AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VI, Issue 9, 16 May 1859, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, AND MARITIME REPORT.

From the Ist to the 15th May. There has been very little stirring since our last, either in the shipping or Commercial departments, and of the Agricultural we regret to say the reports are the very reverse of encouraging, a very small amount of produce arriving at Market. On this subject a gentleman, possessing the most extensive and accurate information, writes to the New Zealander newspaper, inlhe following unsatisfactory terms—and we copy them because they deserve the most serious consideration not merely of the European farmers, but of every Native grower interested in his own prosperity and that of New Zealand at large.

He says— "This year, the European farmers have not produced more than 10.000 bushels of wheat, and that will scarcely meet the consumption for more than one month out of twelve. Already about 50,000 bushels have been imported. Ten thousand pounds have been sent out of the country to pay for it. Our farmers ought to have kept the money in the country. Why have they not done so? Hitherto the Natives have supplied us with wheal. This year their production has diminished. Next year it will probably be still further diminished. Whether this arises from the rapid decrease of the Maori population or from the caprice or the Native character, I am not prepared to say, at present; I have only to deal with the fact' that in every article of native produce there is a great falling off, and that the Europeans are doing very little to supply the deficiency." We have been without any arrivals from England or Australia since our last. The only vessels that have come to port are the schooner Eliczer, 56 tons, Captain Koan, .rom Napier, with 480lbs.tobacco,1 passenger- and the brig Prince Edward, 174 tons, l.apt. Nowlan, from Prince Edward Island, with sundry merchandize, and 99 passengers. We have been told that this vessel will be followed by several others, not less than five being in course of building. The departures are the schooner Kiwi, 40 ions, Captain McGregor, for New Plymouth and Kawhia, with 94 bags Hour, 32 bags barley, sundry merchandize, 18 passengers; the brig Arminius, 205 tons, Captain Nordenholz, for Adelaide, with 202.V tons potatoos; the brig Sarah, 121 tons, Capt. Firth, for Sydney, with 20 tons kauri gum, 43 cwt flax, 5 passengers; the schooner Tyne, 94 tons, Captain Aked, for Hobart Town, with 28,000 feet sawn timber, 11 tons kauri gum, 38 cwt. flax, sundrv iron work; and the clipper ship Evening Star, Capt. Ewen, for China in ballast. The supply of produce received coastwise affords but a lamentable confirmation of the accuracy of the writer from whose letter we have just quoted. There arrived, 58 vessels of 867 tons, with 56 passengers, 126 bushels wheat, 88i bushels maize, 20 bushels oats, 46 bushels apples, tons potatoes, 4 tons

pumpkins, 8 cwt. onions, 17 cwt. salt pork, 7001bs. bacon, lOOlbs. lard, 3461b5. butler, oOlbs. honey, 1 tun oil, 2 bags hops, I horse, 2 cows, 15 pigs, 10 fowls, 4 turkeys, 5 boxes eggs, 10 hides. 5 tons flax, 75 tons kauri gum, 5 casks beef, 1 boat, ;00 posts, 280 rails, 10 J feci house blocks, 12,000 shingles, 21,045 feet sawn limber, 525 tons firewood. The departures coastwise, were 43 vessels of iO6G ions, with 148 passengers, and the usual trading cargoes. The following are the Market Prices current corrected to dale: Bread Stuffs. Flour, fine, 20L per ton. Flour, second quality, . . \(sl. per ton. Flour, of native manufacture, from 12? to 16 Biscuit at from . . 225. to 265. per cwt. Bread per loaf of 2lbs. . . . 4*d. to sd. Bran ...... Is 3d. per bl. Groceries. Tea .... 9J. to9J. 10s. per chest Sugar . . . . 4d. to 6d. per lb. Coffee . . . . 40d. per lb. Rice . . . . 2d. lo per lb. So&p .... 555. per cwt. Candles . . . . lOd. per lb. Tobacco .... 2s. 6d. to 3s. per lb. Farm Produce. Wheat 7s. 6d. per bushel Maize ss. 6d. per bushel Oats ss. per bushel Potatoes .... Al. to M. 10s. per ton Onions .... 6d. per lb. Hay (plentiful) . . hi. per ton. Kauri Gum ... 9/. to 10J. Butter .... 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. Eggs .... 2s. 3d. Bacon . . . . Is. to Is. 2d. Live Stock. Sheep from . . 235. to 345. a head. Dairy Cows . . SJ. to 12*. each. Calves from . .255. to 40s. each. Beef and Mutton from . 6d. to 7d. per lb. Pork (fresh and salt) . . sd, to 6d. ditto