The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-05 00:00:00

by some very fine tributary streams so far a 5 salmon
culture is concerned, and among his other feats, and
to make assurance doubly sure, Mr. Ashworth, in
addition to sowing salmon eggs in barren rivers as
he would sow wheat in a field, transports the live
fish from stream to stream. Mr. Miller, the fishery
superintendent, conveyed 40 adult salmon in a tub
a distance of 20 miles, in order to place them in the
River Robe, a tributary to Lough Mask, a lough
which, by means of the cut connecting it with Lough
Corrib, has now a communication with the sea, an
object that is highly essential to salmon life; and
the success of Mr. Ashworth's experiments was ac-
knowledged to be complete when the smolts were
seen migrating to the sea in April last. On the
principle, then, of making a blade of corn grow
where one never grew before, the proprietors of the
Irish fisheries are certainly national benefactors.
With reference to the article on "Fish Culture
in France" which recently appeared in The Sun, it
may be as well to state here that the French people
eat all kinds of fish, whether they be from the sea,
the river, the leke, or the canal. In Scotland and
Ireland the salmon only is bred artificially, because
it is a valuable and money yielding animal, and no
other fish is regarded in that country as being of
value except for sport. In France large quantities
of eels are bred and eaten, bat in Scotland, and in
some parts of England the people have such a hor-
ror of that fish that they will not touch it. This
of course is a mere prejudice, as the eel is good for
food in a very high degree. In all Catholic coun-
tries there are so many fast days that fish food
becomes to the people an essential article of diet ;
in France this is so, and the consequence is that a
good many private amateurs in pisciculture are to
be found throughout the empire, but the mission of
the French Government in connection with fish cul-
ture is apparently to meddle only with the rearing
and acclimatising of the more valuable fishes. It
would be a waste of energy for the authorities at
Huningue to commence the culture of the carp or
perch. In this Protestant country there is no de-
mand for the commoner river or lake fishes, except
for the purposes of sport; and with one or two ex-
ceptions, such as the Lochleven trout, the charr,
&c., there is no commerce carried on in these fisher.
One has bat to visit the fish market at Paris to; ob-
serve that all kinds of fresh-water fish and river
crustaca3a are there ranked as saleable and largely
purchased.
Some schemes for the extension of pisciculture in
England are now being matured. Dr. Buckland
has himself described in a lecture (reported in the
Times) his experiments of fish hatching in the
Thames; how they will succeed must be left to time
to develope. If a great series of breeding ponds
were constructed to feed the Severn, it would tend
to the multiplication of our finest salmon, and
assuredly raise the fish rental of that fine river to a
high point.

