AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume II, Issue 11, 27 November 1856, Page 14

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

FOR NOVEMBER. The downward tendency in the grain and flour markets of the neighbouring colonies, to which we directed attention in onr last month's number, has experienced a trifling check, in consequence of several of the richest Agricultural districts of New South Wares having been heavily flooded, and much damage sustained by the crops ilien almost ripe for the sickle"; i to this may be added the* falling off of supplies from South America, and the inability, through the state of the- roads, to convey produce from the interior of Australia to her capital cities. Flour has, in consequence, advanced 20s. per toui and wheat Gd'. per bushel It remains, however, to be seen to what extent this damage has reached before any opinion can be expressed of the effect it "is likely to produce on the markets. The report of the growing crops, as a whole, is extremely favourable, and we incline to think that the markets are more likely to decline than to advance. In the meantime, the intelligence just received has been the means of rendering stationary, for the present, the Auckland market just on the point of giving way. We have more than- once recommended our native friends to direct their attention more to the culture of wheat than to the manufacture of flour. The one as an article of export never fails to meet a ready sale; the other cannot in any degree compete willr the vastly superior flour of Chili, America, or Australia; and, as a proof, we regret to have to stale thai a considerable quantity of New Zealand flour of native manufacture, was rejected in the Sydney market and returned to Auckland as unsaleable. The arrivals of shipping from foreign ports, during the month, have been as follow:—The ship Joseph Fletcher, 672 tons, Caplain Pook, from London, with an assorted cargo of merchandise, and 28 passengers:—The clipper ship Conference of S3! tons, Captain Webster, from Liverpool, with a genera! cargo, and 59 passengers. This is the second ship built of iron that has visited New Zealand, and she is the firsi vessel that has ever arrived in Auckland from Liverpool, the greatest shipping port in England.

From Sydney we have had the brig Algerine, 460 tons, Captain Kelly, with goods and 3 passengers; the steam ship William Denny, 600 tons, Captain Mailler, with goods, and 20 passengers; the brig Heather Bell, 191 tons, Captain Bowie, with goods, and 4 passengers; the schooner Lucy James, 31 tons, Captain Cain, from Melbourne, with goods, and 1 passenger; and the steam ship Zingari, 148 tons, Captain Million, from the Southern ports, with sundries, 15) sheep, and 34 passengers. The departures have been the slvip Martaban, 781 tons, Captain Lawson, for China, in ballast; the schooner Gazelle, Captain Jones, for China, with 80,252 feet of kauri timber. Messrs. Henderson and MacFarlane, of Auckland, some years since attempted to open a trade with China by exporting timber, and bringing back tea, sugar, silks" and other products. In this trade they have again embarked, and it is to be hoped that both for their own sakes and that of New Zealand their efforts may be crowned with success. The ship Joseph Fletcher, 672 tons, Captain Pook, also sailed for China, with 37,000 feet kauri Umber. There have sailed for Sydney, the brig Moa, 236 tons, Captain Thompson, with 39 * tons copper ore, 33 coils rope, 29 coils wool lashing, 26 bales wool, 2377 pieces timber, sundries, and 25 passengers; the steamship William Denny, 600 tons, Captain Mailler, with 22 bales wool, 423 bags kauri gum, 9 coils whale lino, 4 42 hides, sundries, and 22 passengers ; the brig Algerine, 460 tons, Captain Kelly, with 1000 bags and 18 tons kauri gum, 49 bales wool, sundries, and 8 passengers; the schooner George, 103 tons, Captain Mac Donald, with 4 050 bushels wheat, 4 tons New Zealand pork, 20 tons kauri gum, sundries, and 4 passengers; the schooner Queen of Perth, 92 tons, Captain Sturley, for Melbourne, with 292 bags wheat, 3 bales wool, 30 tons gum, and 4 passengers; and the barque Chatham, 540 tons, Captain Cole, for London, with 350 loads spars, 433 tons and 770 packages kauri gum, 2 bales wool, 39£ tons copper ore, sundries, and 16 passengers ; and amongst that number Major Nugent of the 58th regiment, a gentleman who in his capacity of NaliveSecretary, which he long occupied, was not only as generally known as deservedly appreciated by the Native people, as he was respected by the colonists of New Zealand at large. During the month of November, 55 vessels of 2 42 tons, carrying 122 passengers, were entered, coastwise, with 2280 busMs wheat, 400 bushels maize, 41 tons potaJk, 2 tons

toacon, "7 lons pork, 6 boxes eggs, 6 cwt lard, M head cattle, 271 sheep, 42 pigs, 7 'horses, 2 gosrts, i OO fowls, 1 tons kauri .-gum, 30 4cits peaches, 98,950 feet sawn timber, 37,000 shingles, 511 tons firewood. 6010 posts and rails, 67 spars, 79 tons copperore, 29 bales wool, l ton wool lashing, 21j ions flax. There is a very large falling off in this return compared with that for October:; but it is to be accounted for by the fact that the month has been unusually boisterous and there have been no arrivals of coasters from the East coast for several The departures coastwise "have been 60 of 1766 tons, carrying 85 passengers, and the customary supplies.

The following are the Auckland Market prices corrected to the 3 st insi. Bread Stuffs. Flour, fine, 22/. per ton. Flour, second quality, . . 202. per ton. Biscuit (prices unsteady) at from . . . . . 2os.tooos.per cwt. Bread per loafof2lbs. . . sd. Bran Is. 3d. per bl. Butchers Meat. Beef and Mutton from . . 6d. to 7d. per lb. Pork (fresh and salt) . . sd. io 6d.ditto Farm Produce. Wheat, (scarce) . . 6s. Od. to6s. 6d. per bushel Maize, (plentiful) . . 4s. to ss. per bushel. Oats, ... 4s. to 4s. 6d. per bushel Poiatoes, . . . 2/. io 3/. perion Onions . . . . to 2d. per lb. Hay (plentiful) . . 57. to QL per ton. Dairy Produce, Butter ... is. Od. to is. 3d. per lb. Eggs r . , . Is. 3d. perdoz. Poultry ... 4s. 6d. to ss. per couple Ducks . . . . 6s. to 7s. per couple. Geese . • . . 9s. to 10s. each. Turkies .... 10s. to Us. each. Hams and Bacon . lOd. to lid. per lb. Groceries. Tea . . . . 5/. to 5?. ss. per chest. Sugar .... 3|d. to sd. per lb. Coffee .... iOd. per lb. Bice . . . . 2d to 2£ per lb. Soap .... 355. per cwt. Candles . . . . iOd. per lb. Tobacco. . . . Kd. to Is. per lb. Live Stock. Horses from . . IS*, to 60J. per head. Working Bullocks 25*. to 35/. per pair.