THE GRAIN MARKET.
The anxiety and uncertainty as to the Eastern question exercised their natural effect upon business at Mark Lane yesterday ; which was un- usually dull. The warlike news in the early part of the week had caused a speculative advance of 2s. or 3s. a quarter on wheat; but there was no disposition then to purchase at the advanced price, and the same cautious feeling prevailed yesterday. As regards future operations, few persons were ready to speculate at a time when the first telegraphic message may overturn all their calculations. The Board of Trade returns just issued show that the trade has been importing heavily as compared with the
same month last year.
sorra Kamm inaneraraza 30,
1852. 1853.
'Wheat, qtarters 351,440 ...... 546,925
Oats, , 130,715
166,231 Indian Corn, 104,512 173,565
Of flour, our imports have fallen short of those of last year to the extent of nearly 100,000 hundredweight. This is owing to the failure of the harvest in France ; from which country we drew large supplies in 1851 and 1852. Along with the usual returns, the Board of Trade has given a statement of the quantities of grain and flour imported from each emmtoy last year ; from which it appears, that out of 6,641,729 quarters of al kinds of grain from all parts of the world, 1,361,659, or about one-fifth part of the whole' was from Russia. This shows how much Mark Lane would be affected by a declaration of war with Russia, and sufficiently accounts for the dull state of business. The Messrs. Sturge, in their cir- cular of the 6th instant, seem, however, to attribute the pause which has taken place this week to other causes. Taking all things into account, they do not think it doubtful whether present prices will be maintained permanently ; as they have great faith in our being able to obtain sufficient supplies unless shipping should fail ; and on that point also they speak hopefully, as the reaction in the Australian trade is likely to render shipping more abundant The rise in the average price of wheat within the last six weeks is now altogether about I Is. • the average for last week being 59s. 5d. per quarter—for the week ending August 27 it was 48s. 6d.
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