AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume IV, Issue 14, 15 December 1857, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

From the Ist to the 15th December. The grain markets of Australia, so long in a dull, inactive, stale, have, at length,

given way; flour at the date of oar last intelligence having receded materially, and with no immediate prospect of a reaction. The prices quoted for flour at Sydney on the 21st November, were £l2l per ton for first and £l9 for second quality; but no sales could be made at those figures, the few and cautious purchasers in the market supplying their immediate wants at a considerably lower rate. The truth is, no fixed price can be stated. The quotations for wheat are from 7s to Ss per bushel, maize 7s6dto Bs, barley ss6d to 6s, oatsCs to 7s, hay £9 to £l3 per lon, and potatoes HO to £i2 per ton. The cause of this decline is said to be owing to the new crop so soon expected to Tind its way to market. On the other hand, as there were inquiries for purchase at lower than the market rales, the presumption is that no further depression is likely to occur. In this impression, we are inclined to concur, and to place our hope that the prices likely to rule during the incoming season will be such as to yield our growers a fair remunerative return. In the meanwhile, the decline on the other side has had an immediate ■effect upon our produce markets, flour having fallen fully 40s per ton, wheat from Is to Is 6d per bushel, and bran from 3d to Gd per bushel. The tea and sugar markets are still exorbitantly high. Advices of a further advauce and of a great difficulty of procuring teas in China have been received, and the stocks on band in the other colonies are very limited. The demand for sugars was considerably in excess of the supplies, and cargoes for the colonies were extremely diificuli to be procured. Trade, in Auckland, continues dull ; and there have been few arrivals from foreign ports; the only ones being the brig Gil Bias, 474 tons, Captain Nicel, from Sydney, with goods and 19 passengers; and the barque East field, 434 tons, Captain Copland, from London, with a general cargo of merchandise, and 58 passengers. There have beeu four arrivals from the neighbouring . New Zealand Provinces, namely; the schooner Kate Kearney, 83 tons, Captain Dixon, from Olago, Lyltelton, Wellington, Nelson, and New Plymouth, in ballast, with 4 passengers; the schooner Sybil, 108 tons. Captain Kelly, from New Plymouth, with 8 tons potaioes, 20 bushels maize; the schooner Henry, 43 tons, Captain Maegregor, from Aorere and New Plymouth, with 41 sheep, 2 cases bacon, 1 cask butter, 1 cask rennets, 50 ounces gold dust, and 2

passengers; and Use schooner Sea Serpent, 60 tons, Captain Blair, from Aliuriri, with 200 sheep, and 4 passengers. There have been two departures for Sydney; —the brig Gertrude (2), 217 tons, Captain Grange, with 43 V tons kauri gum, 16 bales wool, 4 bales 43 coils woo! lashing, 5 casks oil, G bundles whalebone, 600 bushels bran, 63,000 feel sawn limber, 11 passengers; and the schooner Sybil, 108 ions Captain Kelly, with 33,000 feet sawn limber, 1600 bushels bran, 47 bales wool, and 1 passenger. For the other Provincial ports there have sailed,- the schooner Vixen, 40 ions, Captain Richards, for Aliuriri, with 160 bags flour, 9000 feet sawn timber, 8000 shingles, and an assorted cargo of merchandise; the schooner Shepherdess, 40 tons, Captain Scott, for Ahuriii, wilh merchandise; the schooner Emerald Isle, 33 tons, Captain Oakes, for New Plymouth, with 100 ba<*s flour, J4 cases fire arms, 196 quarterbarrels ammunition, 2 passengers, an J Lieutenant Whitbread and 13 soldiers 65th Regiment; the schooner Spray, 106 tons, Captain Anderson, for Lyllelton, with 63,000 feet sawn timber, 5 tons flour, and 28 merino rams. From a Provincial Government Gazette, published on the Sin instant, we derive the following particulars respecting ihe native canoe trade, for the three monnlhs concluding on the 30th September last:—The number of canoes were of the Ngaiipaoa 67 Ngatiwhatua 27—Xgaliwhafcane 14— Ngatiwhanauriga 11— Ngapuhi 7—Ngaiihiue 6 Ngaiimaru 4—Ngamai 3—Ngatimani ipolo 7—in oil 148 canoes, 102 of which landed in Commercial and 40 in Mechanic's Bay They were navigated by 539 men and 249 women, and were laden" with 220 kiis potatoes, 4i> kils onions, 500 kits maize, 55 kits kuir.eras, 99 kils cabbage, 40 tons firewood, 1256 bundles fish, <>7 pigs, 128 fowls, 55 bags wheat, 57 ions kauri gum, 446 kits oysters, 27 kits pumpkins,—ihewhole being of the estimated value of j.896 10s. 6d. During the same quarter there arrived 93 canoes of the Waikato tribe at Onehunga, carrying 270 males and 148 females, laden with 468 kils potatoes, 1 kit onions, 104 kits maize, 2 kits cabbage, 2 kits flax, 55' 7 ions firewood, 254 pigs, 51 fowls, 8] tons flour, 217 bushels wheat, 4 tons kauri gum, the whole being of the estimated value of «z 748 0s 6d. There have arrived coastwise, since our last 53 vessels of 848 tons with 73 passengers, and 1745 bushels wheat, 1064 bushels snaize, \ tons potatoes, 210.1 cwt. salt pork,

7Si cwt. bacon 550 lbs. laid, 40 lbs. bees wax, 7 cwt. smoked and salt fish, 13 pigs, 80 sheep, 2 horses, 3U ions kauri gum, 10 packages leather, 50 spars, 79 [tales wool, 43,700 feet sawn limber, 22,000 shingles, i 2,000 palings, 40,000 laths. 430 house blocks, 1256 posts and rails, 595 tons firewood., 4h tons lowai bark, 88 loiara piles, 50ibs. onions, oOlbs. turnips, 150 feet hardwood. The departures, coastwise, have been 57 vessels of 738 tons, 29 passengers, and thci usual amount of supplies. | The following are the Market quotation of i prices corrected to date. | Bread Stuffs. I Flour, fine, 18*. per ton.! Flour, second quality, . . IGZ. per ton. Flour of native manufacture from 12J. to \ol. Biscuit at from . . 245. to 50s. per cwt. Bread per loafof2lbs. . . Gd. Bran ... is. Od. Is. 3d. per bl. Beef and Mutton from . od. to 6d. per lb. Pork and salt) . . sd. toGd.diiio Farji Produce. Wheat ... ss. Gd. to Gs. per bushel Maize .... ss. Gd. to Gs. per bushel Oats . . . . 7s. to 7s. Gd. per bushel Potatoes . . 7J. iOs. to BJ. 10s. per ion Onious .... 3d. per lb. Hay (pithi mil) . . sf. per lor.. Kauri Gum . . . iOl. per ion Live Stock. Sheep from . . 17s. to 255. a head. Dairy Cows . . B*. to 12*. each. Calves from . . 235. to 40s. each. Guoceuiks. Tea .... ( JL lodl, 10s.per chest Sugar . . . . 7d. to Bd. per lb. Coffee . . * . lOd. per lb. Bice . . . . 2d to per lb. Soap .... 355. per cwt. Candles .... dOd. per lb. Tobacco . . . . 2s. Gd. to 3s. per lb. Dairy Produce, Butler . . . . 9d. to Is. lb. Eggs .... Od. to Is. perdoz. Poultry .... os. Gd. per couple