The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-05 00:00:00

STATE 01? TRADE.

MANCHESTER, Sept. 4 —Our report of Saturday
showed a gradual incrta,e of business towards the close
of last week in cloths, and a considerable demand has
been experienced this morning. The hands of sellers
have, of course, been strengthened by this improvement,
and a larger business would have been added to the
trade done this morning if the same prices could have
been accepted. The stocks of most kinds of cloth are
now very low or entirely worked off, and many of our
manufacturers are placed under contract. Home-trade
buyers are not so active as exporters, but still they have
been more in the market since the commencement of
finer weather. Of the foreign market,, Messrs. Du
Fay and Co. remark :—" We are glad to report some
improvement in the Australian trade, and if judicious
and moderate supplies are sent out they will probably
sell to advantage. No trade in the world, however
rich and fertile the country may be, will stand such
a rush of over-supplies as has been the case to these
markets. The acc,unts from the United States are
very satisfacory for the autumn trade, and how
could they be otherwise, with a plentiful harvest
and comparatively high prices received for the last cotton
crop, and every prospect of a large yield of the next !
The trade to California is improving, and some of the
losses of former years may now be made up. The demand
for the Levant continues satisfactory, and a fair business
has been done by the Greek houses throughout the (past)
month." All kind, of plain and figured shirtings are in
good demand, including the light makes suited to India,
and there continues to be an improvement felt in print
ing cloths.
The sellers of yarn report a very firm market, but
not much doing. Spinners of water-twist have obtained
an advance of id. per lb. in some ca•es, and Nos. 16 to
24 are in good demand. Nos. 20's and 30's mule yarns
are scarce, and most counts of India yarn are more diffi-
cult to meet with. Many of our spinners have heavy
contracts.

LEEDS, Sept. 4.—There has been an average attend-
ance of buyers in the cloth-halls this morning, who pur-
chased freely of such goods as are likely to be required
for autumn and winter wear. There is no noticeable
change in prices, which remain very steady, and nothing
has occurred 'ince this day se'linight to alter the general
satisfactory character of the woollen cloth trade of this
district.

MARKET NEIVS.-(THIS DAY.)

CORN EXCHANGE.

A very limited quantity of English wheat was on sale
here to-day. Owing to the want of supply, scarcely any
business was doing, yet Monday's advance was freely sup-
ported ; indeed, prices were considered rather higher than
on that day.
Foreign wheat was held at a further improvement of 2s.
per quarter, but the transactions were trifling.
Floating cargoes were very firm.
Barley and malt sold freely, and the quotations were
well supported. The supplies were limited.
The show of oats was tolerably good, and the trade ruled
firm, at full prices.
Beans, peas, and flour were quite as dear as on Monday.
♦RKIVALSI THIS WIER.

Wheat.
410

6nglish
Irish •• • •
Foreign 3 I 5,900

1
Barley. t Malt. Oats. 1 Flour
1 2,93) 360 i i
920
Ilo3ck
5,460 1 , 1 I 2 4.9
—bra
3,850

BOROUGH HOP.

The demand for yearling and old hope is steady, at full
prices. The plantation accounts are favourable, and the
duty is called 290,000/. to 300,0001.

WHITECHAPEL.

Each kind of meat moved off slowly to-day, as follows :
Beef, 38 6d to 4s 8d ; mutton, :is ed to 4s 8,1 ; lamb
4s 6,1 to 5s 6d ; veal, 3810 d to 4s 10d ; pork, 3s 8d to 4s 8,3
per 81bs. by the carcase.

SIR JAMES Gh'AliAlf AT DRUMBURGII.

he ceremony of cuttiug the first sod of the Silloth
Railway was perfortue 1 at Drumburgh, on Friday last, by
. .

