The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-10 00:00:00

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THE CORN TRADE.
In the remarks of one of the leading firms in the corn
trade we find much that is calculated to reassure us
upon the subject of an inadequate supply of food, and
it appears from the statement of Messrs. &urge that
" during the past month wheat his nearly eecovered
the depression which had taken place at the letter end of
January, and our quotations are within 3x per quarter
of the highest point since harvest, with an improved
demand on the part of our millers, hut with a liberal
supply from the farmers up to the present time. The
long continuance of the frost has, however, so delayed
agricultural operations in the field, that they are now
engeged in the preparation of the lend for spring
seeine. and must be so for several weeks to come; we
therefore anticipate a considerable falling off in
their deliveries, probably until the end of next
• eleeeereh so considerable a quantity having
rard the last fortnight indicates more
itiq have be ,in tnreshed than there was sold during the
,rost. As there are sales making ror France from the
east coast, and few arrivals of foreign; exeent from Ame-
Flea. are cxre?ted to take ?)I.c before the opening of
also to the probAility of our pre-
rotes e at ltast nearly maintained for sotto
'me to coule. Tie ugh the opinion we ventured to give
in our annual cryillar has been controverted in some
quartersl—ii . that if the demand for the continent
did rot Ctke ,•ff :he supplies which otherwi • would
come to Eng'and, our present prices would bring
forward a sufficient quantity to meet the wants
of Great Britain, if shipping could be obtained
to transp irt it: see no ground tin to the
present titre to alter this opinion, notwithstanding the
reit advance in some of the forelen shipping ports; on
the ci-intrary, this we believe will he found to bring for-
ward to these ports from the interior, esnecially to
Odessa, an unexampled quantity as spring advances, and
it is the tpinion of some well-informed parties that,
even in Frence, there is yet a considerable stock of wheat
held by the graneurs, which will be more freely sold as
harvest approaches. The prices of wheat in some of the
fereien ports are as follow :—Dantzic, 58s. to 655. ;
Hatnburgb, 60s. to 655. ; Odessa, 445. to 595. It is
too early to form an opinion of the prospects of
the coming crop of wheat, but though rather
baekward, we think the general appearance is
by no means unfavourable for a productive season.
while there is every reason to suppose that the breadth
unusually:great. The stock of English barley
now on hand is probably little more than will berequired
for the purposes of seed; but the imports of foreign will,
we expect, be much larger than at one time was antici-
pated, and we think the present prices will hardly be
maintained. The high price of oats has so greatly les-
sened the consumption, that though the imports during
the past month into Gloucester have been very trifling,
and the supply from our farmers small, there have been
quite sufficient brought to market to meet the demand,
and as a liberal supply is expected from the Baltic into
the eastern ports during the spring and summer, it is
probable that those in Ireland which are not suited to
mewling purposes will find the best market in
Gloucester and other ports on our western coast."
We take these extracts with the more satisfaction
became there are so few parties in the corn trade not
more interested in writing up prices than in seeking to
moderate them, and because we have every hope that
the experience of the writers has guided them to a
sound conclusion. The facilities offered by the per-
mission to import food in foreign vessels have no doubt
improved our prospects.

been brong

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INDIA.
THE KATHIES.—The Calcutta Christian Observer for
January gives a notice of a singular race of people
called the Kathies, who inhabit a part of Guzerat.
These people are supposed by some to be the
ancient Cithie, aho in the time of Alexander's In-
vasion occupied a portion of the Punjaub, near the
confluence of the five rivers. Among the Kathies
there are no distinctions of caste. Besides priests,
they have an official class of persons called bards, who
possess authority almost equal to that of the Druids.
They become security for the payment of debts,
the conduct of individuals who have misbehaved, and
the appearance of persons in pending actions, either civil
or criminal. On the same terms they conduct travellers
and caravans through districts infested with robbers, or
in a state of war. a troop of predatory horse appear,
the bard ermmands them to retire, and, brandishing his
dagger, takes a solemn oath that if they plunder the
peisons under his protecti,.n, he will stab himself to the
heart, and bre,g upon their heads the guilt of shedding
his blood. Such is the veneration in which he is
held as a per ion of celestial origin, and such the
horror at be the cause of his death, that the threat in
&most every instance deters them from making the med-
•ated attack, and the party is allowed to pass on unmoe
tested. The rAig on of thest. people consists of little
else than ad,ration of the sun. They invoke this object
their worship before commencing .pt great under-
teking, and if a plundering expedition be successful, a
portion of the money stolen is consecrated to the service _
of religion. The only functions of the priests are to
IdP
celebrate marriages and funeral selemnities. They have
but one sacred building—a temple—situated near
Thuam, dedicated to the sun, and containing an image
of that luminary. The size of the Kathies is above the
average, often exceeding six feet. The women aro tall
and often handsome ; generally speaking, modest, and
faithful to their lords. The Kathies have no restrictions
of any sort regarding food or drink."