152 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



cases the holders obtained rather higher rates, the trade asaum- 

 iag a firmer aspect. September brought less animated 

 markets, a quiet feeliug prevailed, and prices were barely 

 maintaiued. la October business continued on a limited 

 scale, prices receding further £1 to £2 per ton. November 

 opened with rather more inquiry, and the epimiers became 

 anxious uuder the indications of an early winter in Bussia. 

 The prices abroad began to fall, and the leading Scotch spin- 

 ners in particular took largely of the fresh flux brought down 

 to Riga. December commenced with quiet markets ; and 

 holders, even of the best kinds, which generally through the 

 year have been the most saleable, evince more disposition to 

 sell. The trade leaves off in a healthy state, the stocks are in 

 a limited compass, and we anticipate, with reduced prices and 

 the more favourable prospect of the settlement of political 

 difficulties on the continent, a good steady consumptive de- 

 mand during the coming season. 



HEMP. — The import of this article into our port from 

 Russia this year is much the same as last, viz., 4,023 tons, 

 against 4,159 tons last year. The anticipation at the close of 

 last year of increased consumption in consequence of the rela- 

 tively high price of flax, has not been realized, spinners having 

 given the preference to Italian hemp, of which consumption 

 has been very large. The extreme hardness and coarseness of 

 the hemp shipped at Kiga the past season has proved a barrier 

 to its use, even for usual purposes ; this combined with a good 

 supply of clean of fair quality has enabled the large ropers to 

 obtain their supplies at below import cost. The price of clean 

 at the opening of the year was £31 to £31 lOs. per ton, and 

 closes at £28, its present valne. Consumers are looking for a 

 low range of prices for the article during the coming season. 



OLIVE OIL. — The import this year has been 5,200 tons, 

 sgainst 4,400 tons in 1858, 3,410 in 1857, aud 4,920 in 1856- 

 The market ruled steady from £50 to £48 per tun, with very tri- 

 fling variation in price till Midsummer, reports then came to 

 hand of failing crops, prices gradually advanced, and when in 

 November those reports became confirmed, the price suddenly 

 jumped up £5 to £6 per tun, and £57 may now be quoted the 

 nearest value for Gallipoli ; and as the imports barely keep 

 pace with the consumption, there is every appearance of 

 prices being main tained. Prices would have advanced still 

 higher but for the fact of an unusually large supply of rape oil. 



CA-T^LE BONES.— The range of prices during the year 

 has b.een moderate; at the close of last year best quality 

 fetched £5 10s. to £5 123. 6d., and in consequence of small 

 imports the value went up to £6 — the highest during the 

 season — after which a gradual decline took place up to 

 the end of the year, which closes with best sorts at £5 5s., 

 aud South American £4 15s. The import of boues aud bone 

 ash, fortunately for the agriculturist, has been considerably in- 

 creased from South America, whilst supplies from the con- 

 tinent annually fall off, owing to the increasing use of them on 



their own soil. The import this year is 12,381 tons, inclusive 

 of bone aab, of which we have had 4,618 tons. Stocks of both 

 are moderate, and may be taken at about 3,000 tons. The im- 

 port of guauo has been email during the year, and prices 

 barely sustained. 



TAR. — The year began with small stocks, which, as the 

 season drew ou, became quite exhausted before fresh supplies 

 came to hand ; and these coming very sparingly forward, 

 there was a steady progressive increase in the price, 

 which, opening at ISs. on first sales in the latter part of June, 

 when the imports of Stockholm commenced, closed at IBs. 6d. 

 towards the end of the season for the last arrived shipments, 

 being an increase of 8s. 6d. per barrel upon the highest price 

 reached last year for this article. The total imports from all 

 parts, including about 2,650 barrels from Archangel, with 

 oddments from Hamburg and America, reach about 21,870 

 barrels, against 26,810 and 17,527 barrels in 1857 and 1858 

 respectively. There are only comparatively small stocks, and 

 these almost exclusively in second hands, held over on the spot, 

 a great portion of the imports having been disposed of at a 

 distance. 



COAL.~The exports are this year 143,883 tons, and in 

 1858, 128,873 tons, showing en increase in 1859 of 15,010 

 tons. In SALT there has been a slight decrease during the 

 year, considerable quantities of both these articles being 

 shipped from Grimsby, where the charges are lower. 



IRON. — The import this year exceeds the last by upwards 

 of 12,000 tons, being respectively 19,409 and 32,342 tons. 

 As with most of the imported raw materials, a large business 

 has been done at a small profit to both merchant and manu- 

 facturer ; and with considerable stocks on hand, but little 

 prospect is held out for further imports. Prices have not 

 undergone any material change during the year, which closes 

 with Russian K. B. at £17 aud Swedish at £12 per ton. 



SHIPPING. — More business has been doing during the 

 present year than in 1858, but the result has not been satis- 

 factory to the British shipowner. Quebec freights opened at 

 SOs. per load, and the lower American ports at 75s. to SOs. 

 per std., which rates were not exceeded except for a few ships 

 fixed late in the season. From the Baltic, &c„ the spring 

 freights were extremely low, but as the season advanced better 

 rates were obtained, particularly from the Gulf of Bothnia, 

 which trade has now become of very great importance here. 

 The value of tonnage has just experienced an advance, and 

 the prospect for the future is a little more hopeful ; but for 

 the permanent welfare of this important interest, it is held by 

 our shipowners to be absolutely necessary that inquiry be 

 immediately made into the causes of the present depressed 

 state of the shipping in this country, with a view to the 

 adoption of all necessary measures of relief. 



P. Bruce, 

 Secretary to the Hull Chamber of Commerce. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE LIVERPOOL WOOL TRADE. 



LIVERPOOL, December 31st, 1859.— It is our pleasing 

 task to be able to report favourably of the Wool Trade 

 generally throughout the past year. 



The great falling off in the exports of manufactures during 

 the panic, created, no doubt, a vacuum that required filling 

 up ; but when we find the increase to have been such as even 

 to exceed the hitherto largest shipments of 1857, we very 

 naturally ask whether any new markets have been opened 

 to lis, or is this solely to be attributed to a greater develop- 

 ment of existing channels arising from the fact that a more 

 extended commerce, as a matter of course, brings about a 

 larger demand for our productions in return ? We rather 

 incline to the latter view, and since a brisk export trade al- 

 ways materially contributes to the full and steady employ- 

 ment of our home population, who in their turn become not 

 only larger consumers of all the necessaries of life, 

 but even of the so-called luxuries, we may thus account for 

 the very large home demand for all kinds of woollen goods 

 that has prevailed during the year. 



With regard to the raw material, we alluded in our last an- 



nual circular to the unprecedented panic as having necessarily 

 limited the consumption, but that even uuder these circum- 

 stances stocks were found not much in excess of the demand, 

 aad we expressed the opinion that with the return of prosperity 

 prices would in the ordinary course of events not only be well 

 maintained, but even enhanced ; and this would, no doubt, 

 have been the case, had not political affairs on the Continent 

 taken such an uulooked for turn in the early part of the year, 

 inducing all to act with extreme caution, and deterring 

 foreigners to a certain extent from taking their usual 

 supplies from our markets : this continued up to 

 clip-time, when consumers being much lower in stock 

 than was anticipated, showed great anxiety to supply 

 themselves at the opening rates from growers, and, competing 

 very keenly, forced prices up in a few weeks to within a shade 

 of the highest point attained before the panic, and at these 

 rates a large portion of the clip was disposed of. Continental 

 affairs again becoming very unsettled, the trade was once more 

 induced to act with great caution, and though probably no 

 material decrease in the cousnmptiou took place, still all needy 



