AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 2, 29 February 1856, Page 22

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

For February. The trade of New Zealand and the neighbouring colonies continues to be dull; for the enormous over shipments of goods to all of them as yet continue to encumber the markets, and thus to prevent any sensible or healthy revival. Agricultural produce, which has for some time been on the decline, seems, for the present, to have taken a stand; but this may be quite as much in consequence of the small supplies of grain arriving from tbe interior during the busy months of harvest, as from any deficiency of the crops. The most practised men of business are puzzled to offer any opinion as to the probabilities of future prices; the belief, however, appears to be more in favour of a further decline than of any early reaction. At Melbourne and Sydney, potatoes are reported to be good, plentiful, and dull of sale. Eight or oine vessels have loaded in Auckland wilh potatoes, within the last few weeks, and have sailed for both ports. If the New Zealand growers can only produce at a moderate profit, they will have ample reason to be satisfied. Exorbitant prices, though they may aggrandize a few, never lend to make a nation great or prosperous. If large prices have been paid for produce—equally large prices have been paid for the labour of its producti on. This unhealthy state of affairs seems to be passing away through sheer exhaustion; and it will shortly remain to be seen, whether New Zealand with her unequalled means of water carriage, her broad and fertile lands, and surpassing climate, must fail to become the granary of the Southern colonies. The arrivals of vessels in tbe port of Auckland, during the month of February, have been as follow: From London; the barque Ashmor?, 512 tons, Captain Ginder, with a general cargo of goods and 33 passengers. And the barque Oriental, 500 tons, Captain Macey, wilh merchandize, and 70 passengers. ' From Sydney; the William Denny, steam ship, 600 tons, Captain Mailler, wilh mer-

cbandizc, 38 horses and 47 passengers. And n SB tons ' Ca P te,in Thompson, villi 60° bags flour, a general cargo or mer chandize, and i I passengers. ,JS°r Nfwcasile; the brig Vulture, 168 tons, Captain Bremner, with 40 heifers, 200 stieep, and 4 passenger; and the ship Wil- *!£ owse ' 602 lons > Captain Williams, with 420 cattle, 500 sheep, and 44 passengers* From Melbourne; the schooner Sybil, 108 tons, Captain Foyle, with goods and 49 passengers. And the Adah, 37 tons, Captain w goods, and 5 passengers* wlkh sc , hooner u Y aye ' 98 to,,s ' Captain Mands. J ® y aDd lhe Cba " ,am And ibe following American ships, from Ihe whale fisheries ;- c ories, 382 ions, Captain Stetson, with 1700 barrels whals, 100 "^]i sperm and JO.OOOIbs. bone: Lion, 298 tons, Captain Hardwicke, with 350 nd Sapat <>ga, 550 tons, Captain Harding, a beautiful ship, with 3400 iru , and 400 barrels sperm oil* The departures during the month have been, the ship Bank of England. 726 tons, Captain Maxton, for China; the American ships Tamerlane, 357 tons, Captain Winslow, ?i f r » i' u . tons ' Captain Stetson, for the whalefisheries. The steam ship William Denny, 600 tons, Captain Mailler, with sundries, and 67 passengers; the brig Vulture, 468 tons, Captain Bremner, with 2463 bags potatoes, and 7 passengers; and the schooner Wave, 98 tons, Captain Welsh; for Sydney. The ship William Prowse, 602 tons, Captain Williams, for Newcastle, in ballast: —And for Melbourne, the schooner Grafton, 77 tons, Captain Tonner, with 65 tons potatoes, and 44 passengers; the brig Ocean, 481 tons, Captain Cain, with 3 passengers, and a full cargo of potatoes; the 408 tons. Captain Foyle, with 4600 bags potatoes, 28 casks 82 bags kauri gum, and 22 passengers; the schooner j £ aet > l °ns, Captain Prout, with 4044 bags potatoes, 40 bags onions, and 4 passengere; the schooner Pioneer, 80 tons, Captain Wmg, with 80 tons potatoes, 4-ton cheese, and 5 passengers; and the brig Gertrude, 448 tons, Captain Dunning, with 406 tons potatoes. During February, there have arrived coastwise, 58 vessels, of 4 795 tons, conveying 128 passengers, and the following produce,—774 bushels wheat, 4000 bushels maize, 507 bushels apples, 6J-tons onions. 4 4 tons pota-i toes, 4 cask pork, 44 head cattle, 404 sheep,

19 pigs, 31 casks slush, 25 tuns sperm oil, 5 tuns oil, 5 casks cocoa nut oil, 6 tons 144 bags kauri gum, 8 bales wool, 261 spars, 2500 posts and rails, 48 000 sbiugles, 61,700 feet sawn timber, 498 tons firewood. The departures coastwise of the month have been 50 vessels of 1391 tons, carrying 30 passengers, the usual cargoes of merchandize* and what we rejoice to remark 458 sheep for Native trade. Let the Natives only enter half as energetically into the cul. lure of sheep and wool, as they have into the breeding of horses, and they will find their pockets, as well as their lands, enriched in a surprising manner. The subjoined are the prices now current. Bread Stuffs. Flour, fine 35/. per ton. Flour, second quality, . . 33/. per ton. Biscuit (prices unsteady) at from . . . . . 30s.to35s.per cwt. Bread per loaf of 21bs. . . 9d. Bran • . .... Is. 6d. to 2s. per bushel. Butchers Meat. Beef and Mutton from . . 7d. to 9d. per lb. Pork (fresh and salt) . . sd. to 6d.ditlo Farm Produce. Wheat, (scarce) . . Bs. to 10s. per bush. Maize, (plentiful). • 4s. to ss. per bushel. Oats, (none and not in demand) Potatoes, (new) . . 41. to 5/. per ton. Onions . • • . to 2d. per lb. Hay (plentiful) . . 5/. to 6/. per ton. Dairy Produce, Butter • ... Is. 9d. per lb. Eggs .... 3s. per doz. Poultry • • • • 6s. to 7s. per couple. Ducks . . . . 7s. to Bs. per couple. Geese • . . . 9s. to 10s. each. Turkies .... 10s. to lis. each. Hams and Bacon . lOd. to lid. per lb. Groceries. Tea .... 6/. to 6/, 10s. per chest. Sugar .... 3|d. to sd. per lb. Coffee .... lOd. per lb. Rice . .. . . 2d. to 2J per lb. Soap .... 40s. per cwt. Candles .... 2s. per lb. Tobacco. . . . 2s. 3d. per lb. Live Stock. Horses from . . 20*. to 80*. per head. I Working Bullocks 35/. to 451!. per pair. Sheep from . . 20s. to 28s. a head. ! Dairy Cows . . 10/. 10s. to 15/. each. I Calves from . . 255. to 40s. each. i