The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-01 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

The Chambers, in their sitting of the 29th inst.,
discussed and voted the project of law relative to
the conversion of the Five per Cent. Debts of 1840,
1842, and 1848, into Four-and-a-half per Cents.
Sixty-six members voted for the project, and two
abstained.

STATE OP TRADE.

(Fr om the Manchester Guardian of this day,

MANCHESTER, TUESD AY, Nov. 30.—This morinng the
Africa arrived in the Mersey, with advices from New
York of the 17th inst. They inform us that cotton
rose to gc. per lb. at New York, on intelligence reach-
ing there of the immense operations effected in Liver-
vool in the week ending October 30th ; but that the
report of the 3d November, showing a sudden unexpected
and very decided pause in the course of business in Man-
chester and Liverpool, occasioned a receding of about c.
At New Orleans, the former accounts gave rise to an
increase of the previous activity, encouraging the
agents, of course, to go on executing, with greater
boldness than before, the abundant orders (to a large
extent discretionary ones) received from this country,
and swelling the sales to 73,000 bales in the week
ending the 15th inst. a larger quantity than had ever
before been got through in the time at that city. The
latter news had been too recently received for any sen-
sible impression to have been produced thereby. The
weather was fine and cool ; and the estimates of the crop
were generally 3,000,000 bales. The total receipts at all
the ports were 526,000 bales, against 362,000 last year,
and the total exports to Great Britain, 159,000, against
108,000. But it is stated that, on the 15th, a "killing
frost" occurred in Georgia and Alabama.
The feeling that immediately arose on our Exchange,
after reading these accounts, was, that the tendency to
a recovery of confidence, which had begun to appear on
the two previous days, would not be maintained ; and
this doubtful feeling was struggling with the better one,
until the second telegraphic report from Liverpool
reached us, with the announcement that prices had re-
gained id per lb. of the loss sustained up to Friday
evening. This statement turned the bias of opinion in
some degree, towards the favourable side ; and the result
may be briefly stated thus : spinners are firmer ;
and buyers are more disposed to purchase at the lowest
rates of last week, but are generally unable to do so ;
while, in some kinds of cloth (principally 40-inch shirt-
ings, which had undergone the greatest fall), a like
change is observable, though not in an equal degree.
ROCHDALE, Nov. 29.—We have had a dull, heavy,
slugggish market to-day, with prices little different from
those of last Monday. - There has been a fair demand
for wool, and good prices obtained. Broke wools are
scarce, and in good demand.
HALIFAX, Nov. 27.—Some sort of worsted goods,
especially lastings, have been rather more inquired for
in our piece hall to-day, and several merchants expressed
their readiness to purchase to a considerable extent, if
the manufacturers would accept late prices ; but as the
goods could not be replaced except at an advance, the
offers were not taken, and consequently very little busi-
ness was done. The shipping houses are still very
chary in their purchases of yarn, as they are reluctant
to give the increased price asked by the spinners ; but
there is a pretty fair business doing to order with the
manufacturers, at the improved rates. There is a mode-
rate amount of wool changing hands, at the recently
advanced quotations.
MACCLESFIELD, Nov. 30. —We have little further
progress to report in sales of manufactured . goods.
The piece trade is also slacker than it was. The
question of the fifteen per cent. duty now pending
seems to absorb a good deal of attention ; and, as before
observed, to this is attributed the paucity of transactions
in goods for the moment ; but should this be settled by
a total repeal of the duties, which has been petitioned
for by the largest and most influential of the Manchester
silk manufacturers, it is thought that what we lose in
protection (which at the best is more apparent than real)
we shall gain on the other hand by an influx of foreign
buyers, whom we now do not see in our markets. No
doubt, to some extent, their impressions are, that, as we
adhere to a protective duty, we are not enabled to com-
pete with the German and other manufacturers on the
Continent, and, as a natural result, the orders are given
out in those markets, to the prejudice of our manufac-
turers. Further, if any stronger argument was wanted
against the protective duty, it would be found in the
stationary position in which the silk manufacture has
remained in for years past, whilst all the other great
staple trades of the country, which have been unfettered
by protection, have advanced in a most material degree.
Witness also the position of the silk throwsters, whose
utter ruin was predicted by some persons on the aboli-
tion of the duties on foreign thrown silks ; but
they never were at any period more actively employed
than at present, and this chiefly for export ; nor
were the operatives in this department ever doing better.
Certainly no opportunity for removing the duties could
be selected more favourable than the present, which
would find our manufacturers generally bare of stock on
hand. The feeling against the maintenance of these
duties is evidently increasing. Thrown silks continue
more in request, at advancing rates, and orders in
some instances are offered for some time to come,
which, however, are generally refused, as the diffi-
culty of working fine descriptions increases, from
the great scarcity of hands felt in the throwing mills.
Raw Silks—The chief feature to notice is an operation
to the extent of 1,000 bales of Chinas, at an advance of
6d on previous rates. Italians are also firmer. Bengals
remain stationary ; the difficulty of working this silk
being the chief barrier to its use. The deliveries, how-
ever, continue on an average scale.
o HUDDERSFIELD, Nov. 30.—The demand for woollen
day has been about an average season ; blacks of
ket
day
have been mostly in request. The mar-
known laoseen dull in the hall at present, being what is
the between seasons.
few weeks-f, Nov. 29.—The excitement of the last
contracts arm the iron trade continues unabated, and
a further re now everywhere being refused unless at
advance at thevance of
two
pounds
per ton—of this-
of
bar
ext meeting of the trade making there
the price
appears a probalii:l:" 10/. Of the establishment
occur. How rrtY,c;should no unexpected check
a speculative eh,' the present demand is of
be of a sustained eeeort r what prospect there may
being is now so a'rale, under which our well-
treme range of prices, seem
,onependent, under an ex-
sideratione
Tmhaattttehrsereofisli, tatnledcwionll-
among the clarnorotus
etaeionumn elation of demand
be for some time to come, an
beyond the powers of produ
are rates for avail-
taken as an undisputed fact ; and the " our district, is
dour
ing themselves of this opportunity
proprietors of many large works have alr°euasd. The
th
compelled materially to reduce heir Take, ougyb. been
an unusual press of orders, from inability to 01,under
ton
materials, particularly coals. During the last few years
of unremunerative trade, not only have many infe-
rior workings of mines been abandoned, but the usual
preparations and provisions for future supplies, by the
erection of new plants upon unbroken mine, have to a
great degree been neglected ; and in addition_ to the
scarcity that has thus naturally ensued under so large
an increase of consumption, unfortunately the late
unpropitious weather has most materially impeded
mining operations of every description. In seve-
ral localities it has put a partial stop to them, by
laying large tracts under water, and a considerable time
must elapse before their previous' amount of produce can
be recovered. Both ironstone andcoals are therefore
realising unwarrantably highfigures and a further ad-
vance has been given, unasked, to the miners and col-
liers, making upon the whole day to the latter,
and 6d, to the former. whole
8. per
'a Birmingham Gazette.

