The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

THE COTTON SPECULATIONS.

Another week of furious speculation has brought on a
slight reaction in the temper of our market. Above a
hundred thousand bales changed hands up to the close of
Friday's business—or close upon four weeks' consump-
tion ;—and the bulk of this at increased rates. The con-
sumers in the manufacturing districts, meanwhile, seem
completely paralyzed ; and the sale of manufactured
fabrics is suspended until the agitation existing in the
market for the raw material so far subsides that it can be
ascertained what prices will be remunerative. How long
it may be until this can be accomplished it is difficult to
predict. Most sadly, however, we fear that the operative
portion of our population, and, perhaps, not a few of their
employers, have a poor prospect before them for a few
months to come.

We have, like most other people, no opportunity of
ascertaining the precise amount of groundwork for the
advance in the price of cotton which has thus far taken
place. It appears to us, however, that, even in the event
of the crop being so deficient as it is stated to be in some
accounts, there are many counterbalancing considerations
which ought to have repressed the present speculative
movement. It is very clear that our home consumption
of the manufactured fabrics must be limited by the neces-
sities of our population. The consumption of Ireland
must inevitably be reduced to one-half or a third of its
usual amount. Numerous continental markets will be
injured by the advance in the price of food rendering con-
sumers incapable of buying their usual stocks of manu-
factures. Besides, it is well known that our trade of
last year to foreign markets was somewhat excessive.
We had increased our productive power more rapidly than
we found buyers of our products. We over-supplied some
of our largest markets. We have other important markets
closed against ns, by internal discussions or foreign ag-
gression. There is every prospect therefore that we shall
not require our usual supply ; and there is also the possi.
bility—no very remote one—that our present rates will
bring forward far greater stocks, consisting of the accu-
mulations of past years, than we have calculated upon.
We give here our circular containing the business of
Saturday and yesterday, and refer our readers to a para-
graph elsewhere, by which it will be seen that the spin.
nera at Mossley, near Ashton-under-Lyne, have reduced
their hours of working to 46 hours per week, and to
close them entirely during Christmas, or from the 24th
instant to the 4th of January.

COTTON MARKET, SATURDAY.
The cotton market is going down an inclined plane, and, as
is always the case in a breeze, some get very sanguine; but turn
the scale, and these very men will cut and run like a parcel of
rabbits. The sales were reported at 3,000 bales, and late in the
day, 3,000 more were done on speculation, at very uneven
prices.

COTTON M kRICET, MONDAY.
On Saturday, we reported a change of tone about our mar-
ket. Some of our large buyers are showing the white feather,
and getting out at a small sacrifice. This applies to men who
merely went in for their farthing a pound. Those who based
their operations on the deficiency of supply on an already de-
creased stock, are more steady, and do not show their stocks.
Buyers to-day have made purchases id. and even id. below the
highest point of Tuesday last. The sales reach only 3,00 e
bales—half to speculators ; and the market closes very irre-
gularly-.

WONDERFUL DESPATCH.—As a proof of the extraor.
dinary despatch which vessels can have by discharging into
the transit sheds, Prince's Dock, we have to record the
following :—The packet ship Nicholas Biddle, from New
York, arrived at this port on Thursday, the 17th instant.
She commenced her discharge next morning, and in four-
teen hours' working time the following goods were landed
and stored, and about half of them passed the Customs'
scale :-1778 barrels flour and meal; 261 barrels beef and
and pork ; 211 barrels apples ; 42 casks rice ; 559 barrels
turpentine and rosin ; 529 bales cotton ; 113 hales leather ;
8 bales wool ; 17 cases merchandise, and 7500 bushels
wheat. The ship commenced loading again for New
York yesterday.

