AMERICA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 900, 18 March 1854, Page 3

AMERICA.

From the second supplement of the Northern Daily Times, of Nov. 9th, we extract the latest American intelligence received by the /Atlantic, which had arrived on that day. The intelligence is up to Oct. 29th. The commercial news is, upon the whole, satisfactory ; the demand for money continued active ; and, although there had been no reduction in the rate of interest, yet there was evidently more confidence felt in commercial circles. On call, money was freely offered, but long commercial paper was with difficulty nenegociated at the current rates. The contraction on the part of the ".banks continued ; from the 15th to the 22nd instant, they contracted their discount lines 2,469,000 dollars, making, since the 6th August, upwards of twelve and a half millions of dollars. The decrease in the deposits last week was 3,319,000 dollars. Some of the merchants complain that the banks treat them illiberally. The latest report of the Stock Market says, Stocks have fluctuated a good deal during the week ; the tendency is now upward, but the improvement will hardly be extensive or lasting until we have an easier money market. Prices of nearly all the speculative descriptions stand higher than at this time last week. The imports of dry goods continued large, and as the fall trade was over they would prove a' dead weight- Foreign exchange was depressed by the scarcity of money. The quotations on London were from 109£ to 109f. Our correspondent gives the following statement of the condition of the markets for breadstuffs :—: — On Wednesday, only a limited business was done in flour, owing to the extreme rates asked for freights, the late unfavourable advices brought out by the Asia, and the tightness of the money market. On Thursday, Upon the receipt of the Niagara's news via Halifax (by telegraph), which is considered favorable, some activity sprang up, and more was doing in almost all descriptions of brandsi at improved prices. This continued throughout Friday* The commoner kinds of flour being most in demand, southern was somewhat less asked for* At Pittsburgh aserious Irish riot had occurred between some railroad labourers from Cork, and some from Connaught, in which two men had fallen victims, and several others were injured. At Providence, on the night of the 26th, a serious fire occurred. It broke out iv a dry goods store, in the Howard Block, which spread so rapidly that before the flames could be bubdued nearly the entire block was consumed — the Theatre and Museum included The total loss is estimated at from 300,000 to 500*000 dollars. In New York the Free Soil Democrats had held a great mass meeting in Tammany Hall, for the purpose of ratifying the nominations made by that party for city and county officers. The Free Democrats also assembled at the Stuyvesant Institute, which was thinly attended.

Thk Isthmus. — The health at the Isthmus was pood, and. the roads in good order. A rumour was current in San Francisco that another expedition was organising in that place, or other ports of California, of a revolutionary character, against the state of Ecuador. The officials are said to be upon the lookout for the purpose of suppressing such movements. At the Chincha Islands there were upwards of one hundred vessels loading or waiting their turn to receive cargoes of -guano. Several of these vessels must remain for months at the islands before they can he supplied. It was taid that the Peruvian government intended to allow full compensation for the insults and injury to the Americans. Queen Pomare, having been* cured of the smallpox, issued a decree to the Constituent Assembly or Tahiti, which is published, as is also the address ~f theJJnited States Consul to the King of the Sandwich Islands upon the occasion of the presentation to his Majesty. We have later advices from Central America. Our dates from the capital of Costa Rica are up to the Bth ult., and in the journals which we have received !rom San Jose we have dates from Guatemala to the 2nd September, and from San Salvador to the 9th. Hostilities were still being carried on between these two last named republics. A party of men, under one Senor Rubi, had invaded the teiritory of Gauteraala, and sacked some towns. On the other hand, a party of three hundred men under the command of Colonel Zabala, had landed in the port of Omoa, belonging to Honduras. The commandant of the latter part was shut up in the castle with his garrison, being only provisioned for eight days. Forces had been sent

to the assistance of the garrison. The Central American papers were discussing the question of the proposed Spanish protectorate, and had mostly declared in opposition to that scheme. The money market of New York was in a very stringent position on the sailing of the steamer. The general rate for first class paper was 12 to 15 per cent., while good names not so well known were ranging up to 18 per cent. Notwithstanding the heavy pressure, there were but two failures of importance : the first, Henry Dwight, Jan., a banker, and Leggett Brothers, large commission paper dealers, whose liabilities amount to over iour hundred thousand dols.