The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-02-01 00:00:00

To India

China .
United States of America 10,640,215 41,519,244
Thus our shipments to India shew the immense falling
off of 65,455,838 yds. during the past year, and those to
China have declined 17,096,763 yds. ; in all, to these
two countries, 82,552,601 yds., or nearly one-seventh of
the total yearly exports of this article on the average of
the preceding four years. The United States, on the
other hand, has increased 30,879,029 yds., having nearly
quadrupled her average imports of plain calicoes.
As explanatory of the above state of things, our readers
may remember our stating recently that, owing to the
prosperity consequent upon the ability of her agricultu-
rists to supply out of their abundance of breadstuffs the
dearth of Europe, the manufactured cottons of America
would be retained for home consumption, and her export
trade carried on with British goods. This, it is clear,
must have been the case to a considerable extent. Pre-
suming, however, the whole of the increase of our ship-
ments of plain calicoes to America to have been absorbed
in her East India and China trade—a rather extravagant
supposition—we have still to be accounted for on other
grounds a falling off in the consumption of those markets,
taking the average of the years 1844, 1845, and 1846, of
50,000,000 yds. of plain calicoes alone.
Of the article of printed and dyed calicoes, Mr. Burn
skews us a more favourable result, the exports having
been 287,384,903 yds. in 1847, against 267,084,797 yds. in
1846. Last year's exports, however, were materially less
than those of 1845 or 1844, and barely exceeded those of
1843. The principal markets to which our exports of
this important manufacture have increased, are the Bra-
zils, Buenos Ayres, and Monte Video, 8,500,000 yds. ;
Coast of Africa, exclusive of the Cape, 2,700,000 yds. ;
Columbia, 3,900,000 yds. ; Turkey and the Levant,
11,000,000 yds.; and a slight increase to the Cape of
Good Hope, Egypt, Malta and the lonian Isles, and
Trieste and Austrian ports. To the United States in this
article, as in plain calicoes, we have a large increase last
year ; the exports having been 44,425,017 yds. against
13,556,509 yds. in 1846. We have a falling off, however,
to the British West Indies of 6,650,000 yds., and, as
compared with 1845, of 9,600,000 yds., the exports in
that year being nearly double those of 1847. British
North America has declined above 1,000,000 yds. ; Chili
and Peru, 2,000,000 yds. ; Foreign West Indies, 8,700,0C°
yds. ; Gibraltar, 1,300,000 yds. ; Hanse Towns, 2,000,000
yds.; Holland, about 800,000 yds.; India, 3,000,000 yds.;
China, nearly 1,000,000 yds. To Mexico the direct ex-
port has, like that of plain calicoes, been nearly destroyed,
being only 750,000 yds. this year against 6,290,600 yds.
in 1816. To Naples and Sicily the decrease is 1,500,000
yds. ; Portugal, Madeira, &c., 1,000,000 yds. ; Sardinia,
Tustany, &c., 5,000,000 yds.
In several of the less extensively used articles, although
important ones, as containing a large amount of labour,
we notice an increase in the year thus .

1846. 1847.
Cotton thread, 1b5.....
Damasks and diapers, yds. 9,505 20,312
Cambrics and muslins, yd. 4,459,769 5,010,117
Counterpanes and quilts, No. •• . • 113,C50 208,015
Cotton and linen mixed, yds 1,125,764 1,433,879
Ginghams, yds. 591,489 825,430
Cords, velveteens, velvets, &c., yds. 1,901,294 2,770,943
Shawls and handkerchiefs, d0z..... 545,823 725,263
Ticks, yds. 144,057 149,385
Unenumerated cottons, yds 54,161 95,486
There is, on the other hand, a slight decrease in the ex-
ports of hosiery and a few minor articles.
We shall have an opportunity of returning to the con-
sideration of some other facts, which are deducible from
Mr. Burn's most valuable work. In the meantime, we
cannot submit to lose this occasion to pay a well-earned
weed of praise to that gentleman for the great pains
devoted to the perfection of his " Glance," and to thank
him, in the name of the commercial public, for one of the
most correct and comprehensive statistical documents
ever published with respect to any subject connected
with trade and industry.

ORDINARIES.—The accommodation the public derive
from ordinaries is now extra ordinary. A. table d'hdte
once a day in Liverpool is common in all important com-
mercial houses ; but so universal is competition and en-
terprise, that no less than four ordinaries a day are' ad-
vertised at the Oriental Divan, for which, including
soups, joint, &c., the charge is only one shilling. Every-
body must give them a trial.
.GtrrTA I'lRCiiA, now getting into such general use for
the purpose of soling boots and shoes, is a variety of
caoutehouc, in some respects closely resembling it, in'
others widely. different. It was first imported in 1843,
from Singapore, and is the produce of a large forest tree,
indigenous to that and the surrounding countries. When
imported it is a dirty pinkish-coloured-opaque solid, hav-
ing little or no smell, insoluble in water, and tasteless ;
it feels smooth and greasy between the fingers, but can be
held with great firmness in the hand. At a temperature
below fifty degrees it is hard and tough, similar to horn ;
at from fife y to seventy degrees it is slightly elastic, but
;still retains its toughness. It has little power of con-
traction when once extended. At a temperature between
140 and 150 degrees it is soft and plastic. In this state
any number of pieces may be joined together, similar to
bees' wax, a slight pressure sufficing to form, a good joint.
As imported, it contains many impurities, to remove
.which it undergoes the process of " devilling,"•being torn
to pieces in hot water. In this way the impurities are •
got rid of, and a solid mass obtained. When softened in
hot water, or by the gentle application of heat, it can be
Moulded into any form ; as it cools it re-acquires its rigi-
dity. When warm it is easily cut ; but when cold opposes
great resistance to the knife or saw, and requires the tool
.to be wet to effect a division. Its specific gravity is 0.971,
water being 1000; hence it floats on the surface of that
fluid. In chemical composition it is identical with ciout-
'ehnuc ; its chief points of difference being of a physical
• nature. Water, alcohol, alkaline solutions, Amniotic and
acetic acids. excite no action on it. Strong Sulphuric acid
gradually charrs it, and nitric acid oxydises it. Ether,
'essential oils, and mineral naptha, form but imperfect
solutions, whilst rectified oil of turpentine is a perfect sot--
Vent, the solution being transparent.- - inc. principal- apt
plications of this subject have been as a substitute for lea-
ther, Which it resembles in properties and appearance.