The wines chiefly imported into England in casks are Port, Sherry, Madeira, Malaga, Marsala, and Teneriffe; and those in cases Champagne, Claret, Burgundy, Hock, Moselle, and Hermitage. The proportions which each description of wine bears to our total home consumption, of all sorts, for the last three years, is shown by the last parliamentary return, No. 582, the 8th June, 1853:— During the past year, there has been a rise in prices in all the winegrowing countries, owing to the increased demand from all parts, and especially from Australia. The importations show a decrease, as compared with the preceding year, of 2,215,124 gallons: the total being the smallest that has been known for many years. The deliveries for home consumption, however, presented an increase of 65,408 gallons, and those for export an increase of 120,615. In January, 1853, the stocks in England were lower than for fifteen years, and about 1,000,000 gallons under the average. FOREIGN WINES IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM DURING THE YEAR ENDED 5TH IMPORTATION INTO GREAT BRITAIN IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS: 66 66 Stock in bond, 5th Jan., 1852. 4,476,018 4,416,602 1853. 3,616,867 3,953,867 1,753,520 10,646,140 1,428,106 8,998,840 QUANTITIES REMAINING IN WAREHOUSE UNDER BOND, 5TH JANUARY, 1858. In London.. .....galls. 5,450,706 | In Liverpool, &c.....galls. 3,548,134 Total... ... 8,998,840 Home-made wines, termed sweets and cordials, are compounded and retailed by upwards of 5,000 dealers in the kingdom. Last year, 51,151 galls. from Scotland, and 3,432 galls. from Ireland, were imported into England. It was principally brought from Leith, coastwise, to London, Newcastle, and Hull; but 7,222 galls. were brought from Glasgow to Liverpool, and 3,116 galls. from Dublin; besides which, about 2,000 galls. were made in Liverpool by a few resident manufacturers, chiefly for reexportation. The Oporto shipping list publishes the names of 60 shippers of wines, in quantities above 100 pipes annually, and the Cadiz shipping list exhibits a similar number. In Liverpool, there are about 150 wine and spirit merchants, 30 of whom are wine merchants only; and, in addition thereto, we have about half a dozen wine and spirit brokers, who operate extensively in their purchases for shipment and export. The merchants sell to the dealers, innkeepers, and private consumers their wines in bottles, packed in hampers and cases, as well as in casks, the weights of which vary according to their size. There are upwards of 150 hotels, inns, and taverns in Liverpool and neighborhood. No circular or other record of the wine and spirit trade of Liverpool is now kept by any person except for rum; but, through the instrumentality of one of the leading brokers, we have ascertained the imports of 1852or, rather, an accurate approximation of the total; the statements being exclusive of brandy and Geneva occasionally imported for immediate shipment, in transit, which indeed ought not to be included, properly speaking, as belonging to the Commerce of the port. = Wines imported into Liverpool during the year 1852: Foreign, 1,304 pipes; 2,840 hhds.; 5,601 quarter casks; 869 octaves 4,168 pipes; 17,706 cases. Coastwise, 565 pipes; 1,249 hhds.; 704 quarter casks; 1,387 pipes; 1,968 cases. Total, 5,555 pipes; 19,674 175 octaves cases. The cases contain 1 dozen to 3 dozen bottles each; and the total value of wines imported may be estimated at 130,000l. ex duty. The weight, 4,500 tons. But to this we must add the average of 10 tons of valuable wines received weekly from London by inland communication-say 500 tons a year, 20,0007. SPIRITS. Inflammable liquors, in mercantile phraseology, generally comprehend rum, brandy, and Geneva, and British spirits; the three former being foreign productions, and the latter principally whisky and gin, but also British brandy, the manufacture of the United Kingdom; by 230 licensed distillers 167 being in Scotland, 53 in Ireland, and 10 in England. FOREIGN AND COLONIAL SPIRITS IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM DURING THE YEAR ENDED 5TH JANUARY, 1853: QUANTITIES REMAINING IN WAREHOUSES UNDER BOND, 5TH JANUARY, 1853. In London.... Total 8,474,674 The total number of proof gallons of spirits distilled in the United Kingdom, the quantities delivered duty-paid direct from distillers' stocks, and the quantities put into bond, for the year ending 5th January, 1853, were as follow: Bonded. 6,143,874 8,117.708 1,977,704 6,140,004 6,363,267 6,311,502 51,774 The number of gallons of these spirits brought into England from Scotland and Ireland last year, were as follow: From Scotland.........galls. 2,267,419 | From Ireland.........galls. 1,258,993 Total..... 3,526,412 The above twenty-four millions odd gallons were all whisky, two-fifths of which were conveyed to the rectifying houses, altogether 40 in number, situate in London, Liverpool, Bristol, &c., for re-distillation into gin, Brit ish brandy, spirits of wine, anniseed, peppermint, &c. Spirits of all sorts are distributed throughout this country in casks of all sizes, and in earthenware jars of 2 galls. to 6 galls. each; but gin is usually put into puncheons of 100 galls., weighing about 10 cwt. With respect to foreign spirits, the importations of rum last year show an increase of 744,980 galls. over those of the previous year, whilst in the deliveries there was an improvement of 1,050,315 galls. Brandy, likewise, exhibits an augmentation of 1,028,485 in the imports, and 65,022 in the deliveries. The exports were unusually large, being 286,794 galls. in excess of those of 1851. Of British spirits generally, the consumption was 25,200,879 galls., against 23,976,596 in the preceding year, the chief increase being in Ireland. The British brandy permited from the rectifiers' stocks of the United Kingdom amounted to 346,818 proof galls. In the spirit trade of Liverpool, amongst the ordinary mercantile community, rum is the chief feature in the business, it being imported rather extensively from the West Indies. The following imports and stocks appear recorded in the general brokers' circular: These puncheons average 84 galls. 9 cwt. each; mean price, ex duty, 2s. 4d. per gall. Therefore, last year's import into Liverpool was equivalent to 5,350 tons in weight, and 100,000l. in value. The cases generally contain a dozen bottles each, and their total value, together with the pieces, may be put down at 200,000l., and in weight, 3,000 tons. GENEVA IMPORTED INTO LIVERPOOL IN THE YEAR 1852. The cases usually are of one dozen bottles each, and their total value, with their puncheons, was about 10,000l., and the weight 750 tons. The London and Bristol gin, and other spirits, brought by inland carriage to Liverpool, average nearly 2,000 tons in weight per annum. There are eight distillers and rectifiers of spirits in Liverpool, who receive whisky from Scotland and Ireland for rectification. The trade is an extensive and respectable one. It has been estimated that 800,000 proof galls. of British spirits are rectified in Liverpool annually, and sent out to |