The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-25 00:00:00

earal.3l; TRADE.—FOREIGN CONTRACT.
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(From the liinisiApham Journal.)
The London Newspapers, within these few days,
have favoured the public with a variety of state-
ments as to the warlike preparations whir-11112,e
been set on foot in most Of the great steles of Ell-
rope, and the contracts whielt have been entered
into with English mermfactureire, for the supply of
arms to Franca, Russia, and Prussia. In one at•
count tultoof::WFsrataincide,o6f 00470t1laireforh'cours•
special inquiry into the subject, we Can confidently
Russia,
ei oiirfsn and manufacture
aarendu
300,000fta1c1at for Prussia. Raving made
say,:that most of the statements so put forth are it:.
correct, although some are partially true. Taa feel.
lowing will he found to be the facts of the ease :
In the month of November last the French Go-
vernment despatched agents to Birmingham, where
they were led to understand they might upon the
instant purchase from 400,000 to 500,000 staeti
isrms.. The contemplated use of these arms was the
equipment of the National Guard. Upon inquiry,
however, the French agents found they were mis-
taken as to the areouut of ready-made nistskets to
be obtained in this tease, and we e. in consequence,
recommended by the Birminghaut manufacturers, to
apply to the British Government for assistance.
Ever since the close of the war, a large depot of arrrs
had been established in the Tower ; and it Has known
to our makers, from repeated conferences with Sir
H. Hardiuge, and other late officers in the Ordnaece
Department, that of this warlike stock the Govern-
ment were deairous to dispose. Accordirigly,s the
French agents adopted this advice, arid immediately
entered into a negotiation with the linglaih Govern.
ment. At first their applieatiorie appeared to be de-
cidedly successful; but sula,equeuily, owh,g either
to the unsettled state of Ireland, or the conamotions,
and threatening prospects of our own couutty, the
GovernMent declined to part with the arms, and the
negotiation was abruptly broken off. This imme-
diately led to a renewal of the correepaudence with
the Birmingham manufacturers ; the principal agent
on the part of the French Government being no
other person than Mr. Rothschild, the eminent ca-
pitalist arid money-broker. The total number stated
to be required by the Fiera Government is 140,000
stand of arms, and nor, as variously stated by the
London papers, 500,000, and 1,400,000. As yet,
however, the only order given is fur 20,000; the
contractor. for the supply of which are Wheeler
and Son ; Wooley, Sergeant, and Fairfax; Ketland
and Co., arid Mr. Adams, •f this town ; and Bran-
der and Potts; Barnet and Sun, and Lacy, and
Wilton, of London. The period %lips:sited for the
execution of this first cau,ract is limited to the
month of January, slid is now nearly, if nut entirely,
fulfilled. The contract for the remaining 120,000
arms, we have reason to believe, was confirmed by
the French Government, or their agents, on Satur-
day last. The whole of this coetract is required to
be completed in seven months.
Great mistakes have been propagated as to, the
prices for which the English manufacturers offered
to execute the contracts. The price of each musket
is not, as stated by the Times, 37 francs, or about
30s. sterling; but about franc., or about 23a,
sterling. Some idea may be formed of the reduc-
tion which has taken place in this, as in all other
branches of manufacture, when the fact is 'moon,
that during the war the ordinary contract price of
the muskets supplied to the British Goveremesit
was 365. The prices now paid by the French are,
however, considered liberal. The effect which this
acceptable spur has created in Birmieghero is 0-
ready risible. Owing to the long comparative
extinction of the trade, since the close of the war,
the operative departments had hero abaiiJoned ha
the workmen, for other more certain and permanent
sources of employment and aubsietence. These men
elated by the temporary prospect afforded by the
present contract, are now in numbers returning to
their old avocation', For gun-locks, which during
thebeginning of last year was paid Is. 2d. each, the.
manufacturers are nowead to give 9se6d. While upon
this point we may correct an error into which one of
our metropolitan contemporaries has fallen regarding
the capability of Birmingham in the fabrication of fire-
arms. The same paper which states the recent con-
tracts as amounting to 1,400,000 stand of arms, as-
serts that the Birmingham manufacturers would re-
quire fourteen years for the completion of so ex-
tensiee an order. We have the mean* at hand
which afford a ready contradictor) to this assumption.
By reference to a table in Mr. Parson's pamphlet
on the manufacture of fire-arm., we lied that, in the
year 1813, there were fabricatted 41 Birmingham,
for the Board of Ordnance, uot less than 320,64.3
stand of arms, and in 1812, 288,741. From the
statement set forth in this pamphlet, from authorised
returns, it further appears, from the yea: 1804 to
1815, more than two-thirds of the fire-arms made
for the Board of Ordnance during war were made in
Birmingham. Allowing for the reduction in the
number of hands which hiss necessarily taken place
within these few year., there is no doubt but at the
present time the manufacturers of Birmingham
could set up 200,000 stand of arms per annum,
while those of London would produce from 80,000
to 100,000.

