The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-21 00:00:00

EXPORTS.

On the motion of Mr. HASTIE an account was
ordered, of the declared value of the various articles of
British prodace and manufactures exported to the
British West India Colonies, for the years ending the
sth day of January, 1840 and 1849, with the rate of
duty on each article in the colonies; and of the
quantities of the principal articles of the
growth and manufacture of the British West In-
dia Colonies imported into the United Kingdom ;
and of the quantities cleared for home consumption, and
the rate of duty charged on each article, with the Gazette
average price of sugar for the year ending on the sth day
of January, 1848; also, the number of ship, dis-
tinguishing British and foreign, with their
tonnage, that have entered and cleared for the
British West India Colonies from the United
Kingdom, during the same period ; similar ac-
count fJr the East India Company's territories and
Ceylon ; similar account for China ; similar account
for the Mauritius; similar account for the British North
American Colonies ; similar account for New South
Wales and the Australian Colonies ; similar
account for the United States of America; simi-
lar account for Cuba; similar account for the Brazils;
and similar accounts for Mexico and the other ports of
South America. Returns of ports or creeks in the
United Kingdom approved of by the Hon. the Board of
Customs, for the warehousing in bond of tea, coffee,
sugar, wines, spirits, and tobacco. Of the amount of
the above-mentioned goods i❑ pounds and gallons ware-
housed at each port, for the year ending the sth day of
April, 1849, distinguishing the quanities of those ware-
housed directly imported into such ports, with the
quantities removed under bond from the ports of
importation, together with the number of duty-paid
entries made at each port during the above period :
and, of the amount of Customs duty received in the
United Kingdom for the year ending the sth day of
April, 1849, showing the payments made for services
specially connected with the collection of the revenue,
together with payments made for services not specially
connected with the collection of the revenue.

The remaining orders of the day were then disposed
of, and the House adjourned.

YORK, NEWCASTLE, AND BER-

WICK RAILWAY.

A meeting of London shareholders of this company
was held yesterday at the London Tavern, prelimi-
nary to the general meeting which will be held on the
7th of March next at York.

Mr. Alderman SIDNEY, M.P., was unanimously elected
to take the chair. He thought ho was a most improper
person to preside at the meeting, because he viewed the
plan which he understood was to be propounded
to-day with disfavour ; but if they wished him to
continue in the chair after this declaration he
would endeavour to discharge his duties fairly and im-
partially. He had no preference shares, but was a holder
of original and of extension stock. He had been de-
puted, however, to attend on behalf of his brother, who
had a large interest in the preference shares, the stock
to which the present meeting, he believed, had reference.
A short discussion then took place as to the propriety
of Mr. Sidney presiding, and it was ultimately agreed
that he shout.] continue in the chair.

Mr. N. CLARK wished to know by what authority the
meeting, had been convened. An advertisement had ap-
peared in the newspapers, signed by a Mr. Douglass, who
signed himself manager, pro tern.; and, without meaning
any discourtesy to that gentleman, he would also ask by
whose authority he had been nominated?
Mr. DotronAss said that he had been called upon by a
large body of shareholders in the 81. preference shares
to take up the matter with respect to which this meeting
had been called, and in conjunction with one or two
proprietors he had issued the advertisement simply to
enable the shareholders to have an opportunity of con-
suiting together. The committee, which was self-con-
stituted, represented about 300,000 shares, the greater
portion of which were preference shares; and the object
they had in view was to get the directors to appoint
a committee to take into consideration this pre-
ference stock, and to see if the million and a half
of money which they now had, and might employ in a
profitless undertaking, could not be employed for the
relief of oue class of shareholders without injuring any
other class. The meeting was simply one for an ex-
change of feelings and sentiments among the London
shareholders oa a matter of finance, by which it was
proposed that the preference shareholders might be re-
lieved.

The report of the committee of shareholders was then
read. It stated that the question before the meeting
involved the interests of nearly half the proprietary of
the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway, and a ca-
pital amounting to nearly four millions, upon the raising
and applying of which the prosperity or otherwise of the
company would depend. The object which the com-
mittee had in ♦iew was to ascertain if some Om could
not be devised for giving a real value to the preference
shares instead of holding, as they did at present, a
value at the mercy of a call, and they sub-
mitted two propositions by which they considered
the company could, by exercising the whole flits avail-
able powers, he enabled to make this stock worth keep-
ing as an investment. The committee had obtained the
co-operation of stock and extension shareholders, who
held 6,532 shares, and preference shareholders who held
as many as 18,822 shares, and thus supported they
wrote to the directors requesting their consent to the
appointment of a committee at the next general meeting,
to ascertain whether the holders of preference
shares could not be relieved from the present liability
without injury to any other class of shareholders; but,
in reply, the directors had stated that it was too late to
make the meeting oa the 27th instant available fJr the
appointment of such a committee. The report concluded
by soliciting the co-operation of the shareholders, and
expressing a hope that the directors would apply all
the available capital for so profitable a purpose as
paying off the Great North of England shareholders,
and not expend it, to the ruin of the company, upon
unprofitable branches.