LADIES' CHARITY BALL.—From the circumstance of
there being no Ball he Id for the benefit of this Charity
last year, we understand that its funds have been greatly
reduced, at a period too, when, from the exigencies and
severity of the season, and the dearness of provisions,
many poor women in sickness have been to apply to its
funds for relief, who in other years have never burthened
them. It is anticipated, however, that the ball of the
present year will be one of the most brilliant which the
society has ever held ; the splendour of the newly-furnished
and decorated apartments in• the Town Hall being, along
with the fact of this being one of the oldest charities of
Liverpool, an attractive feature. We understand that the
Rev. the Senior Rector of Liverpool has given his coun-
tenance to the Society on this occasion, in consideration
of its not being adequately supported by subscriptions,
which, however, are solicited from those of the public who
do not attend assemblies. The present we understand is
its fiftieth anniversary.

MRS. PARSE'S ART•UNION.—We do not scruple to
call the attention of our readers to the announcement of
Mrs. Parke's club subscription, for the disposal of the
magnificent, and, we may say, unequalled collection of
engravings and paintings, known even in the pages of his-
tory as the Bowyer collection. A more splendid display
was never before the public, and the few specimens now
on view at No. 51, Bold-street, admirable as they are,
either as works of art or decorative pictures, but faintly
convey an idea of the whole. There can be little doubt
that the shares will soon be taken, as the subscription of
one guinea will entitle the holder of a share to a print or
picture averaging the value of £4, but ranging up to
£2BO. A London correspondent of a local contemporary
says :—the prizes embrace pictures of George 111., por-
traits of the Duke of Wellington, the trial of Lor Wil-
liam Russell, Lady Jane Grey accepting the crown of
England, Magna Charta, the Babington Conspiracy in
1586, &c. ; the famous works of R. Bowyer, Sir T. Law-
rence, W. Deals, C. R. Leslie, 8.A., J. Gadby, W.
Bromley Murray, &c. Taking the exhibition, merely in
a business point of view, namely,—in the benefit it con-
fers on certain branches of our industrial classes, it de-
serves well of the public.

CLARENCE TEMPERANCE TlALL.—WOMderStaild that
our talented townsman, Mr. W. Rowlandson, gives a
musical entertainment here on Saturday evening next,
and has kindly volunteered his services gratuitously.
THOMAS' NECTAR DRAUGHT.—This is a new and ex-
cellent winter beverage—very pleasing to the eye, and
still more so to the palate. It sparkles like champagne,
and is beautifully flavoured with the peach kernal.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
MONDAY, 21st DECHMBER.—Wind W.N.W,

ARRIVED —Lydia, Cama-
roons—James Dunlop, from Honduras—Alexander, Apsey,
from Jamaica—Grieco, Drew, from New Orleans—Scotland,
Mills. Savannah—Huguenot, Graves, New York—Wm, Penn.
Coghlan, and Agenoria, St. John, N.B.—Chieftain,
WEwing, Miramichi—Matilda, Bride, St. Malo—Johanna,
—,
Danzic—Naleria, Wright, Hamburg—Concelcao de Maria, from
Oporto.

Washington, Wilkie, from Quebec at this port. On the 26th
Nov., off St. Peter's, experienced a heavy gale of wind from the
southward.

Antelope, (steamer,) O'Brien, from Rio Janeiro at this port;
sailed 2d Nov ; from Bahia lath, and Pernambuco 19th.

Coeur de Lion, from Montreal 'at this port. Left Quebec 23d
Nov., and experienced moderate and open weather down the
river and gulf. On 25th Nov. saw two ships on shore at Matati,
with topsails double reefed and set; and a barque on shone
three miles below the ships.
Old England, from China for Cork, off Cape Good Hope, out
120 days.

Benjamin Boyd, Clark, and Challenger, Pearman, hence at
Camaroons.

Tom and Jessie, from the Ciyde for Tampico, off Waterford
7th Dec.

Georgiana, Symers. from Honduras for this port at Cove.
CovE, 19th Dec.—The Tuscany, of New York, for Hull, sprung
a leak 29 days out, and had boats stove, &c.
WEXFORD, i9th Dec.—The Macao. Scott, from New York to
Belfast, ran on shore, last night, at Kilmore, on rough ground,
and is making much water. Greater part of her cargo expected
to be saved.