed hands.
TALLOW.—Prices still remain at about our late quota-
tions. We have this week sold mutton tallow, a fine
sample, at 451., and inferior at 401. per ton.
HipEs.—We have no transactions to note.

HAY MARILET.—The quantity of hay sent into the mar-
ket since our last retort, has been rather in excess of' that
furnished during the two previous weeks, and prices have,
in consequence, declined full 40s per ton. The early
expectation 'of a plentiful supply of new hay quite :sets
aside the prospect of any improvement, permanent or of
consequence, on to-day's quotations, and were it not for
the certainty that the season of harvesting just at hand
will principally occupy both men and cattle on the farms.
and thus, to a certain extent, keeP the market limited for
a few weeks, a Speedy reduction on even present prices,
must inevitably have taken place. Quotations for the past
week are as follows : Best hay, well trussed, 131. per ton ;
second quality, do., 121. do. ; new hay, 101. to 11/. do. ;
straw, 61. do.
GRAIN AN) FLOUR.—Fine flour is firm at £45. There
will, however, be a considerable reduction, as our harvest
and that of Tasmania and South Australia are gathered in,
and supplies arrive.
OATS AND BARLEY.—Without animation, very few
samples showing, and prices just the same as last week.
TRADE.—The general busintiS of the week has been
limited. The country storekeepers are only ordering for
imniediate wants, and the shopkeepers in the city are pru-
dently running off their stock, and only incurring new
liabilities for goods which are absolutely required. There
is an increasing confidence with old and established houses,
and the commercial transactions have been greater than
previous to our last report. The impression is, that im-
ported goods, both hard and soft, will very soon take a rise,
and that early in the year there will be a deficiency of some
important articles.

EXCHANGE ON LONDON—The banks at present sell their
drafts on London at 1 per cent. premium, and buy at one
per cent. discount. Freight on gold delivered in London,
4id per ounce. Insurance on ditto two guineas, exclusive
of war risk.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE

MELISOURNE.—Arrived. Oct. 2g: Caractacus, London.
Nov. 1 : Blackwall, London ; Africa, for Liverpool. Nov.
5 : Queen of the East, for Liverpool ; Persian. Liverpool.
Clared. Nov. 9 : Shalimar, with 3 cabin, and 86 second
cabin, passengers.
ADELAIDE.--Arrived, Nov. 1: Theodore, from Liver-
pool.
SYDNEY.—Cleared, Oct. 31 : Granite City, for London.

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF FOREIGNERS

IN DISTRESS

The public are more indebted to the operations of this
soc'ety, than many, nrob ably. are aware of. Like all
really well-conducted, benevolent associations, its utility
scarcely consists more in relieving genuine want, than
in detecting imposition and fraudulent claims. Liver
pool, from its position, is naturally the resort of numbers
of the idle and undeserving of all nations, as well as the
really honest and deserving objects of charity. The
Society of Friends of Foreigners in Distress, interposes
i'self between the public and imposture, as well as dis-
pen;es pnblic rharity, in a manner necessarily far more
effective and judie;ous, than private benevolence could
attain. Numerous cases of imposture still, however,
continue to deceive individuals. These evils are only
to be checked, by leaving the distribution of charity
altogether in the hands of the society. Every individual
appealed to for relief by a foreigner, should at once
refer him to the officers of the society, and leave to them
the decision as to how far the claimant may be entitled
to relief. The society themselves, have already, indeed,
made frequent appeals to the public to this effact. We
have had an opportunity of observing the system upon
which relief is administered by the sub-committee of
the society who meet three days in every week in the
German Church, Sir Thomas's-buildings, for the pur-
pose. Every case is registered, by the secretary, and the
name and description of every applicant forwarded to
every society of the same kind in the principal towns of
Great Britain, by whom the information is reciprocated;
and a perfect check thus kept upon vagrancy and itiner-
ant imposition. Every applicant is personally an d
closely examined, and every case in which idleness or
dissolute conduct appears to be the source of want is re-
jected. Out of a very few cases, not more than six or
seven, which were inquired into while we were present,
two were rejected on this account. Several very audacious
attempts at imposition which lately came to the society's
knowledge, rendered them particularly anxious that the
public should be warned against indiscriminate and
unregulated bestowals of individual charity. All cases
of real want caused by sickness, or temporary inability
to procure work though want of clothes or such causes,
are promptly and kindly relieved by the society. The
public would, therefore, do well to place the charity
which they devote for the relief of foreigners entirely at
the disposal of the society in whose committee, officers,
and assistant secretary, Mr. Hartmann, they will find
more efficient almoners than individual benevolence can
supply.

GRAND BANQUET TO THE NEW COMMANDER-Tv-CHIEF
OP THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY.—On Saturday the Directors
of the East India Company gave a grand banquet at the
London Tavern to Lieutenant-General Patrick Grant, C. 8.,
the newly-appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Madras
Presidency. The gallant general is the first officer of the
Company's service who has attained the high command in
India, the invariable rule having 1-.itherto been to appoint
only officers from the Queen's forces. This innovation
upon a time-honoured, but:very unwise and unjust, custom,
made by the noble lord at the head of the Government,
affords another proof of his determination to show himself
unfettered by routine, and to devote himself to the carrying
nut of all necessary reforms in the military not less than in
the civil service. The promotion of Lieut.-General Grant
is an event which will give the greatest satisfaction to our
Indian army, not less than to the Queen's forces, who
cannot but feel a satisfaction in seeing that justice has at
length been done to the claims of their Indian brothers in

arms.
THE WEATHER IN THE METROPOLIS.—The frost has
set in again. for the third time during the present season,
and on Friday the various ornamental rivers in the
Royal Parks became frozen over, and had it not been for
the services rendered by the icemen in the employ of the
Royal Humane Society it is quite probable that a tearful
loss of life would have taken place, as many persons
proceeded to the parks in spite of the dangerous state of
ice, for the purpose of enjoying a few hours' skating or
sliding. 'rhe thermometer at the Royal Humane
Society's receiving-house in Hyde Park during Thursday
night indicated by Zambra and Negretti's patent glass,
25, being 7 degrees below freezing point. At nine on
Friday morning morning the mercury rose to 29, being
only three degrees below freezing point. tAt noon the
glass indexed 35 ; hut towards evening the mercury
began to descend. The barometer stood at 30.14. The
wind was at the same time N.W. The ice, in some
part. of St. James's Park, is nearly two inches thick.
About 100 boys risked their lives by strolling upon the
fr“zen surface, but they were quickly driven off by the
An elderly female also went on, and when told
to come off by the men,
defied them, and said tnat being
tired of her life she wanted to commit suicide by drown-
ing herself, She was, however, prevented from carrying
her intention into effect. Only a few persons had the
hardihoodge immediately to g o uoprod nertehdeoieffe. in the Regent's-park, and