_ _ ......
way • it was to the state of the funds of the Ecclesiasti-
cal dommission. They could not abolish this tax, and
draw the requisite funds from the Ecclesiastical Commis-
sion, without postponing and displacing trusts which he
was confident that house would not postpone or displace.
He admitted that it was highly desirable to exempt houses
inhabited by the poorer portion of the Roman Catholic
Population ; but while he did that, he could not consent
4
to lay the tax on the poorer clergy, of whom there were
ben any in Ireland. The average income, indeed, of the
ned clergy was not more than from 1201. to 1701.
put
,ar, and he thought it would be an equitable thing to
able b"
ant tax on these clergymen which was properly pay-
y
Prot t tITs. owners in fee of houses, who were generally
In the parish to which he belonged, the
greater portion of he thought it the inhabitants were Protestants, and
Nvo
order to exemp'tlitt be hard to tax the poorer clergy in
Protestants in the hem' It had been stated that some
ranks were in arrear on one oc-
casion, and he had
voters once, because tluiassol been struck off the list of
iii(l) lectors had not called for the
rate, and some of the
liie believed, were also
struck off. No doubt thisg.tel' niitts origin was a tax on
property and not on persons.
was imposed, as had '
been observed, at the time of the settlement of Charles
11. The Crown had the whole ProPsrty of the town
1