The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-10 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, May 9.—The excitement in the
Liverpool cotton market to-day, said t o be chiefly
consequent on the American advices, which include
mention of an extensive destruction of cotton at
Montgomery, has led to some reaction in this mar-
ket, and sellersjaothof yarns and cloths, have gone
back to fully last Tuesday's rates—an advance which
buyers of yarn have shown more disposition to
follow than buyers of cloth. In shipping yarns of
all kinds we have had an excitement somewhat re-
sembling that to-day in cotton at Liverpool, where
20,000 bales are reported to have changed hands.
The sales of these yarnshave been considerable, and
have been made at an advance of id. to ld. per lb.
on Friday's rates. The market for these goods is
buoyant to the close, with a decided upward ten-
dency. Almost every description of yarns adapted
for shipping meets with ready sale at extreme prices.
The market for home-trade yarns has hardly been
so buoyant, but it is strong, and sellers are asking
id. per lb. advance on last Friday. In fact, there is
very little difference between the rates asking to-
day and those of last Tuesday, the decline towards
the end of last week being fully recovered. At this
improvement a fair business has been done to-day,
manufacturers having bought with moderate free-
dom. The cloth market, though extremely inactive
towards the close of last week, did not give way so
much in price as yarns, owing to the absence of
stocks in the hands of manufacturers, but they were
weakened a little, and the excitement and heavy
business in cotton at Liverpool to-day has caused
manufacturers to hold with more firmness, but has
failed to stimulate the buyers of cloth into increased
activity. There has been a little more doing in cloth
to-day than duringthe last few days (for during that
period business was almost suspended) ; but it is, per-
haps, more owing to rather favourable advices from
India than anything else. What little business has
been done in cloths to-day has been a slight advance
on the prices of last Tuesday, but manufacturers
complain that the market does not respond freely to
the impulse at Liverpool, for there has been by no
means a considerable business, nor even a general
,demand. Where sellers have made any favourable
way it has been chiefly at the prices of last Tues-
day. Messrs. John Slagg and Co. report as follows
of this day's cloth market :—" Since last Tuesday
there has been but little action in our market, and
operations have been on a very limited scale. To-
day there is a general advance in quotations, and
some business has been done at a slight advance on
last Tuesday's rates ; the demand, however, is by no
means general."

CARDIFF, 9th.—Since our last report the trade
has considerably improved as regards the number of
vessels which have arrived. The orders for coal,
however, show little improvement, and the conse-
quence has been that some of the collieries are on
short time. Coastwise the coal trade is also slack,
but not so much as the export trade. The iron trade
continues good, and rails readily fetch £7 to £7 55.,
and bars £6lss. The ironmasters are, however, be-
ginning to feel the late extensive emigration of their
men, and skilled workmen are becoming very scarce.
The demand for patent fuel and tin is also good.
LEEDS, 10th.—The markets in the cloth halls this
morning were quiet, and the weather being wet busi-
ness was below that of last Tuesday. The purchases
of autumn goods are made cautiously, but some fair
orders are in the hands of manufacturers for expor-
tation. There is no positive improvement in the de-
mand for either Canada or the United States, but
there is a general impression that a better Transat-
lantic trade will ensue before long. The trade to the
Australian colonies and the East is tolerably good,
and manufacturers of cloths suitable for the latter
are well employed. Prices both of wools and cloths
keep firm. There is some improvement noticeable
in the flax trade, and prices are better for the raw
material, as well as for yarns and threads.
NOTTINGHAM, 10th.—There was a tolerable at-
tendance of merchants and manufacturers at this
Exchange-hall to-day. The demand for lace yarns
was firm, and the extreme rates of last week were
maintained ; an advance on coarse and middle
numbers was asked, but only partially obtained.
The demand for hosiery yarns was steady, and
prices were quite as high as last week. Spun silks
were dearer. Brown nets a rather better sale, and
recent rates3were well supported.
ROCHDALE, Bth.—During the past week business
has been little, if any, better than it was during the
week preceding, for though merchants have been
making inquiries from manufacturers, the result has
been nothing more than a few trifling purchases.
The next great wool sales being immediately at hand,
it was but probable that goods might have been met
with at a reduction, but such has not turned out to
be the case. The market to-day has been thinly
attended, and very little business doing, which may
, be partially accounted for by the fact that some
parties are preparing for their midsummer stock-
taking. The trade in Yorkshire goods is still most
meagre, but manufacturers refuse to abate their
prices. The sales of wool are entirely of a retail
character, and though the new clip will shortly be
introduced, prices are as firm as they have ever been.

