The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-08 00:00:00

State of Trade.

MANCHESTER, DEC. 7.--Sellers of shipping yarns
report a little more tone in the market to-day than
has prevailed since Tuesday, with rather more busi-
ness doing ; but in some kinds of yarn there are
considerable stocks, and spinners under these cir-
cumstances have met the demand freely by accept-
ing Tuesday's prices. Any attempt at the least
advance by spinners is met by buyers with a refusal
to operate. In home-trade yarns there has been
rather more business:and the hands of spinners seem
to be little strengthened by the firm position of the
cotton market. In cloth there has been rather more
inquiry than any time this week previously, but it
has not resulted in any marked increase in business.
A good deal more firmness is manifested by manu-
facturers. Their position from lowness of prices in
the cloth market, on the one hand, and the strength
of the cotton market on the other, has become so
ruinous that they seem more disposed to resiet a de-
cline than they have yet been, and have hopes, from
the greatly lessened production of cloth and the
dimished stocks on hand, that they will be success-
ful. At present buyers appear to be equally stub-
born, and hence a limited business.

BARNsAY, 7Tll.—ln South Yorkshire the iron
trade remains quiet, without any prospects of im-
provement at present, although some houses are
doing a good trade ; but on the whole there is a
general scarcity of orders, and in consequence of
this a great number of men have been paid off, and
are now idle, while others are only partially em-
ployed. There is a moderate trade in hoops, plates,
and sheets, and at some works there is a brisk busi-
ness in bar iron. The boilermakers are well em-
ployed at present, there being orders in hand for
several large boilers for mills and collieries. In
cold-blast iron there is an average trade doing, but
makers experience great difficulty in securing a
sufficient supply of ironstone, although the Tan-
kersley and other mines are kept fully going.
The steel trade continues in the same brisk state
which has characterised it of late, and, as orders
continue to arrive from America, the houses
engaged in this branch of trade are likely to have
full work for their men for some time to come,
although the orders on home account are not so nu-
merous as they have been. Makers of Bessemer are
equally busy, and their weekly out-put is well
maintained, there being a good inquiry for engine-
cranks, axles, tyres, wheels, &c., manufactured by
this process. There is more doing in armour-plates
than for some time, the contract for 200 tons for
encasing the sides of the. iron-clad Monarch having
been received in this district. An order for 20 iron
shields on Government account for the embrasures
on the fortifications at Malta,andGibraltar has been
placed with Messrs. Cammell, of Sheffield. There
is a moderate demand for pig iron, but the puddlers
are not doing much at present, yet the quantity of
ore raised in the district is not equal to the demand,
and a large quantity is imported from the iron-
stone field on the Lincolnshire side of the Trent.
The coal trade continues brisk, there being, if any-
thing, a still greater demand owing to the dispute
in Derbyshire, and as there are no prospects of a
settlement there we are likely to have an enormous
trade for some time to come. The orders for slack
and coke making and engine fuel have fallen off
considerably of late in consequence of the dulness of
the iron trade and the short time movement at the
Lancaster cotton-mills, which has had the most
disastrous effect on the tonnage to that county. The
tonnage by the Great Northern and other lines to
London and the south still keeps up, and is likely
to do so for some time, as there are plenty of orders
from both the metropolitan and other merchants,
who are " stacking" for the winter months. There
is a good demand for bards and softs from the north
of Europe through the ports of Hull, Goole, and
Grimsby ; but this cannot continue much longer,
as the Baltic will shortly be blocked by ice. For
" Silkstones" and Barnsley descriptions there is an
equally good trade, and all the pits are in full work,
and some of the larger ones are drawing between
3,000 and 4,000 tons per week, all of which is moved
off without having recourse to stacking on the pit-
bank. The coke trade is rather depressed, but as
the ironworks at North Lincolnshire and on the
Trent are in full work, the demand is quite equal to
the supply at the present rate of manufacture.

Nineteenth Middlesex (Working Men's
College) Rifle Volunteers.

