AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume V, Issue 6, 15 March 1858, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

From the Ist to the 15th March. We have had intelligence from Sydney to the 20th February, and from Europe to the 16th December. The tidings, as a whole, are more encouraging.; not so much that any very perceptible improvement in commmercial affairs has, as y?t, taken place, but that the further progress of financial convulsion has assuredly been arrested; so that the worst may be said to have passed by, and a return to a healthier mercantile condition may naturally be looked for. The prospect for the satisfactory sale of New Zealand produce is. what we have inclined for some time to anticipate it would be likely to be, that is supposing tbe New Zealaud producer to be content with a fair and moderate profit, and not to miss his opportunity by holding out for a price which neither the Auckland shipper nor the Australian buyer .can by any means afford to give. Indeed it is .not saying too much when we state tbat many of tbe losses and much of the depressiou now, and for seme

lim.i past, existing here may be traced to the speculative prices paid for grain and other produce which were sold at less than irst cost in Australia. At the latest date, February 20th, the Sydney Flour Market was firm at 17/. per ton for fine, \?>L per ton for seconds, and with a tendency to advance. Wheat was from 6s. to 6s. Gd» per bushel, and but limited supplies were coming to market. In fiobart Town, Wheat was Bs., aud potatoes scarce at from 10/. to ill. per ton* As we predicted {at the date of their occurrence), the heavy floods of winter and spring have been followed by parching summer droughts. From many quarters the complaints or pastures burnt up, and water-courses run dry resound. The beat had been intolerable, especially in South Australia, where for many days t(|p temperature was at a point happily uever known in New Zealand. The failure of the wheat crop in this usually prolific country, to which we adverted in our last, is fully confirmed, and the confident impression appears to be that, with a much larger quantity of land in cultivation, the harvest of this year will fall very far short of that of last year. Bush fires, too, continue to rage with destructive fury, not only throughot many of the finest districts or Australia, but in many or the most fertile parts of Van Diemen's Land, where fences, dwelling houses, farm steadings, mills, forests, and much valuable property have fallen a sacrifice to the devouring element. If our native friends would only reflect—if they would but consider the madness and the sin of mutual strife and slaughter—if lliey would exhibit but half as much determination in subduing the earth and replenishing ft, as they unhappily do in striving after their own extermination they could not fail in a very short lime, with the co-opera-tion of their European brethern, to elevate New Zealand to one of the most prominent and enviable positions of any country of the South Pacific Ocean. •« Blessed are the peace makers—blessed the meek; for they shall inherit the eartfi." There have arrived, since our last, the! schooner Bristol, 151 tons, Captain Maclean, from Sydney, with an assorted cargo of goods and three passengers; the schooner Eliezer, 56 tons, Captain Wallace, from Napier, with 203 sheep, and five passengers; the brig Moa, 237 tons, Captain Bowden, from Sydney, with merchandise, and 6 passengers; the barque General Wool, 173 tons, Captain Edward Tonner, from Nefcon, with sundries,

smd five passengers. This vessel, we learn,-) has been chartered jo carry a cargo of kauri; Umber to Melbourne. Thete have been no foreign departures, The cutter Surprise, 50 ions, Captain Braund, sailed for Napier, with 30,000 feet sawn timber, 32,000 shingles, and sundry mer, chandise ; the schooner. Vixen, 42 tons, Captain Brier, for the same port, with a full cargo of firewood, a commodity which is likely to be shipped "in considerable quantities to that quarter from, this part of the country; the schooner Pelsart, 40 tons, Captain Symmonds, from the Manukau, for New Plymouth, with sundry merchandise. From the coast we have an unusually small number of vessels to report, but this may readily be accouute I for in consequence of the dull season of the year and the singular inclemency of the weather. There have been but 10 vessels of 244 tons, with 49 passengers, 218 bushels wheat, 84 bushels apples, 70 bushels oais, 500 bushels grass seeds, 42 bags shells, 22,600 feel sawn j timber, 444 tons firewood, 600 feet blocks, 300 lbs wool, 7£ tons kauri gum, 500 posts and rails. The departures ooaslwise, during the fortnight, have been 46 vessels of 317 tons, with 23 passengers, and the customary amount of supplies. The Auckland Markets are without variation. The following are the prices current corrected to date. Bread Stuffs'. Flour, fine, . . . . . 46/. per ton. Flour, second quality, . . 44f. per ton. Flour of native manufacture from 40/. to 42 Biscuit at from . . 20s. to2ss. per cwt. Bread per loaf of 21bs. . . 4d. to sd. Bran « . . . "• . 4s. od. per bl« Beef and Mutton from . 6d. to 7d. per lb. Pork (fresh and salt) . . sd. to Od.ditto Farm Produce. Wheat • • • . . 3s. per bushel Maize. • . . 6s. 6d. to 7s. per bushel Oats . ...... 7s. per bushel Potatoes . . 61.405. to 71.405. perton Onions . . 2d. to 3d. per. Ib. Hay (plentiful) . . 5/. per ton. Kauri Gum « . . 91. to 10/. Live Stock. Sheep from .1 475. to 255. a head. ] Dairy Cows . . 81. to 42/. each. | Calves from . • 255. to 40s. each. !