The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-30 00:00:00

THE IRON 'IRADE

During the past fortnight great activity has prevailed,
several large contracts have been taken, and others as
extensive are now in the market. For pig iron, espe-
cially of good quality, the inqui les have been abut.duit,
and it becomes every day more evident that the stocks of
pigs in South Staffordshire are growing very small, the
consumption considerably exceeding the make. Iron
stone is also unusually scarce, and under the unprece-
dented demand higher prices are easily obtained ; while
coals are procured with still more difficulty, and many
works and furnaces are producing little above half their
regular make, for want of this requisite— nor are we at
all aware from what quarter the deficiency may to any
extent be supplied.
The question of prices, as far as relates to manufac-
tured iron, remains yet undecided. On the one hand, it
is stated that many influential parties stand so committed
in railway speculations, that it would be advantageous
to them to sacrifice the interests of their legitimate trade
in the critical attempt to realize a sudden fortune, and
that it becomes of more consequence to them, either as
ultimate holders of scrip, or as looking to a high rate of
premium, to afford opportunities for the undertakings
with which they are connected to contract for their sup-
plies at moderato rates, than to obtain any immediate
benefit from an advance in the price of iron. A very
considerable amount also of orders previously accepted
at low rates remains yet uncompleted. On the other
hand, there are many who have escaped the contagion,
and, unencumbered by such undertakings, by no means
coincide with this suicidal disposition. With overflowing
orders, a scarcity of materials, excessive rates of labour,
and an utter destitution to meet the prospective demand
for home consumption, and with the exorbitant prices
now offered on the continent for rails, they justly feel
that an opportenity offers at the present moment which, if
thrown away, in all probability will be lost for ever—at
least so far as the present generation is concerned. Much
,urprise has been expressed that among the tenders for
rails to the South Staffordshire directors, one should
have been given in by a Welsh house at 101. 2s. 6d., de-
livered at a station on the Grand Junction Railway.
To accomplish this, some sacrifice must certainly be sub-
mitted to in the deliver; but it should be borne in mind
that this is not to be avoided when the market for any
article is situated almost exclusively at a distance,
and in a producing district. A much more natural
ground for remark may be found in the fact that
a Staffordshire house of standing should so readily
and needlessly violate the rates agreed upon at
the previous quarterly meeting, and supply rails :at
91. 18s. 6., and chairs at 6i. 18s. 6d. The circumstance
that good cold blast pigs were at the time worth .51. 10s.
in the market may have suggested the extraordinary
stipulations lately inserted in such contracts, that an in-
spector shall attend the works to report upon the iron
stuffs used in their manufacture.—Aris's Birmingham
Gazette.

STORM AT GENOA.—A letter from Genoa states,
;hat on the 12th instant a violent storm seddenly rose in
hat neighbourhood, and caused considerable damage.
About four in the afternoon the commandant of the port,
perceiving the mercury to fall suddenly, and the wind to
change from north to south-west, sent word to the various
vessels to make all snug for a storm. Scarcely had
the intimation been given, when the tempest com-
menced, and raged for some time with dreadful fury.
The waves broke over the two moles and the quays,
and even sent their spray into the neighbouring streets.
The vessels lying in the harbour were driven violently
against each other, and in several cases injured. Three
were driven from their moorings and lost. One was
a Greek Merchant brig, which was dashed against the
coast, and in five minutes was in pieces. The other
two were Sardinian craft, one a three-master and the
other a brig. The crews of the three vessels were saved,
with the exception of the three men belonging to the
Greek brig. Prince de Carignan, who exercises at Genoa
the functions of admiral, was busied for some hours on
the quays organising means of conveying help. Thirteen
men perished at Genoa, and the accounts from the coast
are terrible. The Dante steamer was at one time in great
danger, but fortunately escaped.
WooLwIca.—SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION TN WOOL..
wrest DOCK TAlM.—Betw een seven and eight o'clock on
the evening of Christmas-day, one of the police con-
stables on duty in the dockyard, when near the great
chimney of the foundry, thought he perceived a spark
ascend from a place where about 300 tons of coals were
stored for the use of the foundry and boiler-makers'
department. On proceeding to the spot, to ascertain
whether there was any fire or not, he diseovvred that a
large quantity of the coals were in a state of combustion,
and from the quantity converted into coke it was evident
they had been burning some time. An immediate
alarm was given, and the crews of the vessels in the
basin and harbour were brought on shore to assist in
quenching the burning coals. A number of convicts
were also brought on shore from the Warrior hulk, and
continued at work until three o'clock on Saturday morn-
ing in removing the coals from the place where the fire
originated. It is not known by what means the com-
bustion began, but it was evident that it must have been
spontaneous. Some imagine the tire took place from the
coals having been placed on the wooden blocks of the
floor of the shed when in a damp state, and became
he

