The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-09 00:00:00

THE IRON TRADE.

WOLVERHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING.--TO day
the second of the quarterly meetings of the above trade
was held at the Swan Hotel in this town, and was nu-
merously attended by the representatives of all the large
houses in the neighbourhood, and also by many gentle-
men from a distance. It was reported that iron is at
present in great demand, and many good orders on hand.
There was consequently no attempt to reduce the prices,
which stand as follow:—Pig iron, 51 to Si. 10s.; railway
iron, 101. 10s.; and bar, 101 The following notice of the
present state of the trade is from the Birmingham
Gazette of Monday :
" A general expectation seems to prevail that, exclu
sive of railway supplies, a large drain upon our stocks of
iron will take place on the return of the almost innume-
rable vessels now arriving in our ports with cargoes of
bread-stuffs. These stocks are by no means accumulat-
ing under the present demand, although an increase of
produce in the manufacturing department has been car-
ried out to a great extent—as far indeed as the supply of
materials will allow. This expectation, combined with
the existing pressure of orders, imparted a tone of cheer-
ful feeling at the preparatory meeting at the' Hotel,
Dudley, last week, when a resolution was passed unani-
mously to the effect that the prices of iron should remain
the same as last quarter. It appears, therefore, pretty
certain that the full nominal price for manufactured iron,
he'd the slight advance upon pigs that was established
last quarter-day, will bi? c asily sustained during the ap
proactiinz quarterly meetings; and, under the adverse
position of the general m,rcantile interests of the
country, the satisfactory maintenance of existing prices
may be considered equivalent to an advance under ordi-
nary circumstances, thus justifying the views hitherto
taken by ourselves and many others, of the prospects of
the trade, and the propriety of being provided with sup-
plies of materials in anticipation of any movement that
might take place of an upward tendency. An uneasi-
ness among the workmen in the Welsh districts has been
manifested, and in a slight degree has contaminated this
neighbourhood; but it has been met by determined mea-
suresaw7ilythgtelemerparlosaptetcemt
potf
tmeordeemmaodderhaitgeheerhawrgagesesfowrill:
of self-protection on the part of the masters, and
pro-
visions, and the summer season at hand, we do not think
made."

and
oi
If;
itahme BRa. nßkoolifi
sons;
, EnglandE sci for.. Gtohvee
ryearGovernor.
James 1847.—The following is the House list of Governors
FOR oovENorts.
James Morris, Esq., Deputy-Governor.
FOR DIRECTORS.
Arthur Edw. Campbell, Esq Charles
Charles Pascoe Grentell, Esq, Fredk. Huth, Esq.
Edward H. Chapman, E .
sq. Alfred Latham, Esq.
William Cotton, Esq. ensuing:—
James Malcolmson, Esq.
B manly Dolton, E:q.
Thomas II inkey,jun., Esq H St. John Mildmay, Esq.
ifJohn. Horsleyr, .., .
Abel Lewes Gower, Esq.
John Oliver Hanson, Esq.-. Palmer, Esq.
John Benjamin Heath, Esq. Salim
jensoP , ESCI
Henrylelly, Bart.
Kirkman Dnl. Hodgson, Esq.
Thos. Newman Hunt, Esq. Bq.
SheffieldG oN.VarNdeeaNvoer'mEasnq,• Esq.
Henry Jame James Prescott, Esq.
Henry Lancelot Holland, Esq. Sir John Rae Reid, Bart.
Thomas Tooke, jun., Es .
The election for Governor and D(.l rnor will be
held at the Bank, on Tuesday, the 13th of April, and for
Directors, on Wednesday, the 14th of April, from ten o'clock
Deputy-Governor q
in the forenoon till four in the afternoon
SINGULAR SNOW PHENOMENON IN ORKNEY.—IR
the current number of the Philosophical
Magazine, Mr.
Clouston, of Stromness, relates a curious circumstance
which, it appears, not only astonished and perplexed
the neighbourhood in which it occurred,
but filled the
superstitious with consternation. During one night a
heavy fall of snow took place which covered the plain
to a depth of several inches.
" Upon this pure carpet,"
says the writer, " there rested next morning thousands
of large masses of snow, which contrasted strangely
with its smooth surface." These occurred generally in
patches (rom one acre to a hundred in extent, while the
clusters were often half a mile asunder. The fields so
covered looked as if they had been scattered over with
cart loads of manure, and the latter covered with snow;
but on examination the masses were all found to be
cylindrical, like hollow fluted rollers, or ladies' swan-
down muffs, bearing a strong resemblance to the latter.
The largest measured was 34 feet long, and 7 feet in cir-
cumference. The centres were nearly but not quite
hollow, and by placing the head within when the sun
was bright, the concentric structure of the cylinder was
apparent. They did not occur in any of the adjoining
pscisties, and were limited to a space of about five miles.
The first idea as to the origin of these bodies was, that
they had fallen from the clouds, and portended some
.direful calamity. But had they fallen from the atmos-
phere, their symmetry and loose texture must have been
destroyed. The writer havinc, examined them, was soon
convinced that they had been formed by the wind rolling
up the snow, as boys form snow-balls. Their round
form, concentric structure, fluted surface, and position
with respect to the weather side of eminences proved
this. And also from the fact of their lying lengthways,
with their sides to the wind ; and sometimes their tracts
were visible in the snow for twenty or thirty yards in
the windward direction, whence they had evidently ga
thered up their concentric layers.
ARSON.—COMMITTAL OF THE INCENDIARY.---ELT,
APRIL 6.—At the Petty Sessions, held at the Crown
Inn
ha i rthna, I Saturday,na'ndonother
locality of the
_
county
magistrates,
the Rev. H. Fardell,
charman,
Sarah Munson
underwent a final examination on the charge of having
wilfully fired the town on the morning of the 16th of last
month. The prisoner was seen in the
barn a short period before the outbreak, and from other
circumstances the Bench decided on committing her for
trial at the ensuing summer assizes. During the investi•
gation a son of the prisoner, Josiah M Munson, Who was
acquitted at the last assizes at Cambridge on a charge of
firing some buildings in the town in the early part of the
last winter, was waiting outside the inn to hear the re-
sult of the proceedings against his mother, when the
magistrates ordered him into the room. On entering,
Mr. Wilkin, a solicitor, immediately accused him with
setting fire to a stack of straw on the Ist of November,
1846, the property of Thomas Peck, of Soham. Evi-
dence in support of the charge was then gone into, and
the magistrates determined on sending him back to his
old quarters for trial.
ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND NORTU..WESTERN
RAILWAY.—LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY.—We are sorry to
announce that as the express train, which left London
at 5 P.M. yesterday, was proceeding to Liverpool, it got
off the rail at Winsford. No serious damage was sus-
tained. All the passengers, we are glad to learn,
escaped unhurt ; but the engine-man has been very
severely injured, and it is uncertain whether he will re-
cover. It is thought that his back is broken. The cause
of the accident is at present unknown ; but no doubt it
will be thoroughly sifted by the directors and the chief
officers, who.have ever manifested the utmost vigilance
care, and caution, since the line was first opened for
public trails.