The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-20 00:00:00

THE WOOLLEN TRADE.

(From the Leeds Mercury of this day.)
LEEDS May 19.—We have no change of any importance to
report in the state of the woollen trade. The markets have
been of about au average character this week. On Saturday
there was considerable animation in the cloth balls ; a good
number of merchants were iu the market, and showed a little
activity, but not much inclination to buy, and when the cloth
that was sold was brought out of the market, the transac-
tions were found to have been within a moderate compass.
There w s also considerable activity in Tuesday's market, and
more disposition to purchase, and on the whole the quantity
of cloth that changed owners was larger than on the previous
market day.
HUDDERSFIELD, May 16.—1 t is seldom that we have a good
market on a ay included in those of the fair, even in better
times. The little improvement we noticed last week has
fallen off this, whether from the reason stated or not. Very
few buyers were in attendance, and we had what is called a
flat market, both in the Cloth-hall and warehouses. Prices,
however, have undergone little alteration.
BRADFORD —Wool—The difficulties of the trade are such as
to disconcert buyers of combing, wool, and the sales are unus-
ually limited. Yarns—Not the slightest improvement. The
tendency is to a still further curtailment of production.
Pieces—There has been another suspension of payment during
the week, arising not from bad debts, but unremunerative
prices, and will the present prospect the number of such
calamities must inevitably increase.

STEAM GUN-BOATS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
HeraldSi,l have noticed your extract from the Morning
andn It andyou r
oyourw remarks about gun-boats, also all your
able articles on that head, as well as the letters of Mr. ,
clioursys.ieeltliostilidwCitahpottatlpin Claxton which appeared ii, the Times
—so conclusive,
rseonptalopnaeblywoaublsurdbee
ihearnetr,haotnneaavnadi
malelncharerryeicnagilthcoatnesiour„,tivoef
feel t were it not for a sort of under-cur-
performancepaolf)esrcrweawrnat a loss to account for anything
as the Herald's remarks. The under-
current has long
ditsruaarti, :is
tgfroatr
thl steamers noticed
here, tll those
wasinterested
most
pianttehnet 1
the
dsonflro
ft the
the
about brno,eru
The
roo pthee rope.
remarkasms arg.
youems oahfraetvhoheaesVx
taircatcoootroni
da. -
and Argo to Australia
newwood gun-vessels, the defi-
mency in which for the
ade purposes of warfare in shoal
m
waters the Herald has more clearly
exd,
cathe .a,
apparent—
has corroborated, in fact, all thestatements,
one may say, that have bef ire be en made. They are to
be screw steamers, and of great speed ; and those facts
alone prove they
arepsstiaonry fordit'saewlf and vnedryde highy
in the water too,
a
good deal of water, for
speed that the
istenr id: S"' O should y
o siet-isveels we positively
etieheeethem will not be able to go into shoal
water, and that is the whole question.
Paddles are not so good for war purposes as screws,
for the reasons given. I admit it. But screws andws
light draught can't go together, but paddlesean
that, no doubt, is Mr. Russell's reason for recommending
and
them, even while his yard is full of screw vessels for all
'n-
other sea-going purposes.
Trusting you will persevere in endeavouring to open inA
the eyes of the authorities, and in the end succeed in 'vv.'
getting a proper flotilla, for the protection or assistance 25
of our gallant army ou the Danube,— I rxer.a.nauinr vineu6so.be- i -1
client servant,
Southampton, May 18. 100,