The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-16 00:00:00

STALE OF TRADE.

BELFAST, Jan.l4.—Flax.—Supplies in the various
markets during the past week were not so large as
were those of the week preceding ; the market of
Tandragee formed an exception. Prices station-
ary. Yarns.—Transactions have been to a fair ex-
tent on local account. Orders from the Continent
have not been on an extensive scale. Decrease
in stocks has taken place, and tow yarns are now
scarce in the market ; prices continue steady ; ad-
vance has been obtained on some fine numbers of
lines. Linens, brown (handloom).—A slight im-
provement in demand for heavy linens, dia-
per; mil damasks. Light linens for bleach-
ing and printing lawns have not been much in-
quired after. Cambric handkerchiefs and drills
remain as last reported. Puwerloom.—A good
demand exists for superior makes of 5-4th and 6-
4th wides of roughs, of light colours ; green
makes dull of sale. But little doing in cloth suit-
able for the foreign clothing trade, linen and cam-
bric handkerchiefs, and printing lawns. Bleached
aud finished linens.—A slight improvement has
taken place on home account; demand from the
Continent has decreased. No improvement in the
American market. Stocks of fine goods small ;
those of coarse goods large ; prices of the former
firm ; those of the latter irregular.

LEEDS, 14th.—The snow has all melted away,
and the weather has become open and comparatively
warm. This state of things had some slight influ-
ence on the cloth-market this morning, making, ap-
parently, buyers more disposed to purchase spring
goods. Still the markets were not particularly
brisk, and the amount of business done was not
large. Thin meltons, fancy coatings, and tweeds
were the most in request. Ordinary plain goods
were slow of sale. Prices are tolerably steady, but
not quite so high as they were a short time ago.
ROCHDALE, 13th.—There was a moderate attend-
ance of buyers in the flannel-market to-day, includ-
ing a few representatives of Scotch houses. More
business was done than last week, but no very large
parcels were made up. The better qualities of both
plain and fancy flannels were in more request than
the lower kinds. Upon the whole, prices were ra-
ther easier. The demand for Yorkshire goods
showed no improvement, but prices were steady.
There was little done in wool, and the quotations
are nominally the same as last week.

SHORT SESSION.—The fifth Session of the fifth
Parliament of the colony of Victoria lasted rather less than
three-quarters of an hour. The Parliament, having been
prorogued on the Bth of Novembor, was convened on the
25th for the purpose of agreeing to an address to his Royal
Highness the Duke of E linburgh, presently expected. No
other business was done except passing a bill to continue
the operations of the Scab Act. His Excellency the Go-
vernor, who had opened the Session with a short vice-
regal speech, remained in au adjoining chamber during the
debate, and then re-entered to give the Royal assent to
the bill.

THE CLERKENIVELL EXPLOSION.—The last reports
of the state of the remaining sufferers from the recent ex-
plosion in Clerkenwoll now in the Royal Free and St.
Bartholomew's Hospitals describe the conditions of tho
patients to be progressing favourably, with the exception
of the boy Henry Abbott, an inmate of the Royal Free
Hospital. He is five years old, and is incurably blind. He
lies constantly with his eyes to the pillow, as if lost to this
world. Mr. Grant, the surgeon to the hospital, under
whose care all the patients have been, speaks of those now
under treatment as being so far recovered as to be able to
leave the hospital shortly. The majority of those who
were out-patients are no longer under treatment.