The last error propounded by the London Press,
which we shall notice, is, the report of contracts for
the supply of arms being entered into with Russia
and Prussia. Applications, as fur us we can learn
(and we presume our authority is •f that character•
that it cannot be disputed or contradicted) have not
been received from either of those countries. Holland
and Belgium have been iu the market, but the want
of money, and the insecurity of all engage-
ments at the present moment, with those dis-
tracted States,speedily put an end to all negotiation.
Poland, too, has had iTs agents in Birmingham ;
but the singularly novel and unsafe conditions it re-
required from our gun-manufacturers, has prevented,
up to this time, any contract being accepted. The
condition demanded, was the safe delivery of the
arms in Poland ! If we are to judge from the
amount of new arms required by the Poles, their
army will not enter the field in such insigniacant
numbers, as some of the French papers c;ve the
world to understand. The application to the Bir-
mingham manufacturers was for 50,000 stand—the
only obstacle to the completion of the order *as the
condition to which we have alluded.

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DOVER, JAN. 29.—A melancholy occur-
irence took place on the voyage of his Majesty; packet
Salamander yesterday, with mail and porsentrs, to Calais.
The packet but reached within &boat six Miles of her
port, when one of the passengers threw himself front the
4%4.1m5-deck into the sea. He was qu'skiy token op by
Captain SIiEkLOCIC ; and on reaching C-ulais he walkcti lap
te the Inn, where he was put to bed, and a person esigsged
to watch him. In the course of the evening he was at-
tacked with a violent fit of toughiog, gad suddenly ex-
pired. The physician who was railed in attributed his
death to apoplexy. His name was ascertained to be Ir.
ROURKE, and he is stated to have practised ass solicitor of
some note in Lonilint. He had obont his person v.-18h and
lionds to the. amount of more then 20,000/. ! which the
conetnaLsier delivered over to the _British Consul.
THE SIAMESE TWINS.—This new poem, by
the celebrated author of " Pelham," is, ere understand,
divided into four books, with dedicatory stanzas prefixed
to Cap,ta,in BASIL HALL, Lady as's." en her toartiage,
and Earl GREY. Besides the general satire of the tale,
the different disposition of ahe twine (the one being grave.
thoughtful and Inelat;cloly—the ether reckless and gay),
involves them, ju various and ludicrtns serapes; the story
describes ',heir birth and educoticn—lande thew in Eng-
lauA where they grow wealthy--exhibits thew in the beat
trophe is strange zoti•
circles—involves thetas, h. love cad law, &e.—The caw-
unex
peettd. Some of the chief in-
cidents of the, sale are illustrated by etchints, which is
spirit ?nd elect, rival the happhest efforts of Car SRA NZ.
A petition, praying for a commutation of the;
sentence of the awl) unhappy men under senesce of death
at Aylesbuay, watt got up is High Wycombe on Wedases-
(lay. and. signed by wpwe,rila of 1,000 individuals. Sirstf-
ur opes are prepa;lag in various yang of the etsuuty, and
many uersons who could not atherwitie do so„ ere induced
to sign, in consequence of: the Counsel for the Crosses
having declined to ca:rer evidence against a man bawl/di
STONE, a native of Kent, who was the most active ar.2t:
the riotor, and who watt. discharged os finding too! ox Ise
6,1t4:1 apireararace,,--4lerksh ire Chrouriela