On the conclusion of reading the report, Mr. JAMES
DURHAM moved:—"That this meeting, after having
heard the report of the committee, considers it very
desirable that, at the next half-yearly meeting of share-
holders, a committee should be elected, to consult with
the directors, and ascertain if any plan can be devised
fur converting the preference shares into thirds, with-
out injury to the other class of shareholders."
Mr. ASTON seconded the motion.

Mr. CLARK opposed the motion, because it had origi-
nated with a sectional portion of the proprietors, alias
the preference shareholders. The report, he thought,
was calculated to do the York, Newcastle, and Berwick
Railway a great deal of mischief, and he should there-
fore give his decided vote against its reception. One
section of the shareholders had no right to release
themselves from liabilities at the expense of others, who
were more numerous and bad a greater stake in the com-
pany. By such a proceeding the proprietors at large
would be greatly injured, and they should recollect that
they were just on the eve of receiving a report
from the directors after a most important and
elaborate inquiry into their affairs, and whir..;n,
no doubt, would put them in a better position to
know iu what way the whole of the shareholders might
be benefited. fle concluded by moving an amendment
to the effect the,', as the present movemer~i appeared to
emanate wholly from a sectional part of the shareholders,
and was designed for the benefit of t:ne preference share-
holders, the meeting declined to interfere in the matter,
,
and that the meeting should then adjourn.
The amendment was serAnded by Lieutenant-Colonel
HOWARD; and, after a grief discussion, was carried by,
a majority of three--the numbers being for the amend-
ment 28, and for tine original motion 25.
The business accordingly terminated, and, after a vote
of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting separated.

STATE OF TRADE.
(From the Manchester Guardian.)
MANCHESTER, TUESDAY.—TIIO buyers continue to
stand resolutely aloof from business, expecting that the
want of demand will cause such a subsidence of prices as
shall render it safe, in their estimation, to renew their
operations in yarns and goods. Under these circumstances,
the sales of the day have been of very inconsiderable
amount; and, although the general absence of stocks,
of any consequence, enables both spinners and
manufacturers to maintain a degree of firmness which
appears remarkable after a comparative suspension of
business for several weeks, yet those who are out of
contrast, or on the point of being so, are so desirous of
avoiding any accumulation of stock, as to become in-
creasingly disposed to meet the ideas of the buyers.
The latter have not attempted to test the market:
as a rule, however, they have succeeded in making
their very limited assortments somewhat under the
rates of the latter end of last week. There is a good
deal of difference in the views entertained by various
parties as to the course which prices may now take;
some producers expecting that the decline which has
already taken place will speedily stimulate demand,—
others thinking that such cannot be the case without a
still further giving way : the consequence is a very
marked irregularity in the quotations for almost all
descriptions of cloth and yarn. We stated in our last
that there was a movement among the makers of
coarse and of stout goods in this town, to relieve
themselves, in some degree, from loas, by diminishing
their production. A meeting was held yesterday, when,
with the exception of two firms, all, those manufacturers
Gf this class, who purchase their yarns, came to a deter-
mination to work their establishment only forty hours
a-week. This resolution applies to 6,000 to 7,000 looms,
and will lessen the weekly consumption of cotton to the
extent of something like 120,000 lbs. The instant effect
' has been a concession in the price of coarse yarns, and
en attempt at an agreement among the spinners of such
yarns to follow the course taken by the manufacturers.
ROCHDALE, .MONDAY.—To-day we have had a very
good demand for kersey a and coarse goods, and the
business transacted in flume's has been much tho same
as that of last week. The wool market continues firm at
former prices.
HUDDERSFIELD TUESDAY.—Our market remains at
present much in the same state as we reported last
week; the deliveries to order have been on a large scale
but the supply in the market has been very limited.
HALIFAX, SATURDAY.—There is more stillness just
now in the worsted trade, and the merchants are shy of

giving orders, appearing to be anxious to watch
the present position of the yarn market, which is
also more quiet than it has been. The spinners are
still full cf old contracts ; but the export houses do not
give out new orders freely, and seem disposed to wait
till the commencement of the regular shipping zesvon.
Wool is somewhat inactive ; and, if anything, rather
easier.

LEEDS, TIIESDAY.—Although the market has been
rather quiet to-day, still a steady business continues to
be done to order, and prices are very firm. There is
rather more doing in the warehouses for the home trade,
and the shipping houses are pretty brisk.