The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-19 00:00:00

NEW YORK MARKETS, DEC. 5.

Cotton—The private letters per Arctic do not read so
favourable as the printed accounts. On the day the
steamer sailed the market was quoted dull at prices cur-
rent at the sailing of the previous steamer. One account
says:—" The advance of id., which was paid on Satur-
day and Monday, has been lost, and there ate plenty of
sellers at the rates current at the sailing of the Europa.
Yesterday between 3,000 and 4.000 bales changed hands,
including middling at 71i. to 70. for Uplands, Mobile,
and New Orleans. The sales are confined to the trade,
tbere being no speculative or export inquiry." The
market, however, has been comparatively active to-day,
the sales reaching 1,300 to 1,400 bales, at previous
prices, including middling Orleans at 14c., and fair ditto
at 144 a.
Flour, &c.—The inclement state of the weather has a
depressing effect on the market for State and Western,
and prices are scarcely so firm, tbough there is no special
change in quotations. The transactions are limited to
8,500 bbls., 4 dolls. 25c. to 4 dolls 44c. for No. 2 super-
tiiie,4 dolls. 68c. for common and straight State, 4 dolls.
75c. to 4 dolls. 94c. for mixed to choice Michigan, &c.; and
5 dolls, to 5 dolls. 6c. for pure Genessee. Canadian
flour is in active request for export, and the sales reach
4,600 bbls, at 4 dolls. 6Sc. to 4 dolls. 75c. Southern is
i❑ good &mend, and prices have advanced 61c. to 12ic.;
the sales are 2,100 bbls., including HHoward•street, at 5
dolls. 12i-c. Rye flour is q toted at 3 dolls. 37c. to 3 dolls.
50c , with 400 bbls. sold. Corn meal is qu'et at yester
day's quotations.
Grain—There is a fair it quiry fur wheat, and the sup-
ply of common descriptions is large. Prime is firm, but
dull. The sales include 10,000 bush. Canadian for ex-
port, at 1 doll. 06/c.; and 6,000 ditto Genessee, at 1 doll.
15c. to 1 doll. 18c., as in quality. Rye is lower, and
7,000 bush. were sold at 73c. to 75c., closing at the for-
mer figure. There is still an upward tendency in corn.
°win.; partly to the favourable advices from abroad.
The sales aggregate 18 000 bush, at, 630. for new mixed;
671 c. to 68ic. for old Western mixed and Southern yel-
low; and 68ic. to 70c. for old Jersey. Barley is without
movement or change in prices. Oats are selling mode-
rately, at previous quotations.

Lime—Common Rockland is in fair supply, and we
note sales of two cargoes at 83c.
Navel Stores—The sales of common Wilmington rosi❑
reach 1,000 bbls., at 1 doll. 40c. to 1 doll. 42ic., deli
vered. Other descriptions aro without much movement,
and prices are uni'orm.

Piovisions—The demand for pork for the local trade
is limited, but for speculation the demand continues fair.
500 bbls. were sold at 11 dolls. 62c. to 11 dolls. 75c. for
mess, and 8 dolls. 76c. for prime. Rumps were sold to
a moderate extent at 8 dolls. 25c. Of beef hams there
were sales of 100 bble., at 14 dolls.; also 106 tierces
city smoked hams, at 81-c. Beef is quiet and steady,
ith a fair demand from the trade, at 8 dolls. 50c. to 10
dolls. for mess, and 4 dulls. 75e. for prime. Lard has
advanced, with a good inquiry, and the sales are 500
bbls. and 100 tierces at 71c. to Bc., the latter figure for
choice lots.

Rice is held firmer, with small sales, at 3 dolls. 37c.
to 3 dolls. 50c. Prime lots are scarce, and would com-
mand 3 dolls. 62ic.
Whisky—The market is a shade firmer-200 bble.
Ohio and Prison were sold at 25c. to 25ic., and 50
casks Drudge at 25c., time and interest.
Freights—We notice engagements of 8,090 to 10,000
bushels wheat to Liverpool at 4d. to 4id.; 509 bbls.
11)ur at Is. Id.; and 100 tcs. beef at Is. 3d. To other
European ports there is no change to notice, and the
market is quiet.

THE GAS QUESTION.
We perceive that one of our evening contemporaries.
the Globe, has very properly directed attention to the
agitation that has been got up in the parish of St.
James's, relative to the notice which thus) of the metro-
politan gas companies have given to Parliament for an
amalgamation of their interests, the object of such union,
as the Globe correctly states, being to secure a position
which shall enable those companies so to concentrate
their means as to supply gas at the cheapest possible
remunerative price, and to prevent the ever-recurringin-
convenience resulting from the breaking up of the
public thoroughfares in various parts of the metropolis,
in order to lay down immense lengths of gas pipes.
There can be no doubt, as cogently urged by our con-
temporary, that gas companies who have expended enor-
mous sums of money in constructing works and laying
down their mains are seriously interested in supplying
gas, even at as low a rate as any new company can
possibly furnish it. "To them," as the Globe pithily
puts it, " half a loaf is better than no bread at all," and
existing companies, rather than be driven out of the
field, and have their entire property destroyed, must feel
it to be the wisest policy,
in fighting against the intro
duction of new competitors, to sacrifice much that they
may secure something to their shareholders. Our con-
temporary refers to the quotations of gas shares in thv
market as the best evidence that the flourishing state
ments sent forth by new companies, of certain large
profits open small outlays of capital, can more
reasonably be ascribed to the imagination than
b our
really deduced from any actual profits derived from
the working of gas companies;
contempory might have gone fuut
we
think
rther It would
not, we believe, be very difficult to discover gas
shareholders, who with their shares quoted at, say some
30 or 40 per cent. discount, would, to avoid future re-
sponsibilities, in the shape of calls, be heartily glad to
pay handsomely to have such shares transferred to other
parties. As far as we can gather the stated opinion of
the opposition in St. James's
parisb, from the reports
of the proceedings as published in the daily papers, it
appears that they allege the amalgamation of the three
gas companies is simply a combination for monopoly
objects. Looking at what has been done in the City in
the way of reduction in the price of gas, and taking into
consids ration also the fact that the amalgamation which
the St. James's opposition complain of will put the three
companies, as itbe latter state, in a condition at once to
reduce their prices at least 20 ter cent.; we are inclined
to think that the cry of monopoly in this instance has
been unreasonably and ui,justly raised. Human nature
is very fallible in monetary matters. Most of us like to
make the largest possible:i>rofits—on the other hand, none
of us like to be deprived of every vestige of remunera-
tion; and there are none but the very insane who, wish
a large capital invested in business, would suffer destruc-
tion rather than sell, even at the lowest profit, as cheaply
as their neighbours.—Railway Record.

DINNER TO LORD JAMES STUART, ALP;011
Thursday evening a dinner was given in the Bute Arms
Hotel, Rothesay, to Lord James Stuart, M.P. for the burghs
of Ayr, Irvine, Inverary, Campbelton, and Oban, and Lord-
Lieutenant of the county of Bute, by a numerous party of
his friends and admirers, in token of the great respect and
esteem in which he is held. Archibald Sharp, Esq., Provost
of Rothesay, occupied the chair. The company numbered
upwards of 170, including a few from London, Edinburgh,
and Glasgow.—Srotsman. •