AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume III, Issue 2, 28 February 1857, Page 22

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

FOR FEBRUARY.

The flour and grain markets of Australia remain not only in a depresse state, but in such a position as renders any hope of speedy reaction exceedingly faint. Stocks in most places are affirmed to be ample. And, in; South Australia, they are said to be so large, i and likely so largely, year by year, to In- i Grease, that attention is beginning to be i turned towards England as a market for \ their surplus wheat. The growers of Souih ! Australia, it is said, cannot produce wheat j to deliver to the markets of Adelaide at r, | lower price than five shillings per bushel. ' And merchants, conversant with the English ! corn trade, are of opinion that, at the price I of ss. a bushel, wheat cannot be sen!; io ; England at a profit. Why should not our ; Native farmers, in surh a "country as this, ■ be able to sell wheat to the Auckland me:-! chants at about 5/6 per bushel. With ! energy, industry, and an improved system of husbandry we cannot but think that" they ! might easily r!o ?o v.-ith en-;-; gain Ll> ! themselves, and vast benefit to New Zealand, j Only let it be known in England that New! Zealand is able to supply her with wh<>:ti. I and ships, men, and money will ilock hither; to enrich us all. Potatoes, in Australia, are a little on the ! rise. The losses on last year's crops caused ! comparatively few to be planted in Tasmania j this season; and the Australian crops have j turned out less productive and not so cood ! as was expected. Onions, are likewise less plentiful than it j Tras supposed they were likely to be, and a \ slight advance in price Ins taken place I But, such, however, is the verv uncertain | stale of the markets that the prices quoted ! in the papers give a very inaccurate idea of j the priies realised at sales. Seed lime approaches; and we cannot too earnestly remind our Native friends to be diligent in impro-.ing it. Let them speed the plough, and the plough will not fail to speed them. We have had several foreign arrivals i during the month, viz. : the ship America, j 418 tons, Captain Luce, from New Bedford, United Stales, with provisions, stores, and ! gear, for the American whaling ships;'— the | . American whaling ship James Mair/y, 595 j tons, Capt. E. L Curry, from the fisheries, ! with 70 barrels sperm, 800 barrels whale' ©■ii, and SO'JO lbs. whale bone;— i\w, brig

•Sporting Lass, 183 ions, Captain Cellum, from Sydney, with a large cargo of merchandise and 19 passengers ;—the ship Eupliemus, 5cS6 tons, Captain Howard, from London, with a general cargo, and 114 passengers;—the ship Viscount Sandon, 510 tons, Capiain Hughes, from Liverpool, with goods, and 9 passengers ;—the steamer Zingari, 200 tons, Capiain Million, from Port INicholson and the oilier Souihern ports win 150 sheep, 70 bales wool, 50 ba<*s Srass seed, and 23 passengers ;-the steam •ship William Denny, 600 tons, Captain Mailler, from Sydney, with goods and =>s passengers; -and the schooner Ernilv Allison, 100 tons, Captain Collins, from Hobart Town, with timber, palings, shingles •OCC. The departures have been the bri" Heather Bell, 191 tons, Captain. Bowie, for London, with 215 bales wool, 56V ton* copper ore, 205 hides, 1200 horns, ~1 ton and o7 bales flax, 105 tons kauri gum, U barrels fat, 2 casks oil, and sundry mer-chandise;-the ship Chapman, 758 tons, Captain Harland, for Guam, in ballast • the schooner Zi.'lah, 6$ lons : Captain Hunt, for Melbourne, with 20 tons potatoes, 18) bags oats, 159 bags kauri gum, 6v tuns sperm oil, 3 bales flax, and 9 passengers ; Sporting Lass, brig, 183 ions, Cant-sin Ledum, for Sydney, with 852 bags kauri gum, 7 bales wool, sundry package* merchandise, and 16 passengers. it will be seen by the following list, that an advantageous export trade is growiii"up between Auckland and the Southern ports of New Zealand, for which there !m* sailed-the schooner Ellen, 40 tons, Capiain Wedgwood, for Olago, with 21,000 feet sawn limber, 7 tons flour, and 75 ba«s sugar ;—the Queen of Penh, schooner <?=> tons, Captain Sturley, for Port Cooperand iielbourne, with 55,000 feet sawn timber, 5 bales wool, 61 tons kauri gum, 70 hides sundry merchandise, and 9 passengers; the steamer Zingari, 200 tons, Captain Million for Port INicholson ;-iue schooner Mam Louisa, 18 tons, for Canterbury, with goods transhipped from the American ship America;-the cutter Napi, IT tons, Ca:uai» Porter for Wellington, calling at Coro mande io load limber; the schooner Emerald Isle, 52 tons, Capiain Oakes, for Can erbury, with 24,000 feel sawn timber. The toasting traffic has bren vrrv li-ht daring the month; of wheal and maize bat little has come to hand ; and of barley and oats so much in demand not only i„ Auckland but in all the Australian markets, there

is scarcely any grown. This is a sad mistake of our Native farmers, and puis much money out of their way. There arrived 59 coasters of 1285 tons with 95 passengers, freighted with 56S bushels wheat, 23 bushels maize, 14 bushels oats, 10 tons 54 kits potatoes, 10 cwt. onions, 291 packages mixed fruit, 182 bushels apples and pears, 9100 lbs. salt pork, 4 pigs, 288 sheep, 45 head cattle, 2 ponies. 11 casks oil, 18 barrels sperm oil, 14 cwt. flax, 2 baies wool, 22 tons 40 bags kauri gum, 84.203 feel sawn limber, 401)0 shingles, 2850 posts and rails, 000 palings, 454 tons firewood, i whale boat, iG piles, 4i- tons bark, 57 tons copper ore. The departures coastwise have been 55 vessels of 1100 tons, carrying 89 passengers, and the usual cargoes of Native trade.

The subjoined are the Auckland Market Prices Current corrected to this date It is necessary, however, to observe thai prices quoted, and prices obtained vary a good deal at the present moment. Bread Stuffs. Flour, fine, iSI. per ton. Flour, second quality, . . iGI. per ton. Biscuit (prices unsteady) at from . . . \ . 20s.to2"s.per cwt. Bread per loafof2lbs. . . sd. Bran is. 3d. per bl. Butchers Meat. Beef and Mutton from . . 3d. to 6d. per !b. Pork (fresh and salt) . . sd.io6d.diUo Farm Produce. Wheal, (scarce) ss. Od. per bushel Maize, . . . 4s. to 4s. sd. per bushel. Oats, ... 4s. to 4s. 6d. per bushel Potatoes, . 01. 10s. to4J. per ion Onions . . . . to 2d. per lb. Hay (pleniiful) . . bl. to 6L per ton. Dairy Produce, Butter ... is. 3d. to is. 6d. per lb. Eggs . . . is. Cd. perdoz. Poultry ... ss. 6d. per couple Bucks . . . . ss. to 6s. per couple. Geese .... ss. to 6s. 6d. each. Turkies .... 7s. to Bs. 6d. each. Hams and Bacon . lOd. to lid. per lb.