The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-02-01 00:00:00

DESCRIPTION

Sea Island
Stained

Boweds
Mobile.

New Orleans.
Pernams, &c.
Aracati, &c..
Bahia, &c.
Maranham

Sawginned.
Demerara, &c
Egyptian....
Barbadoea
Peruvian
Laguayra....
Com.W.l.&c.
Cartnagena..
Smyrna ....
Manilla

Madras

Bengal

WooL.—There still continues to be a very active
demand for all descriptions of wool, but the small-
ness of the stock has precluded anything like large
operations during the past week, the imports from
all quarters have been very limited, and are taken
off on arrival at very satisfactory prices. For Eng-
lish and Irish fleece Wool the demand continues
brisk, and as the quantities offering are small hold-
ers are asking more money. The following are the
late rate :—Down Tegs, 181 d. ; Ditto Ewes and
Wethesr, 16id. to 161 d; Irish Hogs, 15,d. to 151 d.;
Ditto Wethers, 140. to 14:1d. per lb.
IRON.—In the value of Scotch pigs there is little
change to notice, the price being nominally 60s. per
ton. We have little to say on this subject this
week, further than the outsiders seem to have come
to a correct notion as to the folly and dangerous
position of the late speculation in this article; and
we shall now most probably see the market settle
gradually down, under 50s. per ton.
TIMBER.—The annual circulars of the Liverpool
timber brokers have just been published, and they
bear testimony, generally, to the prosperity of this
branch of trade during the past year. We have
barely space to quote from each of them to the ex-
tent which they deserve, but the following extracts
will show the opinions of those most competent to
judge of this important article of commerce.
Messrs. A. F. and D. MACKAY state that—

" The business done in sawn wood exceeds all previous
years on record, and profitable alike to the importer and
dealer. At the commencement of the import season stocks
were extremely light and prices moderate; but later on,
and as freights advanced from 30 per cent. to 40 per cent.
in consequence of the increased tonnage required for the
Australian trade, prices rose, and have still continued to
do 30. The import of deals has very much increased on

the average of other descriptions of wood ; this is owing
to various causes, but principally to the fact that logs,
out of which they are manufactured, are easily procurable
by all classes in the colonies, and preferred as cargo by
American ships to square timber. In fact, Liverpool
being the principal loading port outwards for ships from
the United States, they will submit to a reduction in
freight, in consequence of which deals are carried by them
in such quantities, and_so cheaply, as to force the Baltic

shippers to resort'to the Hull'atid London markets; this
will account for the great deficiency in the imports of all
kinds of wood from the north of Europe this year. Not-
withstanding the enormous quantity of deals brought
hither, the consumption has fully kept pace with the sup-
ply, and the stocks at present on hand, though larger than
usual, will barely meet the extended demand until the
import season recommences. St. John pine has this year
been imported sparingly, its cost at the port of shipment
being unusually high, and the stock at present, on both
sides of the Atlantic, is but limited. The rates now paid
for this article exceed all previous quotations, i❑ which
Canadian timber, to a certain extent, participates." -
Messrs. CHALONER and FLEMING allude to the
difficulties sustained by the trade of this port, owing
to the excessive rate for inland carriage, amounting
to 7s. 6d. per ton for 33 miles, whereas on other
railways timber is carried at 10s. per ton for 100
miles. They, however, add—

"This year we have had relief from pressure, in some
degree, through the facilities afforded by the new Hus-
kisson Timber Dock, which has yielded partial accommo-
dation, although not of that extensive character that had
been expected."

With reference to the state of trade, they give the
following report :
"The timber trade of this port in the past year is the
largest on record, employing a larger tonnage than on any
previous occasion, the tonnage of colonial and foreign
timber loaded vessels amounting to 272,771 tons against
268,960 tons in the preceding year, and exhibiting an in-
crease of 30,067 tons, as compared with the average of the
last seven years. The year under review also exhibits
some distinctive features, as compared with the previous
year; for while the import of fir timber, in the log, has
fallen off to the extent of about 320.000 feet, the import
of planks shows an excess of 1,216,000 cubic feet; and
yet a higher range of prices has been maintained on all
articles than has been known for many years."
Messrs. DUNCAN and EWING hold out a prospect
of greatly increased supplies from North Ame r ca

- - - •
owing to the quantity of pine timber remaining
over at Quebec, and recent rates at St. John's being
likely to stimulate a large yield in that quarter.
They, however, do not anticipate that freights
will rule lower than at the close of last year.
MeSSTS.EARNWORTH audJARDINE publish some
elaborate and interesting tables, containing some
valuable information as to the state of the trade for
the past year.
Mr. JAMES HOUGHTON' gives equally favourable
accounts of the Timber trade. He says :
With higher prices in the shipping ports in our North
American colonies, higher freights and correspondingly
higher prices here, the consumption of wood goods gene-
rally has greatly exceeded that of former years, and the
operations of both imparters and shipowners have, in most
cases, been attended with favourable results. As regards
stocks they are much higher than for many years past. In
the Baltic trade the early imports of Fir timber were on
the usual scale, but not proving remunerative, shipments
were suspended, and the ships obtained other employ-
ment. Afterwards, when a better prospect presented,
the scarcity of tonnage interposed, and thus the importa-
tion has been curtailed. The consumption has been
larger, and the stocks, on the whole, are remarkably light.
In woods from the West Indies, and other places, a larger
amount of business has been done in mahogany, pitch
pine, teak, and greenheart, though the consumption for
shipbuilding has been extremely limited, partly owing to
the extended use of iron for that purpose. Shipbuilding
woods, however, are likely to improve, and there is room
for considerable supplies, as the stocks are, in many
cases, nearly exhausted.

Messrs. HOLME, SLATER and CROOR, of Bir-
kenhead, concur in these favourable reports,- and
publish some interesting statistics- of last year's
transactions.