The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-06 00:00:00

make purchases than they have done for some time past,
considerable orders for goods have lately been given out,
stocks in manufacturers hands are light and the trade
generally in a healthy state, and unless some further un-
toward event occurs, political or monetary, to check busi-
ness again, we may look forward to a further improvement
both in price and demand?'
Messrs. JOSEPH ROBINSON and Co. say,—
" The Wool market during last month has partaken of
the same quiet feeling as the previous one; which is attri-
buted to the continued hostile movements in the East, the
dearness of provisions, and the excessive export of specie ;
otherwise the trade of the country is in a flourishing state,
without any serious drawback for manufactured goods. In
some parts of Yorkshire, particularly where the worsted
trade is paramount, it is estimated that one half the ma-
chinery has ceased working ; but as regards the general
consumption, there is scarcely any abatement, which is
very satisfactory, considering the combined influences
that have been operating for some time to the detriment
of commerce." _ _

TIMBER.—We quote the following from the
monthly circular of Messrs. HOLME, SLATER, and
Co. of this town, and of Birkenead :
" The arrivals into the docks of the Mersey, containing
Timber, during the month, are-88 vessels, 57,752 tons,
against 44 vessels, 42,261 tons for the corresponding period
last year. Although the supply of Quebec Pine has been
large, yet the demand is quite equal, and stocks have not
accumulated, and are considerably below those of former
years.—Of Baltic Timber the arrivals during the month
are 7 vessels, 2,310 tons, against 3 vessels, 1,405 tons for
the corresponding period last year. A cargo of common
Dantzig has been sold at 2s. 3d. per foot, and a parcel of
Swedish at 2s. Id. per foot. The stock of Baltic Timber
is light.-:--Of Mahogany during the month there have been
two public sales, one in Birkenhead and the other in
Liverpool : they were well attended and the prices realized
were satisfactory."
luoN.—Last week we shewed that the price of Pig
Iron was much too high, from two different con-
siderations : first, that there was 25s per ton
against shipments to the United States ; and,
secondly, 30s per ton a„,ominst French shipments,
after allowing for the reduction of duty under the
Emperor's late decree and, lastly, as a natural
consequence, the exports from the Clyde had fallen
off something like 8,000 tons per week. We have
again to notice the like reduction, the exports for
the past week having been only 9,100 tons, against
the usual average of 16,000, chewing a falling off
of about 6,900 tons, which would have been even
more, but for the shipments to France, amounting
to something near 2,000 tons, which, it must be
borne in mind, was bought before the present high
price, but was kept back until the issue of the im-
perial decree : so that when the French purchases
are cleared from the port, we shall probably have
a falling off in the exports of from 8,000 to 10,000
tons per week, as the present price puts a veto
upon all exports. As the late advance has taken
place in consequence of large speculation, in
anticipation of heavy exports to France, we
will take a view of the French Pig Iron
trade, which may probably be of some little
interest to speculators, especially as many
of them may think that the Frenchman never saw
a ton of Pig Iron, excepting from England. We
copy from the Siecle as follows :—" In 1845, it
required 2,047 hydraulic machines, and 207 steam
engines, representing a total of 26,504 horse power.
Five years before there were only 109 machines.
In 1845, there were 425 iron mines open in France,
which produced annually 2,640,000 tons of rough
ore, and 1,250,000 tons of unwashed and sifted ore.
This mass of raw material delivered to the foun-
dries, which then possessed 608 blast-furnaces,
gives a production of 439,000 tons of pig iron, by
means of which 342,000 tons of large iron was
manufactured. This annual production has much
increased since the previous 20 years ; in 1825, the
quantity of pig iron produced was only 190,000
tons ; and in 1835 it had risen to 295,000 tons."
Thus we see that the French make pigs of their
own, and that from 1825 to 1845 the production
had increased from 190,000 tons to 439,000 tons ;
and there is little doubt but that the present pro-
duction is very much in excess of this quantity,
and that the reduction in the duty on coals will
very materially assist the increase. The following
imports of France for 1851 are from the same paper
(Sleek), viz.: " 17,939,767 kilog,rammes of rough
ore, 38,785,081 kils. of pig iron, 4,569,615 kils. of
wrought iron in bars, 1,843,704 kils. of wrought
iron of other kinds, and 870,274 kils. of rails."
These figures look exceedingly large when ex-
pressed in kilogrammes, but we will reduce them
to English tons, and show also the countries
whence they were imported :

Rough Ore.

lwrouglit;
iron ink
bars. )

wrought
iron of
other
kinds.

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