The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-29 00:00:00

BRITISH EXPORTS AND ENTERPRISE.

To speak of the state of the country at the present
time is only to repeat continually the word " prospe-
rity." Both the United Kingdom and its colonies seem
is be advancing in a career of material increase of which
it is impossible to predict the term. The accounts relat-
ing to trade and navigation for the first quarter of 1857
have just been published, and show an advance suffi-
ciently striking even on the prosperous year 1856. The
total declared value of the exports of the United King-
dom for the month of March was 10,456.348/. sterling,
and for the first quarter of the year 28,827,4931. Both
the month and the quarter show a considerable increase
over the corresponding terms in 1856 and 1855
Taking the quarter, as allowing a fairer comparison,
we find that the value of . the exports was,
for 1855, 18,808,5171. ; for 1856, 25,149,1031 ;
and for 1857, 28,827,4931.—0 r an increase of
about 15 per cent. on last year.' Now, as the total
amount for 1856 was nearly 116,000,0001., we may ex-
pect, if this advance be kept through the whole of the
four quarters, that the total valcuof exports for the pre-
sent year will exceed 133,000,000/. This large amount
is evidently the fruit of no temporary or morbidly stim-
ulated traffic, but represents a legitimate and progressive
increase in the production and commerce of the country.
Whea it is considered that the exports of 1855 ware only
98,000,0001., and. that consequently there has been an
increase of more than one-third within two years, no
argument is necessary to prove that the country is ad-
vancing at a rate which leaves all calculation behind.
With regard to the details of our import and export
trade some interesting facts are found in the return. Toe
British people are not disposed to deny themselves the
luxuries which their increasing wealth can purchase, so
that it is natural to find a large advance in quan-
tity and value of alt kinds of imports. In spite of the
apprehended murrain, 7,318 oxen, bulls, and cows were
imported in the first quarter of 1857—a number much
in advance of 1856, though not equalling the importation
of 1355, which seems to have been particularly large.
The materials for innocent beverages have been brought
into the country in greatly increased quantities. Of
cocoa 1,713,000ibe were imported in the first quarter of
1857 against 1,025,192 in 1856, and 734,558 in 1855.
It would seem, therefore, that the consumption of this
nourishing drink has doubled in two years. Coffee shows
a considerable fluctuation. In 1855 the importation for
the quarter was 4,107,4671 b., fur 1856 it fell off to
3,676,925:b., and fur 1857 it is 5,042,833ib. Although,
of course, a single quarter, and particularly the
winter quarter, does not give an average free
from the influence of all disturbing causes, yet it is
pretty clear that a large augmentation in the consump-
tton has taken place within the two years, indicating a
corresponding increase in the comforts of the people,
The quantity of wheat imported during the late quarter
was 599,492 quarters—but little less than the importa-
tion for last year, and considerably greater than that for
1855, which amounted to 422,285 quarters. The wheat
meal and flour imported is almost the same as last year ;
it amounts to 631,328 quarters, while the importation
for 1855 was 348,672. The increase in the quantity of
these articles brought from the United States is truly
woad-rful. In 1855 it was 142,416 quarters ; in 1857
it is 596,814 for the same term of thiee months.
The importation of cotton shows a decrease compared
with 1856; but still is far in advance of 1855. For the
first quarter of 1855 1,559,782 cwt. were imported ; for
1856, 1,843,703 ; for 1857, 1,716,586. The quantity
from the United States is, however, less than in either of
the two previous years, being 1,390,058 cwt. in 1857,
against 1,590,661 in 1856, and 1,431,234 in 1855. To re-
medy in some degree this deficiency we have an increase in
the importation from India, the quantity being in the
first quarter of 1855 75,222 cwt., and for the correspond-
ing periods of the two next years 171,110 and 191,688.
The importation from Egypt has also more than doubled
within the two years, while that from Brazil has in-
creased horn 28,4141 b. to 81,1121 b. Although the statis-
