The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-17 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, Jan. 16. Our market has been
very quiet to-day for shipping yarns, and to make
sales spinners have had to submit to a decline of id.
per lb. from this day week. At this decline, how-
ever, a very fair business has been done to-day.
The market closes tamely, with less disposition to
business even than prevailed last week. In the mar-
ket for home trade yarns there has been quite a
pause, and prices have been fully fel. to Id. per lb.
in favour of buyers. Manufacturers, who are among
the principal buyers generally of these yarns, are
holding aloof, and even at this decline there has
been very little business. Spinners, manufacturers,
and merchants came to market to-day with no great
expectation of much business, but hardly anticipat-
ing and certainly unprepared for the dulness and de-
cline in prices which have marked the proceedings.
The cloth-market has been as dull as any depart-
ment. The quietness almost amounts to stagnation.
Prices are weaker in all descriptions of goods, and
there has been an amount of uncertainty and un-
easiness exhibited by buyers sufficient to preclude
the expectation of any operations of magnitude.
The actual business done has been on a very small
scale—indeed, too small to enable any one to form
a very accurate estimate of the decline in prices.
The sales made have generally been more or less in
favour of the buyer. The Indian advices to hand
yesterday were more satisfactory, but there is nothing
in them co offer any inducement for buyers at the
present rate of prices in this market. Messrs John
Slagg and Co. report of this day's cloth-market as
follows :—" Our market is very flat to-day, and
prices present a decidedly weaker aspect. Buyers,
although freely inquiring, keep aloof from any but
the most limited operations. The business of to-
day has been small, and at rates slightly in favour
of buyers."

LEEDS, 16th.—The morning being damp and
murky, there were fewer buyers in the cloth-halls
than there otherwise would have been. Operations
were not very brisk, but at the close of the markets
a fair amount of goods having met with purchasers
were removed from the halls. Meltons and tweeds,
particularly the latter, continue to keep in good re-
quest, and for such goods orders for early delivery
are employing many of the manufacturers. Though
the woollen manufacturers generally are well em-
ployed, some of the dressing-mills are not quite so
busy as we lately had to report them. There is not
much activity in the local wool trade, but prices are
firm, as are also those of woollen yarns and woollen
goods generally.

NOTTINGHAM, 16th.—At our Exchange-hall to-
day there was a good attendance of merchants and
manufacturers. The demand for lace yarns assumed
a steady tone, and sales were effected at the full
rates of last week. The inquiry for hosiery yarns
continues fair, and recent rates were supported.
Silks are firm, but there was not much doing. Spun
silks the turn dearer. There was not much demand
for brown nets. For fine qualities prices were
rather higher ; in coarse ditto there was no material
change to report.
ROCHDALE, 16th.—There has been a better at-
tendance of buyers in the flannel market to-day
than for seine weeks past, and more disposition to
purchase was shown. The chief demand continues
to be for fancy goods, the manufacturers of which
arAvell stocked with orders, so that the quantity j
offered in public market is not large. The better
class of white goods is in no great demand, nor in-
deed are other kinds of white. There is no improve-
ment in the demand for Yorkshire goods, and the
lower qualities of such are bad to sell. Wools,
though mannfacturers are not purchasing freely,
arc firm in price,