THE SCOTCH IRON TRADE,

The past year has been one of the most properous the
pig-iron trade has ever witnessed. The production has been
the largest, and the shipments and consumption have much
exceeded those of any former year. The average price has
been the highest since 1857, and the present price is lls
per ton higher than the average of the last five years. For
the first six months nothing of any importance influenced
the market, and prices fluctuated within the range of 50s to
555. per ton. The demand for manufactured iron was
steady, but not brisk, and common bars could be bought at
at £6 10s to £6 15s. per ton. The trade continued dull
during June, July, and August, the price still keeping
down; and not going beyond 558, cash for warrants. There
was little speculative life, and only a hand-to-mouth busi-
ness was done by merchants and consumers. It was only
at the beginning of September that any activity worth not-
ing began to 'exhibit itself. By this time the strike among
the puddlers and miners in Staffordshire, which resulted in
the concession of 'the masters, began to affect the work-
men here, and as an advance was also conceded to the
men in Yorkshire and Wales, it became obvious that no
successful resistance could be made to a rise in wages in
this district. Higher prices immediately began to be looked
for, and more attention was attracted to the low' prices and
the state of supply and demand. It is important to note
that a great part of the briskness which succeeded this
period arose from considerations of the price of labour.
Skilled workmen in the manufacture of iron are undoubtedly
scarce, and mestere have to" regret. the fact that ,emigration.
and other trades holding out better inducements, have with-
drawn the boys who used to be trained as puddlers from
the iron districts, and their places are filled up by rough
grown hands, who do their work much less efficiently.
Until a high standard of wages is established, we believe
labour will become one of the most serious obstacles which
iron masters will have to contend with, especially as
the profits on iron will now largely stimulate the erection
of new works. The average rate of wages this year has
been 3s 6d per day; in 1856 it was 4s 31; in 1855, 4s 4d ;
and in 1853 it was 53 per day. The effect of the movement
among the men was to cause merchants who have con-
stantly, since 1857, kept bare of stock, to rush into the
market and buy bars, sheets, and rails. The demand for
shipbuilding-iron, which has been the . backbone of the
trade since the autumn of last year, became more vigorous,
and orders which had been kept back by merchants who
had contracted with shipbuilders had to be given out. The
consequence was an advance in Staffordshire of 30s. per ton
on Manutactured iron, which was quickly followed here.
Large purchases of pig-iron were made from day to day by
parties who took the substantial state of the trade as a
basis, and who were not discouraged by the vain attempts
repeatedly made to rally the price since 1857. Daring
September the price advanced from 545. 6d. to 61s. 6d; in
October 635. 3d. was reached ; in November, 675. ; and
this month we close at the highest point, 695. 6d. per ton.
1 his is an advance of 183. from the lowest price of the year,
and 15s. within four months. The state of the money mar-
ket during the last five weeks caused cautious holders
quietly to realise, and the iron has now been
bought principally by English firms. The strin-
gency, however, did not affect our market se-
riously, and its disappearance has furreshed a
fresh reason for a further advance. The stock is
now about 12,000 tons more than last year. This is only a
small addition when it is considered that 100,000 tons were
added last year, and that this year we estimate that 70,001)
tons more have been produced. The furnaces in blast have
been 127 as the average of the year, and the number now
blowing is 135. The remunerative prices now ruling will no
dcubt cause as many furnaces to be put up as possibly can;
and should 62s 61 be maintained as an average next year,
we may expect to see fully 50,000 tons more iron produced.
It is interesting to observe the progress which is making in
this respect in the rival district of Yorkshire. As many as
30 furnaces are spoken of as to be erected next year. As they
can produce the iron at so much less cost, a greater stimulus
will be created there than here, so long as present prices
are maintained. We look upon Yorkshire as the future
centre of the iron trade, and within ten years we expect
that its production of pig-iron and manufactured iron
will be double its present capacity. We have imported
thence during the present year fully 10,000 tons for
forge purposes, and we estimate the same quantity
of Hematite pig-iron from Cumberland. Manu-
factured iron has been in excellent demand during the whole
year, particularly ship plates and angle iron, which are £3
per ton higher than at the opening of the year. The mills
round Glasgow have been unable to meet the demand, and
considerable contracts have been made for farther quantities
from Staffordshire and the Cleveland district. Foundry
iron has not participated in the increase of prices to the same
extent as malleable iron, and contracts are taken at low
figures for chairs and general castings to keep order books
full. The shipments show an increase of 50,000 tons. Pre-
sent prices do not lead us to hope that next year wiil show
any increase over these figures. There have been built in
the Clyde 170 vessels, of 120,700 tans, against 128 vessels
of 72,000 tons in 1862, and against 86 vessels, of 63,000
tons in 1861. We can only reiterate the remark which we
made on this subject in our Circular of last year, that " BO
powerful an impetus has been given in this direction, and
the preference for iron ships has now taken so firm a hold
upon European Governments and the public, that we can
only look forward to, and hope for, still greater activity
in this branch of the trade." Next year's prospects
are in every way favourable, and we expect that a good
deman for iron will be maintained. At the same time, it
must be borne in mind that much of this advance in manu-
factured iron is owing to heavy purchases made by mar •
chants who were before bare of stock and are now full, and
that not a small portion of the contracts has been made by
spculators. This iron has to find its way into consumption
still, and before this takes place we expect to see at least a
partial reaction. If 62a. 6d. be maintained as the average
price of pig-iron next year, it will be a more healthy con-
dition of the trade than if prices run up so as to farther
stimulate a production which threatens to be overgrown,
and which will only the sooner bring about the depression
from which we have so recently emerged. There is a
strong speculative feeling in this country—every staple,
and almost all articles of importance, have more or less
been influenced by it. It is not our wish to see this carried
further in Scotch pig-iron, and we are convinced it cannot
be done with safety.—Messrs. Shaw, Thomson, and Moore' s
Circular, Glasgow, Dec. 31.

ACCIDENT IN THE HUNTING FIELD.—On Wed-
nesday last, while hunting with the Ted worth
hounds near Dauntsey, in Wiltshire, Lord Clanmaurice,
son of the Marquis of Lansdowne, was thrown from his
hurse, and severely kicked in the face by the animal. His
lordship was assisted to Bowood, where medical assistance
was obtained ; and we hear that his lordship is progressing
favourably.