The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-08-02 00:00:00

LEWES WOOL 14W.

The Wool Fair at Lewes never was more nu-
merously attended, both bar sellers and • buyers,
than it was last week. At dinner, every room in
the house was full of company ; and not long after
they had dined they collected tit the principal room,
vi hen

Lord SIIEFFIEI.II rose. and stated that, prepnra-
tory to the meeting, he had not neglected to make
every inquiry respecting the trade m wool and
woollens, and 'the result confirmed the opinion
whicillie bud funned, that the manufacturer of tine
wool has suffered, comparatively, but little in con-
segnence of the machinations of foreign powers.
The home market, including the whole of the
to-MAI Empire and its depeiklesicies, takes nearly
all die !• perfine manufactures, and by far the'
greatest proportion of every manufacture ; and the
hest cvstervuers are the people of England, who
consume much snore superfine cloth than they used
to do: the middling claeses have found that finer
cloths are the cheapest; and the opulent now use
nothing but the finest, even for their great chats:
There muy be a decrease in env export of second-
rate• woollens : but the countries to which we supply
those article* cannot loug, do without them; thy
will procure them circuitously, and we know that
neither en embargo nor u non-importation agree-
ment will prevent our woollens from going to the
American States, through different channels, as
they did during the American war ; and even at
present, it is not the want of orders, nor the em-
bargo, but the distrust which has prudently token
place in this country, in respect to the American
States, that principally checks the export to that
country.
His Lordship then stated, that he was is corre-
spondence with many of the principal persons in
evert" part of England where there are wool fairs,
and with those parts where the principal manufac-
tories of wool are situated. The fine wools, that
were sold within a few months past, readily found a
market at last year's prices ;- but there was very
little demand for the.m....arser wools. Time general
opinion is (mstrticularly in the Wert of Englaud),'
that the price of tine wool will exceed that of last
year; and that the coarse will not attain last year's(
prices. His Lordship next detailed the prices of
wool st different sides in England and Ireland. and
stated his rea.arns for believing that no considerable
importation of wool was to be expected in the
course of the year.
This statement Wall acknowledged to be fair and
candid ; but, notwithstanding there appeared to be
less difference of opinion between buyers and set-
Jere than usual, they did not agree. No business
was done at the fair, nor in the evening. The
wool-growers demanded from 'hm. to 6s. per tod less
than they demanded at the fair last year, and
from is, to ts. more than they bad since received.
Lord Sheffield exhibited specimens of fine wool
grown in Eigiand, by Mr. Tollett, of Swinnerton-
hall ; Mr. Portman, of Donvetshire : and Mr.
Hall, of Leigh Court ; seine pure Spanish, otiorn
of mixed breed ; and also made several cossimuni-
cations in favour of the Spanish breed; that the
frame of the Merino sheep as rapidly irnprovimv ;
that a three-year old Merino Ryland wether, bred
by Mr. Toilet, weighed 33165. per quarter, and his
fleece Ms. of superfine wool.
The health' of the founder of the fair was drank;
and of the Duke of Bedford, Mr. Coke, the Duke
of Richmond, the Earls of Egremont and Chi-
chester, Sir Joseph Banks, &c. &c.

allee2sseeme=
EDINBURGH'. Junr is.
Yesterday, at a meeting or the Presbytery of
Edinburgh, a presentation to Dr. Andrew Grunt,
one of thc• Ministers of Kilmarnock, and Modera-
tor iii the General Assembly, with Dr. Grant's let-
ter of acceptance, to be first Minister of Canongate,
in room of Mr. Walker, deceased, were given is
and read. The Presbytery appointed the modera-
tion of a call to take place on Thursday the 11th
of august next.
On Tuesday, that fine wooded bank immediately
opposite to Springfield paper-mill slipped, with •
dreadful crash, into the river Esk, which runs at
the bottom, and which it so completely chi:taked up,
that not a drop of water passed for resent hours.—
The bank, which is about inn feat in height, had
disioovered symptoms of agitation ou the preceding
day; and for about an haul beam it &rare way, the agi-
tation was extremely violent, and the trees were ser
falling in all directions' but when it began to move
is a body, it was awfully grand and terrific. and the
noise was equal to the loudest thunder. 'The slip
is supposed to have been occasioned by water lodg
ed in the bank, which hid loo:.ened it from its bad.

