The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-14 00:00:00

111 E HARDWARE TRADE.

BIRMINGHAM, JAN. 12.—The steady and continued
rttura to en :salty in every branch of the Toned manufactures
vistas to to has ',beady been noticed under this head ; the
proguediss is deveeoping keel( more ex.ensively than (raving
the period oi the year in view) (odd have been anticipated;
ibis toa tae'. so •sartlii g in the midst of ail the noise the pro-
tscuotusts .are making up and down 'he country, about the
"sunk. of the country's interests," &c., that it is deserving
of more te au iiraiiisry notice. It any portion of the industrial
inure-, id A.c country were to feel ail effee s from the free
trade nuasur it is quite clear that it won'd have beta be
matiutecturtn of this town, ineterl of which, we have
at tine, the dullest of all seasons for the foreign
trade, orders so extensive that the goods are takeu off u
as fast as they can be produced, with every probability of an 1
improving trade for months to come. In my last week's
letter I noticed that from inquiries made as to the state of
no less than thirty distinct branches, there was scarcely en
instance in which the report made was not highly satisfac-
tory. I find that that statement is corroborated most em-
ote,' ly in the Bamingliam Journal of to-day, which con-
tains 4 very "usterestine aride referring in detail to the con-
dition of about the same number of trades as is mentioned
ahEve ; act' as the publication of this cannot fail to he useful
at this moment, I shall make rime zxtracts from this really
accurate report. Of " the Balton trade " it is raid—
" All the branches are busily employed. In the covered
or horentthe department, the activity which prevailed
during the latter part of last year nas been maintained ;
there are some good orders on hand both for the home and
foreign trade ; stocks are low, and prospects are, on the
whole, greatly improved. A silk button for ladies' dresses,
intmluced two or three years ago, and which from its clo-
gazes immediately " to k," has afforded employment to •
number of hands, at good prices, end is at present in a
healthy and improving state. So also with the linen button,
the orders with regard to which are good and are increasing,
with every probability of their continuance for the spring
and summer. The pearl buttem trade is unwontedly brisk;
more active than it has been for many years. Some of the
houses base more orders than they can possibly execute with
convenience, and the workmen are well employed at an ad-
vance in wages. It is difficult to obtain goods from the
makers ex,Apt at increased prices, although this may in some
degree be attributed to the high price of shell, the scarcity
of the brat china, and to the circumstance that during the
late misunderstanding between the manufacturers
and their workmen, a considerable number of the
latter turned their attention to other trades. The condition
of the glass, steel, and fancy branch is no less satiefactet y.
Some of the manufacturers have orders on hand which will
give full employment to their workpaople for the next three
mouths: and they complain that they carnot produce fast
, enough even by working overtime to supply the demand to
the home and foreign markets, the letter being particularly
active. There has been a vest deal made of an attempt t
introduce buttons, the manufacture of the Continent, into
the English market. The experiment, we need scarcely add,
was a failure ; the Birmingham manufacture being a better
article at a leas cost. One manufacturer MUM us that so
far from the foreigner being able to compete with us in this
respect, that he can produce an article in the foreign market
of a better make, and at as law a pros as the foreigner can.
Ile has no fear whatever of such competition." Of
the gun trade the report is squally satisfactory.
It lass been depressed for several months, but is
now reviving, and the same remark applies to the
musket manufacture. "Itis a curious fact, that during the
late revolutionary contests on the Continent, the sword,trade
was not more active than usual, while guns were being ex •
ported in thousands. This may, perhaps, be accounted for
by the circumstance that the revolutionary troops were
almost entirely composed of infantry, of whose equipment
' swords form no part. At that time the trade was unusually
brisk, and continued so for six or nine montbs,'the prices then
realised being at an advance of 60 per cent. The manufac-
turers' prices and the wages of workmen now Hue sate
within the same range that they did 20 years ago; but within
the last week or two, as the prospect ha. become better,wages
generally which were low, have had an upward tendency.
We may add, that foreign competition has been felt both in
the pa and sword trade."