The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-13 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

A general order, dated the 10th of January, has
been issued from the Hone Guards, notifying to the
army that the mourning for his late Royal High-
ness the Prince Consort will change on the 17th of
the next month, when the full mourning prescribed
in the general order of the 18th ult. will be discon-
tinued. The officers of the army will, from the 17th
of February, wear with their uniforms a black crape
round the left arm till the 10th of March, when the
mournings will cease.

The troops and invalids on board the Megwra,
screw troopship, at Portsmouth, who arrived there
on Friday from the Mediterranean, were prevented
disembarking on Saturday by the rough state of the
weather. It is intended to disembark them this
morning.

It is understood that the recent changes in the
staff appointments in the Corps of Royal Marines
Light Infantry will result in some important mo-
difications and alterations in the organization of
that important branch of the service. One of the
first alterations proposed is a change in the method
of recruiting for the various divisions, the results
of which, considering the number of officers and
men employed on that duty, have been for some
time such as to warrant the authorities in making
some modifications in the present system.
tinder the existing arrangements a certain num-
ber of non-commissioned officers, under the im-
mediate orders of a captain, are stationed in most
of the principal towns and districts in Eng-
land for the purpose of raising men. This, as may
be at once supposed, makes a great demand on the
various divisions to supply 3fficers. So serious is
the inconvenience that there is scarcely one of the
divisions at present which has a sufficient number
of officers at head-quarters for the proper carrying
out of the multifarious duties of the corps. In order
to obviate the difficulty hitherto experienced in this
respect it.is intended to dispense with the services
of most of the officers of Royal Marines in charge
of recruiting parties at the various towns, by the
appointment of a certain number of inspecting
officers, each of whom will have a given number of
recruiting parties within his district, and whose
duty it will be to superintend the whole of the re-
cruiting for the several divisions. By this arrange-
ment a considerable number of officers will be re-
lieved and enabled to join head-quarters. By direc-
tion of the Admiralty all discharges by purchase
from the corps of Royal Marines have been for some
time stopped. The number of purchased discharges
is on an average 300 per annum,and in consequence
of this order the several divisions are within a very
few of their proper number. Recruiting, however,
has fallen off very considerably during the present
winter, only an exceedingly small number of men
having been sent up from the provinces to the vari-
ous divisional head-quarters during the last three
months. No anxiety whatever is, however, felt by
the authorities on this account, as experience has
shown that recruiting has always fallen off in pro-
portion as there is employment for the labouring
classes.

Dr. Reid has assumed the duties of principal
medical officer at the camp at Colchester, in the
room of Dr. Innes, C. 8., who is now engaged in
service in Canada. Until the arrival of Dr. Reid,
Dr. Innes' office was temporarily filled by Staff
Surg. Lewes. Staff Assist-surg. Hope has been
attached to the medical staff of the 10th depot bat-
talion.

About 20 officers are now absent from the camp
at Colchester on leave, and, as a considerable num-
ber from the ranks are also absent on furlough, the
strength of the battalions in the camp has been
considerably reduced. The command of the small
detachment stationed at Landguard Fort, Harwich,
has been transferred from Lieut. Kilson, Ist bat-
talion 6th Foot, to Lieut. Eames, 66th ; Lieutenant
Hartley, Ist battalion sth Fusiliers, has joined the
service companies of his regiment at Portsmouth,
and Lieut. Nichols will be transferred to the depot.
The Army Medieal Corps is to be reorganised, in
consequence of so many of its members being now
stationed in Canada.

COTTOI%' GOODS.

MANCHESTER, JAN. 10.

The gratifying news from America has caused in-
creasing firmness in the market for yarn and cloth,
and prices have risen considerably, but the first
effect seems to have been to give a further check to
business. It is doubtful, however, whether buyers
will not speedily be compelled to give these rates,
extreme as they are, since there seems a probability
that they will soon be confronted with quotations
hitherto unheard of. The yarn market is not at all
active to-day, though no doubt a very large sale might
have been effected at the rates of Tuesday or even a
little higher. The inquiry has been very great, a
large proportion of the offers making being from
shippers to China. There is scarcely any demand
for India. The home trade are still buying a good
deal of yarn, and appear also to be the most inclined
at present to pay the extreme prices which they
have to submit to wherever purchases are made.
The price of yarn has risen ld. per lb., and in some
cases more, since Tuesday. It is probable that the
Germans, who have hitherto been holding back in
the hope that prices would come down, will be
the next considerable purchasers in the market,
being almost out of stock, both in Manchester and
on the Continent, but so far they have hesitated to
give the high rates that are now being asked. The
cloth market is quite without excitement. The
advanced rates of cotton have caused manufacturers
generally to raise their prices since Tuesday, in
some cases to the extent of af3 haling per piece. But
this movement checks all business. There have
been a few lots sold, of particular makes which are
in demand, at an advance of 3d. per piece since
Tuesday ; but these are exceptional cases. There
is no real demand for cloths of any kind. Stocks
are very heavy both here and in India and China.
There seems to be a prospect of more mills being
stopped, many manufacturers expressing a deter-
mination to-day to close their establishments so soon
as they have worked up their present stocks of
cotton:

