The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-13 00:00:00

IRONMASTERS QUARTERLY MEETING.

WOLVERHAMPTON, April 11.—The usual quarterly
meeting of the ironinasters of this district for the current
quarter commenced at Walsall yesterday ; the second
assembly took place at the Swan Hotel in this town this
afternoon, there being a very large attendance of manu-
facturers as well as merchants, and others interested in
the trade. On the part of the large ironmasters, no dis-
position whatever was manifested to depart from the re-
solution adopted at the preliminary meeting, although
the orders fur all descriptions of iron are enormous, espe-
cially so for America and our home purposes ; perhaps
for bars the pressure is not quite so great, as for sheets,
at least they are not commanding so stiff a price (propor-
tionately) as compared with pigs ; for the latter the de-
mand is said to exceed all precedent ; there are heavy
contracts on hand, with the certainty that further orders
would not be accepted at this time to any extent at the
quotations of the day ; indeed, this morning half-a-crown
higher price was asked, and many persons were of
opinion that by to-morrow night the actual price of
Staffordshire pigs (best quality) will be ss. higher than
the recognised trade price, which stands—for hot-blast
mine pigs, 51. 10s., cinder pigs being from 41. 15s. to
51. Of course, manufacturers are very reluctant to buy
at such prices, but trade is so good, that they have little
or no alternative. The best informed members of the
trade speak very confidently of the fair prospect that
exists for the continued healthy condition of the trade ;
there are no stocks of iron of any kind, even the stocks
of INlr. Attwood and Mr. George Hudson, bad as they
were in quality, are being gradually worked up, and if
the war spreads in Europe there is apparently very
little probability of the demand for America falling off.
The price of Staffordshire ironstone is as high as 21s.
per ton, notwithstanding, the Northamptonshire sup-
ply, but truth to tell, experience has shown that
the ore from that district produces but an inferior
quality of iron, in fact consumers of bars have
in many instances made it a condition that they shall not
be made from pigs smelted from the Northamptonshire
ore. At the present time the make of iron is large (larger
than it will be as the warm weather approaches), the ge-
neral trade of the district is healthy, and of coal there is
less of scarcity than for some time past. As an excep-
tion to this must be noticed the tin-plate manufacture,
which is still in a languid state ; indeed, there is scarcely
any demand for the 'Commodity ; the make has been re-
duced at least one-half, but the price-335, per box—is
about the same as when tallow and everything else en-
tering into the manufacture was not more than half what
it now is. There are reports that the United States' tariff
is to be revised in respect of this commodity, and that
the duty will be all hut abolished. Should this he cor-
rect, it will operate materially towards the revival of the
prosperity of this branch of industry.

T FORTHCOMING EASTER Tenn.—Yesterday the
lists of arrears of the common law courts for the forth-
coming Easter Term were exhibited. According to
the days fixed by act of Parliament, term would corn-
mence on Saturday, the 15th inst., but this year the
day being one of the holidays, term will not in reality
begin until Wednesday, the 19th inst. The arrears of
the three common law courts are inconsiderable, amount-
ing to only 100 rules. In the Queen's Bench there are
57 ; in the Common Pleas, 11 ; and in the Exchequer
32. The number of rules for new trial in the Court of
Queen's Bench is 15 for argument, and it is
expected
that the cause "Lumley v. Gye" will be again mentioned
in that court. In the same court are 33 special cases,
demurrers and county court appeals, whilst of enlarged
rules there are 9in the paper. In the Common Pleas,
2 demurrers are entered ; 3 enlarged rules ; 4 rules for
new trials, and 2 matters standing for the judgment of
the court. In the Exchequer there are two new trial
rules for judgment, and 16 for argument and arrange-
ment, and 14 rules in the new trial paper. Mr. Justice
Crowder will take his seat, for the first time, in the
Court of Common Pleas, in the place of the lamented
Judge Talfourd. In the Court of Chancery, there are
few, if any arrears, the learned judges having cleared
the lists, but many matters are progressing in the offices
of the several courts. The expression "Delays in
Chancery," has not become obsolete.
NEWLY INVENTED SPURIOUS COIN.--Within the last
few days Mr. Webster, the Inspector-General of Coins
to her Majesty's Mint, has received some counterfeit
shillings, bearing date of those issued in 1852, and which
more perfectly represent the genuine coin than anything
ever yet put in circulation. Their difference from the
ordinary bad money is, that they are struck with a beau-
tifully executed die from a hard white metal, which is
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respect, that the rim and milling is cut quite sharp and
complete, whereas in the Britannia metal base coin,
hitherto circulated, that being cast in moulds and Poured
in from the edge of the mould, the outer rim of the coin
is always faulty, and a very cursory inspection of that
part would suffice to detect it. The component parts of
the metal from which they are struck are copper, nickel,
and zinc, in the following proportions :---Copper, 64.26
per cent., nickel 15.71, and the rest zinc, which is in
reality German silver. The shillings weigh 5 grains
light of a genuine one of the same year, and 3 grains
heavy of a Geo. 111. of 1822. The metal being so hard
the coin detectors will not expose the fraud, but they
may be known by the ring, which is very bad. It is
believed that they came from Birmingham.