THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



157 



early, large purchases of tallow by some speculators in 

 Moscow (not connected with the trade) for delivery in 

 August, began to attract attention, and prices then rose 

 to 45 sil. ro. Many parties then were induced to sell 

 at these high rates, expecting that, when the barks 

 arrived, the operators for the rise would be compelled 

 to resell. In this, however, they were disappointed ; 

 for the party who first bes,an the operation induced 

 some men of standing to join him, and with their own 

 funds, and advances obtained on the goods, they suc- 

 ceeded in maintaining the price, and compelling those 

 who were oversold to settle at from 59 to G2 sil. ro., 

 leaving them 25,000 casks in stock at St. Petersburg. 

 They also from time to time sent orders to this market, 

 and'bought, it is estimated, from 1.5,000 to 17,000 

 casks here. This, with 16,000 casks conoigned by 

 them to three houses here, constitutes their interest on 

 this side. The effect of these speculations may be seen 

 at a glance, by the consumption durinjic the last six 

 months, it having fallen off at the rate of 30 per cent., 

 notwithstanding that the state of trade generally has 

 been in a most healthy state ; but the feeling against 

 these foreign speculations has been so great that con- 

 sumers have resorted to every available substitute, cur- 

 tailing their consumption as much as possible. This 

 has had the effect of increasing the stock by nearly 

 20,000 casks, and thus preventing the Moscow specu- 

 lators from having the entire control of the market. 



We believe they have bought 5,000 to 7,000 caaks for 

 delivery in the first three months of this year ; so that, 

 when this shall be delivered, there will be little first sort 

 out of their hands. 



The stock to-day is 44,454 casks ; and we expect that 

 the arrivals from the Black Sea and other places will 

 reach 12,000 casks in the first three months, which will 

 serve to supply the consumption. The new supply, in- 

 cluding the quantity left over at St. Petersburg, is esti- 

 mated at 120,000 to 125,000 casks. The price last 

 quoted was 50 sil. ro. The Moscow speculators having 

 already bought 8,000 casks, no doubt they will make 

 strenuous efforts to keep pri<;es up ; but it will be seen 

 from the above statements that they have large quanti- 

 ties to deal with. 



The only transactions reported in this market in 

 tallow, for the end of this year, were at 52s. Gd., this 

 being several shillings below the cost of import, the ex- 

 change being quoted at 35|d. The settlements last 

 week were not large, and prices declined, many holders 

 having waited, anticipating a considerable demand ; and, 

 therefore, there was no scarcity of ready tallow to com- 

 plete contracts. 57s. Gd, was the closing price for the 

 month, 57s. 3d. January to March. To-day the 

 market is quiet, at 578. Gd. on the spot. Odessa beef 

 56s. Gd., sheep 57s. Gd., Austrian beef 5Gs. 6d., town 

 tallow 56s. 9d. net cash 



London, Jan, 2. 



Colchester & Woolner. 



THE TRADE IN WOOD IN 185 9. 



LONDON, Jan. 4. — At the commencement of the new 

 year, it is very important to review the trade in Wood dur- 

 ing the year just closed, to trace the extent of the supply, to 

 estimate the consumption, aud to see how much stock has ac- 

 cumulated for use in this country while the ports of America 

 and of the North of Europe are closed. 



The Wood trade of the United Kingdom is computed from 

 the following tables of the Board of Trade — 



1858. 1859. 



Imported of colonial timber, 



deals, &c 1,095,771 1.300,000 



Foreign 1,131,485 1,360,000 



Total loads,, 2,227,256 2,660,000 



Consumption (apparent) colonial 



timber, deals, &c 1.095,771 1,300,000 



foreign 1,088,167 1,160,000 



Total loads 2,183,938 2,460,000 



Imported duty free, oaks, staves, 

 colonial and foreign, iu loads, . . 



105,236 



110,000 



A Comparative Table of the Wood Trade ia London fol- 

 lows : — 



Importation in London in 1858 and 1859, 



From Norway and Sweden 

 „ Kusaia and Finland 

 „ Germany 



Foreign 



British America 



Africa, United States, East 

 and West Indies 



Total 



1858. 

 Cargoes. Tons. 



527 = 167,000 

 225 = 65,000 

 359= 85,000 



1,111 =317.000 

 190 =-118,000 



57= 37,000 



1,358 = 472,000 



1859. 

 Cargoes. Tons. 



651 = 208,709 

 289= 77,282 

 402 = 110,966 



1,342 = 396,957 

 223 = 136,650 



59 = 34,536 



1,624 = 568,143 



Consumption in London iu 1858 and 1859 :— 



SAWN WOOD, HEWN WOOD, 



or Deals, Battens, Boards, & Ends, or Timber, square & round. 



1858 6,975,000 pieces 218.000 loads. 



1859 7,050,000 „ 245,000 „ 



The returns of the Board of Trade show that the wood 

 trade of the United Kingdom has recently exceeded two and 

 a-half millions of loads, about half this supply being drawn 

 from our Colonies in British America, and most of the re- 

 mainder from the North of Europe. From the tables of the 

 wood trade in London we arrive at more definite results : the 

 amount of tonnage shows that nearly one-fourth part of the 

 trade of the Kingdom centres iu Loudon : the importation in 

 1859 appears to have been 20 per cent, more than the average 

 of the four preceding years ; the consumption of sawn wood 

 has increased 5 per cent., and of hewn wood 25 per cent., as 

 will be shown on reviewing the state of trade during the last 

 twelve months in London. 



FOREIGN TRADE.— From Norway and Sweden we 

 have received more than half of the supply of foreign wood. 



Sweden. — From the opening to the close of the navigation 

 there has been a continuous importation from Sweden amount- 

 ing to the large total of 383 cargoes, equal to 120,651 mea- 

 surement tons, and containing 1,905,000 pieces of deals and 

 battens, together with 57,000 loads of fir timber. The relative 

 totals iu 1858 were 1,480,000 pieces deals and battens, and 

 34,000 loads fir timber; and in 1857 and 1856, the quantities 

 were less thau in 1859 by 20 per cent.; and we only remem- 

 ber one year of larger supply, which was 1855, when we took 

 20 per cent, more than last year from Sweden, to fill up in a 

 measure the void caused by the cessation of all supply from 

 Russia aud Finland. 



The value of wood in Sweden having increased in a greater 

 degree than it has beeu possible to sustain in the London 

 prices, the general importation has not been profitable. At 

 one time the reduced freight gave some promise of importing 

 with advantage, but this was neutralized by bringing into our 

 iaarket a larger supply, when there was a shorter demand, 

 during the building strike. 



The prices of Swedish deals and battenp have ranged from 

 £12 to £12 10s. standard for the good stocks and lavourite 

 marks of the best ports : middllDg assortments iOs. and 203, 



