The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-20 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

The cotton market has this week attracted the
attention of all parties, and considering that this
town owes its rapid extension mainly to the astonish-
ing increase of the cotton trade, it is not surprising
that, when such excitement prevails amongst the
brokers, the public in general look on and take a
lively interest in the matter. Such has been the case
this week, and various indeed are the opinions enter-
tained with regard to the immense speculative opera-
tions that have been engaged in. The result of the
manufacturing business last year proved that the
consumption of raw cotton had largely increased; but
then low prices, lower indeed than were ever known
before, fostered this branch of trade ; and even now
there are good grounds for believing that the advance
of the last few weeks is diminishing the demand from
spinners, whose profits do not keep pace with the
prices of the raw article in Liverpool. It is well
known that the market here is now in a great mea-
sure under the influence of the American shippers,
who, being assisted by the southern banks, are not
satisfied with raising the prices in the States to such
a pitch that places all the important English orders
quite out of the market, but they go further, as it is
known that the last steamer brought instructions to buy
largely in this market for American account, and many
of the recent purchases are believed to have been en-
tered into under these instructions. It then remains
only for the manufacturers, knowing the dangerous
ground on which they stand, to act with firmness
and caution, and not by any acts of theirs to assist
the projects of those whose interests are directly op-
posed to the low prices which the spinner looks to for
stimulating the consumption. The last accounts offer
no data on which to found an opinion of a crop less
than two millions of bales ; the receipts into the ports
fully confirm this estimate; yet we find that opera-
tions, amounting to 70,000 bags, have been entered
into within the last five days, chiefly on speculation,
and at an advance of fully id. per lb. It remains to
be seen whether this animation will continue; it cer-
tainly would not if the market were left to its usual
course.

The export business is good for the season, and
prospects are cheering, but many prudent merchants
begin to doubt the full realisation of those very san-
guine opinions which were so generally expressed at
the close of last year. Although the shipments of all
goods are on a large scale, the profits on invoices are
thus far but small, much less indeed than exporters
have 'usually enjoyed in good times. The country
trade is improving gradually, and an increase is per-
ceptible in the amount of goods of all descriptions
forwarded into the interior.—Liverpool Mercury.

ADVENTURE AT A MASKED BALL.—But now for
the joke. You know that K---- likes well enough to relieve
the monotonous routine of her arduous duties with a little
frolic when chance favours her. And an occasion occurred
lately. You know, at this lively epoch, all Paris is turned
into a ball-room, and masks and revels are high in the ascend-
ant. For myself, I got so much of this sort of thing in the
way of business, that 1 condered it a treat to escape such dis-
tractions. I never 5,1 w but one masked ball, and that offended
me in so many respects, whilst I admit, that it was the gayest
thing my eye ever dwelt upon, that I never desired to
see another. K--, however, must needs go to one
of these masked balls; and an acquaintance of mine,
Mademoiselle de --, was to accompany her, to be en-
lightened, under her sage guardianship, in all the mysteries of
a grand opera ball. K astonished me by a flight of fancy
uncommon in her; she declared she would go in no other way
but as my double. She insisted upon wearing the Cracovian
costume. Bien, ma there, if you will risk it, comme to
voudrais, but I repeat my warnings ; and I have my mis-
givings of the result." With the thoughtless glee of a child,
she dressed herself, a la Cracovienne; red boots, blue skirt,
white jacket, and velvet cap. There she stood, arrayed in all
the panoply of the capering Bohemian. My carriage set them
safely down a 1' Opera, and they soon found themselves
threading its brilliant labyrinths, thronged to suffocation
almost, by its merry mobs of blithesome revellers. The
masqued " Cracovienne" assailed her numerous acquaintances,
and perplexed their lives out of them; right and left she
distributed her lively raillerie. M. Duponehell declared she
could be no other than Mlle. Fanny ; and he said what made
him quite sure was, the little feather in the cap was fastened in
by a pin he knew I wore. The game was up, and the news.
soon spread; the curious crowd rapidly gathered; and as, pro-
bably, it was the first time that some hundreds had ever met
the supposed one, they thought it a good occasion to exchange
a rema, k or two, with all the innocent freedom that a masque
ball sanctions. But another and most unexpected attack await-
ed her ; she was suddenly accosted by a pink domino, who in
good round terms told her she was no better than an arrant
thief, to come as she had done that very (lay, and swindle her
out of the costume she had then on ; that she did not choose
to waste words on such a baggage; and that she must either
take off instanter the costume, or pay fur it, else she
would hand her to the police. K----- saw all argument
was vain ; and if she had had the eloquence of a Berryer, she
was too much frightened to give utterance to it. So she took
the course that it would be wise if all women did when they
get into dilemmas—to run for it. She scampered as though
for life across the vast area of the opera house, down the grand
flight, spreading havoc among thu gay flower-pots, and out
into the cold streets but her relentless pursuer followed her
close, and pressed hard upon her, aided at last by the impos-
ing arm of the law in the shape of a policeman. Away
they went, helter skelter, till K— shot into the porte cochet e
of her own house, and left the hounds at bay. She came fly-
ing breathless into my bed-reorn, at three in the morning, her
! hair dishevelled, and her eyes looking wild. This little event
has led to all sorts of speculations, and my declaring positively
that I was not the heroine of this droll vaudeville has only
thickened the general confusion.—Fanny Ellsler's Sayings and
Doings.