The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-08 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

FOREIGN WOOL TRADE, LEEDS, FEB. s.—Most de-
scriptions of foreign wool have been in lair demand
during the past wee, and late quotations firmly sup-
ported.

ENGLISH WOOL MARKET, FEB. s.—The amount of
sales of combing and clothing wool this week have not
been large, and have been confined to a supply of the
present wants of the manufacturers, whose stocks of the
raw material are light. Prices are stationary at last
week's quotations.
WAKEFIELD WOOL MARKET, FEB. s.—The heavi-
ness noted in our last report still hangs over this branch
of trade. The difficulty in buying from the grower to
meet present rates here, prevents any pressure on the
market, and wool is held at former rates.

LEEDS.—There has been, both on Saturday and Tues-
day, about the same quantity of goodi sold as during the
last few weeks, but almost entirely in low qualities,
whilst fine arid middle cloths are scarcely inquired for.
Prices are without any alteration, and stocks are not
higher than usual at this season. There have been seve-
ral of the larger London buyers in the town during the
week, but they have purchased very sparingly, and busi-
ness has in consequence been dull in the warehouses.
Although the foreign houses are doing less than usual
at this period, they are improving, and as corn is getting
lower in price, the general impression is that the pros-
pect of trade in woollens is much brighter thanit has
been for some time.

BRADFORD, THURSDAY, FEB. 4.—There is no in-
creased demand for combing wool, and the staplers do
not push sales on account of the difficulty of supplying
their warehouses at present prices, which are in the sales
to spinners with difficulty maintained. Clothing wools are
in tolerable request. The dullness in the yarn market.
which we have noticed for some time, remains, and the
spinners still continue to stint their production to the low-
est point. There is a little more business done by the
export houses, but nothing to relieve the trade. Prices
are stationary. Silk weft and warp has now become an
article of considerable consumption in our figure trade,
and we hear from a good quarter that the demand for
silk is likely to increase much. In low Orleans and
Cobourgs there is a steady business doing, but at very
unsatisfactory prices.
MANCHESTER, THURSDAY EVENING.—We have no
signs of improvement in price or demand for either
goods or yarns ; even the recent advance in Liverpool
has failed to give the trade the least impetus. Things
must be pronounced as very depressed ; in fact, beyond
all previous experience. If sales must be made, it is on
terms even below the nominal rates of the day, and
there is no reasonable sign of an early improvement.
LEICESTER.—The same dullness which we reported
last week still prevails. Cotton goods are making to
order by those who had laid in the material previous to
the late advances. No shipping orders of consequence
are at present given out. Wools and yarns remain
without alteration.

NoTrpionam.—A few buyers have made their ap-
pearance, but have not purchased very freely. If any-
thing, coarse plain nets are rather more in request than
last week. Cloth-work edgings are gradually improving
in design, and making their way into demand. Prices
of all goods remain steady. The condition of the
stocking trade in this vicinity is certainly not worse,
and in the cut-up branch is somewhat better.—Notting-
ham Review.

RELIEF FOR THE HIGHLANDS. PORTSMOUTH,
4.—Her Majesty's steamer Porcupine received orders
this morning to take on board as much biscuit meal, and
other descriptions of provisions, as she can store, and proceed
with all expedition to the north coast of Scotland. Lieu-
tenant Tumour has loaded the Porcupine with 150 bags of
meal, and will put to sea this evening. She goes direct to
Oban, near Herrera, and will there find Commander Baynton,
who will take charge of the provisions for distribution. Her
Majesty's troop-ship Birkenhead being required also to load
with biscuit-meal for the distressed districts in Scotland, the
orders for the embarkation of the 56th regiment, for convey-
ance to Gibraltar, have been countermanded, and she is now
on her passage to this port with only the women, children,
and baggage of the corps, to be put on board her Majesty's
ship Belleisle ; she will then be filled with provisions from
the Clarence victualling-yard, and put to sea without delay.
LAMP-LIGHTING BY GALVANISM.--It has occurred
to us, that in this age of shares and electric telegraph., the
system of lighting the public lamps might be improved, and
the old-fashioned lamplighter, with his long ladder, &c., dis-
pensed with—a great nuisance in
populous places. We
think that the day i.zs abided public lamps should
be lighted simultaneously by the aid of galvanism.—The
Builder.