- .
Sir James Graham, B trt. The new line is to join the Port
Carlisle Railway at Drunebergh, and to run to a point on
the coast of the Solway Frith called Silloth Bay, a distance
of about nine miles and a half. At two o'clock a train of
I 16 carriages started from the Carlisle terminus of the Port
Carlisle Railway, amidst the cheers of a crowd assembled
to witness the departure, the strains of a band of music, and
I a series of cannon-like explosions produced by a number of
small boxes of fulminating powder attached to the rails
over which the wheels of the carriages passed. The Corpo-
ration attended in a body, the Mayor wearing his chain of
office. The train arrived at its destination shortly before
3 o'clock, by which time several hundred persons had as-
sembled upon the ground. Meanwhile Sir James Gras
ham had come from Netherby, and proceeds(' to turn
! the sod with the spade and place it in the wheelbarrow,
which he wheeled a few yards, and then deposited
the contents upon the green sward, amidst the vociferous
" hurrahs" of the crowd (which pressed pretty closely upon
him, and almost impeded his progress), and the strains of
the national anthem from the brass band. The spade and
the wheelbarrow were the ordinary implements used by
the navvies. There was no attempt at ornament of any
kind, as is usually the case on such occasions. At the close
of the ceremony, which did not occupy five minutes,
Sir JANIES GRAHAM stepped upon a rising piece of
ground, and said—Ladies and gentlemen, let me in the
first place return my thanks to the directors of this
great undertaking for having paid me the compliment
of inviting me to be present on this occasion, and for
having entrusted to me the duty of cutting the first sod
at the commencement of the work. Amidst the din of
war—amidst the prodigal and fruitless expenditure of mil-
lions of the public money—amidst the grievances and dis-
asters, the death, the sickness, the wounds and groans of
thousands of our fellow-creatures, it is gratifying to my
feelings to be occupied this day, as I am at present
occupied, in a work worthy of a great and commercial peo-
ple—a work which has raised the country of which we are
the favoured inhabitants to the highest pitch of commercial
greatness. Works of this kind in foreign countries have
been the boast of conquerors and of kings, but in our coun-
try they are the works of citizens. It is not the statesman
who has projected them, nor are they carried on for politi-
cal purposes, but they are the fruits of honest industry;
they are derived from the earnings of industrious labour ;
when constructed they are directed by our neighbours, and
it is my hope and prayer that this work which we have
begun to-day may be conducive to the interests of the com-
munity to which I am attached by every tie that can bind
the heart of man to his fellow-creatures. When I lcok
around me, and when I see in the age in which I live how
great have been the works that adorn this country—
when I look at our bridges, our aqueducts, and other
means of internal communication when I see our
canals, our railways, our harbours, and our docks—
when I see all these great works, and recollect that they
have been the fruits of the earnings of the honest industry
of the citizens of this country, or that they have been the
results of the application of productive capital to revive
and irrigate, as it were, that which was previously unpro-
durtive—when, I say, I see these things, I am proud of
the position my native country occupies among the nations
of the world, and I am glad to find that in my own imme-
diate neighbourhood, even at such an eventful moment,
efforts of this kind are not suspended. It is the boast of
the age in which we live that science and capital have been
combined, and by that means the greatest monuments of
the crreatest country in the world have been secured. Our
commercial greatness may pass away, but these works are
everlasting memorials that we, in our time and generation,
have not lived in vain. I pray and trust that the work
which we have begun to-day may take its place amongst
those to which I have adverted. The work in which we
are engaged to-day will, I confidently hope, receive that
blessing, for it is a work of peace and of mercy. Such are all
God's works. Our works generally are of a more doubtful
character, but of the nature of this work we can have no
doubt whatever. It is commenced in the spirit of peace,
for its objects are peace and the good of the community in
which we live. Those who have undertaken this work are
following the example of their generation, and in thus
conferring great benefits upon the nation they aro the
friends and benefactors of the people, and my prayer is
that it will prosper and realise your most sanguine expec-
tations. Gentlemen, I need not say more just now. I think
that something more substantial and more convivial than
a speech awaits us in the neighbouring tent, and at present
I have said sufficient to assure you of my sincerity in hoping
that the undertaking may prosper. (Applause.)
Three cheers were given for the success of the under-
taking, and the party, numbering about 160, adjourned to
a tent, where a substantial repast had been prepared.
The company waited for some time beyond the appointed
hour for Sir J. Graham, who at the close of his remarks
concluding the sod-cutting ceremony went to Drnmburgh
Castle, an old border tower, where it was feared by the
hungry occupants of the tent that he had either lost his
appetite or his memory, amongst reminiscences of the past.
The growing impatience of the guests had already mani-
fasted itself in an illegitimate use of knives and forks, and
length broke out in open rebellion by a general attack
upon the pies and joints of meat before them, when the
tall figure of the right hon. baronet suddenly appeared at
the head of the table, and suspended the onslaught until
grace had been said.
Mr. P. J. DIXON (the chairman of the projected line)
occupied the chair.
After the usual loyal toasts,

