The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-19 00:00:00

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THE FORESTERS' FE \\;ti• : ,-
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The Foresters' fete at Norwood is, in fin •s:fr -Te. ee... _
one of the best popular celebrations of the kintNiltheeri S
occurs throughout the year. It is a kind of working
men's carnival and great day out, the carnival ele-
ment being supported by a number of simpletons--
usually the ugliest and worst made men of the
whole assembly, whof for this occasion, put on the
picturesque costume which tradition ascribes in-
differently to merry foresters and medieeval lean-
t
5 dits. There is nearly always a sufficient springling
[ of these wonderful stage characters to give consider-
able animation to the general muster, to say nothing
of those who limit their travestie to the mere
' hat and feathers over the every-day costume,
' or whose only concession to the spirit of the day is
a false nose and beard—the former often an im-
provement on nature. Last year this fete was a
wonderful one, Blondin's performances and the
fineness of the weather tempting more than 100,000
visitors to Norwood. Yesterday the numbers, as
compared with the previous great occasion, showed
a cons;derabla falling off—partly due to the cold
and threatening weather, and also in a great mea-
sure to there being no unusual features of attraction
in the Crystal Palace programme, which were those
of an ordinary shilling day, if we except the
attempt made to play the fountains against a high
wind. The great mass of the visitors, of course,
went down by rail; but there was no lack of the
usual vanloads from all parts of the metropolis and
suburbs, thronging the roads to Norwood, which,
in the neighbourhood of the building itself, were
each, like long straggling country fairs, thronged
with conventional niggers, washed into dingy half
castes by occasional showers, with showmen, acro-
bats, and singers, performing monkeys, end preco-
cious children. Within the precincts of the Palace,
as is always the case on these occasions, the grounds
were the great attractions, and hero the visitors
swarmed in thousands over terraces and lawns and
walks even down to that neglected spot where the
mute preachers on the wonders of the pre-Adamite
creation usually reign alone. From 12 till 2 o'clock
dining seemed to be the great business of the day,
and when their widespread picnic was over and
the ground littered deep with pots and greasy
papers and the debris of many thousand meals,
everyone took themselves to their own devices for
amusement. With some it took the extremely
simple, and at first sight, unpleasant form of rolling
down the banks, but the celerity shunning these
frivolities, assembled near the many bands, stood in
a crowd round the large platform, where a great
number of ladies and gentlemen, with their arms
round each other were hustling about, in wild
confusion, and were stimulated to renewed efforts
by occasional cheers from the lookemon—for this
was the dancing. Then there was an archery
match, at which the spectators were most wisely
kept in rear of the archers—the only safe place from
which to view the contest, except the butts aimed
at. In this latter strife the gentlemen in character
we have before alluded to utterly failed to realise
the popularexpectations formed from their complete
equipment as hardy bowmen, and fell an easy prey
to obloquy and public commiseration, both of which
we are bound to say were loudly and abundantly
tendered upon their breakdown. The fountains
played at three, and tried hard for some time to
bear up against the wind, but in vain, It cut away
the feathery column of water at half its height,
breaking it into flaky undulations like white fire-
works, and as the sun shone through the drift,
filling the gardens with the splendour of rainbows
in all directions. The ascent of Mr. Coxwell's bal-
loon attracted an immense audience, who waited
with exemplary patience for a long time before the
machine was let go, and when at last it was released
it rose at once and moved away so swiftly as to
create rather a feeling of disappointment at there
being so little to see after all, and led apparently to
a very general opinion that an ascent to be worth
seeing ought to be repeated several times. The
departure of Mr. Coxwell set free some 30,000
visitors in search of amusement, and the grounds
were soon dotted over with quadrille parties, in
whose hands the gentle dance was soon made to
assume the appearance of powerful athletic exer-
cise. Kiss in the ring, too, became highly popular,
and was carried on with such vigour and swiftness
on the part of the fair donors of the handkerchiefs
as apparently made one or two such favours
quite enough for the longest winded. Everywhere
there were games of some kind or another, and
it was nearly dusk before the public were as
usual seized with the simultaneous idea that they
would all go home together, and experienced the
customary amount of crushing and discomfort in
endeavouring to carry this idea into effect. It was
late in the night before the last were out of the
Palace, by which time even the most enthusiastic
holiday-seekers appeared to have had quite enough
of it.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, Aug. 18.—A very large business
has been done in yarn to-day, and many old par-
cels have been cleared out of the market, some of
which had been in stock since last year. The buy-
ing has been chiefly for China, India, the Mediter-
ranean, and home trade. Yarns of all descriptions
are now exceedingly scarce, and an advance of
prices is reported of 3d. to ld. per lb. on both
kinds. Spinners being well under contract this
advance has been obtained without much difficulty.
The market closes strong at the advance. For
cloths we have had a steady, continuous demand for
the last six or seven days, and a fair amount of
business has been done at last Tuesday's prices.
To-day business has been checked a little in con-
sequence of manufacturers having asked rather
higher rates, to cover to some extent the advance
in the cost of cotton, but Still the market continues
good, the demand being of a more general character
than of late. The demand for India is still chiefly
in the lighter makes of cloth, but it also embraces
48-inch and 50 to 54-inch shirtings,
which are prin-
cipally in
request for Bombay and Calcutta, and as
therearefewer makes of these, the prices are rather
better for them than of the lighter fabrics. As
showing the more general character of the demand
it may be mentioned that amongst the fabrics in
request are the heavier descriptions, including long
cloths, T-clothe, and domestics, partly for India and
for the Levant and for the home trade. Some of
the orders given out have been heavy, and we hear
of several mills having been re-opened. Messrs.
Sohn Slagg and Co., in their report of the cloth-
market this day, observe :—" There is no new fea-
tura in the market since Tuesday last. We con-
tinue to have a very steady general demand for
goods, and a fair amount of business has been done
at the full quotations of last week. Owing to the
state of the cotton-market and the reduction of
stocks many parties are asking an advance, and
business to-day has in consequence been restricted."
LEEDS, 18th.—The impi ovement lately noticeable
in the woollen cloth trade of this town and district
is keeping up well. To-day there was a good at-
tendance both of buyers and sellers, and at the close
of the market a considerable bulk of goods were
found to have been sold, and were removed from
the halls. The warehouse trade, too, is active,
there being a full average amount of orders making
up as well by the export houses as those in the
home trade. Heavy goods, such as have lately
been mentioned in these reports, continue to corn.
mend the chief attention. There is a hale doing in
light fabrics for female dresses, and not rreich in
ordinary cloths. The wool market is active, and
prices are firm.
NOTTINGHAM, 18th.—There was about the usual
attendance at the Exchange-hall to-day, and lace
yarns were held at fully Friday's rates. In hosiery
yarns there is more doing, and extreme prices may
be quoted. There was no material change in the
value of silks. The demand for brown nets was
again very slow, and prices may be written about
the same as last week.

RocriDALE, 17th.—There has been a good de-
nand for flannel to-day, and the trade is altogether
active, both the plain and faricy departments ex.
periencing a call for goods as fast as they can be
produced. Indeed, manufacturers might have more
orders at the current rates, but there is a disposi-
tion to stand out for an advance, the price of wool
keeping very high, and some kinds having an up-
ward tendency. There is also a good dmand for
Yorkshire goods, and prices are pule time