The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COTTON MARKET.

On galtirday- the Cotton Brokers' Association pub-
lished theft. annual statement of the import, export,
sales, and stock of cotton for the year 1813, and from
the copy before us we are enabled to furnish some
statistics relative to the present condition and future
prospects of the trade in this important staple in
the manufactures of the country. The stock in Great
Britain was declared to amount to 784,732 bales against
561,434 at the corresponding period of 1842, showing an
increase in stock of 223,298 bales. The average weekly
consumption has shown an increase of upwards of 3,000
bales as compared with last year. The total import of
cotton into Liverpool, London, and Glasgow, during the
past year, has been 1,723,611 bales against 1,375,102 in
1842, showing an increase in the past year, as compared
with the former, of 348,539 bales. The import into
Liverpool was 1,556,541 bales ; into London, 61,247!
and into Glasgow, 105,853. The sales in Liverpool have
been 1,768.270, which considerably exceeds the import
for the year. The import of New Orleans cotton (always
forming the largest portion) was 832,241 bales, that of
1842 being but 608,243. In East India cotton the import
had been much about the same in both years. With
regard to the trade, the unexpected largeness of the crop
and the great imports startled both buyers and sellers in
the spring, but the settlement of affairs in China gave an
impetus to speculation, and matters were retrieved. In
October no fewer than 91,000 bales were in consequence
sold, and though some reaction followed, arid less busi-
ness was done, speculators held stocks purchased at so
low a price as in most instances to insure them conside-
rable profit. In the last week the wish to realise passed
away, and great activity, with further advance, prevailed.
From all the circumstances the circular reasons that the
present year will be a prosperous one for the trade. We
have not room to enter into minutiae, and conclude by
quoting the following passage from the closing paragraph
of the circular :

" The stocks of goods and yarns on hand are known to
be light; the stock of cotton is sufficiently large to pre-
vent several of the evils of a very short crop, even should
that contingency occur; peace seems unlikely to be dis-
turbed with the leading nations of the world ; British
capital and energy were never more powerful. (the specie
in the Bank by the last return being £12,996,000, or an
increase of £2,485,000 on last year,) and the very com-
petition in manufactures with other countries, which is
complained of and deplored by many, will operate as an
incentive to renewed exertions and increased efforts.
The influence upon the industry of the country by the
opening of the China markets must soon be more and
more displayed, so that, if hostile tariffs close up some
channels, this will be compensated for by the discovery of
others that are new and by the more ample development
of such as are old. It is manifest that, in such a com-
plicated state of society as that in which we live, disorder
and derangement arise when least expected ; but there is
great security, so far as our commerce is concerned, in the
moderate prices which now prevail, and which it is to be
hoped may continue."

MR. OASTLER AND THE MERCURY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
The Queen's Prison,
Dec. 30th, 1843.
SIR, —A friend of mine has this day put into my hanag,
the following " slip," which he told me he had cut out el,
the Liverpool Mercury ; he did not tell me the date 0
the paper ; but I suppose you will know :
" MR. OASTLER AND THE STANDARD.'—In the
Mercury of the Bth instant we gave sundry extracts from
the violent and seditious speeches of Mr. Richard Oast-
ler, for the purpose of showing what sort of a pet a cer-
tain section of the tories, of whom the Standard is the
organ here, had taken in hand. In. reference to these ex-
tracts, and our comments- upon them, the Standard of
the following Tuesday said, We are compelled to post-
pone a few remarks in reply to the slanders upon the cha•
racter of Mr. Oastler, contained in the last publication of
the Liverpool Mercury.' Adverting to this promise, We
suggested that the Standard would obtain some interest•
big information relative to Mr. Oastler by applying W
Messrs. Rawson, ('ousin, and Clavton,_the lessees of two
coal mines belonging to Mr. Thorniiill. In the Standard
of the following Tuesday the postponed remarks did not
appear, but there was an announcement that the editor had
written to inquire into some particulars, to which he re..)
ferred. The editor contents himself with a general re-i
ference to the meeting in aid of ' the persecuted patriot,'l
as he dubs Oastler. We think it would-have been more
to the purpose if our contemporary had given his post-
poned remarks' or the ' facts' which he was to obtain
from Messrs. Rawson and Co. Will he forgive us for
asking whether he has indeed written to those gentlemen,
and if so, whether their answer was calculated in any iv's,'
to diminish his appreciation of the persecuted martyr's
merits?'