The CHAIRMAN proposed the healths of the members for

The toast having been duly honoured,
Sir J. GRAHAM said—l have attended with infinite plea-
sure at the request of the directors. I addressed you before
and told.you my feelings with respect to this occasion. I
see the question constantly asked—s question which you
cannot fail to divine seeing that it has been so recently and
frequently put—" What would have been the conduct of
Sir R. Peel in existing circumstances were he now alive ?
Permit me to say that this is a fruitless question —a need-
less and unproductive speculation. It is hard to say what
in present circumstances would have been his conduct ;
but time has not abated my sorrow for his loss. I feel
every day more and more the loss of his friendship. I re-
gret every day the absence of that advice on which I so
much relied—that advice which was ever dictated by the
soundest sense, by the warmest sympathy with the inte-
rests and feelings of the people of this country whom he
served with constant fidelity, and whose happiness,
prosperity, and welfare it was the object of his life to
promote. Gentlemen—l cannot tell you—although per-
haps, without vain boasting, I may say that I enjoyed, to
a great extent, to the last moment of his life, his confi-
dence—l cannot pretend to say what in the varying cir-
cumstances of the present moment might be his position.
I can, however, look back to what was his past conduct ;
and, recollecting what that past conduct was, I can truly
tell you that, in reference to the past, it is the proudest
recollection of my public life that I was associated with
him, and enjoyed his confidence for the short remainder of
that public life. It will be my endeavour to act in confor-
mity to the principles be enunciated, and with the view I
know he took of what, was conducive to the prosperity of
this country. Of all things he was the maintainer of peace;
he was the promoter of constitutional and progressive re-
form ; he was the great defender and champion of commerce;
he was the guardian of the manufacturing interests of this
country, from which interest be sprang, and evinced the
utmost solicitude for i s welfare ; and if for a moment a
cloud passed over his memory on the part of the agricul-
tural interest, yet now I think the time has arrived when
I may safely appeal to those around me to say whether
he was not the agriculturist's friend—whether he inflicted
any lasting injury upon that interest by his deep convic-
tion that commerce, manufacture, and agriculture were
identical and inseparable. These were the principles of
my late lamented friend—principles which to the last

