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 halls ; a good
number of merchants were in 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 foimd to have been within a moderate compass.
There w ■ 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 day 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 bad what is called a
flat market, both iu the Cloth-hall and warehouses. Prices,
however, have undergone little alteration.
BRADFORD.—WooI—The difficulties or the trade are such as
to disconcert buyers of combing wool, and the sales are unus-
ually limited. Yarns—Not the slightest improvement. The
tendenpy is to a still further curtailment of production.
Pieces—There has been another suspension of payment during
die week, arising not from bad debts, but unremunerative
prices, and with the present prospect the number of such
calamities must inevitably increase.

STEAD( GUN-BOATS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BUN.
SIR,--I have noticed your extract from the Morning
Herald and your remarks about gun-boats, also all your
able articles on that head, as well as the letters of Mr.
Russell and Captain Claxton which appeared in the Times
and in your own paper, one and all carrying that' sort of
conviction with them that naval men here call conclusive
_so conclusive, that were it not for a sort of under-cur-
rent one would feei at a loss to account for anything
so palpably absurd as the Herald's remarks. The under-
current has long been noticed by those interested in the
performance of screw steamers here, and was most patent
during the paper war about the passages of the Victoria
and Argo to Australia. The remark you have extracted
is a strand front the same rope. Mr. Mare has a con-
tract for some of the new wood gun-vessels, the defi-
ciency in which for the purposes of warfare in shoal
waters the Herald has made more clearly apparent—
has corroborated, in fact, all the statements, ex cathedra,
one may say, that have before been made. They are to
be screw steamers, and of great speed ; and those facts
alone prove they are to draw a good deal of water, for
necessary fur very high speed that the
istcrieswp(s)hsiotuivly should be deep in itself and deep in the water too,
and so ve-sels with them 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 and
light draught can't go together, but paddles can, and
that, no doubt, is Mr. Russell's reason for recommending
them, even while his yard is full of screw vessels for all
other sea-going purposes.
eT
eruysetsi 101 gf
they u
awuiti lh
triseesv, earrei
and
in i
n thee a yeonudr endingsthu
etcoe
eodp einn
getting a proper flotilla for the protection or assistance 25
of our gallant army on the Danube,--I remain your obe- 1
dient servant, IiAUTICUS. I 1
Southampton, May 18. 109