The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-08 00:00:00

STATE OF ?RADE.

MANCHESTER, FEB. 7.—ln yarns there has been
rather more business throughout the week, principally from
the Germans, and they are a shade dearer than on Tuesday.
The market has been gradually gaining in firmness for every
quarter for all descriptions of yarns. The amount of busi-
ness for India and China has not been large, nor hate the
home-trade houses bought much. The Germans have been
more active buyers, and have cleared out some pretty large
parcels of yarns at full prices. The cloth-market remains
exactly as it was on T uesday, or, if there is any change, a little
firmer. Extremely little business is doing. Both buyers and
sellers are disposed to wait awhile, in the expectation of
rather better accounts from India in the course of another
mail or two, so soon as the news of the settlement of the
American question has arrived out there, And it is thought,
also, that the continuance of the system of short time must
soon result in giving increased steadiness to the market.
Manufacturers from the country speak of more mills having
been closed, in consequence of the ruinous loss attending
the production of cloth at the priees now current. In
some instances, and especially where the operatives occupy
cittages belonging to their employers, the manufacturers
who have closed their mills have agreed to advance the
workpeople two or three days' wages per week to keep them
from the workhouse, and on condition that such advance
shall be repaid when more prosperous times shall enable
mills to be re-opened. This has been done (as stated
by Mr. Bright at Rochdale, a few weeks back) in former
periods of depression like the present, and employers have
found their workpeople hon,st enough generally
to return and work these advances off as soon as an
opportunity was afforded them of doing it. It is to be re-
gretted that many spinners and manufacturers have not
capital sufficient to enable them to ador this course, and
that there is nothing for it in such cases but to leave the
workpeople to their own resources. The hope expressed
by Mr. Bazley, at Tuesday's meeting on the Indian
tariff, that boards of guardians would relax as far as
possible the ordinary tests to paupers, and no suiject
those whose fingers were accustomed to the more delicate
processes of the trade to the rough-labour of stone-
breaking, met with a hearty response from the more
generous-hearted of his auditors. The wish is often
expressed that it may be well to ask who is to in-
demnify the relieving officers for such a breach of the
law. Have the guardians the power ? In ordinary times
the relieving-officers of Manchester are every year sur-
charged by the auditor for breaches of the rule in sums
large enough to jeopardise nearly the whole amount of
their salaries, and they can only obtain a remission by a
process which involves a long and tedious correspondence
with the Poor Law Board in London, so that it may be
presumed that they will only follow a suggestion of this
kind to a very limited extent. But where this is not
done the poor people will naturally avoid the union
as long as possible, and, indeed, vast numbers are now
tramping over the country begging from door to door,
rather than accept the parish dole on the only terms on
which the law, when strictly enforced, permits it to be
given. Although many of our spinners and manufacturers
are successfully using Surat cotton, a far greater number,
through prejudice, or rather than incur the expense of
adapting their machinery to it, are averse to a fair trial.
This accounts in some measure for the great difference iu
price, which is fully 3d. per lb. in favour of the buyer as
compared with American. The prejudice blinds many to
the fact that Surats may now be had of much superior qua-
lity to that which was ordinarily supplied some years ago ;
and of course where employers have a dislike to its use we
can hardly be surprised to find that the operatives are pre-
judiced against it to a still greater degree, finding that they
earn rather less wages when supplied with this description
of cotton.

Lord and Lady Stanley of Alderley and family
have arrived at their residence in Dover-street, from
Alderley-park, Cheshire.
Lord Derby (remarks the Stamford Mercury)
was a visitor at Burghley last week, and was one of a party
of sportsmen who killed 400 pheasants in one day's shoot-
ing among the preserves.

An influential meeting was held at Exeter on
Thursday, for the purpose of erecting a museum in that
city, which is intended to serve the purpose of a memorial
to the Prince Consort.

A marriage is arranged between the Marquis of
Hastings and Miss Alice Lisle PhiHipps, second daughter
of Ambrose Lisle Phillipps, Esq., of Garendon Park and
Grace Dieu Manor, in the county of Leicester. The m'r-
riage will not take place until the marquis has attained his
majority.

The Earl and Countess of Aylesford have arrived
at Claridge's Hotel from Packington Hall, Leamington.
Lord and Lady Wodehouse and family have
arrived at their residence in Bryanston-square, from Kim-
berley Hall, Norfolk.

Lady Balfour has arrived at Claridge's Hote
from Ireland.

Sir George Cornewall and Lady Theresa Lewis
entertained a select circle at dinner, last evening, at their
residence, Kent House, Knightsbridge.
We are informed that Mr. Charles Wycliffe
Goodwin, late fellow of St. Catherine's-hall, Cambridge,
has undertaken the editorship of the _Literary Gazette. Mr.
Goodwin is well known to the public as one of the authors
of " Essays and Reviews," to which he contributed the
sixth art cle in the series, namely that on the Mosaic Cos-
mogony.

('n dit that a gallant captain, well known in
sporting and theatrical circles, has taken the Sadler's Wells
Theatre of Mr. Phelps for the ensuing season, commencing
at Easter. -Shakspere will, we believe, be for the time
superseded by operetta, farce, burlesque, and badet. A
young and fascinating actress, who is now gaining laurels
at a fashionable west-end threatre, is mentioned as likely
to be the directress.—Era.

AUSTRALIAN ANNIVERSARY DINNER. The
anniversary dinner commemorative of the establishment of
the Australian colonies this year will take place on Wed-
nesday next, the 12th, at the Freemasons' Tavern, Sir
James T. Palmer in the chair. Of the distinguished visi-
tors who have accepted invitations and promised to be pre-
sent on the occasion are the Duke of Newcastle, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, Lord Stanley, Lord Clarence
Paget, Sir John Fakington, Lord Elcho, Lord Alfred
Churchill, Sir R. Murchison, &c.

GREAT TEMPEST IN MECCA.—Advices from Bey-
rout state that. the Mollah of that place had received a letter
from Mecca, announcing that the Holy City was visited
by a dreadful tempest of thunder and lightning on the 16th
December. A waterspout also burst over the city. More
than 300 houses were thrown down, burying many persons
under their ruins,