MAGAZINES (CONTINT3 —F'D) •
COLBURN'S UNITED SERV:ICE.
In the present number we have :the
oic yritish
series of apers detailing the "Hi
Intercourse with Japan." In fact, itstory was a n
man, William Adams, of Gillingham, near. first of a
Roc hotel',
who first piloted the Dutch to Japan, where, tl gough
the intrigues of the Portuguese Jesuits, the ci 'evy °f
the vessel were imprisoned, and their goods c °as'
eated, until by the tact and prudence of Adam.s they
were all liberated and their goods and ship rest *red'
Adams himself became so great a favourite a' the
Court of Jeddo that the Emperor retained hire tvea!
his person to instruct himself and his subjec .1°
geometry, astronomy, and navigation ; induced btu
to build two ships for him according. to the Eurc re
method; created him a noble, and settled a large et 1 Ate
on him ; and sent him in command of a fleet. t,
Siam, on his return from whence he dired
him to write letters to England, inviting
countrymen to come and trade with the Japane s
It was through the interest of Adams, and throe gu
his interest only, that the Dutch were permitted
remain in Japan, or to send vessels there to trai le;
and yet in the Moniteur Orientals—a publicati
making its appearance regularly at Hague, uni el;
the patronage ,of the Dutch Government—althos.ll
the history of this first expedition, which sai‘
from Rotterdam in 1588, is minutely given, all all 11te
sion to William Adams, the Englishman, is ca 3
fully avoided, and from the beginning to the e
In
of the history his name is not once mentioned. iof
consequence of the receipt of the letters
Adams, Captain John Sins, an English= 1.1,11
undertook an expedition to Japan, and ern', Be
at Firando on the 11th of June, 1613.
was exceedingly well-received by the King, P
mitted to purchase a factory, to land his cargo, 5
to trade. The Japanese towed his ship into
harbour, and, according to his own statement, " tit eL
anchored before Firando, in five fathoms oozy grow lo
so near to the shore that they could talk to the penp
in their houses." This account proves how absurd it
is to rely upon the modern Dutch accounts

Japan :---- -
"For they maintain that every harbour of that couutl‘i
is o shallow as necessarily to exclude all but small va '
sels ; whereas we find, from Captain Saris's experieto
that in the harbour of Firando, which is very far fro% ,
being,the best in the country, a line of-battle ship xas) .
cast anchor within pistol•shot of the shore. Bat col
neighbours have carried their misrepresentations in
farther than this, since they have been at the pains. tit47,l
construct false charts of the Japanese coast and publial
them, in order to mislead and wreck their rivals ; an aas'
of atrocity of which there are few parallels."
With the arrival of Captain Saris at Firando the )?re—
sent article concludes. The " History of the SliEbt"
and the Punjaub is continued to the eve of the battle,
of Moodkee ; and our old friend Colonel Firebrace bag'
an admirable paper on the absurdity of promotion, by
purchase. We are glad to see that the editor h.
taken Colonel Mitchell to task for the '‘` extraordi n$
whimsicality and obliquity of judgment" which'. be
has manifested in his history of Napoleon's Mili tag
Life. This article is to be concluded in the .
number. There are a great variety of other i
resting paper on professional subjects in this DUD aw
of the United Service.

COMIC HISTORY OF ENGLAND. V 01.170

By Gilbert Abbot A'Beckett.
This is certainly the strangest History of Eng 'y
ever ever composed, but it is no less true than strange, in
exposes the errors of other historians after the t 131:0
facetious yet the most convincing fashion. It wil
recollected that all the historians agree that He Ow,
the Fifth, when he set out on his Agincourt ma 11..,
paign, left Southampton for Harfleur with one this ie
sand essels. On this Mr. A'Beckett says,.
" We must request the reader to bear in mind,. Lt 10
though all the authorities justify us in announcing 0
thousand as the number of the ships constituting Uent
fleet, we should n.t advise any one to believe the stohbo
went, who has not had an opportunity of counting 1
vessels. Either the ships in those days were very so" by
or Southampton harbour has been fearfully contracted 4.
the contractors who have since undertaken to widen be
We have b••en aecastomed to place implicit faith in
rule of arithmetic, that-' a thousand into one won't g'
nor do we feel disposed to alter our impression in fair°
of a thousand of Henry's ships being able to go is 0
Southampton harbour. We suspect that a hundred well 10
have been nearer the mark, for posterity is greatly in w
habit of putting on an 0, and really believing there
nothing in it." • 0
However humourous this may appear, there

