The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-14 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

The Debats has the following on the commerce
of Belgium
,6 We consider it important to frequently examine the
state of commerce in Belgium, to which the negotia-
tions which France has entered into with that country
give a particular interest. Belgian commerce appears to
have hitherto profited largely by the marked commercial
revival which almost everywhere has characterised 1852.
The monthly tables published by the Belgian Govern-
ment show that the exports of coals, machinery, linen
threads and cloth; plate and window glass, and cotton
stuffs had much increased up to the Ist of August
last. In coals the augmentation has been 125,000 tons,
and that altogether in imports into France; in linen-
, threads the difference is upwards of 238 kliegs., the
, greater part of which has also been sent to France; in
linen-cloths the increase is upwards of 60 per cent., and
also bears mostly on our purchases. Pig-iron has in-
creased but little, and wrought iron and small castings,
particularly nails, show a diminution, which seems to
prove that the competition of Germany is increasing.
The exportation of zinc in masses has also fallen off,
but sheet-zinc has considerably increased, England,
where building is going on at present to a great ex-
tent, taking a large quantity. The exportation of
books has not much varied. Belgian imports have na-
turally felt the effect of this acceleration of sales. In
place, for instance, of 6,548,000 kilogs. of raw cotton,
Belgian manufactures had consumed up to the Ist of
August, 13,189,000, or nearly double; in raw hides the
increase had been from 639,000 to 985,000.
The amount of corn gives a fair idea of
the extraordinary wants of Belgium; the quantity
of wheat has risen from 269,000 to 600,000. The
same is the case for all articles of consumption,
such as coffee, coarse sugar, tobacco, salt, all of
which show a large increase; but it is English salt which
this year has had the advantage over ours, the imports of
which has notably decreased. Salt is one of the articles
mentioned in the treaty, the renewal of which is now
proposed, anent is annoying to remark that our wines,
woollen-threads, silk-tissues, and woollen and cotton
cloths, which are in the same case, have not gained,
but have even lost. Such is the case with the com-
merce, properly so called, of Belgium. Now, if we
examine the state of her transit, which her position, her
railway from the Rhine to the sea, and her canals tend
to render so important for France, we shall find that it
has also considerably increased. By the Belgian-Rhenan
Railway alone the transport from the east to the west,
that is, from Antwerp to the Rhine, was during the
last three months 15,992 tons, in the place of 9,229,
or an augmentation of 73 per cent. The movement
of corn towards Northern Germany, the wants of
which have been exceptional, counts no doubt for
much in this increase; but the greatest part of the prin-
cipal manufacturing matters have participated in this
improvement. The same has not been exactly the case
for the transit from the west to the east, that is from
Cologne towards Antwerp, which has slightly fallen off.
But that is one of the consequences of the extraordinary
amount of corn which Germany has on this occasion
caused to be brought to herself in place of sending it, as
usual, to England. The boats on the Rhine are also mak-
ing, and not without some success, grand efforts to turn
aside to the profit of the passage down the Rhine a part of
the Belgian transit. However that may be, that of
Prussia by Belgium in manufactured produce appears as
yet not to have lost anything of its habitual importance.
From all that precedes, it may be concluded that the
commercial affairs of Belgium are at present in an excel-
lent position, and in what regards our relations, that
country has sensibly increased the opening which it finds
in our cousucepti,n."

SOME RSE TS HIRE CENTRAL RAILWAY.
A public meeting of landowners and others, resi-
dent in the neighbourhood of Wells, was held on
Friday afternoon, at the Town Hail, is that city, for
the purpose of taking steps to promote the formation
of a railway for central Somersetshire, for the making
of which an Act of Parliament has already been ob-
tcined, and for which the support of many influential
parties is fully expected.
Among the gentlemen who attended on the occasion
were M. Castle and W. Watson Dors., directors of
the Bristol and Exeter Railway, F. Gregory, Esq.,
C.E., Capt. Seymour, Mayor of Wells, Capt. (-stiles,
G. Baron Northcote, Esq , E. Sanders, Esq., G.
Warry, Esq , Thomas Porchporch, Esq., T. H.