It is not my intention to make many remarks on the
" violent and seditious speeches' which it would seem the
Editor of the Liverpool Mercury has imputed to me.
It is enough for me to know, that I have never made
a speech that has been reported, or published a letter, or
a pamphlet, without forwarding a copy to the Crown, and
also to the prime minister, for the time being. If any of
my speeches had been "violent and seditious," its is scar
-
eel)? credible that the Whig Government would not have
prosecuted me ; it is well known, that, for some years my
speeches were specially reported by a gentlemart, sent by the
WFrig Government, for that express purpose. I have no
doubt that the " violence and sedition" alluded to by the
Liverpool Mercury, were evpressions never uttered by
me, but reported for party purposes, in the cokimn of
those rapers which were opposed to my views.
I should not have troubled you with this letter bad not
allusion been made in the above 'slip' to Messrs. Raw-
son, Cousin', and Clayton, the lessees of certain coat
mines belonging to Mr. Thornhill'—with an insinuation
that there is something discreditable to me, in connexion
with them.

Those respectable gentlemen will most likely be unable"-
to guess what that insinuation means. It so happens,
however, that I have been informed, in the course of the;
last two years, by three different parties, that Mr. Thorn-,
hill has said, " When Oastler let that colliery to Messrs.
Rawson and Co., he reserved to himself a payment of
£3OO a-year from that firm, and he has been in the re-
ceipt of that annual payment ever since."
I therefore suppose that the Liverpool Mercury, hav-
ing heard of that report, alludes to it in the above para-
graph.

- That Mr. Thornhill believes what he asserts, I have no
doubt; because I know hinr to be incapable of uttering
what be believes to be untrue.

It is one among many slaaders against me, by which
he has been deluded. I never thought it worth while to
contradict that statement, except to those who named it
to me.

I was cast off by the world. andsatisfied myself that the
time would arrive, either before or after my death, when
Mr. Thornhill would discover that he had been deceived
by slanderers,

-I
have heartily forgiven them, and often have X prayed
that God would pardon them.

It is only necessary that I should inform you that there
is no truth whatever in the statement. I reserved' no-
thing—l received nothing from that transaction. P wag
pot to some expense, some trouble, in. that negnciation•;
but I was abundantly repaid by having saved a deserving
widow from ruin. I will not trouble you (unless you
wisdi it) with a detailed account of that affair. It reflects.
the• highest honour on Mr. Thornhill. It can only be
creditable to me,. because I had the honour of working
out his own wishes with respect to the widow alluded to.
In fact, there is no transaction of my life that think
of with more pleasurethan the settlement of that lease.-
Had Mr. Thornhill been an unjust mao, the widow would,
have been ruined.

If you wish, I repeat,, you shall have all the particulars:-
I left Fixby Hall in September. 1838. Since then, I
have never, dirtctly or indirectly, had any communication
with Messrs. Rawson, Cousins, and Clayton.
I hope I have given no offence to any individual in this
letter. ft seemed to me, when I read the above '•
that it was only just to yourself that I should make this
statement.

I remain, sir, most respectfully,
Your grateful servant,
RICHARD OASTLER.

ANSWER TO THE ENIGMA
Which avueared in the last Number of they*NDARD.

The first undoubtedly is 0,
The second is a range ;
Now if the whole we do not know,
It will be passing strange.
28th December, 1843.

G. Gg G.

THE CHASE.—The Cheshire Foxhounds meet to-mor-
row (Wednesday), at Tabley ;: on Thursday, at Tarvin ;
and on Saturday, at Kinderton Guide-post ;—each morn-
ing at half-past ten o'clock.

TIDE TABLE.
DAYS. MAN. EVN. HEIGHT HOLYDAYS, ETC.
-----
Tuesday 2 854 JlB 12: 3.
Wednes. 3 942 1 3 13 4
Thurs... 10 24 10 44 14, 4 Saturn sets 4hsoin ems,
Friday.. 5 11 2 11 20 IS & Jupiter sets jh 49M er.
Saturday 6 11 39 11 57 16 5 Epiphany.
Sunday 7 - 015 17 3 Ist Sunday after Ep'ph.
Monday 8 033 052 8. 6 Lucian.

HULL CORN MARKET, DECEMBER 26.
There has not been much business done in any branch of the
trade during the past week, but the firmer feeling has been ma•
nifested towards free Wheat, and some improvement, is confi-
denty looked for early in the new year. To•r ay•s market par-
took so completely of a holyday character, that we ,have no
alteration tchnote in the value of ,any article.

WAKEFIELD CORN-MARKET, Due. 29.
There is not an extensive business passing in Wheat to-day.
but great Er.rriness is shown by the holders, and fully as good
prices as on this day week art obtained. Fine Bar ey is not
plentiful, and-for such samples we note a •ittle improvement,
but no material altetation in other sorts. Oats and Shehings
are slow of. sale. Beans remain much the same as last noted.