The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-10 00:00:00

PRICES.

DESCRIPTION.

Sea Island
Stained ..
llon'eds ..

140,30
4 7
94-
41
3i
7i 61
"
61
61. 81
5-1 10
51 11
51 61
22 4fi

20 ....
5640 ....

Mobile.

Week
ending
Jan. 6.

} 43071
} 2330
I

ISTOC IC

New Orleans.
Pernams, &c.
Bahia, &c.
aranham
Demerara, &c
Egyptian
Com. %V.l.&c.
Surat
Madras

Bengal

570 ....
900 ....
S 0
2940 ....
3590' ....
130 ....

29890 23860801

} 6722,

lJan. 6

273650

24490
8750
16440
170
79360
3590
178420
3020

587900

WooL.—There is no change to note in this ar-
ticle ; the business of the week is very meagre, and
price almost nominal, buyers holding off for the
public sales, which are advertised for next week.
A considerable degree of interest will be manifest
in these sales, the unprecedented large quantity
advertised (11,000 bales) will no doubt draw a large
attendance of the trade. Imports for the week
1322 bales, chiefly from the west coast of America
and the Mediterranean. Irish is in good request
at advancing rates.
We quote the following general remarks on the
the year 1853 from the Annual Circular of Messrs.
T. and H. LITTLEDALE & Co.:—
" The year just ended, though exhibiting some striking
features not before witnessed, has been a disappointing one
to many, and has far from borne out the flattering pros-
pects entertained of it at the opening ; but as stated in
our 4th Feb. Circular, ' We think this disappointment must
be attributed in a great measure to the too sanguine views
formed of our position. At the beginning of no former
year do we recollect such glowing anticipations circulated
as with one voice by the annual trade circulars and the
public press, as was the case this year—the prospective
effect of the Gold discoveries on the price of all articles,
and especially as being a guarantee for the continued
abundance of Money, formed the subject of universal re-
mark, whilst the effects already taking place—the advance
in Produce, and the still greater one in Shares and Public
Securities—the stimulus given to operations and new
schemes of various kinds, and the consequent great in-
crease in the demand for money—seem quite to be over-
looked.' Such were our views at the beginning of the
year, of the error committed by the bulk of parties engaged
in business,—the losing sight of the great advance in
prices which took place in 52 in nearly every article,
thereby rendering a further advance to any extent in '53
exceedingly doubtful, and the increased demand for Money
which must of necessity arise from the great expansion of
trade in every direction. And such, we think, have been
borne out by the course of business through the year—our
Produce markets have on the whole been unusually quiet,
and with some few exceptional cases (Rice, Tea, &c.) prices
have shown but small variations, whilst last year the ad-
vance was almost universal—at the same time, the active
demand for consumption has been such as to keep prices
steady in the face of the great drawbacks, dear money and
food strikes in the manufacuring districts, and threatened
war. This latter fact is one of the most remarkable fea-
tures of the year, and shows the sound position of the im-
port trade—but yet 1853 has not been the generally pros-
perous year to those engaged in commerce, which the pub-
lic give credit for, and as far from "the most satisfactory
one in history" in the item of profits : no doubt large
profits have been made, but subject to heavy drawbacks.
The export trade has been the largest on record, but per-
haps so far as textile fabrics of Cotton and Wool are con-
cerned., with the least profitable results to all the leading
markets except America :—of Imports, the principal one
Cotton, has left a loss, and Sugar has not done much
better;—Tea and Silk have given good results, but the
disastrous position of the bulk of exports to China will
prove a severe set off. The Calcutta and Bombay trades,
taking imports and exports together, have been anything
but lucrative, and the same may be said of the West
Indies and Brazils ; indeed it is questionable whether these
four leading trades, on the whole, have done any good, ex-
cept to commission houses. The trades of the year are no
doubt Timber and Corn, on both of which splendid profits
have been realised by importers, dealers, speculators and
carriers. Shipowners are considered to have had a golden
harvest throughout the year ; but here again the impres-
sion far exceeds the reality—true, many instances may be
quoted of enormous freights being obtained, and some par-
ties have no doubt realised large sums—particular ships in
the Australian trade, and more generally, small class ves-
sels in Grain and Coal freights for short voyages : but the
sets off—the great advance in provisions, stores, seamen's
wages, cost of repairs, carpenters' wages, &c., the almost
unparalleled number of casualties and the detentions that
have occurred, and in the case of steamers the enhanced
cost of coals—will very greatly reduce the aggregate re-
sults, and the difficulty of again getting down these
charges renders the position of the shipowner more pre-
carious :—of course the advance in the value of shipping is
very great. Manufacturers of almost every class have had
an active and excellent trade—lron perhaps the most so—
but here again the advance in wages and difficulties with
the workmen in every branch have been great drawbacks
—like the deficient yield of grain to the agriculturalist—
to the apparent large profits. On the debit side of the
picture must not be omitted the changed position of
shares and other public securities —the number of abortive
mining schemes, and the heavy losses sustained by some
operators on the Stock Exchange. On six of our leading
Railways alone the difference in value between the Ist
January 1853 and 1854 amounts to eleven millions ster-
ling, and on 20 Gold-mining schemes to £3,soo,ooo—the
average depreciation is about 17i per cent. on a share
capital of above 200 millions.*
IRON.—There has been very little doing in Pig
Iron since the commencement of the present
month, and the exports from the Clyde having
been light, the price receeded to 775., but during
the last two days a firmer feeling has been evinced,
—two furnaces having been put out of blast from
scarcity of coal and ironstone—and we close this
evening at 78s. All descriptions of Manufactured
Iron are in good request, excepting Rails, in which
there is nothing doing at present. Tin Plates are
dull, and rather easier.