The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-31 00:00:00

THE SCOTCH IRON TRADE.

The following is from the . circul,ar of gr. Thos
Thorburn, dated Glasgow, Dec. 31

" Sir,—Though in 1853 the exports and home con-
sumption of pig iron were *950,000. tons, exceeding by
300,000 tons any previous year, the fluctuations in the
price of .the article were neither so great; rapid, nor
violent-as in 1845, when with an increasing stock and a
progressive production prices reached 110 s. per ton.

" After the fall, which was influenced by. the aug
mented stock's, and the raising of the rate of, in-
terest by the Bank of England, in January, exten-
sive purchases were made at 535. 6d. to 655. per
ton, prices continuing to oscillate until the middle of
October between the latter quotations, according to the
pacific or warlike tone of the news from the East. It
being then ascertained the stoek had decreased fully one-
half since February, and that the prohibitory duties into
France would be considerably modified, about 50,000
tons were purchased at 675. 6d., 705., 725. 6d., 755.,
775. 6d., and 80s., principally on French account.

" The stocks of 210,000 tons in warehouse-keepers'
and makers' stores are now in few hands, and hence the
firmness of the market, and the refusal of the iron-
masters to make further sales at the quotations of to-
day. Owing to the varied and extended uses to which
iron is applied throughout the world, the shipments and
local consumption of the article have this year been
unprecedented, though an advance of 70 per cent. has
been established, and freights have risen fully 50 per
cent. The United States have again been by far the
largest customers, and increasing exportations to that
quarter may be calculated upon, as recent accounts in-
dicate a modified specific duty on iron will be imme-
diately proposed and adopted by Congress.
" Scotland possessed fifty years ago only 13 furnaces,
the small produce of which realised 101. to 131. per ton.
114 furnaces are now in blast, the value of the produc-
tion of which at the present price amount to the large
sum of 2,800,0001. per annum, about one-half of which
is expended in wages. These facts, taken in conjunction
with my annual tabular statement of the make,
stocks, prices, Ste., will give au idea of the extraordinary
growth of the iron trade of Scotland to its present gi-
gantic dimensions and of its great national importance."

40
" HOW THE LAW IS RESPECTED 2o
AT CHELTENHAM." 20
20

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.

SlR,—About a fortnight ago there was a report
in the Record, and probably in other papers, of an
action brought in the county court against a school-
master at Cheltenham, by the father of a boy who
had been flogged by the master's orders. Now,
Sir, I am no advocate for the abolition of corporal
punishment, in schools ; but, in this case, the
judge, in giving his decision, strongly censured the
excessive severity of the flogging, as exhibited in the
evidence, and gave substantial damages to the
plaintiff. I next see in the same newspaper, of
the 19th ult., that a meeting has been held at
Cheltenham, to express their sympathy with the
defendant in the above-mentioned action. Now,
though the speakers affect to feel great respect for
the law, the evident tendency of the meeting is to
impugn, the justice of the judge's decision, and
deaden its effect on public opinion. We all know
that, in political and other prosecutions, the de-
fendant is often hailed as a martyr to his princi-
ples. So I suppose, in this instance, the school-
master is to be considered a martyr to the principle
—I should, perhaps, say the fundamental principle
—of severe corporal punishment. Did not the high
and grave position of the speakers, at the meeting
alluded to, preclude such an opinion, we might
have imagined that the sympathy expressed for the
schoolmaster was ironical, in the spirit of Canning
in the " Anti-Jacobin"

--" For his mind
Shaped strictest plans of discipline, sage schemes—
Such as Lycurgus taught when at the Shrine
Of the Orthyan goddess, he bade flog
The little Spartans
But time shall come
When and laws be all repeal'd."
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
JURIS CONSULTUS.

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