moment of my life will actuate my conduct. I regret the
loss we have sustained, but when I am asked what would
have been the conduct of Sir R. Peel in the present crisis,
I will answer that for the remainder of my public life I
will endeavour to give effect to the view I take of his prin-
ciples. Gentlemen, 'tie vain to ask what he would do. It
is right to ask what ke di I. With reference to his views,
upon railway competition, he did not think that competi-
tion was beneficial as the exception, but as the general rule.
Facility of communication, he was of opinion, whether by
railroad, navigation, and in every possible way it could
be excited, was conducive to the real interests of the coun-
try. (Hear, hoar.) And in reference to speculation, he
had such confidence in the shrewdness, intelligence, and
good sense of his countrymen, that he was satisfied that
those who engaged in such undertakings as a pecuniary
speculation would have sufficient discretion and intelli-
gence to take care of themselves. He considered competi-
tion;
to be the soul of commerce, the parent of low prices in
which the great body of the people have so deep anin-
terest. He was the advocate of competition. I
am an advocate of competition ; and in reference
conopeti-
t this
scheme, I believe it will not only be conducive t
tion which will be beneficial to the public,
but
hope, not be injurious to the shareholders, which will
wasalso the, I
re,
subject when first
brought under my notice. (Cheers.)
only doubt I entertained upon the
Gentlemen, I have
nng here to-day, and I
thank you for the attention with experienced great pleasure in a
to my remarks. (Loud cheers.:
lite which you have listened
Mr. FERGUSON also ma
de a few remarks in acknow-
ledgment of the toast.
with the names Messrs. P. S. Dixon
ed "Agriculture, Manufactures, and
Mr. Jays Proposed
of_
erg?.led
After referring to Sir James Graham's
sespecially to the remarks of the right
Royal .
aCnodm
gm
re.rcse,'n'
speech at. kgricultural
the recent dinner of the
Society in Carlisle,
hon. baronet upon the union of agriculture and commerce,
and his desire for the restoration of peace, Mr. James
continued—l believe, he said, there is not a tree-hearted
Englishman who does not wish the same. But the ques-
tion is how are these desirable objects to be effected ? I
on't know what the opinion of Sir Robert Peel might
have been now. I know that he changed his opinions upon
the question of the corn laws and other subjects, and not-
withstanding Sir James Graham " lays the flattering
unction to his soul, it is not perhaps quite so certain that

hed he been alive Sir Robert would have entertained the
same views r the right hon. baronet present, upon the
question of peace and war. (flear, and a laugh.) If I might
venture to give my humble opinion upon the subject, I
should say there is but one way i❑ which peace can be ob.
tained safely, honourably, and with the least possibility of
ettezess. (Hear., I say I believe there is but one way of
accomplishing this object, and that is by crippling the re-
sources and-humbling the pride of Russia—(loud cheers)—
by crippling her resources and humbling the pride of
her insolent rulers. (Loud cheers.) I believe that this
most desirable obj act cannot be brought about in any
other way ; and fea.rful though it be, and great as has a/.
ready bean the sacrifice of life and treasure, there is but
one honourable way of securing a lasting peace—that of
marching over the ruins of Sebastopol and Sweaborg, and,
if needs be, of Cronstadt and St. Petersburg itself—(great
sheering)—and probably if we find no better security when
we meet there, seizing upon the persons of the young Czar,
and his warlike brother Constantine, and chaining them
up in St. Helena or some other out-of-the-way place, until
they find sureties for their future good behaviour in the
affairs of Europe. (Cheers.) This is the only way to ob-
tain that " material guarantee" requisite to prevent the
same or future barbarians of the north from carrying out
their insolent and aggressive policy of territorial aggran-
disement and universal dominion—(loud cheers)—a policy
which has prevailed in Russia, and been acted upon, more
or less, since the days of Czar Peter the Great, if not be.
fore. Gentlemen, lam as anxious as any man can be for
the restoration of peace ; but I say let it not be a hollow
truce—(loud cheering)—let us not have to fight the battle
o'er again—let us have peace—a secure and lasting and
honourable peace, and then I say agriculture, commerce,
and manufactures will flourish with increased vigour and
elasticity. (Prolonged cheering.)
Mr. RIGG responded on behalf of the agricultural interest.
Mr. P. S. DIXON sail that as a commercial man he was
a little more peacefully inclined than Mr. James appeared
to be, and that gel tleman would excuse him fto: saying
that the speech he had just heard rather reminded him of
the " war to the knife" demonstrations that used to be
made at Maryport about twelve months ago. (A la ngh.)
After some other toasts, the party broke up.