The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-16 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

FOREIGN WOOL TRADE, LEEDS, DEC. 11. - There
have been rather more inquirers in this market during
the past week, but the demand is still very inanimate,
and purchases confined to the immediate requirements
of the manufacturers.

ENGLISH WOOL MARKET, LEEDS, DEC. 12. Sales
of combing and clothing wools are confined to a mere
supply of the immediate wants of the manufacturers,
and prices continue to recede.
WAKEFIELD WOOL MARKET, DEC. 12.—We have a
better feeling this week than for several preceding ones
for long wool, and there is more business doing, at
prices which could hardly be realised last week. Short
wools remain the same.
LEEDS.—Business has been a little better at our cloth
halls both on Saturday and Tuesday than for some weeks
past, the goods in demand being such as are calculated
for the spring trade for the United States and the Cana-
dian markets ; but for goods suitable for the home de-
mand there has been little done. Business has been
very dull in the warehouses during the week.
BRADFORD MARKET, THURSDAY.—Wool.—There' is
nothing more doing in any kind of combing wools, Colo-
nial or British, and the stock in the market of the latter
is rather firmly held, owing to the growers adhering to
shear day's price, which the staplers cannot afford to
give to meet the prices offering here. Short wools and
!lolls, although produced in very limited quantity, are
dull of sale, and barely support last week's prices.
Yarns.—We cannot learn anything: more cheering
touching this important branch of the trade of this town
and neighbourhood—a depression of unprecedented se
verity, without the slightest hope of any immediate
amendment. The price that wool is still maintaining,
forbids its use. From all accounts, we hear its value is
depreciated by being worked up into yarns, the current
price being so ruinously low, that it is utterly impossible
for the spinners to go on producing it without in-
curring serious loss, so that any plan dif-
ferent from the present, which is now so gene-
rally followed, and of doing as little as is practicable,
is not likely to be adopted. The position of things is
now engaging the serious attention of all connected with
the trade, to know how the conflict between the price of
wool and yarns will end ; it most clearly demonstrates
the want of cheap food by the admission of foreign corn,
thereby increasing the export of our manufactures, thus
affording more employment to our operatives, and the
most probable chance of enhanced prices to remunerate
the employer. Pieces—The business done to-day and
during the week has not been considerable, and as the
merchants are generally preparing for stock taking at
Christmas, they are only buying to supply any orders
that may fall in upon them. The quantity of goods
coming to market is now very much reduced, and as the
manufacturers believe that yarns cannot long continue
at the present low prices, they feel confident that, after
the turn of the year, the demand for goods will increase,
and prices assume an upward tendency.
MANCHESTER, DEC. 11.—We are improving this
week in our cloth market, and as the opinion is now ge-
neral that prices for most articles have seen their
lowest point, a tolerable good business as regards de-
mand is very confidently expected. Spinners too are
enabled to sell on fully as good terms as of late. On
the whole things are decidedly better.
NOTTINGHAM.—The cotton virought hose branch con-
tinues to rather slowly fall off in demand, and were it not
that many of the frames are employed in making spun silk
hose, this would be most seriously felt. There is " a
spark of revival" in some quarters in the cut-up and
drop- off hosiery, but not to the extent of giving any per-
ceptible relief. The same may be said of cotton gloves,
and we have. heard of shops in rather remote situations
being set on with full work. The drawer and pantaloon
trade is very dull. The silk hosiery branches are much
depressed, and are gradually falling off; the silk glove
branch, if anything, is in the best condition. The bobbin
net trade, especially the fancy department, is in a most
deplorable state, and to use the language of many of the
commission agents, " There is no lace trade." It is as-
serted that the lace trade is worse than it has been for
ten years. The warp tatting baanch has not recovered
from the depressed state in which it has lingered for
some months past. The lap and press branch is better
than the tatting branch, and some few good patterns are
in slight demand. The silk blond is but dull, but in
some cases the jacquard frames have a demand.—Net-
tingham Review.

DEEP SEA FISHINGS.
BY MR. DEMPSTER.
(From the Caledonian Mercury )
Annually before the 24th of June there arrives at
Brassy Sound, in Shetland, a fle. t of fishing vessels,
amounting at times to above one thousand. Those
vessels are called busses, and principally belong to the
Dutch, Danes, and Germans. The vessels are from 60
to 80 tons burden. They are decked, strong built, and
carry a crew of from 14 to 20 hands. The busses are
regularly fitted out with every requisite material, both
for catching, curing, and packing the herrings in. The
crews of those busses become sailors, fishers, curers, and
coopers by turns.
On the 24th of June the fishing fleet sails from
Brassy Sound in quest of the deep sea herrings; their
track is known and the shoals of herrings followed with
the vessels. The herrings caught in deep water have a
certain quantity of fixed oil in them, and are superior to
those caught in shoal water, as they go there to spawn.
When herrings are caught by the Dutch they are very
carefully handled, so as not to injure the scale. They
are assorted into three kinds, namely, matjes, under-
sized—voien, full-sized—ylen barring, shotten herring.
Gutting, gilling, and bleeding with a knife, is the next
process (which can be done cleanly and effectually on
board ship when weather permits), they are then cured
with Mediterranean Bay salt and a salt prepared in Hol-
land, which gives them an excellent flavour.
The Dutch are particular about the wood their barrels
are made of, choosing well-seasbned oak to any cther,
as they think other descriptions of wood give to the
pickle a bitter taste. Whilst packing the herring the
Dutch are also particular; they wish to retain their full
plump shape as much as possible. They don't squeeze
them into the barrels. In all foreign countries herrings
are mostly eaten in a raw state, so that a full plump
clean-looking appearance is a recommendation to the
Dutch cured herring. The Dutch get very high
prices for their early caught 'herrings in the continental
markets.
Accompanying the fishing fleet there are always a
number of fast-sailing yagers, or cutters. When a quan-
tity of herrings have been caught and cured on board
the busses, they are sent direct to tho continental
markets by those yagers. They have been known to
realise a clear profit of from 131. to 151. per barrel; for
early herring.
It is asserted by De Witt, a great statesman of Hol-
land, in his " Interest of Holland," that 3,000 busses
and 40,000 sailors were employed in the fishery, and
that the United Provinces thereby gained according to
his calculations five pillions sterling per annum.
The most of I)uteh fishing vessels belong to joint-
stock companies.
The next of importance is the superior mode carried
on by the Dutch and English fishing, for cod and other
white fish. They mostly use hand lines, and so soon as
the fish takes the bait they are immediately hauled up,
hooked by the mouth or lip. It the fish be alive they
are put into a well; dead, they are shortly afterwards
cut up and pickled into barrels.
The most .general mode of catching white fish in
Scotland• is by settinglong lines with a great number of
hooks. Those lines are allowed to lie in the water for a
considerable time before being hauled. so that should a
fish happen to take tie bait shortly after the line is set,
by struggling they soon die, and if long dead before
being brought to the shore, they are not in such a good
condition for curing to they are immediately after being
caught.

Amongst other improvements in the Scottish fisheries,
the trawl net might le introduced. It is well known
there are plenty of sde and other descriptions of deli-
cate flat fish, about sandy bays and banks on the coast
of Scotland, that are principally to be caught, with the
trawl net.

Basil Montagu, IN., the Accountant:in Bank.
ruptcy, is to retire on s pension, and Mr. Richard Clarke,
the Chancellor's Secretary of Bankrupts, is to succeed him.
The salary is 1,500 E a year.