CUSTOM-HOUSE STATISTICS.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 56, 8 October 1864, Page 2

CUSTOM-HOUSE STATISTICS.

The following return ol the Customs' duties collected at H. M. Customs, Invercargill, is for the quarter ending 30th September, 1864 : — Spirits 10,986£ gallons ...£4,944 0 0 Cigars & Snuff.. 613 lbs 9119 0 Tobacco -7,031 lbs 527 6 6 Wine 2,0051 gallons ... 300 16 7 Ale, Beer, &c, in wood 4,450 gallons ... 111 5 0 Do., do., in hot, 8,860 gallons ... 443 0 0 Tea 10,676 lbs 177 18 8 Coffee, Coeoo,&c. 1,926 lbs 24 1 6 Sugar 128,621 lbs 535 18 5 Fire-arms 33 8 5 0 Gunpowder . . . None 0 0 0 Goods by measurement, at 4s. f- cub. ft, 2,969-J cubic feet 593 19 0 Goods by weight, 3s. f-' cwt. ... 414 - cwt 62 4 3 £7,820 13 11 The amount for the corresponding quarter of 1863 was £13,550 ls. sd. Expouts. The total value of exports from the port of Invercargill for the quarter ending 30th Sept., 1864-, amounts to £10,594 9s. 7d. The countries to which these articles have been sent are as follows : — Victoria £9,878 10 0 Tasmania 715 19 7 £10,594 9 7 Note. — The exports to Victoria comprise nearly £7,000 of gold dust, Impobts. The total value of the imports at tho Port of Invercargill for the quarter ending 30th Sept., 1864, '"amounts to £50,376. The places whence these supplies have beon derived are as follows : — Victoria £12,218 0 0 Tasmania 7,60S 0 0 Great Britain 27,457 O 0 South Australia 3,093 0 0 £50,376 0 0

-s» Our Melbourne dates are to the 29th September. The Argus of that date reports as follows : — " Business'in the import market to-dayjhas been flat. Flour continues firm at yesterday's quotations, and sales are reported at full rates. For a parcel of 2,000 bushels of South Australian wheat we are informed an extreme price has beeen offered, but the holders decline selling under 12s. Some 2,000 bushels of the Californian wheat, placed at auction yesterday at 9s. 3d., has been resold at 10s. 3d. In kerosene further sales have been effected ; 450 cases of Downer's have been disposed of at 65., and 200 of Portland at ss. 7£d-, and holders are now seeking 6s. 2d. for Downer's and Cozzen's, to land. In respect to this article we find that in our report this morning, vre understated the quantity the Lady Dufferin brings by close upon.'2,ooo cases. The lowprice for some timo ruling for preserved oysters has induced a speculation in them, 3,000 cases having to-day changed hands. 500 hhds. of Marrian's ale, No. 3, have been placed at a good market price, and sales of Machin's stout are also reported. In malt thero has been a little doing, and the market continues firm. The auction sale of tea announced for today attracted a good attendance, but little disposition to purchase was manifested, and not more than 800 packages were disposed of, a low price being realised." We have Sydney files to the 24th uit, Tlie Herald of that date reports the amount of gold coin issued by the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint, during the week ended September 23, as 95,000 sovereigns. The quantity of gold-dust imported into the same establishment during the week, for the purpose of coinage, was 7,948 ounces. From the same journal we extract the following, under date September 23 : — " The flour market continues very firm, and, as stocks are decreasing, holders will not sell except at extreme rates. The quotations are still as follows : — Adelaide, £25 ; Californian, £24 ; Chili, £24. Wheat is very firm, and sales of Adelaide have been made at lis. per bushel. Messrs. L. E. Threlkeld and Co. held an auction sale on Tuesday last, at wliich they disposed of large quantities of general groceries, and also cleared the balance- of Mauritius sugars ex Retina, white crystals selling for £43 per ton, duty paid ; fine counter, £38 to £42 2s. 6d. ; ration, £30 to £32. Several parcels of tea were sold, realising an advance on the sales of the previous week. The demand for sugars, suitable for ration purposes and the country trade, continues active, about 300 tons having been placed privately since the sale. The same firm also sold, on Grafton Wharf this (Friday) afternoon, the cargo of the s.s. Tasmania—Shingles at 15s. ; palings, sft., at lis. ; potatoes, £6. The cargo of Mauritius sugars, ex Fairy Rock, chiefly composed of fine counters and crystals, is advertised for sale on Wednesday next. Messrs. Mort and Co. sold to-day by auction eighty-four casks of tallow. The tallow market was very firm, and prices were not only maintained, but in some instances a Blight advance was realised. The rate 3 ranged to-day from £25 ss. to £30 10s. per ton. Hides were -not quite so firm. 1,015 were catalogued, of wliich about 500 were disposed at from 4s. to 14s. 9d. each. We have Mauritius journals to the 6th of August. From the Overland Sentinelle of that date we take the following : — "Alarge supply of rice and other grain from India has been brought to market, and several vessels are known to be on the way. We have guano in abundance. The Hermione has arrived with some few machinery for the crop ; there is therefore no impediment in the way,' and when the next mail goes out we shall no doubt have to report a general commencement of the crop, and opening of the sugar market. A lot of 9CO bags ofthe new crop, equal to No. 13£ of the Dutch standard is said to have changed hands previous to the arrival of the mail, at 6.75 per 100 lb. But that can be no criterion, and the July advices can alone decide what prices .will be. War or no war ! that is tha question. We already know by a telegram of 30th July, that the English "Government declined.active interference- for Denmark: The stocks of sugar in the four ports of the United Kingdom to 31st May, were 25,000 tons lower than at the corresponding period last year. With mere confidence m_the tranquillity of.the country, we may expect a reaction in trade generally, and sugar stands a greater chance of improvement than any other article iri the produce market." The same journal, in its trade report, has the following: — •■'• ; " 7 ! ■'■■ _ "Svgar — Without any -great animation in the market in general, a few lots of fine" yellow found takers for the Australian Colonies at from 6* dol.. 75c. to 7 dol. 90c. ; and? a" cargo for Bombay, at

