The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-30 00:00:00

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY EVENING,

The Liverpool Cotton Market opened to day,
after the Christmas holidays, with great buoyancy,
and holders were enabled to obtain very extreme,.
if not higher prices than on Wednesday last. The
sales were estimated at 15,000 bales, including
5,000 for export and on speculation. Much
interest is felt for the appearance of the forthcom-
ing " annual statements," which are expected to
make their appearance on Thursday morning.
The Liverpool Share Market has been steady
to-day, and although the amount of business
transacted was not large, prices had an improving
tendency, and business left off with rather a
buoyant feeling. The transactions of the day
include :—Blackburn, 7 13-16. East Lancashire,
223. Great Western, 673. London and North
Western. 1051, /, 3, 1061. Midland Stock, 82!,
I. North British, 10. South Eastern and
Dover, 24, 3. The closing rates were as
follows t--Aberdeen, 13 131. Blackburn 71 8.
Chester and Birkenhead, 173 18, Caledonian,
31 9-16 31 11-16. Chester and Holyhead, 19 193.
Eastern Counties, 9 3-16 93. East Lancashire,
23 3-16 23 5-16. Great Northern, 221 223. Ditto
A, 93 93, Great Western, 693 70. Lancashire and
Yorkshire Stock, 961 063. Liverpool, Crosby, and
Southport, 181 181. London and North Western
Stock, 1053 1053. Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincoln, 343 341. Midland Stock, 823 823. North
British, 9 15 16 10. North Staffordshire, 51 51.
South Eastern, 221 22 3-16. York, Newcastle, and
Berwick, 203 21. BYork and North Midland, 201
30. Leeds Capital Stock, 181 181. Buffalo and
Lake Huron, 13 lap. Dutch Rhenish, 11-16 3p
Great Western of Canada, 213 243. Do. New
Shares, 23 28p. Great Luxembourg, 101 103 d.
Grand Trunk of Canada, 131 13%. The rates of
continuation paid was—Blackburn, con. Cale-
donian, 3s 3s 9d. Eastern Counties, ls. East
Lancashire, 2s 3d. Lancashire and Yorkshire
Stock, 3 London and North Western Stock,
11.16 3. Midland Stock, 7-16 3 7-16. North
British, 146. South Eastern, 3. Dutch Rhenish, 2s.
The following sales for the next account were
reported :—Blackburn, 91; Eastern Counties,
9 5-16 : East Lancashire, 23 5-16 ; Lancashire and
Yorkshire, 07%, i; London and North Western,
Wei ; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire,
344; Midland Stock, 823 ; South Eastern and
Dover, 22 5 16, 3 ; York, Newcatle, and Ber-
wick, 21.
Money, both at the tank of England and in
Lombard-street, is in active demand. Six percent
is the lowest rate, even for the most approved
descriptions of mercantile paper, so that the gene-
ral appearance of the market is rather tight. An
increased degree of pressure, however, was to
have been anticipated at the close of the year, as, in
addition to other circumstances, the settlements at
the Stock Exchange, and the preparations for the
" fourth" of the month, when a large mass of
commercial paper becomes due, assist in augmenting
the enquiry. The Red Jacket, which arrived hero
to day from Melbourne, brought over half a million
sterling. This remittance is very opportune,
especially as the large amount of gold withdrawn
from the Bank to Ireland is not likely to return at
present.
To day the market for English Securities was
rather heavy, owing- to the adviees from China
announcing the bombardment of Canton. At the
opening, Consols declined about 3 per cent, but the
arrival of the Red Jacket afterwards imparted more
firmness to the quotations. Speculation was very
dull, and the arrangement of the Foreign Stock and
Railway Share accounts occupied chief attention.
Consols have made 94% 3 to 943, and subsequently
91% 1, The New Three per Cents have been 943 9,
the Reduced 943 3, and the Long Annuities 23
Exchequer Bills were quoted is discount to 2s
premium, the Bonds 983 to 99, and India Bonds 2s
preen.
