The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-24 00:00:00

7
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NEWSPA PE h
speeches those gentlemen princii 4 /47".4 441
three topies—Tribunals of Commel
of the Government in the Alabama clainiganalsoN
the desirability of appointing a commission of in-
quiry into the Neutrality Laws. With respect to
the Alabama business, he (Mr. Baines) confessed
he always thought Lord Russell committed a sin-
gular and strange mistake in supposing the hon-.
our of this country was involved in the ques-
tion. He did not believe the claim called
in question our sincerity, but it might call in
question our care, and ask whether we had acted
with sufficient vigilance in the matter. He was
heartily glad, therefore, to learn that this
difficult question bad been amicably arranged.
And that led him to inquire why in matters
of this grave importance the principle of
arbitration should not be generally employed. It
was so at the close of the Crimean war, and if they
hoped to see a reasonable limitation of those vast
armies and armaments and other means of defence
which they saw around them it must be by means of
arbitration. There was next the proposed Courts of
Conciliation—courts to arbitrate between masters
and workmen, with the object of preventing strikes.
He had no practical means of knowing how these
courts practically worked, but he had heard favour-
able reports of the success of their intervention. He
should think it would be highly desirable to try the
experiment, after the instance of settling disputes
which had been quoted at the Bradford meeting ;
and if we could 'by any amicable mode meet these
cases and thus prevent strikes it would be an un-
speakable advantage to this country. (Hear.) As
to the Bankruptcy Law reform, he thought that if
the present Attorney-General would only take up
Sir Roundell Palmer's measure, and propose it for
the adoption of the house, the country would be
inclined to support it: What was a most singular
thing to notice about the late monetary crisis was,
that though its effects lasted more than three months
(while the crisis itself only extended over three
weeks), England was all the time engaged in trans-
acting
a large foreign trade. His impression was
that the principle of the Bank Charter Act was
sound, for it went to the one essentially important
point of securing the convertibility of the note. The
bank note was exchangeable for gold, and the Bank
itself issued notes for the gold it had because it
knew it was always liable to give golf for its notes,
hence it was always prepared to do so. His impres-
sion was that a great number of the members of the
Bank Charter Commission, which Commission sat
in 1858 and 1859, were in favour of the principle
of the Bank Charter Act. Mr. Baines concluded
by referring to our unexampled exportatioas during
last year, and also to the extraordinary elasticity of
American finance and resources, as testified by the
civil and commercial history of that great country
since the conclusion of the war. After several re-
marks had been made by Mr. Staples on the pre-
sent unsatisfactory state of the operation of the
Bankruptcy Law and on differential bonding duties
(as between inland and maritime towns), the two
borough members were thanked for their attendance
and speeches, and the proceedings then terminated.

Ainiecs,
•:.V.l-41T
r

STATE OF TRADE.

BELFAST, Jan. 22.—The supplies of flax in the various
markets during the past week were considerably larger than
were those of the week preceding. The demand for all de-
scriptions continues very animated. No change of import-
ance has taken place in prices. For yarns the demand con-
tinues very languid; prices unchanged; stocks increasing.
Were spinners to submit to a slight reduction in prices a
considerable amount of business would be the result. There
is little demand for linens (brown), power-loom, except
for printing lawns and the finer sets of light linens.and
roughs, which are in good request, at full rates. Soma de-
scriptions of goods have a slightly downward tendency.
Hand-loom light linens, printing lawns, diapers, and da-
masks are in fair demand, at full races. Heavy linens,
linen handkerchiefs, and drills are not in active request,
prices of which remain unchanged. The demand is dull
for cloth for dyeing and Hollands and cambric handker-
chiefs, which might be bought at slightly reduced rates.
In bleached and finished linen the home trade is inactive.
American and continental advices unfavourable. Stocks
generally very small, especially those of light linens.
NOTTINGHAM, 23d.—In the hosiery business the home
trade for spring orders remains quiet, but there is an in-
creased demand for winter goods, owing to the extreme
severity of the weather. The foreign trade is not quite so
active as it has been. In yarns there is a decidedly down-
ward tendency, some houses asking ls. per 101 b. bundle
less than last week. Generally speaking, the hands are
well employed, although some of them have not fullworlr.
The lace trade is steady, but quite the usual amount of
business doing for the time of year. There are a few or-
ders in from Germany and New York.