AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume V, Issue 14, 15 July 1858, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

From the Ist to the 15th July. There is little of importance to add to our last Commercial Report, inasmuch as the intelligence, since received, from Aus-

tralia is only of a few days later dale* The Produce Markets remained as before; bat, although the short comings of the crops of South Australia were beginning to be admilted on all hands, there was a belief entertained, in several quarters, of a considerable surplus of supplies to be derived from Tasmania. This may, or may not, be correct. For our own part we very much doubt the ability of Tasmania to furnish supplies to any extent; but granting even that she can, there will be still sufficient scope for the New Zealand growers, unless they should mar their own fair prospects by siick!ing for prices which the merchants cannot possibly afford to give. The only foreign arrival has been the brig Moa, 237 tons, Captain Bowden, with a general cargo of merchandise and eight passengers from Sydney. From the South, we have bad the brig Swan, U9 tons, Captain Anderson, with sundries and three passengers from Otago, and Lyttelton;— the schooner Emily Allison, 99 tons, Captain Ruxton, from Port Napier,- in ballast, with five passengers; the schooner Ann, 37 tons. Captain Wallace, also from Port Japier, in ballast; and tbe Bishop of New Zealand's schooner Southern Cross, 70 tons. Captain Suslins, from a Missionary voyage to the Melanesian and Norfolk Islands. The departures have been the brig Gertrude, US tons, Captain Dunning, for Sydney, with 400 tons of potatoes, and five passengers; the schooner Gazelle, 212 tons, Capuun Phillip Jones, also for Sydney, with 1785 bushels wheat, 17 cwt. cheese, 20 cwt. butler, 51$ tons potatoes, 5 tons i cwt. onions, 40 tons kauri gum, 4000 feet sawn timber, and eleven passengers; tbe cutler Aquilla, 26 tons, Captain Sellars, for Port Napier, with HOO posts and rails, 700 palings, 200 bags flour, and sundry merchandise. There are not many vessels in port at present, and of those most are preparing to depart. The Moa is loading rapidly for Sydney, for which port tbe Swan has also been advertised. The Gil Bias is about to ship a cargo of kauri timber for Otago, and the barque tbe Bride is loading with timber for Hong Kong. From tbe coast, there have arrived 34 £2£ ls u °{ T 23 lons > with 50 Passengers, mIIK .\ els wheal « 5!0 b »shels maize, 136 bushels oats, 10 bushels barley, 62

bushels apples, 54 toss potatoes, 17 cwt. onions, 20 tags flour* 40 lbs. honey, 150 lbs. butter, 140 lbs. lard, 33 cwt. salt pork, 44$ cwt. bacon, 2 kits dried fish, 5 tans sperm oil, 415 tons kauri grim, 12 tons towai bark, 260 tons firewood, 400 posts and rails, 16,000 shingles, 2 boats, 2 pigs, 9 sheep, and 26 bead of cattle. The number of vessels that have departed for the coast have been 29 of 712 tons, with 37 passengers, and the usual amount of trading cargoes. Trade has been very dull; and not a little depression has followed upon the heels of the late disastrous fire, in which many industrious and, deserving persons have been severe sufferers, and which has entailed a large amount of destruction on those whose shops and dwellings were not insured. It may not here be out of place to say a word or two respecting the nature and advantages of insuring property against fire, as well as ships against wreck. Insurances against fire are almost always effected by large and wealthy companies, mostly resident in England. In Auckland, in consequenceofthe buildings being for the greater part of wood, the rate of insurance is higher than in other places, and varies according as the bouses are detached for or connected with each other. The person insuring, say his house and furniture, for the sum of £IOOO, will have to pay 122. 40s. every year if it be built of brick and slated, and a larger sum if built of wood and shingled. Should House and furniture, at the time of this insurance, be burnt down or destroyed, the Insurance Company is bound to make good all the losses, so that by this wise and provident arrangement persons who run the risk of being ruined in a moment have the means of guarding themselves against the unforseen destruction of their property. Insurance Companies are generally very rich, because, although they have occasionally very serious losses to pay, the great number of persons who every year insure, and who escape from the disastrous effects of fin;, tend to swell their coffers in a surprising manner. Property to the extent of 10,000*. is said to have been insured upon the receuj occasion. On the other hand, property estimated at from 13,000/. to 20,000/. has been lost in consequence of the owners not having insured the same.