Yue commercial advices in the papers received by the American mail are, us a Now York paper says, of a nature to convince the most sceptical that there haw been radical improvement in general trade, The improvement seems tv have gone on, rix the telegraphic news of the enatern produce and other markets ihe San Francisco newspapers of eight to ten days Inter dates testify. An we understand that private telegrams, received here within the Inst few days, make reference on healthier and hotter condition in the Home and the Indian markets, Everyone will hope that t will be maintained, and that A more prosperous bayiness period, so long waited for og to have become almost despaired of, lis commenced, Bradstreet's, in referring to the changed napects of the American markets, rotnarks Uint there wre elements missing om the improvement which attract morethangeneralattention, "Gaaged by price, it inn striking fact that iron, steel, cotton goods, wool and woollen goods, oonl, tin, lend, und copper have sustained substantial advances, most of which Appear based upon the hed-rock of a widened demand," Wheat and all that is included as breadstuffa continue at low prices, wheat being at the begin. ning of Inst month 12 per cent, corn more than 4 per cent. onts over 20 per cent, and sugar 13 per cent., lower this year, Lhe railway earnings and the clearances at the Banke are considered to support the view that the aggregate of trndo hins boon increas. ing, wud the came journal sums up the position with farther remarks, from which we tuke these extracts "Bron with respect to the products of which prices have declined there are favourable aspects, Lhe exports of when from the United States for eight months from Jnnuary Ist aggregate 54,827,000 bushels, aguinst 38,777,000 bushels in 1885, the value thereof being $46,893,000 as compared with $34,214,000. The exports of raw cotton from January Int to August 31st amounted to 1,087,030,000 pounds, valued at $106,487,000 as compared with 760,092,000 pounds, valued at $82,188,000 in a like portion of 1885. There have been 144,486,000 yards of cotton cloth exported this yenr to August lst, against 121,982,000 yards in 1885, the increased value of which is nearly $1,200,000. Railway extensions are increasing, amounting already to 3,788 miles, againat 1,743 miles in nine mouths of 1885. There is no question as to the greatly inoreused ounfidence on the part of the general public to te favourable trade outlook, and the press of the country are certainly leaving no stone untamed to encourage a more active demand, in the fall belief that a season of mensurable prosperity confronts us. The conditions affecting the business situation a3 pointed out above certainly lend some encouragement to this view."
Confidence in the future was gene-felt and especially in the iron trade.
was $1 a ton higher in all rections, the southern and western producers lind sold heavily whend a demand for three to four thousand tong for early delivery would pat up No 1 another Slaton, The i dustrial situation was disturbed on rather a large sole, by a strike and lockout of operatives ut Philadelphin, of will-hands on the Hudson river valley and of the pork packing employes ut Chicnge, to which oar San Francisco Correspondent referred in hia former letter, The inerense of cotton spi in the Southern States is shown article in the New Orleans Picayune, which journal also saya that the idence is that the country ix ente Zon A new tide of prosperity, and that the period of depression which existed from about 1879 to 1885 is drawing to a close, The i: crensed consumption ut inw cotton by both northern and southern wills which marked 1885 is also, it says, emplinsiz. ing 1886, Every mill in' the South is working full time, it believes, and every spindle goi hut refers to the mills with new machines, for some 20 filled with old machinery are idle, "and should be reckoned as old jank not regarded us evidence vf idle-on any account." Tables are given which show the number of mills in each of the Sout States. In 1886 there are 235 mills against 164 in 1880; the number of spindles being 1,130,249 and of looms 2,673 against 561,360 spindles and 12,339 looms in the two periods, and the consumption of raw cotton this year is 381,066 yom. pared with 188,748 bales, Lhe Picayune remarks that so long as the United States imports thirty millions worth of cotton goods sently, it possible say that the limit of product the South has been reached; and we note further instances of activity in extending manufactures in that part of the States, especially in iron industries, The export trade to the United States exercises the greatest influence on all European markets and especially on those in England, and we may th fore attribute to the improvement which had taken place in America the rise in the price ut metals at home in middle of last mouth, At the same time telegrams from Phil that the greatest hi was being done in iron, and at o further advance on crude of half a dollar to one dollar per ton, It seems proba. ble that only the outbreak of war will check the long desired improvement im the world's trade generally, REVIEW, The Chineas Recorder for November.
Tuexe is nothing of startling interest the November number of the Chinese Kecorder, though there is one article, that by De. Graves, which deserves the careful p-rural and consideration of all who take interest in the Christianizition of There is little that is new in Dr. article on the Future un towards Christianity, The brief history of the introduction of Christianity into China which it includes, is not without usefulness, and iv is int esting to see that the writer mentions, that excuse which the literati have for thei ipt of Christianity, is their convietion that it is mainly borrowed from, and therefore inferior to, Buddhiem, cidentally, Dr, Edkins' pays a weighty tribute to the value of cient 40 Were under n gi advantage because their scien lu dye was not much better than that of d they came to tench taught that there were four elements, not effectually contradict the who said that there were five.
nary is now better armed astrology, of yoomancy, now be more easily show a sas formerly possible, be with less difficulty' po their traditional belie Lillery of an entirely wow and more efficient kind, Mr. Giles contri' ules a short account of "The Pleasance of O-Fang," built by the famous First Emperor in the thied century Tu-mu the poet, who flourished in ninth century of our era, invented it, it is a sort of Arabian Nights descrip: tion, with " moral, Lhe pride of the well monarch was increasing day by day. Than came " voice from the frontier, The enemy entered within the gates. A man of Olitu, and a candle; und all wae reduced to ashes." he moral being, that if the i ruled, and lo their rule would be porpetual, of the short article, by the Rev. C, F, Kupfer, on Edueati China, which follows, sven jeasnry to torch Knglish and Science in ary Schools as religion. The writer evidently of the school ut the Ruconcily—who have had " rather hard time ince "Essays and Reviews" was ed—wlien he infers that it with the science of geology aguinst its rationnlistic assailants that it may prove the Mosaic Cosmogony true." The most fruitful article in the number comes next De. Graves' conclusion of his conces of Thirty Yuars' Mi We noticed last month the writer's very pleasant and uneyotistic style: we notice specially this month his keen appre of the general kindliness and good he lower classes in China, He tell tales of persecution, of the insubordination and roughness of the people of Kwangtung, of the opposition to proselytism, of the sufferings and the backsliding of the converts, But it is no small thing that he is able to say that, years, "none of the Canton have lost their lives or been seriously ed frou attacks by pirates or rubbers, mobs except Mr. McChesney of th Presbyterian Missi His own account of an attack made upon himself by river pirates would by amusing, but for its tragical ending. The pirates came slur side and pointed their cannon at him—it
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.