tics of so short a term may be delusive, yet it is to be
hoped they represent in this case a growing increase in
the cotton production of the globe, and that the danger,
so much dreaded, of the spindles of Lancashire and New
England lacking their supply of Material may never be
realised. After corn and cotton all other products are of
small importance. We may, however, relate, for the gra-
tificatien of the cutious, that 1,430,807 pairs of gloves
were imported in the last three months ; that during the
Fame term 26,041,600 eggs were brought into the coun-
try, or nearly an egg a-piece for the whole population.
The quantity of wine entered for home consumption
shows a steady increase. It was for the first quarter of
1855 1,454,105 gallons, and for the first quarter of the
last and the present year 1,742,877 and 1,935,293 gal-
lons respectively.
The scale on which our export trade is conducted may
be conceived from the fact that in the first quarter of
1855 we supplied foreign countries and our own colonies
with 772,778 tog,s of coal.; that the quantity for the
same term of 1856 rose to 1,072,037 tons; and that for
the present year it is 1,254,107 tons. A million and a
quarter of tons of coal exported in three months gives a
sufficient proof how much the world is dependent on the
resources of this country, and also at what an accele-
rated rate we are bringing into requisition the supplies
of fuel which exist in the bowels of the earth. With re-
eard to our greatest article of manufacture, we find
that the declared value of the cotton goods exported
in the last three. months was 7,267,4321., against
6,332,2691. in 1859, and 5,882,096/. in the year
before. The exports of cotton amount in value to
considerably more than. a third of the whole. Iron
and woollens come next, and the increase has been
considerable on almost every item. So that before arriv-
ing at the bottom of the list we are quite prepared to
find that mien the vast total amount of the last year's
export is likely to be largely exceeded.
The account of the number and tonnage of vessels
which entered inwards and cleared outwards with car-
goes for the first quarter of the three years shows an in-
crease in navigation corresponding to the progress in
manufactures. For the quarter ending March the 31st,
1855-6-7, the tonnage of the shipping entered inwards
was 1,118,213, 1,318,310, and 1,436,616. Of this last
amount, representing the first quarter of the present
year, 893,008 tons were British, and 275,262 American.
We may state, for the satisfaction of the prophets who
saw ruin in the repeal of the navigation laws, that we are
holding our own on the seas. The British tonnage for the
three quarterly terms is 687,444, 840,485, and 893,008
tons ; the American, 262,353, 254,931," and 275,262
tons. We therefore have our full share of the increase
The return of vessels cleared outwards shows pretty
much the same state of things. The tonnage of British
ships taking out cargoes .has risen from 926,593 in
the first quarter. of 1855• to 1,199,950 for the same
period of 1856, and 1,363,975 for 1857,—an increase
of nearly 50 per cent., forming a conclusive proof of
tie vigour of our export' trade. On the whole, these
returns are to the full as satisfactory as the most
hopeful man could have desired. It is now evident
that the sudden rise of 1856 was not merely the re-
action from the depression of war, but the natural,
though surprising progress of an active and enterpris-
ing people.—Times:

, ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE AT BRISTOL.—
On Monday morning an Irish labourer, named John
Cooney, residing in Steep-street, St. Michael's, Brie-
tol, got up at eight o'clock, as usual, and was
observed to take a hatchet from a cupboard in
the kitchen' and carry it into the back yard. Soon
afterwards his wife-sent her daughter out for some tea,
when Cooney fetched the hatchet, and commenced an
attack upon the poor woman, whom he attack over the
bead and body, and left a'most dead. He then ran down
into the cellar, and cat his throat. It is stated that the
deceased was a very sober man but he has for some time
been onl bad . terms with his wife, and moody and re-
served towards his family, and that on Sunday he said
to a neighbour. " Ab, Mrs. Crawley, you will hear
something one of these mornings that will frighten you ;
you will hear of me soon." An inquest was held yester-
day, but adjourned till Wednesday.