COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Volume VII, Issue 531, 1 August 1866, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGE NCE.

Southland Time 3 Office, Tuesday Eyening. Th« following are the Custom Returns for —

The subjoined i 3 the commercial article of the " Daily Times " (Dunedin), of the 27th July :— The business of the last two days has presented very little of interest, and but for a little demand for country requirements would have been slack. Hour stands nominally at last quotations, but the transactions in imported have been insignificant. Teas and sugars have both been dealt in at fully maintained prices; but not in heavy parcels. The markets are without any alteration calling for special notice. The "Westland Observer" (Okarita), of the 14th July has the following items of commercial intelligence : — The markets recently so bare, are now sufficiently stocked for some time ; a fair . supply of supply of flour, potatoes and other asticles ruling high, having arrived by the two vessels in port from Melbourne and Dunedin. Horsefeed is also more plentiM, but the price is not likely to go lower than 9s per bushel, unless heavier shipments come to hand. Adelaide flour may still be quoted at £3i per ton, the supply being in few hands. Potatoes, ruling early in the week at 20s per cwt., may now be quoted at 17s. Trade during the week has been of the same dull character which it had assumed for the past, month ; and there is little encouragement offering to induce heavy shipments. We are in receipt of our files of jSelaon papers to the 20th Jnlj, from which we extract the following neais of commercial importance : — Tral;j with the West Coast during the past month has been more than usually brisk. Thii, . hawtr&r, h&» been chisfiy ja imported goodc, *s »— — -■— : ' ."' ._'_^__. .... _ '•

there is now very little produce on hand. t° | supply the demand which the increasing consumption of Westland has oreated. Prices of the staple articles of consumption have undergone no material change since the publication of our last Summary. Hour remains at former quotations, and no rise in price need be expected, as the markets of this colony, as "well as those of Melbourne and Sydney, are now regularly | supplied with importations of flour from South America. The stock of flour in hand is sufficient for present requirements, and a cargo from Chili may be looked for in the course of a fortnight. In Australia, the stick of flour held is sufficient to meet the consumption until harvest, while further supplies from Chili and California continue still to arrive. The cargo of sugar, imported direct from Mauritius, reported last montli, is all placed at satisfactory prices, and stocks of other goods are only very moderate. The Dreadnought, with a large and well-assorted cargo, now 121 days out from London, will, on arrival, supply most of the present requirements of our market, except, perhaps, bacon and other provisions in demand on the goldfields, of which there ie atiil a j general scarcity in all the colonies. The do- i struction by fire of Sinclair's factory in Ire- I land, with a large stock of bacon on the premises, has tended to raise the price of the article at home. Kerosene is, however, an article -scare? !; and dear here, bringing 6s a gallon. Sptni i ! candles, which hare sold in Melbourne aa high n ; j Is 7d per lb., are receding in pricc\ as lavp sup- j plies are known to be on their «-ay from England, i A discovery of petroleum has been made in Now ; Harbor, D'Urville's Island. Natives repcr s "! t-Ue j existence there of what appeared to be ■ ■■■ . leum spring, and a gentleman in Nels • > • ' arrangements to examine the spot, and, if .v.. .*• j sary, work the ground. This examination prov ;■■■;. [ highly satisfactory as far as it went, and means are now about to be taken to test the real value of the discovery. Indications of petroleum existing on the beach, at Nelson, will probably lead to the ground there being tried likewise. The coalfields of our province are beginning to grow into importance. At the Grey, the demand, exceeds the means of supply, as all the steamers engaged in the local trade of the We3t Ooi.se prefer this fue! to any that can be procured £am Australia

Mokdat, 30th July. Brandy, 28 gala £16 16 0 "WMsfcjr, 29 gals 17 8 0 £34 4 0 Tuesday, 31st June. Tobacco, 178 lba ... / ... £22 5 0 Wine, 24 gala 4 16 0 Currantg 3 8 9 £30 9 9