The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-24 00:00:00

FLANDERS MAIL.

BRUSSELS, r Ec. 20.—The Chamber resumed to-
day, in its pumic sitting, the debate on the project of
law relative to the treaty with the Zollverein. After se-
veral Members had spoken, the Minister of the Interior
addressed the Chamber; his discourse turned chiefly
on the state of parties in France. This sitting may
he considered as the most interesting of those which
the Chamber has devoted to the examination of the
treaty of the Ist of September. The debate was ad-
journed till to-morrow (the '2lst, at ten o'clock).
(N.B.—The 21foniteur Beige, and other papers,
published on the morning of Saturday, the 21st, of
course contain no accounts whatever of the continu-
ance of the debate on that day.)
Since yesterday a report has been in circulation in
the political circles, of the possibility of some Minis-
terial modification. We refrained from noticing it
at first, being unwilling to aggravate a state of things
which has excited the regret of all those who were
witnesses of the fact. To-day we cannot avoid men-
tioning it, on account of the results which may be
foreseen. A difference appeared in the Secret Com-
mittee, the day before yesterday, between two Mem-
bers of the Cabinet, on the explanations relative to
article 19 of the treaty. The opinion which seems
to us the most generally entertained at this moment,
is that the change, if it takes place, will only affect
the Minister whose opinion, on that occasion, was
found to be in a minority in the Cabinet, and, at the
same time, the farthest from that of the majority of
the Chamber.—Courrier Beige, Dec. 21.
The reigning Duke and Duchess of Saxe Cohourg,
and the Prince of Wurternburg, left the King's
Palace at Brussels, to-day, and continued their
journey to Germany. A special train will take them
to Cologne.
The Moniteur Beige publishes the law which fixes
the budget of the public debt at 32,057,128 f. for 1845,
and the budget of dotation at 3,301,258 f.
The cold returned last night, and the mercury fell
below friezing point.
ALEXANDRIA, Nov. 26.—His Highness the Viceroy
accompanied by some of his officers, arrived here this
afternoon at five o'clock, in excellent health. He per-
formed the journey from Cairo in twenty hours. The
steam-frigate The Nile, is to be brought into the new
dock the day after to- morrow ; every thing is ready.
Some persons doubt the complete success of this great
work, while the two engineers are quite confident
about it. In my next I shall be able ..o give you
something positive on the subject.

DARTMOUTH ELRCTION.—The nomination for this
election is fixed for Thursday, and the polling for
Friday next
Viscount Villiers, M.P., has given 1001. for the pur-
chase of blatleta and warm clothing for the poor of
Cirencester.
STATE or TRADE.--The news from the West
Riding continues of a cheering nature ; not se, we are
sorry to say, that from the hosiery and lace districts of
Nottinghamshire ; and in Lancashire, the intelligence of
the complete closir, of the Elbe by ice has put a sudden
stop to purchases of yarn for Germany. The accounts
from India, too, not being considered favourable, the
yarn market at Manchester has become exceedingly
dull, though, as yet, without any material change in
prices. The same market for manufactured goods is also
inactive, for which the season may sufficiently account.
Reverting to Yorkshire, the demand for winter clothes
at Leeds is active, and prices have undergone no change.
At Bradford we hare much pleasure in stating that a
great number of woolcombers who had been on
" stint," and others who were entirely out of work, have
received orders to resume their labour. On the whole,
there is a more encouraging prospect for the operatives
during the winter months than was previously antici-
pated. On Thursday there was a very good attyndance
of merchants, and their purchases were more extensive
than on any market day for some weeks past. For
yarns there was a fair demand, and as the spinners have
resolutely kept down the supply by diminishing their
hours of labour, prices were firm. The wool market
presented no new feature, late prices being fully obtained,
with a steady though limited demand. At the last
Halifax market there was a large attendance of buyers,
and a good deal of business done in the heavier fabrics,
especially lastings, damasks, and moreens. Both comb-
ing and blanket wool was in request, and prices firm.
There still continues at Wakefield an animated demand
for all deep combing wools, and the turn is in favour of
the seller, and this has imparted more confidence to the
buyers of the better description of combing wools, as
well as to those of short wools. This is the bright side
of the picture ; at Nottingham, however, the distress in
the machine-knitting manufactures is so far from de-
creasing that, upon the whole, the hands are worse than
they have been for some months past. The drawer and
pantaloon branch, which is the largest carried on in
Nottingham and the suburbs, is still in a most depressed
state, the frames being scarcely half employed. The
cotton glove branch is in the best condition of any in the
hosiery trade ; still it is much and seriously depressed.
The silk hosiery trade has not, nor is it imagined that
it is likely, to recover from its present depressed state.
The bobbin-net lace trade has become :o seriously de-
pressed that a perfect panic has taken place amongst the
manufacturers, some of whom, it is asserted, contemplate
a cessation of business for a period.—Hull Packet.
LOBSTER FIBIIING.—Within the last few years the
attention of the fishermen belonging to the Hebrides, but
more particularly to the islands of Mull and Islay, has
been directed to the fishing of lobsters. with whi4:h the
coasts of the Western Isles abound. A good "Lioer of
individuals have embarked in that 1,;:41
.._ of fishing, and
have been, up to the present year, abundantly remune-
rated for their labour by exporting the produce of the
fishings from this port by the steamers to Liverpool.
This
,yet bqweyer, the lobsters have increased on the
i1a,1144 o.f tne fishermen ; and the Liverpool fishmongers,
taking advantage of the supply being only once a fort-
night from Scotland, have reduced the price, and sub-
jeeted the fishermen to other deductions, which bid fair
to cripple, if not altogether to destroy, this branch of
employment for the inhabitants of the Western Isles. On
Saturday evening opwartia of 20 large boxes, crammed
full of Inhaters, from Mull alone, were sent by the
fleimer frall tbis to Liverpool—Grecnoch Advertiser. I