,ated; others are of opinion that the spontaneous com-
bustion originated from the water of the coals passing
betwixt the blocks to the concrete, as that substance was
quite hot, and the outer sides of the wood deeply
charred, as if the fire had ascended from the concrete
betwixt the blocks. A full report of the circumstances
has been forwarded to the Admiralty, to be investigated.
STOPPAGE OF DISTILLERIES AND BREWERIES IN
IRELAND,--A meeting of the inhabitants of Belfast was
held in the Town Hall, on Thursday, to consider the
propriety of memorialising Government to suspend the
use of grain in distilleries and breweries while the exist-
ing scarcity of food continues in the country,
when the following resolutions were agreed to :
" That the present high price of provisions, and
the amount of distress prevailing in this country,
requit-e every attention to the economising of food, and
that for this purpose measures of an extreme nature
should
be adopted." " That with this view the meeting
is of opinion that all distillation from grain in these
kingdoms
the opinion of thismeeting that brewing from grain in
should be forthwith susended. " That it is
these kingdoms
to the Lord should Lieutenant, It was then agreed
Government,
and bepresented
that a memorial should .
wait on the Irish also forthwith be suspended."
Prison the immediate adoptivoernment, and urge the necessity of
a deputation appointed to
n of the measure.
DEATH IN THE Mita,
ISON.—SUICIDE
FROM SORROW.—An inquestLlNK PR
after-
noon in the Millbank
coroner, on the body ofJames'the
was held yesterday
Richard Groves, governor Mills3/4zTfore Mr. Bedford,
of theH aged 45. Mr. John
deceased, described as a labourer, prison, said that the
Chichester Quarter Sessions, 22d Octoberw"
—stealing a shirt and sundry othera
convicted at the
articles—and last, of felony
sen-
tenced to seven years' transportation. On
an,dsfaid the
he was found hanging in his cell, and quite dead, morning
Francis, a prisoner, confined in the same ceeld. John
deceased fretted a great deal about his wife
He said that his wife and children were thrown upon
the world, and that he knew the parish would not allow
n
enough to support them. He had a letter written to his
wife, and after receivicg an answer seemed much more
depressed than before. Witness had heard him express
a great wish to see one of his brothers, who was in
prison for the same offence, and also heard him say that
an elder brother, who was at large, was the cause of all
his misfortunes. Verdict—Temporary insanity.
The Nuremberg Correspondent states that Austria
and Prussia had positively refused to refer the question
of the suppression of Cracow to the examination and
decision of an European Congress.
REFUSAL TO BURT A SUlClDE.—Yesterday, appli-
cation was made to Mr. Baker, the Coroner, for his
interference in a case where a clergyman refused to
perform the funeral service over the body of a girl, aho
it was supposed, had drowned herself in the London
Docks. The clergyman complained of is the Rev.
Bryan King, of St. George's-in-the-East. The Coroner
said, his power ended when the jury were discharged,
and he could not interfere in the matter. It appeared
that the refusal to read the funeral service was not made
known till the body was taken to the burial ground, and
that one of the relatives afterwards read some prayers
over the grave, and the cornse was buried.

„
THE PRIVY PURSE.—The salary attached to the
appointment of keeper of her Majesty's privy purse is
2,0001. par annum. Major-General Sir Henry Wheatley,
who is on the eve of retiring from that office in the
Queen's household, to be succeeded by Mr. G. E. Anson,
was keeper of the privy purse to his late Majesty
William the Fourth.

BATHS AND WASH-HOUSES FOR THE POOR.—Yes-
terday the committee of the baths and wash-houses made
a report of the numbers of persons who had availed
themselves of the benefits of the institution, situate in
George-street, Euston-square, since its opening on the
3d of August last, during which period, up to the 27th
December inst., 34,634 males and 4,394 women have
bathed; 7,961 poor women have washed the wearing
apparel of themselves and families, amounting to 30,764.
Her Majesty has been pleased to direct that the
fancy sale, which is to take place in the new building of
the Orphan Working School, at Haverstock- hill, shall be
under her royal patronage.