(tort Cirtniat

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, May 9.

Tier Majesty and her Royal Highness Princess
Louise walked and drove out yeste,day, attended
by Lady Waterpark.

The Princess of Wales accompanied by the
Crown Prince of Denmark. and Prince Albert Vic-
tor, drove to Kew yesterday and visited her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, and remained
to lunch.

- - ~-

RETURN OF HER MAJESTY TO WINDSOR.—Her
Majesty, accompanied by the younger members of the
royal family, and attended by the suite, is expected to
arrive at Windsor Castle from Osborne on Friday' or
Saturday next. The usual preparations for the Queen's
reception are being made at the Palace. Her Majesty will
most probably remain for about a week at the Castle, and
the royal departure for Balmoral at present is expected to
take place on Friday week, the 19th inst.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and
the Duke of Cambridge, and their respective suites, will
return froth Dublin at an early hour on Saturday morning.

Newsvenders' Benevolent and Provident

Institution,

The anniversary dinner in aid of the funds of this
institution took place last evening at the Free-
masons' Tavern, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn-
fields—Mr. Charles Dickens presiding, supported
by Mr. Edmund Yates, Mr. W. H. Wills, Mr. T.
Jerwood, Mr. James Grant, Dr. F. C. Jones, Mr.
John Bennett, Mr. W. 11. Smith, Mr. P. Terry (the
treasurer to the institution), &c. There were in all
about 200 guests, and amongst them were a large
proportion of ladies, whose presence, it need hardly
be said, added greatly to the cheerfulness of the
scene, and showed that the practice of introducing
the gentler sex on these occasions may be considered
a successful innovation—a fact in reference to which
an approving remark was humorously made by the
chairman in proposing the health of her Majesty.
In proposing the toast of the evening, " Prospe-
rity to the Newsvenders' Benevolent and Provident
Institution," the CHAIR3IAN addressed the company
in one of those peculiar speeches, combining elo-
quence with humour, for which he has always been
distinguished. He observed that Dr. Johnson's
experience of that club, the members of which had
travelled over one another's minds in every direc-
tion, was not to be compared with the experience
of the perpetual president of a society like the
present, who, having on previous occasions said
everything •about the subject that he could pos-
sibly find to say, was again produced, with
the same awful formality, to say everything
about it that he could not possibly find to say-. The
case was somewhat like that of the ill-starred stag
at the Epping Hunt on Easter Monday. That un-
fortunate animal (he meant the stag, not the presi-
dent) when he was uncarted generally made away
at a cool trot towards the yard where he lived, and
there subsided into a quiet inoffensive existence
until he was again brought out to be followed over
the same field under exactly the same circumstances
next Easter Monday. (Hear, and laughter.) The
difficulties of the situation (and here he spoke of
the president, not the stag) were greatly increased
by the peculiar nature of the institution, by its un-
pretending solidity, its reality, and its usefulness,
by its perfect freedom from all material of an ora-
torical nature. The hon. chairman then proceeded
to show that the difficulty of the position arose from
the fact that the difficulty of the position arose from
he was called upon to overcome. If, for example,
success had never attended the efforts of the society
—if the managers could say that the institution was
insolvent—in a hopeless condition—that its accounts
had been kept by Mr. Edmunds or by "
(cheers and laughter)—if the treasurer had taken
it into his head to run away with the money-box----
if any such event had occurred, he might be en-
abled to make a pathetic appeal to their sympa-
thies. But he had no such chance. Just as a
nation was happy whose records were barren, so a
benevolent society that had no history was fortu-
nate, and its president unfortunate. (Laughter.)