7 dol 10c. for No. 17, and 7 dol. 75c; to 8 dol. for No 20, Dutch stan'chivd." Holders of qualities suitable for the European market havo'not been much disposed to realise even at the prices quoted below, which are only nominal,- especially since the arrival of the June mad. - „ i " Prices current of the -Chamber of Brokers of the 22nd July, 1864 — No. 10 Dutch vesou, none ; No. 11, do do ; No. 12, do 6.40 dol. to 6.50 dol. ; No. JL3 do, 6.60 dol; Nos. 14 and 15 do.,- 6.70 | dol. to 6.75 dol. ; No. 16 ,do, 6.90 dol. ; No. 17 do, 7 dol. to 7.10 dol. . ... j "For the Colonies — First quality white, 7.75 | dol. to Bddl., very scarce ; second do, 7.50 dol. to 7.65 dol., do ; yellow crystalised, 675 dol. to 6.85 dol., do ; fine yellow. 6.75 dol. to. 6.90 dol, do., ! good yellow, 6.50 dol. to 6.60 dol., do.; very do., ' yellow syrup, none; fine do do, 6.25 d01.,d0., fine red do, 6 dol., do ; good do do, 5.75 dol., yellow do do, 5.25 dol. to, 5.50 dol., do." p We have later dates from Tasmania. The Launceston Examiner, of the 24th ultimo, has the following : — Flour remains firm at £23 to £24. Of wheat there is none offering ; but we may quote at 10s. to 10s. 6d. Potatoes are easy at £4 55., bags in. Messrs. Bell and Westbrook sold, alongside the brig Mercury, on Wednesday, a large quantity of salt, which realised £4 7s. 6d. for fine, and £3 ss. and £3 7s. 6d. for coarse. The Hobart Toion Advertiser, of the 22nd uit., says : — We have nothing of interest to report to-day, beyond a continued firmness in the breadstuff's market, the later news from the other colonies not having affected it. Other produce continues dull of sale. By a Sydney telegram we are enabled to give the following from the San Francisco Mercantile Gazette of the 2nd August. After saying that there is no concealing that the cropa are large, it goes on to report that the price of breadstuffs in the middle of July was high. Flour sold at lOdol. 50e. ; wheat 3dol. 50c. ; but, as the new crop was coming in rapidly, prices were receding, and at date, despite the operations of speculators, the market was very weak, with a downward tendency. Flour was then quoted at from Bdol. to lOdol. ; wheat, 3dol. 20c. to 3dol. 30c. Statistics show that the quantity of grain shipped since the Ist of January was about half that of the corresponding period of the previous year. The Helvetia, Esther, Johannus, Anthonius, Trieste, and Albert Edward had arrived from the colonies. The two former were advertised for charter or freight for Melbourne or Sydney. The Sir George Grey had sailed for Auckland, with 700 tons of wheat and flour, and 800 bags of oats.