The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-10 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, Jan. 9.—There has not been very
much business to-day in the yarn market, but prices
have been very firm. Sellers report that there has
not been the slightest giving way. There are plenty
of orders in the market, but merchants are pausing,
in consequence of the slowness of the cotton market
at Liverpool. Stocks are now getting very much
reduced in all descriptions of yarn, and spinners
seem very confident that they will yet be able to
obtain much better prices. For cloths we have also
had a very quiet market. Almost the only business
reported in the shipping market is in long cloths
for Alexandria, and this meets with some discou-
ragement owing to the high prices required. Manu-
facturers are rather more inclined to make some con-
cession than they were 011 Tuesday, with a view to
obtain orders, but not to a point which meets the
wishes of shippers. The quietness of the Liverpool
market has rather weakened the hands of sellers
today, while it encourages buyers to withhold
orders. For shirtings, suitable to India, there was
a marked absence of business. Manufacturers of
these goods would probably be rather easier to deal
with, but buyers seem resolutely disposed to abstain
from business. In printing cloths, T cloths, and
domestics, but little has been done, but home trade
houses report a steady and slightly improving de-
mand from drapers, and more business is conse-
quently expected in the home trade before long.
this
port to 109,793
CARDIFF, Bth.—The shipments of coal from
3p502r.t st
oonfs iron
aga for
port for the month of December amounted
the corresponding
tons, against 96,015 tons
The iron trade con-
tinuesmonth of last year. The
n6t6otaltin7e2r;
a-ntod :he men employed at
the year 1862 athmeoitee:
tr
ieo
no.n full
The time.e coal
l
132,493 tons in
moderately a
works
rl
alteration. aa Quotations
trade is mode-
rately brisk as regards the demand for home and
rneema nearly
tthhaeu
gas coals butA
I no advance has taken place in the
low prices obtained. There is but an indifferent
inquiry for steam coals.

SHIPBUILDING IN LIVERPOOL.-0 wing to tho
unprecedented demand for iron ships, and the high repu-
tation Liverpool has attained for building iron sailin
vessels, the yards during the past year have been in
greater activity than was ever known before. This de-
mand is attributable to the fact that iron ships can now be
built at considerably less cost than wooden ones, and are in
point of durability much superior. The formation of an
underwriters' associa•ion at Liverpool to class iron vessels
on their merits for periods varying up to 22 years has
ha,l the effect of causing Lloyds to alter their rules
which had hitherto militated against progress in iron ship-
building. At a rough estimate the tonnage of iron vessels
built in Liverpool during 1862 may be set down at 20,00.0
tons, and the tonnage of wooden ones at 6,000 tons. This ,
however, is exclusive of the vessels built by Messrs. Laird
at Birkenhead, whose operations have been very extensive,
as
on hand to the
hefact tenthexatt of those
gentlemen have
at between 18,000
presentma y b o judgedorders
an
and 19,000 tons.
REPRESENTATION OF MANCHEBTER.—There is a
rumoar in circulation that Mr. J. A. Turner, one of
the representatives of this city, will retire at the next elec-
tion, and that it is in contemplation to invite Mr. S. Laing,
late Finance Minister to India, to offer himself as a eandi •
date. It is also intended to make a similar invitation to Mr.
J. B. Potter, brother of the late Sir John Potter, MP., for
the city,