The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-06 00:00:00

STATE OP TRADE.

(From the Manchester Guardian, of yesterday.)
As the rumours about renewed negotiations for peace
have given an impulse to Console, so have they also some-
what strengthened the previous hardening tendency of
prices, both in cotton and in our own staples. The
buyers of yarns find that they cannot generally do quite
so well for themselves to-day as they could have done
list week. The bias is against them iu 16's to 24's water
twist, and still more evidently in 30's ; also in mule of
certain middle counts and very low qualities of coarse
numbers. We here refer to spinnings for exportation.
The merchants for Norther❑ Europe are ready to give
out orders-on the condition of immediate delivery. The
barrenness of the market as to stocks, and the degree in
which spinners are under contract, interfere very much
with the placing of such orders ; yet, with all this, it is
difficult to get a little more from the buyers, who defer
the execution of all but the more pressing commissions
of their correspondents. The manufacturers purchase very
cautiously, and we are very backward at paying any ad-
vance. On the whole, therefore, yarns mast be de-
scribed as -lightly dearer, but the day's business is only
moderate in amount. The tendency to harden in price
is more partially observable in goods, and is still less
successful ; very great firmness, however, characterises
the whole of this department. Whatever may be the
difficulty of adding the smallest fraction to prices, the
fact that there is a demand for all the yarns and goods
produced is so palpable that, at all events, a prevalent
and apparently well-grounde I firmness exists. The
Greek houses are not doing mush for Constantinople ;
but they are buying to a fair extent in various articles
adapted to the Alexandria trade. The Bombay accounts
sate that the anxiety occasioned by the long-continued
drought in the interior had been happily relieved at
length by genial rain where it was wanted. A good
effect upon business was anticipated. At Calcutta, the
long holidays hail spoiled the month for commerce.
Thu rate of exchange, being still very high—rather
higher than before—was answering the purpose of the
sellers of goods and yarns very well.

At a meeting of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation Company, held yesterday, Admiral Thornton
presiding, a dividend at the rate of 7 per cent, per an-
was agreed to, and the report was
exclusive of a payment of 30s. per share from the
an-
num,
autnlodpertewdr.itinT4haecocroculitnita'ry proceedings having concluded,
the presentation of the plate voted by the proprietors to
Mr. A. Anderson and Mr. B. Pd. Wilcox took place.
The private advices from St. Petersburg do not sup.
port rumours of a tendency on the part of
Rsi
rsubmission. They are not, however, to be ra
usa the
top
garded as less probable on that account, since it is a
common deceit at St. Petersburg with respect to politi-
cal matters to attempt to spread by these means an im-
pre4sion directly at variance with the real state of affairs.
It is unquestionable, however, that the profits of the
overland trade keep off in a remarkable degree the dis
content which would otherwise become overwhelming,
and that Prussia may actually be regarded as the sole
cause of the war being prolonged. The extra gums paid
for transit enrich a very large body of Tersons through
a wide district, while, at the srme time, the general trade
of the country is kept up to a much more favooruble
point than had been anticipated. Hence the rate of ex-
change, it is said, is again showing firmness, money at
Moscow is in good supply at 7 per cent., and the GO'
//emu:tent paper eszapes any serious depreciation.