The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

ENGLISH WOOL MARKET, LEEDS, DEC. 18.—There
has been more firmness in this branch of trade during
the present week; sales have been rather more extensive,
although they have been chiefly to supply the present
wants of the manufacturers, and not arising from any
speculative excitement.

- FOREIGN WOOL TRADE.—LEEDS, DEC. 18.—There
bas been a fair average business done in foreign wools
this week, and prices are firmly suported.
LEEDS.—The usual dulness of the season has pre-
vailed at our cloth markets both on Saturday and Tues-
day last. The merchants continue to purchase only to
order. Goods maintain their price, and the stocks in the
manufacturers' hands are not larger than usual at this
period of the year. Although business is, as usual so near
Christmas, dull in the warehouses, the severity of:the
weather for the last few weeks has tended to create a
demand for heavy winter goods ; the stocks in the mer-
chants hands are in consequence lower than they were a
few weeks ago; but the foreign houses are doing little.
BRADFORD MARKET, DEC. 17.—The demand for
combing is again somewhat more restricted, on account
of the staplers having raised the prices. As there is a
great disproportion between the price of wool and yarn,
the spinners buy very sparingly, and with the greatest
care. We can report no improvement in the yarn trade.
The production of yarn is reduced to a very low
point, and there seems to be no chance of in-
crease until the turn of the year. There is an
average business done in pieces for the season.
A universal impressment seems! to prevail that we
shall have a fair, if not excellent spring trade, and we
hope there will not in this case be disappointment. There
is no alteration in prices within these two weeks ; some
manufacturers, with rather heavy stocks, have been much
reduced.

MANCHESTER, FRIDAY MORNING.—As it would be a
hopeless task to give au intelligible account of the state
of our market this week, it will not be therefore at-
tempted. The trade is thrown into utter confusion by
the speculation in the staple, and no two persons appear
to be asking the same price for the same article. Short
time is, however, commencing in good earnest. Messrs.
Birley, the largest cenzumers of cotton in Manchester,
are now working short time, both in spinning and
weaving. They employ near 2,000 hands. Some of our
spinners who were so fortunate as to lay in very heavy
stocks of cotton at the lowest point, as well as toFur-
chase fretly at a small advance, are now, instead of
keeping it for use, actually sending it down to Liverpool
for sale, being certain in that case of realising a large
profit, whilst if kept to carry on their establishments, if
a loss sliculd not be sustained, at least no profit would
.possibly be derivc,d. This is, indeed, " taking coals to
Newcastle." Such a state of things cannot last long we
may be sure, still the fact is a strange one.
(ANOTHER ACCOUNT.)
This market is quite deranged, in consequence of the
monstrous and plirenzied cotton speculations in Liver-
pool. Producers have generally, until yesterday, when
there was rather a disposition apparent in some quarters,
to sill, declined to name a price, whether for goods or
yarns ; and, indeed, buyers have mostly kept aloof frcm
even making inquiries as to rates, knowing they would
be such as they could not pay. There has been some.
thing done in anticipation, at slightly advanced rates on
those paid last week, but buyers will rather wait the
result of business in the spring than pay the extreme
rates required. Printieg cloths and shirtings are, of
course, in demand, as this is the season when printers
lay in their stocks, and higher relative prices are, con-
sequently, paid for these than for other classes of goods.
It appears that the immense concerns at Stalybridge,
Ashton, Todmorden, and elsewhere, are not simply going
on to short time, but are about to bo closed altogether.
This is grappling with the cotton evil right vigorously ;
and we should hail it with unmingled satisfaction but tbr
the sufferings which thereby must be entailed on the
operative classes.—Manchester Times.

NoTrlNGuaat.—The trade of Nottingham has deci-
dedly improved during the last week or two, in the
cotton and hosiery departments, and a tolerable trade is
expected in February and March.
LEICESTER.—The present seasonable weather has
caused more business to be done than usual, at this
period of the season, in the glove and hosiery branches,
and as it will enable the shopkeepers to clear off their
winter stocks, a good general demand is expected at the
beginning of the year. Worsteds are steady, and cotton
yarns are looking upwards. Wools are firm, at prices
in favour of the seller.—Leicester Journal.

To HAVE LAYING POULTRY.—It is with poultry
as with all other animals removed from a warmer
to a colder climate, they exist but do not thrive
without warmth, and whet-her to fatten them or
to promote their laying at an unseasonable time,
a temperature adapted to their constitution should
be provided them ; this will be one point towards
success. I will now mention two more points, viz ,
age and diet ; attending to these three particulars
I have at all seasons an abundant supply of large and
new-laid eggs: the age of poultry should never exceed
three years (except when it is wished to keep an indi-
vidual for the sake of breed), after this age they rarely
lay from the moulting season till late in the following
spring, consequently it is folly to keep an unprofitable
tnimal when one in profit would consume no more food:
she plan I pursue and recommend is, to part with all
poultry after the third autumn laying, and to put in
their place the previous spring chickens, by which is
meant chickens hatched through the months of March,
April, and May; birds of January and February hatch-
ing are apt to have their feet swollen by the cold in some
situations, which is unsightly, and besides this being
ready for markets in May, they are too valuable to be
kept for stock when birds of less market value, but
equally good for laying, can be had ; the March pullets
will begin to lay in September, and the others will suc-
ceed them in rotation of hatching; to these in November
will be added the hens rising two years old, and about
January, if favourable weather, the hens rising three
years old will begin to lay ; by attending to age, a suc-
cession of laying hens will be had -through the whole
year. The next particular to be attended to is diet ;
with poultry, as with other animals, variety has its
charms, and greatly promotes both fattening and laying;
poultry confined to a yard should have given to them
food as similar as possible, and as various as that they
would feed on if allowed to roam at large ; they require
vegetables, seeds, insects, gravel, ashes or dry mould, as
much as corn of different sorts, to keep them in health.
and plenty of clean water, rain water is the best ; if a
feed of mixed corn is given the first thing in the morn-
ing, let this be followed at eleven A.m. by a feed of bar-
ley-meal, mixed with boiled potatoes or parsnips, or
both. ; to this pieces of fat meat chopped may be added,
the fowls will fill themselves to repletion ; about three
P.m. a little corn may be thrown them, soon' afterwards
they will prepare for roosting ; fowls prefer meal to corn,
and I have observed that those birds that had rolled crams
of barley and oatmeal required feeding only twice a-day,
feeding to satisfy each time, and resting nearly the whole
of the interval ; by feeding with meal made into stiff
dough or crams with milkt or liquor of boiled meat,
more eggs and larger and fatter fowls will be obtained
than by corn. feeding. Of giving peppercorns to poultry
I have no knowledge, neither do I think any benefit will
attend it.—J. S., in Agricultural Gazette.
SUDDEN DEATII OF MR. HATCHER, THE HISTO
RIAH OF SALISBURY.—II is with sincere regret that we
announce the death of our esteemed townsman, William
Henry Hatcher, Esq., author of the talented " History
of Salisbury," which forms one of the most magnificent
volumes of hat fire series of topographical works, Sir
Richard Colt Hoare's History of Wiltshire. Up to
within a few hours of his death he had pursued his cus-
tomary routine of active bodily and mental exertion ;
and no appearances of unusual decay were visible in him.
On Monday morning, however, lw was found in his bed
a corpse.—Poole Herald.