AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume V, Issue 12, 15 June 1858, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

From The Ist to the 15th June. Potatoes, according to the latest advices from Australia, were in demand and had experienced a slight advance in the Melbourne markets, in consequence of which shipments hak taken place from Sydney where slocks were large.and sales dull. In our own port, at the present moment, there are two vessels, the brig Sarah and barque Mousan* both

loading for Melbourne, and the schooner Caroline £ Foote, and barque Bredalbane, for Sydney, so that potatoes procurable here ot moderate prices will, it is io be hoped, yield a fair profit to the shippers. In flour, wheat, and other grain, the Australian markets continue without change. Sates are dull at the rates that have been quoted for the last four, or five months, and without any indication of improvement. Cultivation is rapidly extending in the interior of the Colony of Victoria, so that instead of drawing their supplies of corn and flour for the gold fields from Melbourne, iho«e districts promise to be able not only to provi ie for their own wants, but to part with some "f their surplus stores to Melbourne. Notwithstanding this, the New Zealand agriculturists ought to be able profitably to undersell the farmers of Victoria in their own markets, because in Victoria land carriage and uncertain seasons are heavy drawbacks upon the industry of the most energetic and enterprising; in New Zealand, on the contrary, the land carriage is trifling, water conveyance abundant, and the seasons equable. But, setting the culture of whoat, and looking to the great and increasing demand for horse corn in Australia, it must be clear that for oats, maize, beans, and peas, there bow is and long is likely to be a ready and remunei alive market, of which every possible advantage ought to be taken. Some very strange disclosures have recently taken place in Sydney with respect to the large quantities of American flour imported there. Much of it is declared to be alive with weavils and maggots, and therefore so unfit for human food, that a strong desire has been manifested to put a prohibitory duty on the further Importation of American flour. The objection to that, however, is that the prodnce of New South Wales is not one third equal to its consumption; and that of the best quality of wheat grown there it does not escape the weavil for half the year—much of the wheat harvested last autumn being in a lively state from the ravages of that offensive and destructive insect. The arrivals since our last have been the barque Mousaim 198 tons, Captain McDonald, from Hobart Town, with a full cargo of Tasmanian laths, palings, shingles, building stone, merchandise, and 3 passengers;—the brig Sarah, 421 tons, Captain Firth, from Sydney, with a general cargo of merchandise, and 12 passengers;—the schooner Eliezer, £6 tons, Captain Kean, and the cutter Surprise, 50 tons, Captain Braund, both from

Port Napier and the East Coast;—the schooner Osprey, 47 tons, Captain Liddell, from New Plymouth, with 60 sheep, 4 kegs butter, and 14 passengers;—the brig Gil Bias* 173 tons. Captain Niool from Wellington and Nelson, with sundry goods, and 10 passengers ;—and the ship Egmont, 767 tons. Captain Gibson, from London, with a general cargo of merchandise, and 130 passengers. The departures bate been but two, the brig Missie. 4 97tons, Captain Reynolds, for Melbourne, with 450 tons potatoes, 80 tons kauri gum, 80 cwt. cheese, SOjevt. butter, 45,000 feet sawn Umber, and 8 passengers; —and 4be schooner Osprey, 47 tons, Capt. Liddell, from the Manukau, for New Plymouth, with sundry merchandize and 3 passengers. There armed 33 vessels of 961 tons coastwise, with 63 passengers, 7643 bushels wheat, 89 bushels maize, 100 bushels oats, 10 bushel* fruit, 40 tons potatoes, 4 cwt. onions, 1 Jkeg butter, 3 cwt. salt pork, 49 cwt. bacon and hams, 30 pigs, 3 fowls, 55 head of cattle, 50 sheep, 3£ tons flax, 39fc tons kauri gum, 7 bundles sheep skins, 10 cwt. tallow, | ton fireclay, 4500 fire bricks, 900 posts and rails, 700 feet house blocks, 4 4,500 feet sawn timber, and 374 tons firewood. The departures for the coast, during the past fortnight, amount to 34 Vessels of 691 tons, with 37 passengers, and the customary supplies of merchandize. with the exception of the shipments oi produce to Australia, business has been very dull. The markets remain without actiriiy or change, the following being the prices quoted as curreat at dale. Bread Stuffs. Flour, fine, ..... Igf, per ton. Flour, second quality, . . 461. per ton. Fkmrof native manufacture from 431. to 44 Biscuit at froifc . . 345, to 38s. per cwc. Bread per loaf of 31bs. , . 4d. to sd. 2™ _ • • • • • 4s. 3d. per bi. Beef and Mutton from , 6d. to 7d. per lb. Pork {fresh and salt) . . sd. to Od.dftto Farm Produce. Wheat ...... ss. per bushel Maize . ... . 6s. 6d. to 7a. per bushel vats . . , , . . # 7s. pep bushel Potatoes . . . . 51.405. to 61, perton Qmoas . . 3d. to 3d. per lb. Hay {plentiful) . . 51, per ton. Kauri Gum • . . 9f. to 101.