The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-12-29 00:00:00

.fte
•

THE CUTTUN TRADE.

(From the Lirfrpool Albbn.)
The annual statement of the import and stock of cotton •
will be made Up on Saturday next. It will, we ohierved
a few wet kr ago, be a document of great and general inte-
rest. It may not, however, be difficult to anticipate, even
how, from the data already before us, what will be the pre-
it/Me amount of the sleek that will remain in the ports of
,Great Briltaig on the 31st of December instant. In order
I to ascertain lis point, le: us, in the first place, attempt to
estimate what will be, the total import of cotton into the
parts during the present year.
Import into prierool
Landon
Glasgow

Total,

R e 7%.
700,000
80.000
80,000

. 810,000

Taking, then, the above as likely to be the total import
of the year, the next point is, to estimate what will be the
probable stock that will remain in the ports on the Slat Dea
cember instant. We vertnre to state it, by anticipation,
thus : -

Stock hi Liverpool
London
Glasgow

Total,

ries.
. . 254,1,000
- 85,000
• 10,000

34,000

The stock on the Slat of December, 1821,, was ess,odd
bags ; so that, if our probable estimate should turn out nea
curate, the stock in the ports, at the end of this year, will
exceed that at the dote of the pfeceding by 113,000 begs
only ; an excess extremely small, when we take into con+
sideration the mighty and tfnparalteled traniictions of the
year in the aside of cotton.; Btu though the stock lathy
ports may exceed that of last year by even 113,000 bags.
we must bear in mind that 11l stock in the hand/ of fibs!
manufacturers is much smaller—se-Adler, perbayn, do&
at the end of any previous•year. They were supposed 10
have held, on the 3latof D-cember leer, eto,ooo mote thin
they held at the mime perifid in 1323. It has long been
clear, however, that the excess was much more than that
number, or else they could not have kept out of the market
so long as they did. It is imposiible to disbover the quanA
city which the manufacturers now hold; but we inspect
that it is unprecedentedly small—smaller, probably, by 40
or .50,000 bags than the stocts held by them at the c!ose of
1824. So that the stock many in the ports, although com-d
paratively great, is positively send% and does not exceed
the actual stock of lsZt by hiore than about to,ona bags.
Besides, an allowance must be made in ivelght for the large
proportion of Brsziland Egyptian cotton comprised in the
stock. Some of the cotton, too, warehoused in the port et
Liverpool, is of very inferior quality, a circumstance which
will be accounted for by the fact of the markets of the
world having been swept, Its it were, to supply the specm,
lative demand for the English market.
Another point of great and leading interest is, to ewer"
Min what has been the probable consumption of cotton in
the course of the present year. We attempt to eatimate
the consumption thus :

Total import and previous stock
Subtract stocks at close of 1825

Deduct export

Total probable conadmption of

Rms.
1.045,000
350,000

6115.000
MOO

822,000

It would be a curious and interesting inquiry to ascertaid
bow much of the cotton annually imported is consumed it
goods at home, and how much is &ported in calicoes,
twist, &c. to the foreign market. An ingenious friend,
who has paid close attention to the transactions of the year
in cotton, has furnished us with the following statement cat
this subject: _ _ _

Exported since Ist January. 1025.
Calkon . 273,776,845 yards, or 24:1,357 bsirs of 2501b5. each.
Twig, - - 31,725,927 lbs. or 148,551.1

Total export - - 3tte.els
The statement of the export is taken from the official
returns ; and our friend gives these reasons for snpposing
that the foreign market consumes n far greeter quantity of
British cotton manufactures than has been hitherto inn-,
pined. "We have always," says he, " been impressed
with an opinion that the export of cotton twist, &c. has
been annually ver large ; and the research which we
have made bay cal the impression. Not many years
ago it was cod-mare MAN export trade was only as one
part out of four compared with the home trade. Later
it has been supposed that the export was one-third of the
total consumption. morn the documents, however, which
we have examined,it would appear that the averageexport,
including twist, is equal to two-thirds of the home con-
sumption. This result, so contrary to our preconceived
opinions, and still more opposed to the opinions of loony
experienced merchaots, directed out attention to a cotnpark,
son of business of the present with that of former years.
In this investigation the following causes appeared, its
some degree, to confirm our statement, and to account for
the export trade approximating so nearly to the home. Of
late years the silk manufacture has very much increased.
and prices hare been so moderate that a large portion of
the population have adopted the fashion of wearing coin-
' mon silk, instead of prints or cambrics. Woollens have
almost excluded, from the home trade, velveteens, cords,
&c. (which arc now but partially worn); and linens have
excluded a large portion of coarse calicoes. These changes
of fashion and convenience account for the stationary
amount of the home trade in cotton stuffs; and the trade
to South America, to our North American colonies, the
population of which is rapidly augmenting, and to other
countries, as well as the increased quantity of twist'
shipped to ports abroad, account for the increase of our'
exports."
On a review of the whole subject, we cannot but wonder
at the mighty operations of our countrymen. Venice,
Portugal, and Holland have each, in their time, been great
coromervial Powers. The capital, however, turned over in
this country, in the article of cotton alone, would equal the
whole trading capital of any one of those countries in its
greatest prosperity—pcthaps of all put together. But, to
dilate upon the extent of the capital of our country, the
magnificence and ingenuity of its machinery, and the per-
severing enterprise of its merchants and manufacturers,
would extend our observations to a range of interesting
subjects on which *e do not intend at present to touch.
We would, however, impress upon all classes the necessity
and the policy of supporting the cotton trade : and whilst
we deprecate a wild and reckless spirit of speculation, we
' congratulate the trade upon one point, which cannot fail
to be a consequence of the unprecedented mania of the
early part of 1845, namely, an increased production of .w
valuable a staple as cotton. What are a few hundred
thousand bags of stock, when the annual consumption of
this country alone is probably little short of 700,000 i. L
a consumption which is still increasing and likely to in—
crease.

Before we conclude, it may not be uninterestlng to state
what were the import, stock, and prices at the close of the
four preceding years :
IMPORT.

STOCK.

3
1821, 488,100 . 353.800
1822, 03,100 - 286,600
1823, 8813,400 - 382,230
1824, 541,330 - 235,860

VETOES.
rpiand. -Pernam.
Rd. a !Did. 111.1. a 120.
6}d. a Ud. 10;1 a 110.
70. a 9.1. 11.1. a 12.1.
84d. a stio. 12141. a 12}d.

LIVERPOOL, Dec. 27.—We have a fair demand for Cot-
ton„ and prices steady; about 3,03, bags sold this week.
COMMERCIAL INPORM•TION EXTR 11011DINART.—Tbe
Afornirrg Herahl of yesterday states an advance of is. lu
2s. on sugar. Thi Sugar Market has been dosed ante&
Friday, on account of the holydays.
WESTMINSTER IMPROVEMENTS.—Many Of the houses
which abutted on that ancient site called the Sanctuary, at
the upper end of l'rince's-strect, leading to Tothill-.tree!.
are at length levelled with the ground. IVorkrnen are all*
now employed in preparing the foundation of the intended
new Parliamentary Mews, by lining the excavations with
lime, in order to insure its dryness and durability. It i%
understood that in addition to the improvements thus phi-.
creding in this renowned part of the metropolis, there wit:
presently be another new square, facing the northern aide
of the Abbey, and corresponding in some degree with the
tine inclovtre which runs parallel with the entrance to the
Sessions-house. IVesttniaster will here acsume, in conse-
quence, an entirely new aspect. The houses al present in
Gardener's-lane, together with many now standing in
King-street, arc likewise to be pulled down. •