On Wednesday and Thursday, after some days of
the mast oppressive and excessive heat, Greenock
and neighbouri►oo(t were visited with a most tre-
mendous storm of thunder, lightning and rain. A
barn on the farm of Old Hew, parish of Kila►al-
coim, caught fire, unit was nearly consumed.

Portsdown Fuir,vhich excites such general at-
tention, slid not produce either cheese or horses
equal to former fairs. The cheese sold very high,
and it %AI not, generally, very good. Thire were
bat few horses, and they were 04 the lowest breed.
The second day of the fair was remarkable for the
torrents of rails which f.ll ; and we are sorry to no-
tice several accidents, which happened in conse-
quence ;—• man had his shoulder dislocated; a
woman living in Lake-lane broke her arm; andther
woman had her leg broken; and, what is still more
melancholy, an infant child last its life in its mo-
, ther's arms, owing to her wrapping it up too close,
to preserve it from the rain. The some evening,
and the following morning, presented a accuse truly
ludicrous, as well as painful :—The vast number
of persons that attended the fair on that day, made
it impossible that they could sill find conveyances
to bring them home; anti such was the unceasing
and violent rain all the evening add night, that the
females tremp'd it home the neat morning, with
every appearance of having borne with " the pelt-
ing of the pitiless storm."

NAVAL /If TELLICENC E.

TORYWOCTII, JULY nl.

The wind shifted, thislooming, at six o'clock.
and the Expedition lying at St. Helen's iinnied.-
ately began to unmoor. About ten o'clock they
were all under weigh, and between twelve and one
they were out of sight. The wind continues fair,
blowing fresh.

JULY 30.

Arrived yesterday the Valk de Paris, Admiral
Gambier, from Torbay, and St. Alban's, 64, from
the eastward.

Sailed the ReVeil sloop, and Crane schooner, to
the westward. _

Admiral Sir J. T. Duckworth has hoitded his
flag on board the Royal George, 98.
Last night arrived In sail of transports, under
convoy of the St. Alban's, 64, from the Downs,
having General Austruther's division of the expe-
ditiau on board. Sixty of the troops, affected
with the ophtharaia, are to he landed here. Pro-
vided the wind shifts, they will sail this evening for
their clestimition.

Arrived this e:ening His Majesty's sloop of war
Ploner, Captain Brown, with dispatches from
Oporto• She brings an account of :he safe arrival
of Sir A. Wellesley, and the British troops, on the
Aid. She also states a report of General Loison
being on the retreat to join Jnnot, with 4000 men;
and that he destroyed every village in his way.
Several Portuguese of distinction came passengers
in the Plover.

. Arrived also the Foxhound, of 18 guns, Captain
Greette, from a cruise; and the American ship
Comas, Ili*, Master, in Ballast, with- passengers,
detained by His Majesty's ship Shannon.

FALMOUTH, JULY
This day arrived His Majesty's ship L'Aimairle,
of fti gnus, Captain Lord George Steward, having
under her convoy the following transports, viz.—
jelinia, friends, Reseal% Argo, Ortmooko, Eliza,
Grace, Langley, ladastry, and Sally, having on
Loan! the Muth and Quern's Own regiments, and are
to wait the arrival here of the expedition under Sir
John Moore, Irina Portsmouth, when the whole
are expected immediately to sail ; also put in here
this day the following ships of war, with the Out-
ward bound convoy—the Trovepeuse. with the out-
ward bound fleet for Madeira; the Little Belt,
with the outward bound _fleet for Africa ; ti e
Growler .nn-brig, with a fleet of victuallers for
His Majesty's ships off L'Orient, by contrary winds.
Also arrived the Crass schooner, from Pllmouth ;
aed the Atm (tender), from Plymouth fer Bristol..
Sailed the Mather, with a convoy for the Downs.
The Princess Amelia packet, with mails for Co-
runtia, sails an to-morrow.,—Wird S.S.W.