Amongst commercial and business men (Govern-
ment contractors excepted) there is almost universal
satisfaction with the peaceful news from America ;
but now that the possibility of war, for some weeks
past the all-absorbing topic of discussion, has been
satisfactorily disposed of, the other great question
of anxiety, which had naturally been thrown a
little in the shade—" What are we to do for cot-
ton ?"—has again become prominent. Many of
our most enterprising and practical men are be-
ginning to look this question in the face, and treat
it in a sensible and rational way, now that there is
no longer any encouragement to look to the very
doubtful success which might have resulted from
(Telling the Southern ports, and they are turning
their attention to tke inferior staples obtainable
from India and other sources. There is some

PRICE. .... ...4d.
STAMPED ....sd.

reason for believing that this is being done with
much greater success than at one time was consi-
dered practicable. Much finer counts have been
spun out of it than were ever before attempted, and
by a judicious mixing of such cotton with better
staples a still more satisfactory result is being
attained. Our machinists are rendering good ser-
vice in this direction, and the inventions of Mr.
Edward Lord, of Todmorden, for the better clean-
ing and opening of cotton, and by one of which the
first successful attempt is made to separate the leaf
from the fibre in the process of scutching, have
naturally attracted a good deal of attention. Messrs.
Lord Brothers, who are very extensive makers of
machinery, and who, about six months ago, were
on the point of placing their workmen on short
time, have now, it is said, not only to tax their
utmost resources to execute the orders accumulat-
ing, but have in some cases been obliged to grant
licenses under their patent to enable other machi-
nists to assist them in meeting the demand for the
new machines. In Manchester it has been usual
in times of depressed trade like the present for
machine makers to be very seriously affected,
and according to official returns issued this week
by Captain Palin, chief constable of police, out of
47 machine shopi, eight are on short time, and one
is totally stopped. Nevertheless there are not
wanting grounds for the supposition that many
of the larger and better reputed makers of
machines for cotton trade are now very fully em-
ployed. One of them mentioned to the writer, the
other day, that in one department of the works of
his firm, they had already in hand orders which
would keep them fully employed till July, and in
another till September, and that there was scarcely
a spinner and manufacturer of eminence and capital,
in the town and neighbourhood, that was not giving
out orders for the replacement of old machinery
with more recent inventions, and with a class of
machines more adapted to the present requirements
of the trade. These orders are partly due to the
adaptation of machinery to a different staple of
cotton to that they have been accustomed to use,
and partly to the fact that they can better afford to
stop their mills in times like the present for the
purpose of such alterations. The impression of
many in the trade appears to be that cotton will go
higher, and that, even if the American ports were
opened, the supply for a long time will be so limited
as to necessitate high rates; high rates in cotton
and manufactured goods leading to a great contrac-
tion of the demand. The high rates now current
are limiting the demand for the home trade ; and if
that is the case in a wealthy country like this, it is
argued, it is still more likely to be the case in foreign
markets, where there is a loweruoivilisation, and
where freights, duties, and other charges have to be
added to the cost. The home trade is said to be de-
pressed to an extent not known for a long time past,
whilst in India the supplies are reported to be nearly
equal to a year'e consumption, And in addition to
the depression of these important markets it is
well known that there has been a very serious shock
to our trade with the United States of America.
The market not only closes dull to-day, but it is
found that with higher prices for cotton and yarn
there is but little disposition on the part of mer-
chants to follow the rise, by giving prices that will
cover the increased cost of cloth to the maker. A
manufacturer states that he sold yarns yesterday
at a price fully 7 per cent. higher than he could
have obtained for it to-day, if he had turned it into
cloth.