Roach, Toogood, Esq., Robert Davies, Esq.,
the town clerk of Wells, &C.
G. B. NORTHCOTE, Esq., having been called upon
to preside, said the present was a bona fide attempt to
supply the city of Wells with railway accommoda-
tion, and looking at it as sensible and practical men,
the question with them should be not so much, was
it the best possible line which could he constructed ?
but, was it not the only line which there was any
chance of their getting? Having secured by pur-
chase the canal between Highbridge and Glaston-
bury, having obtained an Act of Parliament, and
having fulfilled all the preliminary requirements, the
directors of the Somersetehire Central Railway were
of opinion that they were only paying the inhabi-
tants of Wells a proper compliment, and, at the same
time were not asking more than might be fairly ex-
pected of them, when they came among them to ask
them for assistance in carrying out the under-
taking successfully to completion. The sum of
10,0001. more was required for the paeposer end
surely the citizens of Wells would find no difficulty
in subscribing for the whole, or at any rate for a con-
siderable portion of that amount.—(Hear.) About
500 shares only remained to be taken, and those
7ould be issued in such a manner that if the
line was not completed there would not be any liabi-
lity_e; attaching to the holders. As soon as those shares
thatw a subscribed for he might venture to promise them
not a month, or even a fortnight, would be al-
lowed to elapse before the works were commenced.
enter atd nosthe
It woul
to the advantalnie presumed, be necessary for him to
public generalyes otfh
upon any general observations as
all, and he would ey
the line to the county and to the
must be sufficiently obvious to
therefore content himself by asking
their attention to
someb addressed to them by Mr.
observations upon matters
of fact which would
CIark.CY3US CLARK then brought before the meet-
ing elaborate statistical tables, Which had been
prepared to show the probable traffic over the
leted it
which it appeared that when p line,
oencethe
withrrat the
awnodulfdronlyield a return to the sharelaold::inhiep
capital invested of 81. 183. 6d. per cent
utmost care and .
lations, Mr. Clark
with a
desirehad beennot
intoadoeve
believed that if gentlemen e
thing, and he be difficulty would in-
vestigate them there could no experienced
the capital required
in obtaining not only to complete
the line to Highbridge, but sufficient
also to carry it
on to the city of Wells.
the
Mr. WILMOT inquired whether directors had_
informed themselves of the probable cost of carrying
on the undertaking to Wells ?
Mr. GREGORY, engineer, said the amount estimated
was 35,0001. or 40,0001.
Mr. DAVIES said he was not at all hostile to the
undertaking, but he was desirous of securing the
advantage of railway accommodation for Wells, and
therefore he would recommend the citizens to make
terms with the directors for the completion of the
line to the city before they at all pledged themselves
to its support. The citizens of Wells were not indis-
posed to exert themselves for the attainment of so
desirable an object, but they had been promised so
many lines, and had been so often disappointed, that
they had become to some extent supine. It would
seem, from the statements which bad been made that
10,0001. only
was required to complete the railway
to I:140 bridge,4oooo/.and that a further sum of 35,0001. or
_ would
i bring it on to Wells. Now he be-
lieved that f the directors were pledged to come on
to Wells there would be much less difficulty in raising
the necessary amount than they would find in raising
o
even the 10,000/, t
finish the line to Highbridge
only. Let them
at once go to Parliament and pro-
cure powers to continue theto
line
Wells, and he
believed that the Citizens and owners of property
would well second
Ahern
If, on the contrary
,•
that with the requisite capital.
that there would be little ere not done,
disposition
to assist.he feared
Mr. EDMUND DAVIES concurred
intheviews of
the previous speaker, and said there ought to have
been a meeting of the citizens of Wells convened by
themselves a determine as to the degree of support
they would give the undertaking.
Mr. CAME, AS representing the Bristol and Exeter