12 OCTOBER 1867, Page 2

The swallows crossed the Rhine this summer before the end

of September, a sure sign of an early, if not of a severe winter. Firing will, three weeks hence, be a necessary, and the crop has disappointed expectation. It is believed to be a third short, and the price of wheat in country depots like Bury St. Edmund's, leapt up last market day four shillings a quarter. The accounts from Odessa are unfavourable, and it is stated that the American crop was overrated. Meanwhile, the Bank can lend little money at 2 per cent., and we are told, on high City authority, that trade which, despite the collapse of speculation, remained "good," is becoming "bad." With an early winter, trade declining, specu- lation ended, and bread likely* to cost 10d. a loaf, the winter in England will not be a pleasant one.