The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-02 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, APRIL 1.
An improvement has taken place in the market to-
thy, and a good (teal of excitement has manifested itself
among manufacturers, who are generally asking higher
prices. &Hers report that this advance has not been
responded to very well on the part of buyers. Shirting;
and all kinds of India cloths are in rather brisk demand,
and the only difficulty is as to price. The advance
asked by manufacturers is LA. per piece. Longcloths
remain unchanged. Oa the whole there is a healthy
feeling in the market.
In yarns there has not been much doing by shippers,
but the home trade buyers have been active, and an
advance has been secured of id. to per lb. on cops
and warps. The spinners of bundle yarn, br export, are
asking ;id. per lb. higher, but are not realising it.
tlessr.q. John Slagg and Co. report :
"Tae improved feeling noted in our last report oin!,
tinned throughout the week, and, with the exception or
lonsfeloths n..,1
Yesttrday and to day, in consequence of the long sad
anxion-ly desired news of the ten:um:l6(m of the war, a
general advance has been asked by manufacturers, whiole,
however, has in only very few instances been coneeired,
and the business of the day is consequently on a very .
small scale."

The monthly circular of Messrs. Robert Freeland and
Brother will also he read with interest at this juncture
" At the date of our last monthly circular sellers had
succeeded in mai ,twining their advanced position, thou;h
vupported only by a feeble deinind in the latter part of
February. An Active bu.iness for India and CLiria was
then ju.t beginning to show itself, nor did it slacken
till prices of shirtings had sprung 3.1. per piece, and pro-
duction suitable for those markets had been engaged for
some weeks forward.

•‘• The home trade demand has also been active, as is
usual at this season, which has assisted the market ma-
terially. But during the last fortnight there has been
less doing ; prices, however, continue firm, and sellers
are in good spirits. Indeed, from the news to hand this
morning of the treaty of peace being signed, there is a
dispos►tion to hold for extravagant rates. The telegra-
phic accounts from the East by Trieste are also looked
upon as being more satisfact .rj for the ►manufactures of
this district. But it is questionable whether buyers will
readily follow any upward movernent, for we are'now
approaching that period of the year when demand falls
off for several miirkets, and, with large arrivals of colt ma
which may shortly he expected, main facturers may pro-
bably put on fresh contracts, without much advance
in price.
" The exports of cotton piece goods and yarns for the
month are E 6,114 packages against 68,563 for the same
time last year, but rather under the average for the last
previous three months, which is 91,879 packages. The
following classification shows at a glance the proportion
to the various markets :

Packages Lb.
Cut du Cotton
Pieco Goods. Yarns.
East Indies 27.6 11.8
China
Australia
Central and South America 19.4 0.1
North America
'West Indies
Co tat of Africa ......... .
Turkey, Egypt. and Levant 3.0.9 7.0
Germany and Holland
Other European States 6.7 27.7

"The Liverpool cott,m-market has been well sup-
ported during the month f middling and fair qualities
of American, but the lower grades are quoted I per lb.
lower.
" Mule Twist—Our quotations for the lower qualities
are fully fi, per lb. higher, and say from 70's and up-
wards there is a general advance of 1 1. per lb., which
has been caused more by the anticipation of peace than
by actual business, although there has been a great
amount of business done.
" In water twist the advance isaboutd, to lg. per,lb.
The goods market is in a healthy state, the demand
throughout the month having been of a very general
character. 39 inch chiding% for India and China.. are
31. to 431 per piece higher ; 45 inch ditto, 3d ..?er
piece. Madapollams 31. per piece of 46 yards. T cloths,
iongc!oths, and domestics, without alteration. Jaco-
nets, from being quite neglected, have sprung up from
11d. to ad. per piece."

LEEDS,

APRIL 1

The cloth-halls have been well attended to-day, and a
good deal of business hae been done at fully as good
prices as those of laslt week. The news of the signing of
the peace treaty has had so perceptible effect upon the
market. The report of this day's Huddersfield market
is gis follows :—!` We have had a fair trade, but, not
equal to the average of the past few weeks. There is a
reluctance to give advanced prices. Stocks are very
light. Buyers were in the market from London and
Manchester, but few large sales were effected. In wool
a good business was done. Prices are firm and stocks
low." •

PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris is
about 4 per mille premium (according to the last tariff),
which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17e. 100. per o L.
for standard gold, gives an exchange of 25.27; and, the
exchange at Paris on London at short being 25.371, it
follows that gold is "about 0.41 per cent. dearer in Lon-
don than in Paris. By advices from Hamburg the price
of gold is 4261 per mark, which, at the English Mint
price of 3/. 17s. 10d. per oz. for standard gold, gives an
exchange of 13.51 ; and the exchange at Hamburg. on
London at short being 13.71, it follows that gold is
0.87 per cent. dearer in London than in Hamburg.
The course of exchange at New York on London for
bills at 60 days' sight is 1091 per cent., and the par of
exchange between England and America being 108
23.40 per cent., it follows that the exchange is
nominally about at par ; but, after making al-
allowance for charges of transport and difference of
interest, the present rate leaves scarcely any profit on
the transmission of gold either way between the two
countries.
THE MUSEUM OF ORNAMENTAL ART AT MAarmozotren
HOUSE.—The numbers attending, &c., during the month
of March were as follows :-19,250 penult; on the publi
Ave, and admitted-free-; 868 - persons • on-the itudentsi
and admitted as students on the payment of sizpenoe
each, heei‘ite tho registered students of the elaels sad
sobooll.