The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-04 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, June 3.—There is a further slight
improvement both in yarns and cloths. The yarn
market is generally dearer, and spinners were ask-
ing higher rates for nearly all kinds of twist. There
was more business for all kinds, and especially for
Bolton 60's. The home trade have been buying
various counts of cop yarns, and have shown more
activity than for some time past. The principal
business, however, hasbeen in counts and qualities of
yarn for India. The advances obtained as compared
with last Friday's prices average d. per lb. The
improvement is partly duo to the advance in cotton,
and partly to more encouraging news from India.
Telegrams to hand from Calcutta to the 18th of
May report trade generally better, and the prices of
cloth were one to three annas (1-3 d. to 4,1 d.) per
picce higher. The advices from Bombay are two
days later, and quote pricesfirm, which is considered
good news here, under present circumstances, by
the trade. There are also better accounts from
Shanghai, which report an improved demand. This
news has produced a highly favourable impression
upon the cloth market in Manchester to-day, and
and has led manufacturers to demand Id. to 3d.
per piece advance on last week's quotations. Buyers,
on the contrary, have been willing to give the prices
demanded, but which they refused to give last
week, and where sellers would listen to these terms
they have bought freely. A considerable business
has been done on these terms, and manufacturers
have cleared off stocks lying in the warehouses of
agents in some instances, while in others they have
refused to sell under the advance above quoted. In
isolated cases 12d. to 3d. per piece advance has been
given, but only for well known and favourite makes
of cloth. The sales have been chiefly in printing
cloths, shirtings, and other goods suitable to India.
In longcloths, T-cloths, and domestics the market is
quiet. Messrs. Du Fay and Co., in their monthly
trade report, say :—' Many of our foreign
markets must gradually become bare of goods,
for it is nearly a year since some of them received
their last supplies. It must be borne in mind,
however, that the poorer countries cannot afford to
pay the present comparatively high prices, and that
India and China have been well supplied, and can
afford to wait some time longer for new supplies.
The reduction of duties in India has momentarily
depressed prices there of plain goods. Nothing is
to be had here in sbirtings under 15/d. to 16d. per ,
formerly
lb., made of inferior material, which our Calcutta
friends had been in the habit of receiving
of better makes at from 1211-d. to 13d. per lb.
of the
The
large inland houses are confined to actual wants
purchases
home trade is improving, but the
only, to reassort stocks on hand. The most grati-
fying feature is the prospect of a good harvest here
and elsewhere; to all appearance the present Will
be a good year for fruit and other articles of food
besides grain. The accouuts we receive from the
Continent are equally satisfactory on this subject
and commercial men hope for a revival of trade
r o f cotton mann-
They give the fol-
lowing commerce
from this source, even if matters in America should
thwart the
the prospects
am ou amount
tof e
fa resumption
ex exports
from that important country."
owing
as
factures for the four months d
en ed April 30, 1862,
as compared with the same period of 1860 and
1861 :

1860. 1861. 1862.
Cotton yarn, lb .... 66 831 296 55 708,227 31 275,211
Cotton goods, yards 8151240,711 820,234,385 589,754,991
LEEDS, June 3.—The markets in the cloth-halls
to:day. were a shade better than those of this day
se ntught. There is an improvement noticeable in
the home trade, a better demand having sprung up
for goods, as well those for summer wear as those
for the colder period of the year. Summer fabrics,
however, are bought in small quantities to complete
orders, rather than to add to stocks on merchants'
hands. The country clothiers report that they are
scarcely any better or any worse employed than
they have been all the preceding part of the year,
but some of the larger manufacturers in the neigh-
bourhood are doing rather more business. Wools
and cloths alike keep steady in price.

A LITERARY DECEPTION.—A curious literary
deception has, it is said, been practised in a London college
on the learned irofessors of that institution. A stucknt
discovered suddenly a new autograph of Bunyan's. It was
a letter addressed to a customer, a Mr. Oldham, concerning
some kettle that Banyan had undertaken to mend for hi. m.
The autograph was prepared with coffee and other devices
to make the writing look old. It was received with enthu-
siasm, connoisseurs remarking that hitherto Bunyan
no s
tinkering had rested on insecure popular rumour, and
alequate evidence. One learned professor oven wrote a
monograph on the Mr. Oldham to whom
th the letter
who has
was ad-
dressed. Such is history. The you
the merit of the discovery, conscious of the coffee end the
very moderate amount of intellect to which he is indebted
for this curious antiquity, trembles doubtless at the great-
/4088 of his aucoooo.—OedaNr.