The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-14 00:00:00

STATE OF IRADE.

BLACKBURN, May 12.—N0 improvement can be
reported to-day. Prices are again id. per lb. iu
Favour of buyers, who, however, remain quite re-
luctant to operate, and the amount of business
really done has been small. The of eratives bars
quietly settled down at the five per cent reduction,
;Jut they are actively raising funds for emigration
purposes, and are anticipating that the drain which
will be efEeted in this way must speedily tell ill
their favour.

BRADFORD, May 13th.—The Wool Market, 011
the whole, has undergone no change since MondaP
Spinners are holding off buying in consequence of a
public sale of wool during the afternoon by Messrs.
Townend, wool brokers. The purchases made are
confined to a few choice sorts of wool. Prices are
without change. The sale of Messrs. Townend cow'
manded a good attendance of consumers ; the compel"
tion was rather brisk, and the biddings, on the
whole, satisfactory. In worsted yarns there la
rather more business doing in home sorts, but the
foreign trade is in the same dragging condition a°
hitherto. The export merchants are looking round
and making inquiries, but more with a view to
test prices than to place orders. Stocks of single
yarns are in many hands accumulating. lu twe'
fold yarns there are offers made, but at prices to°,
low to be entertained. A rather more cheerful
feeling prevails in the piece trade, but in some de'
partmcnts of this branch, as, for instance, for the
East and on home account, there is a very fair busi-
ness doing at firm rates.

711 E CRUISE OF THE ROYAL NA VA

RESER VE.

Yesterday the Royal Naval Reserve and Flying
Squadron assembled in the Portland Roads, havill
on board the various ships nearly 3,000 Nar''.
Reserve and Coastguard men, under the Cool-
'nand. of Rear-Admiral Astley Cooper get'
C. 8., whose flag was hoisted on board the sl'
George, guardship at Portland, Captain Matthect
S. Nolloth, but was shifted in the afternoon t°
the Agincourt (flagship), ironclad, which arrived
in the Roads the previous day from Sheerness. The
Portland Roads now presents a magnificent. sight'
with so large a squadron, composed of the following
ironclads and block ships, who take up the following
order :—Agincourt (flagship), the Scylla, the Cad:
pins, Captain Wilson (flying squadron), the ,
George, the Boscawen, the Mersey, 36 guns ; the
Trafalgar, 60 guns, 2,900 tons, 500 horse powers'
the Hector, 20 guns, armour plated, Capt. J. C.
Kennedy ; the Black Prince, 41 guns, Capt. A. :
Gordon ; the Duncan, 81 guns, Capt. C. Fellowes:
the Donegal, 81 guns ; Dauntless, 31 gn°9i
Royal George, 72 guns, will complete the list °,
the block ships for the Royal Naval Reserlet,
and the Bristol, Liverpool, 35, Phoebe,
wion, Liffey, Cadmus, and Scylla will f°r—r
the Flying Squadron. On Wednesday, °I f,
250 Royal Naval Reserve men were CO:,
veyed from Bristol and other ports to WeJa
mouth, by the Great Western Railway, lir
arrived at the latter port at half-past three o'cl°°3l
where they were met by the Weymouth 11°! ,
Naval Reserve men and the band of the train'
ing ship Boscawen, under the command of Lviehuo
tenant Wilkinson, of the St. George. f
loyal townsmen of Weymouth gave thou
hearty welcome. The men were nearly all duns
ed
alike in Guernseys, and wearing the A.8.'6 call);
with a ribbon bearing " R. N. R." in gold na
a quarter to four the men marched to the pier, A
embarked on board the Commodore ste'vueicr;
Cal taiu Mace. As the st.amer left the bier
the men were again heartily cheered by the I°9oi
lace, and the men, who seemed thoroil.
pleased with the anticipated cruise, heartily
tree
aponded. The Commodore arrived alongstilead
St.. George, and the men here musta rl
re
were told off under petty officers. The Colnui°",rube
also conveyed 120 men on board the Mersel.stjea
squadron will sail from the Portland Ron'ltirhit,
early to-morrow (Saturday) morning for the "
.v
suntide cruise, when the men will undergo gnnuev
practice and other manoeuvres. The Donegal an
Royal George have arrived.