Our reports from the London Railway Share
Market inform us that to day the arrangements
for the settlement of the half-monthly agoonnt in
the Railway Share Market have proceeded favour
ably, and but little business was transacted except
in connection with that event. The " contangos "
were very heavy. A decline of about 1 to Z.
per cent has taken place in some of the prin-
cipal lines. Great Northern receded 10s,
Great Western ss, Lancashire and York-
shire ss, and South Western 10s. Manchester,
Sheffield, and Lincoln, North British, and North
Eastern, York, improved about ss. Grand Trunk
of Canada were firmer, and advanced about ss, and
Great Western of Canada ss. The French lines
were at nominal rates, and Lombardo-Venetian
declined ss. Among the sales were—Great
Northern, 911, 3 ; Great South and West of Ireland,
110 ; &reat Western, 691, s ; Lancashire and
Yorkshire, 96%, 7 ; London and North Western,
105%, 3, ; Manchester Sheffield, and Lincoln, 341;
Midland Stock, 821, 3.
The Colonial Produce Markets, both here and in
London, are still closed. Same few private trans-
actions are going forward, but they are of such a
character as to exercise no particular effect upon
the demand or value of any leading article. It is
generally expected that on the resumption of busi-
ness all descriptions of foreign and colonial pro-
duce will be in active demand. The intelligence
of the bombardment of Canton has already induced
a speculative feeling in the Tea trade. Some
parties fearing that the fact of hostilities being
protracted, our supplies of this favourite and uni-
versal beverage, must be considerably diminished,
and a much higher range of prices prevail.
There is not any new feature to notice in the
Grain trade. There has been a lull in all the
leading Markets during the Christmas week. At
Mark lane to-day there was not much business
transacted, but prices did not vary to any extent.
The imports into the leading ports of the United
Kingdom are rather liberal.
By the Australian clipper ship Red Jacket, which
arrived here yesterday afternoon, we have adviees
from Melbourne to the end of September. The
Red Jacket brought 134,000 ounces of gold, and
155 passengers. At Melbourne the rate of discount
was 7 per cent. for bills under 95 days, 8 per cent.
for bills over that perio 1, 10 per cent. for renewals
and overdrawn accounts. The yield of the gold
fields had averaged over 50,000 ounces during
September, and the total amount taken down
by escort to Melbourne for the three weeks
amounted to 147,425 ounces. The_ price of
gold has remained steady at 755. 62. to 775. The
elections had partially interrupted business, but
there were large orders in Melbourne from the
country, which would be completed so soon as the
state of the roads permitted the transport of goods.
The last adviees from England of large shipments
intended for the Melbourne market, had not pro-
duced the depression anticipated, though in one
or two articles, especially in butter, the holders
evince anxiety to reduce stocks. The supplies at
the gold fields of articles of general consumption
was limited, and it was expected that when the
spring trade set in, there would be a healthy
demand. The great rush to the Dunolly fields was
attracting persons from all quarters. The popu-
lation supposed to have reached there amounted
to 40,000, and there seemed every prospect
of' a permanent yield of gold. We have given, in
another column, full details of the Red Jacket's
news, political and commercial. According to
the returns made up at Melbourne, before
the Red Jacket sailed, it appears that the
total amount of gold received by escort for the
thirteen weeks ending September 20, 1856,
was 571,069 ounces, against 599,528 in 1855. The
following were the rates of freight when the Red
Jacket sailed—To London Wool, id ; hides, 45s
to 50s per ton ; gold, 3d to 432 per ox ; do. in large
3d per oz ; bones and horns, 483 to 58s
quantities,
per ton ; dead weight p. agre. 30s per ton ; light
goods, 50s to 60s per ton. To Liverpool : Wool,
3d per lb ; tallow, 40s to 50s per ton ; hides, 40s to
45s per ton ; gold, 4d per oz , do in large quantities,
3d per oz ; bones and horns, 483 to 50s per ton ;
dead weight p. agre. 30s per ton ; light goods, 50s
to 60s per ton. Freights to other ports outward
are nominal, there being now but little export
trade.
The railway meetings of the week have not been
numerous. A majority of the shareholders of the
Glasgow and South Western Company have autho-