The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-02 00:00:00

REVIEW OF THE BRITISH CORN

TRADE.
The official account of the stocks of Grain, Pulse, and
Flour in bond in the United Kingdom on the sth instant,
has been published this week ; we give the statement,
with the addition of what was under lock at the cor-
responding period last year, in a tabular form, to show
at a glance the relative position of stocks at the two
periods :

In Bond in the In Bond in the
Kingdom. Kingdom.
Nov. 5, 1846. Nov. 5, 1845
Wheat qrs. 114,989
Barley ,, 15,895
Oats 9, 52,621
Rye ,,
Beans
Peas
9,

47,816
10,045

1,678
2,063

Flour ......... .....cwts. 257,985
It would be very useful if a similar statement of the
stocks of free corn, &c , could be laid before our readers ;
but this cannot, in the absence of statistical information,
be done. The imports of wheat and flour into Great
Britain this year have certainly been immense ; equal
together to about three millions of quarters. If, there-
fore, the consumption of foreign bread stuffs had been no
greater during the present autumn than it was in the
autumn of 1845, we should at present have a large excess
of both wheat and flour over what was held at this time
last year. That there really is an excess we entertain
no doubt, but it is not nearly so great as the extent of
the imports would appear to indicate. At the time of
harvest last year a very considerable quantity of old
English wheat remained on hand ; and there was, conse-
quently, less necessity to employ foreign for mixing with
the new produce. In the month of September this year
a much smaller proportion of the supplies brought for-
ward by the farmers consisted of old wheat than in
ordinary seasons, and since then the deliveries have been
almost wholly of the new crop ; the condition of the
latter has, it is true, until very lately been so dry as to
render it fit to grind with a less portion of old than in
ordinary seasons ; still it has been necessary to take
considerable quantities for that purpose ; and from the
comparatively bare state of the granaries at all the prin-
cipal depots of foreign in the kingdom, we question whe-
ther much more than a million quarters of old foreign
wheat is left in the country. The rapid reduction which
the stocks have recently undergone, and the very scanty
manner in which the growers have brought forward sup-
plies during the last month, have imparted a firm tone to
the trade. This has been more observable in the coun-
try markets than in London, and the rally which has
occurred in prices within the last fortnight originated in
the provincial markets, Mark-lane having followed, and
not, as usual, led the advance. This is a new feature in
the trade, and one deserving of notice. The accounts
received this week from the leading country markets state
that a good deal of business has been done in wheat, at
improving rates. At the shipping ports on the east
coast the supplies have barely kept pace with the de-
mand, and prices is, to 2s. per quarter above those pre-
viously current have consequently been realised. Whilst
this has been the case in the agricultural districts, the
tendency has also been upward at the large consuming
towns, though not in so marked a degree.
At Liverpool wheat was no higher on Tuesday than
on that day week, but flour rose ls. per barrel, and In-
dian corn, being in lively request for Ireland, partly re-
covered from the previous depression. Later in the
week the inquiry for wheat became more lively, and a
fair amount of business was done on Friday, at an en-
hancement of 2d. per 701bs.
In Yorkshire quotations of wheat have remained nearly
stationary ; but at Birmingham, Bristol, and Gloucester
buyers have this week had to pay fully Is. to 2s. per qr.
above former terms.
In Ireland some sensation appears to have been pro-
duced by the arrival of rather important supplies of In-
dian corn ; the effect does not, however, appear to have
been very lasting, and the temporary • decline which
prices of grain had undergone at several of the leading
markets held in the early part of the week had been par-
tially recovered during the succeeding few days, the
value of most articles being nearly as high on Friday as
in the beginning of the week.
We have to report a good arrival of English wheat,
the receipts coastwise into London having been larger
than of late, the quantity which has come to hand hav-
ing amounted to 10,059 qrs. The bulk of the supply
has gone to the millers direct ; and that exhibited at
Mark-lane by land-carriage samples has been of a
limited character. On Wednesday the Essex, Kent, and
Suffolk stands were absolutely bare ; and on Friday
only a few runs were shown from the first-named
county. Under these circumstances it is needless to say
that the operations have been unimportant ; but the
town millers,•whose stocks have been gradually reduced,
have manifested an increased disposition to purchase,
which has enabled factors to obtain full terms where
sales have been made. A very large proportion of the
English wheat brought forward during the last month or
six weeks has been purchased for shipment coastwise ;
and had it not been for the extremely cautious manner
in which the bakers have for some time past supplied
themselves with flour, the millers would ere now have
been compelled to buy more freely. As it is, the
demand cannot be deferred much longer—for all
the parties engaged in the meal trade, the mum-
my:Lug at, &ha, ravv, VLIC, IJlThca -
siderable period drawn heavily on their reserve ; and
the time is, we think, not far distant when it will be-
come necessary to take steps to replenish the inroads
made on their stocks. Holders of free foreign wheat
have remained very firm throughout the week, but the
inquiry has not been active, and no advance on previous
prices has been established. There has been an inquiry
for low qualities, for shipment to Ireland, without, how-
ever, leading to much business ; the orders from thence
having, in most cases, been limited somewhat too low to
admit of their execution. The operations in bonded
wheat have been less extensive this than last week, the
accounts from France being of a somewhat more sub-
dued tone than before. The stock under lock in London
is not large—on the sth instant (the latest date to
which it is officially made up) it consisted of only 36,879
qrs. The arrivals since then have, on the whole, been
moderate ; and several parcels having from time to time
been taken for export, and a few lots having been en-
tered for home consumption, no great increase can have
occurred in the bonded stock.

