The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-01 00:00:00

THE TRADE OF ENGLAND.

In all important departments the trade and navi-
gation accounts for the half-year and month ending
with June show the national commerce not only to
have revived, but to have attained a magnitude
without precedent. The declared value of the ex-
ports during the half-year is upwards of £63,000,000
or about 12,000,000 more than was almost ever at-
tained in any year previous to the changes in our
commercial system ; in other words the annual
value of our exports before the introduction of free
trade some 15 years ago used to be £50,000,000,
and is now £126,000,000. At present, also, the
amount is in a state of progression, the figures for
the month showing an increase of about £500,000,
and•for the six months an increase of £10,000.000
over' the corresponding periods of last year. The
increase is spread over the whole of our principal
products—linen showing the least, and cotton
the greatest signs of vigour. The value of the
cotton fabric exported during the half-year has
been £18,000,000, and of the mixed fabrics
and yarns abont £5,000,000, or £23,000,000,
in all, being at the rate of £46,000,000 sterling
per annum. The exports of the one article
of cotton are thus nearly equal in value to the
exports of all articles only a dozen year's ago-
These are striking results, especially when we re-
member that :public men who left office but the
other week perilled their own reputation, and
greater things than that, upon the prediction that
under free trade other countries would inundate us
with their products and take none of ours. In the
imports there is of course a corresponding increase;
by selling more we are able to buy more. Perhaps
the most noticeable item in the imports for the
half-year is the largeness of the grain lin'
ports in the face of comparatively prices. The
wheat imported during the half-year is nearly
2,250,000 quarters, which, though somewhat
less than last year, is 1,000,000 quarters
above 1857 ; and the flour, commuted, would give
nearly another 1,000,000 qrs., being a still greater
increase upon 1857. The other kinds of grain,
however, show a stationary or :anguishing supply-
The other great articles of food show a continued
and rapid growth of consumption, with the excep-
tion of coffee, which, owing to a change in popular,
taste, and perhaps also to the increased use of
chicory, has been almost stationary for several years.
Of sugar, the quantity passed into consumption dur-
ing the half-year has been about 5,000,000 cwt., or
1,000,000 cwt. more than we used to consume ill a
whole year. Up to 1845 the annual consumption
of sugar had almost never reached 4,000,000 cwt.,
and, notwithstanding the increase of population,
had remained almost stationary for nearly 30 years;
it is now at the rate of 10,000,000 cwt., having in-
creased 150 per cent. since the introduction of free
trade. The quantity of tea taken for consumption
in the half-year was 38,000,0001 b., which is much
more than double the consumption during the " Pro-
tection" era. Such facts, though appearing in the
uninviting form of statistics, are positive proof of
an increase of comfort among the mass of the peo-
ple which well entitles the legislation that
mainly produced it to be characterised as " wise'
just, and beneficial."—Scotsman.