The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-10 00:00:00

RALLINASI,OE FAIR.

The great black cattle fair was held yesterday,
and, as was anticipated, there was a considerable
fall in prices as compared with the rates obtained
last year. The prime cause of the decline was, of
course, the cessation of hostilities with Russia, and
the consequent reaction on the market of the gene-
ral peace. The f9lla wing account is furnished by
the Freeman's correspondent :
".BALLINASLOE, Wednesday, 9 o'clock.—The great
fair for horned stock commenced this day, with the
largest supply I have ever seen. Up to the present the
greatest dulness prevails, very few sales having been
yet made. The stock-masters say they are willing to sell
at last year's prices, but the buyers are all hanging back,
and I should say there will be a considerable fall in
prices. In the top cattle that have been as yet sold there
was a fall, as compared with last year, of 1/. per head.
'rise lion. A. Nugent sold his top lot this morning at
211., being 10s. snore than last year, but the beasts were
fully 30s. a bead better, making a fall of 11. The weather
is very fine and dry, with pleasant sunshine. The fair
is now beginning to assume a broken appearance.
" 5 o'clock.—The cattle fair, which has now for the
last two hours terminated, has proved a most unsatis-
factory one for the stock-masters. Prices of nearly every
description of stock are down fully 255. to 30s. or 355.
a head, and in some cases even snore. The class which
least felt the depression was the large, fat, high-priced
hullocks and top heifers ; but even tease are down from
103. to 1/. a head. Tee class on which the great reduction
took place was heifers cf from PI. or 101. to 151. or 161.
Oa these there was a full fall of 303. a beast, of which
about half, or from that to /Z., was a fall between early
morning and the midday. Until the returns are made up
to-night it will be impossible to say how much stock bas
left the fair unsold ; but I know many of the largest
stock-musters who have taken home part or all of their
stock rather than sell at the reduced prices. Many causes
have tended to produce the falling off. In the first place,
prices last year were very high, and could not reasonably
be expected to be upheld. The cattle fair last year was
ushered in by a thick fog, in the midst of which many
sales were effected at prices which the buyers afterwards
regretted, but which gave a tone. to the fair, which, al-
though an enormous oue, may have induced parties to ex-
pect similar prices this fair. Again, the present unset-
tled state of the money-market and the recent rise in the
discounts at the B ink of England have no doubt consi-
derably affected the purchase of stock at Ballinasloe. Be
this as it may, I have known many men to sell to-day at
prices cansiderably below what they expected, from sheer
necessity. This must not be taken as indicating that
there was anything approaching to a panic, but most of
the Roscommon and Mayo graziers feed their cattle to
the highest point their lend will allow for Ballinasloe,
and therefore they must sell 'here or take back their
stock to hold them over for other fairs at considerable ex-
pense. I know one gentleman from Roscommon who sold
at 3 o'clock to-day a very fine lot of 80 heifers at 13/. 5s ,
for which I saw him refuse 141. at 8 o'clock in the morn-
ing. This state of things quite bears out what I stat,d
the first day I came down, although I could not then
imagine the falling off in prices would be so general or
so much.
of cattle sold
attic;
uSnusbojlodinfoerd
tihsealraes,et,o:slrdid:
yoef.a..trhse67number 4
Sold. Unsold.
1850
1851
1e52
1853
1854
1855
" There appeared to be from 800 to 1,000 head of cattle
more upon the green to-day than last year; but judging
from the present state of the fair, the numbers sold were
not greater in proportion."