vv
English flour, whether of town or country manufac-
ture, has moved off tardily throughout the week, and its
value has undergone no change requiring notice ; but a
greater degree of firmness has been displayed by sellers.
American flour has met with a moderate share of atten-
tion, and in some instances a trifle more money has been
paid for really fresh sound qualities. On the sth of the
month there were 32,129 cwts. of flour under lock in
London.
The market has been rather sparingly supplied with
barley of home growth ; and though the maltsters have
conducted their operations with more than• ordinary cau-
tion, they have not succeeded in depressing prices, really
fine qualities being fully as dear at the close as they were
at the commencement of the week. Good heavygrinding
samples have met a tolerably ready sale at the currency
of last Monday, but distilling sorts (of which the bulk of
the arrivals from abroad has consisted) have moved off
somewhat slowly at former terms.
The scarcity of prime Malt has caused the best de-
scriptions to be held very firmly, and even secondary
kinds have not been sold at lower terms than last week,
though the inquiry for the latter has been very far from

lively.arrivals of Oats from our own coast and Scotland
have
been on the scanty scale as previously;
The
and from
Ireland only 10,282 qrs. have come to hand, with the
wind mostly favourable for arrivals from thence. The
foreign supply has likewise been moderate, consisting
up to this evening (Saturday), of 6,403 qrs. The ad-
vance established on Monday last has, therefore, been
well supported; indeed fine corn was hardly obtainable
at the close on as easy terms as in the beginning of the
week. The dealers still look anxiously to Ireland for
supplies,. if, however, we may judge by -the accounts we
receive from thence, no assistance of importance can be
calculated on from that quarter. Meanwhile the stocks
o sot are being daily diminished
o, the receipts
havingn the
fop r several weeks past fallen short f the quantity
required for the consumption of the metropolis. There
were in bond at this port °lithe sth of November 38,104

qrs.
the article at last Monday's
reduced terms
business having been done in
.-
been Th
efollowed late
de
c bl decline e
ani improved
the price of
demand, Beans hasonl
only
oat asre yetretail
Peas brought forward have
wererr h not The
demand
ebmy
aanndy
The few parcels of hog
prices.
been sold without difficulty at previous
of Indian Corn has
cargoes
White Peas sold rather more freely on Friday, but
account) ; and very
floating
grer than earlier in the week.
again revived (principally on Irish
full prices have been obtained for the article._.,E.
forreaflnos
THE FOREIGN CORN TRADE.
,_
to that ex-
is more than probable that a similar change
We learn from the north of Europe that thieldw.eabtuhteirt
after having been frosty, had again become m,
perienced here may have afterwards occurred, and there
being closed early. By the most recent
.acco
is some prospect of the shipping season in tuh:t:ifarlotimc
that quarter we learn that comparatively little grain was
being shipped to Great Britain.
A letter from Dantzic of the 91st informs us that only
about 60 lasts of wheat had changed hands at that port
since that day week. This parcel had, it was supposed,
been taken for shipment to France or Belgium, the qua-
lity being too inferior to suit the English market. The
price paid has been equal to 475. 6d. per quarter free on
board, and the weight only 59lbs. per bushel. Really
fine high-mixed qualities were then still held at 555. to
565. per quarter ; and for a parcel of only 601bs. weight,
received down the Vistula, 545. per quarter had been
asked. The stock in granary was estimated at 80,000
quarters, a large proportion of which consisted of infe-
rior qualities. The water in the Vistula had slightly
risen; still it was feared that part of the supply expected
from the interior might not get down before the setting
in of frost,
From Rostock our advices are of the 23d inst. The
reports from France had caused holders of wheat to
raise their pretensions ; and new, which had before been
offered on rather moderate terms, had again risen to a
price corresponding with 525. per qr. free on board. Of
old wheat there were absolutely no stocks ; and th,,
L,...ii.:: *GI:. the f,..:-..:..;:t., lif.d 1-....trely kept pace with, the
Idemand. The inquiry for barley had, on the other
hand, fallen off, the latest reports from hence having