doubt even much soundness in Mr. A-'l3eekett's
vation. History can only be properly studied un a. pc
the influence of a judicious scepticism. His &coat
of the doings of Joan Arc is admirable. His then:
of her inspiration is quite as good as any that b
been propounded, and infinitely more probable.

VANITY FAIR. No. 2 By W. M. Thackert,Ttf
In this number all Miss Rebecca Sharp's hopes ue
becoming Mrs. Joseph Sedley are blasted. The pariP
go to Vauxhall, where Mr. Joseph gets so uproariOnti if
drunk upon rack punch, just as he is on the point •°
" popping the question," that he is obliged to be
taken home and put to bed. The next morning he• is
so ill and so ashamed, that he dares not meet Mi:
Sharp, but writes a note, requesting his sister 4°,
apologise for his conduct, and announcing his intet,'.•
tion of setting off to Scotland for the recovery of it!'
health. Miss Rebecca consequently proceeds to Sit
Pitt Crawley in the capacity of governess. We area
troduced to Captain Dobbin, a kind, clever, excellent
•
hearted brother officer of George Osborne's, but
shy, retiring, awkward man, who is much attached ,4°
George, and who is destined to be, we imagine, a s TP
of military Tom Pinch. The number is overflowia4,
with wit— wit of a high order. Take the follow/IA
as an example, which is almost like a stray tag°.
from one of the brilliant prefaces of Beaumarchais,
,4 I kcow that the tune I am piping is a very mild oaf*
(although there are some terrific chapters coming P
sently) and must beg the good-natured reader TZ
remember, that we are only discoursing, at Pre by
about a stock-broker's family in Russell-square, sad
are taking walks, or luncheon, or dinner, or talking
making love as people do in common life, and without
single passionate and wonderful incident to mark tbv_
progress of their loves. The argument stands thus:
Osborne in love with Amelia, has asked an old friencl.3;
dinner and to Vauxhall—Jos. Sedley is in love n:
Rebecca. Will he marry her ? That is the great igm'

ject now in hand.
teoir
"We might have treated this subject in the gen--,,
or in tilt. romantic, or in the facetious manner. SuPP-
we had laid the scene in Grosvenor-square, with the ire!;
same adventures—would not some people have listen To
Suppose we had shown how Lord Joseph Sedley 7_l
in love, and the Marquis of Osborne became attachre
to Lady Amelia, with the full consent of tj,,f
Duke, her noble father: or instead of the supreeleo
genteel, suppose we had resorted to the entirely 1009
described what was going on in Mr. Sedley's kitchen
ii
how black Sambo was in love with the cook (as ind(
ap
he was), and how he fought a battle with the coachto
in her behalf ; how the knife-boy was caught stealing 7,
cold shoulder of mutton, and Miss Sedley's new fem;s
de chambre refused to go to bed without a wax caudly
such incidents might be made to provoke much deligb
of
ful laughter, and be supposed to represent scenes
ea
life.' Or if, on the contrary, we had taken a flaw,'
the terrible, and made the lover of the new ,femme
chambre a professional burglar, who bursts into the 011
i•
with his band, slaughters black Sambo at the feet of 1,0
master, and carries off Amelia in her night-dress. eat
.14
be let loose again till the third volume, we should essib
have constructed a tale of thrilling interest, thr°l:lg,
the fiery chapters of which the reader should burr'
panting. '
Then follow specimens of each of the above styles,,ny
which the writer proves himself quite a pen und
Mathews. The illustrations, which are prolate
scattered over the book, are all full of character.