He could• only assure the company that this
society continued its plain unobtrusive career—that
it did a great deal of good at a very small cost, and
that the objects of its care and the bulk of its mem-
bers were faithful, hard-working servants of the
public, who ministered to their wants at untimely
hours, in all seasons and in all weathers—at their
own homes—at the street corners—at every railwaY
train—at every steam-boat—through the agency of
immense establishments and the tiniest shops, and
who, whether as regardedthe master or as regarded
the man, received very small profits, were veil
modest" while their risks were numerous, and their
trouble and responsibility were very great. (Hear.)
The newsvender and the newsman, beyond all
question, were very subordinate parts of that won-
derful engine the newspaper press. Still he thought
they all knew pretty well that they were to the
fountain-head what good service pipes were to a
good water supply. They were all of them accus-
tomed to say in their everyday life that they never
knew the worth of a thing till they lost it. Let
them try the worth of this calling by the test. Ai"'
years ago it was discovered one morning that a strike
had taken place among the cab-drivers of Lon-
don. Imagine such a state of things to occur
amongst the newsvenders. People anxiously waiting
in all directions, and under every variety of circum-
stances, for news which did not reach them as usual
—imagine the circulation of the blood of the coun-
try standing still—the clock of the world stopped'
Why, even Mr. Reuter, whom he was always happy
to suppose slumbering by night by the side of Mrs-
Reuter—(laughter)—with a galvanic battery under
the bolster, with an electric wire at each side of the
bed, and with the bells at each ear—how he would
click and flash those wonderful despatches of 11157
and how they would become-mere nothings, without
that intelligence, that activity, and honesty which
up the threads and stitches of the electric
needle which scattered them all over the land.
Although the newsvender might be allowed to be a
very unpicturesque rendering of Mercury or Fame, or
other conventional messengers from the clouds!
and although they must all admit that he is of thi.s
earth, and has often, poor fellow, a great deal of .16„.
on his boots, still he had had very remarkable
characteristics to which none of his celestial
predecessors could lay the slightest claim`:
one was that he was always a messenger
of civilisation, the other was that he was equally
so not only in what he brought but in what 11. !
ceased to bring. Mr. Dickens then went on tuo
draw a graphic picture of the description of Ow
.
which the newsvenders were called upon to d-15_,4
geminate in days gone by, when society iv:
in a state of gross sensuality and intemPe_
ranee was the rule, and when the most devilish duel!.
were fought for the most disgraceful of cause
_'r
That state of things was happily discontinued _
ever, and when they remembered the undoub7a
truth that this change could never have been effet°,
without the aid of the load the newsvender carriCo
surely it was not too romantic to express the 11°_130
in his behalf that the public would show to him s.
little token of that sympathetic remembrancelllll',,ro
they were aways glad to bestow upon the bear
of happy tidings. In reference to the finances.
aD
the society, it was sufficient for him to say tha'
heir
the annuities were granted out of the income of
funded capital, and that they were attainable by
T:id
exercise of such a slight amount of prudence :0a
forethought that a sum of 255. diffused over a 12',
of five years entitled a male subscriber to
year and a female to £lO a year. The hebn•atilicY;
man concluded, amid loud cheers, by erap
rapreonpeoesminegat.he toast which he mentioned at the c°---0
w as
fTheolltoast d NbVya
"Theell th enthusiastically
Bennett, and responded to blipyyroMrpeorssp.:JdnabamyeedMrs.7CL'jrvat:ll;
Other toasts, including the health of the c_ll::_k io
(proposed by Mr. Edmund Yates), were dv:reaa
due succession, and a list of subscriptions
amounting to about £3OO.