The distribution of prizes to the successful com-
petitors of the 19th Middlesex (Working Men's Col-
lege) Rifle Volunteer Corps took place last evening
in Westminster Hall, in the presence of a large num-
ber of ladies and gentlemen, friends of the members
of the corps. The hall was brilliantly lighted, and
the dais, which was chiefly occupied by ladies, and
on which the valuable prizes to be distributed were
placed, presented a very splendid appearance. At
8 o'clock the corps, under the command of Lieut.-
Col. Thos. Hughes, M.P., marched into the hall,
preceded by its band, and the men took up their
position at either side of the hall.
Mrs. Thomas Hughes, who was to distribute the
prizes, then came upon the dais, and was loudly
cheered, and the proceedings of the evening imme-
diately commenced.
Lieut.-Col. HUGHES, M.P., came forward, and,
addressing the corps, said he was happy to be able,
at the end of the year 1866, to congratulate the
corps upon its conduct, and the results of its corps
life, as he might call it. The members of the corps
stood pretty much as they did at the end of last
year. In 1865 they had 627 enrolled members, and
this year the number was 612, which showed a de-
crease of 15. The efficient strength last year was
498, and this year the number was 492, showing a
loss of six efficient members. So far they had lost
a little ground ; but when he came to the more im-
portant points of extra efficiency and marksmanship
it would be found that the progress of the 19th
Middlesex during the year had been extremely. satis-
factory. In 1865 the corps had 149 extra efficients
who had earned the corps the extra 10s. given by the
Government for a certain amount of skill in shoot-
ing. This year they had 252 extra efficients, being
an increase of 103. (Applause.) Whereas last year
they had only 28 marksmen, they had this year 57.
With respect to drill, he could also congratulate
the corps. The very high efficiency of the men in
shooting might be judged by this test—that in the
general competition 16 winners made an average of
52 points, which was very little less than an ave-
rage of a centre to every shot. As to the finances
of the corps, they were in a much better position
than at the end of 1865 ; and he might say, with
reference to one matter, that the citizen army of
this great country ought to be self-supporting, and
never apply in other quarters for assistance. Re-
ferring to the secession of 30 men from one division
on account of the election of an officer, the lieut.-
colonel said he had always stated that the different
companies would have the privilege of electing their
own officers, subject to the veto which he was bound
to exercise with respect to any name sent in of
which he did not approve, and he thought that was
the proper system in an army constituted as the
volunteer army was. Notwithstanding the seces-
sion the system would continue. After some fur-
ther remarks Lieut.-Col. Hughes concluded amidst
applause.

COL COLVILLE, Assistant-Inspector of Volunteers
and commander of the Wimbledon camp, said al-
though he had no official connection with the corps,
it was no stranger to him. He had met it for seve-
ral years at Brighton and other fields, as well as at
Wimbledon camp this year. He had been present
at the inspection of the corps, and he could not
speak in too high praise of their appearance and
movements, and he was glad to find that their
colonel was able to handle his battalion so efficiently
as he did. (Cheers.) He hoped the 19th would
continue to maintain the high character which it
had always possessed. (Applause.)
Mrs. IluGnEs then came forward and distributed
the battalion prizes, 11 in number ; and the com-
pany prizes, upwards of 50 in number, were then
distributed to those whose skill or good conduct
had entitled them to the distinction.

At the conclusion of the distribution Major Ox.
LEY returned thanks, in the name of the corps, to
Mrs. Hughes for the kind and graceful manner in
which she presented the prises. •
Lieut.-Col. HUGHES, M.P., returned thanks on
the part of Mrs. Hughes, and the proceedings ter-
minated.

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HER MAJESTY, &c.

• WINDSOR CASTLE, Friday.
The Queen, accompanied by her Royal Highness
Princess Beatrice, walked and drove yesterday after-
noon. Her Majesty drove out this morning in a
carriage and four, attended by the Marchioness of
Ely and Hon. Flora Macdonald.
Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice went out
walking.

Their Royal Ifighnesses Prince Leopold and
Prince Henry of Prussia also walked out, attended
by Mr. Legg and Captain Von Schroetter.

The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort and Lord
Bloomfield arrived at the Castle yesterday, and had
the honour of dining with the Queen and the royal
family.

ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Yesterday afternoon his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales, attended by Lord Frederick Paulet,
Major Teesdale, and Captain Ellis, arrived in
London from Paris, which city he passed through
on his way home from St. Petersburg. On arriving
at Paris on Thursday morning his royal highness
proceeded to the Hotel Bristol, where he slept,
leaving the French capital at seven o'clock yester-
day morning.