The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-29 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

STRAWS ON THE SURFACE.

Steeple-chase meetings are appointed to take place at
Stretford and Westbury next week, when the racing
"interregnum" will be at an end. The gathering at
the first-mentioned place will, perhaps, consist princi-
pally of " Manchester men," but the promised sport is,
nevertheless, likely to excite a wide-spread interest, and
occasion same brisk speculation. The entries for the
principal events were numerically strong ; the forfeits
were declared yesterday (Tuesday), but the acceptances
have not yet been published.

The "Stilton Affair" seems destined to remain unex-
plained, and the " nobblers" are, it is said, hardening
in confidence and assurances. The plaintiff refuses to
come into court ; he has withdrawn from the action,
and paid the defendant his taxed costs. Public expec-
tation has, therefore, been annoyingly disappointed.
Still it is questionable whether the persons notoriously
implicated in this disgraceful transaction will be allowed
to avoid punishment. A full and impartial investigation
of the case by competent legal authorities would, doubt-
less, be attended with exposures discreditable to certain
individuals of high standing in the sporting world.
The "sweet do-nothingness" which is at present en-
joyed by the sporting fraternity is a sufficient apology
for the brevity of my notes. For many a day no sport-
ing incident of even temporary importance has occurred
either to excite interest or stimulate curiosity. A report
of a fire at the London Club made a slight "sensation,"
and although it proved partly true, yet it was greatly
exaggerated, and the damage done was too slight to
occasion any inconvenience to the members.
Dec. 23. A FRESH MAN.

THE LEEDS CETAMBER OF ;COMMERCE AND
THE BOARD OF TRADE.

The Board of Trade have at length seen the necessity
for an improved classification of woollen and worsted
manufactures exported. Up to the present time, as all
connected with these departments of trade are aware,
the published tables of exports and imports periodically
issued by the Board of Trade have adhered to a system
of classification so imperfect that it has been impossible
to ascertain the relative proportion of woollen and
worsted exports. This has very properly come under
the notice of the Board of Trade, who have consulted the
Leeds Chamber of Commerce upon the propriety of a
new classification. The following communication was
received by Mr. Cawood, secretary to the Chamber last
week, from the Board of Trade upon this subject :
" Board of Trade Statistical Department,
Dec. 12, 1853.
" Sir,—A change in the classification of woollen manu-
factures in the accounts of trade being under the considera-
tion of the Board of Trade, I forward to you a copy of the
specifications proposed, as I am desirous of having the
opinion of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce on the subject
and any suggestions it may have to offer.
" I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
" R. W. FONBLANQUE.

" The Secretary of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce."

The specifications referred to by Mr. Fonblanque are
as follows. They originated, it appears, with the Brad-
ford Chamber of Commerce, in a memorial to the Board
of Trade :

" 1. Woollen goods (comprehending all Pieces
goods of which either the warp or the weft, mud
or both are woollen) value.
"2. Worsted goods (comprehending all Pieces
goods of which either the warp or the weft, and
or both are worsted) value.
" 3. Flannels { IPards and
value.
"4. Carpets—viz., carpets and druggots 1_ Yards and
made of wool f value.
Of „ carpets composed of wool
mixed with cotton, Yards and
linen, or other ma- value.
tonal
"5. Blankets 1 Pairs and
value.

"6. Shawls, woollen or worsted I No. and
value.
"7. Hosiery, woollen or worsted, viz , Dozens
stockings and
PP other articles value.
PP
"8. Small wares and articles, woollen or)
worsted, not properly falling under any of Value.
the foregoing heads
" Yarn, woollen Pounds and value.
„ worsted

- •
Upon receipt of this communication a meeting of the
Leeds Chamber of Commerce was convened, and took
place in the Council Chamber, on Monday afternoon
last. Darnton Lupton, Esq., presided, and after a con-
versation upon the subject which had brought them to•
gether, the meeting appointed the following gentlemen,
as a sub-committee, to consider the whole matter, and
report thereon to the chamber, viz., Mr. D. Lupton,
Mr. W . Firth, Mr. Charles Bousfield, Mr. Charles
Hindle, and Mr. Thomas Plint.—Leeds Times.

STATE OF TRADE.

(Front the Manchester Guardian of yesterday.)

