COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 954, 20 May 1868, Page 2

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Times Office, Tuesday Evening. Messrs Rtjsseix and M'Coljcotjgh held a sale of sheep yesterday at Sutherland's Yards, Bridge Inn, East Boad. The attendance was limited to about forty, principally owing to a report having gained ground that the owner had the day previously disposed of the most saleable stock. This was, however, without foundation ; and the result of the SBle was that about eighty head ewes fell to the hammer at 93, and about forty head lambs at Bs. A section at Winton, containing twenty-four acres, unimproved, offered at last Saturday's sale, was sold privately on Monday at 27s 6d per acre. The following are the Customs Returns for —

The Omeo brings seven days' later Melbourne news. The "Argus" of the 13th inst. contains the following commercial article : — "Business throughout the day has maintained a look of extreme dulness, and no indications of an improvement in trade have come under our notice. In the auction rooms there has been very little doing, and the demand privately for merchandise has not led to many transactions of an important nature. In breadstuff's flour and wheat remain neglected, and even at £20 10s no sales can be effected. By auction some 200 tons of Victorian flour were offered, but almost the whole having been limited to £21, had to be withdrawn. A small portion offered without any reserve was quitted at £20 ss, the highest figure that could be realised. Victorian wheat is quoted at 9s, but without leading to sales. A small parcel of Tasmanian was placed at 8s Bd. At an early hour of the day, the arrival at Sydney of the Kate, from California, was made known, and this circumstance assisted, if that were possible, to increase the heaviness by which the market has been characterised of late. A good deal of anxiety was evinced as to the tenor of advices from San Francisco. The Kate, we understand, brings dates to 16th March, and her cargo consists of 4000 half-bags and 7600 quarterbags of flour (380 tons). The Ethan Allan had leit with 400 tons for Auckland, but no other vessel was then loading for the colonies. Maize is still very firm at 4s, and amongst otker parcels disposed of we learn of a line of 120^ bushels having brought equal to this price. Oats have been disposed of publicly at 3s 9d to 4s 2d for New Zealand. For candles there is no demand whatever, and sales of this article are at present entirely confined to the auction-rooms. Some 1200 boxes were quitted to-day, in faulty condition, at lOd to lO^d for slightly, and 9|d for badly damaged. Some 1500 cases of oilmen's stores, at the same time, found buyers at full prices. Kerosene oil is in rather slow sale for local purposes at Is 7d for Cozzens's ; there are buyers in the market however, for the other colonies inclined to operate more extensively. A shipment of 5000 cases of Devoe's oil, to arrive per Hellespont, has been taken up, on terms withheld. Teas still continue in favor, and we hear of Borne further heavy

transactions pending. Few sales of sugar have been made public. The sound portion of the Eva Joshua's cargo, amounting to 3000 bags, wili be offered for sale to-morrow. In tobaccoes there is nothing to report, but the market will be test e 1 by the offer to-morrow forenoon of a considerable parcel of aromatics. In liquids, the sale in quartercasks of a parcel of equal to seventy hogsheads of Otard's bulk brandy, pale, on private terms, is mentioned. We learn from Sydney the departure of the steamship Albion for the Fiji Islands, en route for Japan. . i

Monday, 18th May. Brandy, 47 gals £28 3 10 . Whisky, 69 gals 41.12 9 Bum, 35 gals 21 6 0 Geneva, 50 gals 29 18 11 Sugar, 2240 lbs 9 6 8 Boots 11 8 1 Drapery 2 2 0 £143 18 3 Tuesday, 19th. May. Brandy, 71 gals ... ... £42 6 11 . Geneva, 30 gals 18 0 0 Wine, 83 gals ... ... 16 12 10 Tobacco, 257 lbs 32 2 6 Sugar, 3420 lbs 14 5 0 - Sundries ... ... ... 1 16 1 Gold, 6560z ... ... 82 0 4 £207 3 8