MANCHESTER, Dec. 27.—The American accounts show
an active business in cotton at advancing prices. The
weather continued highly favourable for picking, and
for maturing the plant ; but the receipts were still de-
creasing. As might be expected at this holiday sea-
son, the attendance on the Manchester Exchange
has been rather smaller to-day than usual ; and the
amount of business, in yarn and goods, has not been
at all considerable. The motives for caution continue
to operate upon buyers and to tell upon the state
of our market. Within some days back, some pur-
chases of water twist and 40-in. shirtings have
been made for China. These shirtings are therefore
not to be had at the previous low rates. There has
been more doing of late in domestics and T cloths ; but
the increased cost of yarns has placed the makers of
those goods in a worse position than before.
HALIFAX, Dec. 24.—As is usual at this time of the
year, our Piece Hall has been very slenderly attended
to-day, and scarcely any business has been transacted.
In wools and yarns there is no quotable change, either
as to demand or price.
BIRMINGHAM, December 24.—1 n every branch of
the iron trade full activity still prevails ; orders
continue abundant for rods, bars, sheets, plates, and
rails ; for castings, also, there is a large demand ; while
pig iron has been in such request, that good qualities
are mostly bought up for next quarter. The demand
for coals continues unabated.

SNOW-STORM IN LIVERPOOL. —On Tuesday morning
snow fell heavily in Liverpool, and a few minutes after
nine o'clock a rare atmospheric phenomenon occcured.
While the snow-flakes were falling thick and fast, one
vivid flash of lightning burst through the morning gloom,
accompanied by a loud peal of thunder and sharp hail.
SNOW-STORM.—TYNEMOUTH, Tuesday night.—As the
fleet of collier vessels was leaving the north-east ports
yesterday morning, though the weather appeared bright
and clear to the ordinary observer, seamen watched
with an ominous eye a dense mass of clouds banking up
in the north-east. The last of the vessels were crossing
the bar, when a heavy squall of wind came away from
the north-east, accompanied with showers of hail and
sleet. The wind caught a Blyth brig, the Cygnet, which
was being towed out, and threw her sails back; the
force of the wind overpowering the steamboat that had
her in tow, the brig was driven on the Herd Sand,
where she is now a total wreck. The Supply, of South
Shields, was also driven on to the edge of the Herd
Sand by the same squall, and got such a thump that
she had to be immediately taken into the harbour again,
both pumps going to keep her afloat. She will have to be
discharged and put into dock. The crew of the Blyth
brig were gallantly rescued by the South Shields pilots
in the lifeboat, and safely brought into the harbour.
The other large fleet of vessels, as stated in the despatch
from here yesterday afternoon, ships drawing under
16 feet of water, all got safely away. There's now a
very large fleet of laden vessels on their passage to Lon-
don. To-day the storm cloud's have burst, and we are
now experiencing a heavy fall of snow, which is drifting.
It has been snowing nearly all day. There has been a
considerable " fall" the darkening, and the storm
seems to be still " brewing." The laden colliers have
had a spanking wind from the N. and N.N.E. since they
left the north yesterday. Last night was clear and star-
light, but the appearance of this night is producing great
anxiety and alarm among the seafaring people. The
fleet, they calculate, will be passing into the Would to-
night, in the neighbourhood of the sands off the coast of
Norfolk—a passage most dangerous for a large fleet of
laden vessels to thread in a night like this. The sea is
terrific off our bar this evening. Notwithstanding the
large number of vessels that left here yesterday, there is
still a heavy fleet of laden vessels in the Tyne. If the
weather of this morning.had been like what we had yes-
terday morning, we should have had another large de-
parture ; now the laden vessels are safely locked in port
until the weather and sea moderate. 9 p.m.—The wea-
ther still looks dreadfully wild, and snow continues
falling. The wind is N.N.E., blowing half a gale of
wind at sea, with blinding snow showers.
THE CHRISTMAS RAILWAY TRAFFIC.--The amount of
the Christmas traffic on all the leading metropolitan
railways would appear, from the usual returns, to have
considerably exceeded that of any previous year. On
the London and North-Western, during the period no-
minally called "Christmas week," extending over seven
days, there passed " down" the line 27,000 parcels
and Christmas presents, and " up" 12,250 for distribu-
tion throughout London, this being exclusive of many
thousands of parcels, coming by goods trains. Last year
on this line the "down" parcels were 25,000, and the "up"
12,000. In the passenger traffic there was a correspond-
ing increase. The Great Western conveyed, exclusive of
large consignments by the goods trains, 16,000 parcels
and presents by the "down" passenger trains to all parts of
the west, and 13,000 from the west " up" to the metro-
polis. The Great Northern disembogued from their
depots at King's-cross 10,000 parcels " up," and about
the same nnmber " down," exclusive of goods trains'
consignments, and the Eastern Counties in four days
carried 15,000 parcels " up" from the agricultural dis-
tricts, and about half that number " down," besides a
large tonnage to and fro of agricultural and dead stock.
In each case special arrangements had to be made on a
large scale for the safe and speedy transmission of these
Christmas cargoes, and a large additional staff was in
requisition.