COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2467, 18 November 1868, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times Office, Tuesday Evening.

The Customs rerenue collected at Chrifltekufch to-day amounted to 6961 Is lid, The fallowing were the items:—Wine, 95 gals., £l9; spirits, 122 gals £73 4s 2d; fish, 20 cases, £4 7s 6d.

The Customs rerenue collected at LytWton to-day amounted to £251 6s 4d. The fallowisg were the items:—Tea, 1840 lbs, iW810»; spirits, 145 gals, £B7 5s lOd; tobacco, 738 lbs, £92 53; wine, 101 gals, £2O 6s; beer, bottled, 7 gals, 8s 9d; light dues, 8s 6d; nhiftihg fees, £2 2s 4d.

An extensive sale of new season's teas (in bond) ex Sampan, from Foo-chow, was held atMrW. H. Hargreaves' rooms, <'athedral ■quare, this day. In consequence of the illness of Mr Hargreaves, Mr C. W. Turner, the consignee, officiated as auctioneer. There was a numerous attendance of buyers. The quantity offered consisted of 254 chestß congou (84 lbs); 1185 half-che3ts do, (41, 42, and 43 lbs); and about 1000 boxes (12J lbs). About lOOchestSji 400 half-chests, and 500 boxes were disposed of, but the prices realised were not so satisfactory as it was expected they would be. Fair ordinary teas brought from Is 5Jd to Is 8d; good medium, from Is BJd to Is lOd; and .finest from is lOd to 2s 3Jd. The finest parcels offered consisted of 50 half-chests (42 lbs.) Thirty of these were knocked down at 2s SJd, and the remaining twenty at within a farthing of the maximum. Some boxes, of equal sample, realised similar prices. The quantity disposed of to-day was somewhat in excess of the sale held at a corresponding period of last year. The terms of payment wereasfollows:—Under£2oo,3months; oyer £2OO and under £400,8 and 4 months; over £4OO and under £SOO, 3, 4, and 5 months; and over £500.3,4,5, and 6 months. .

■ OAMAitu.—The Times of Nor. 13, reports: T-Yeßterday an impetus was given to business by. the, number of visitors attracted by the Agricultural Show. The grain market exhibits no change except in oats, which are a, trifle firmer, The first scoured wool of this season has arrived from Messrs Farrarlg work's,. Kakanui, consisting of a parcel of lixbalefij being the n'ett result of the scouring* W ! a" quantity of wool, clipped from Wethers, at Mr Gibson's station, Waitangj,

A better got up specimen could not be, the wool being perfectly snow-white, soft,, and' free from impurity. The loss in scouring was about 50 per cent. We were also shown a bale of puro skin wool, equally well got-;

up. ' :'.'"> ". Adelaide.—The S. A Register of Not. i

reports:-The market for wheat and'flour has been firm during the weekend several transactions haTe taken place at quotations. Barley is scarce, and not much doing in it. Oats are neglected. Bran and pollard are easier, and there is a fair homo trade. We quote wheat, 5s 3d to 6s; inferior, 4s to ss; flour, town, £l3 to £l3 10s; country, £l2 , 10s to £l3, Vessels loading with breadstuffs: I Aurifera, barque, for Sydney; Georgina, barque, for Liverpool. The Stordt has arrived, and was to load cereals j but her port of destination is not mentioned. Hobarton.—The Tasmanian Times, of Not. 2 reports:—The Melbourne news has not caused any appreciable alteration in our breadstuffs market, but the market is decidedly firmer than at the commencement of the week, Wheat may be quoted at from' 6s to Gs 4d; flour £ls ; sharps, £7 to £8; bran,ls. : Oats are dull at 2s 6d to 2s 9d, Cape barley is hardly noticed. Old potatoes are in good supply at £3 to £3 10s. New ones were plentiful at 7s per cwt. Green peas were also plentiful at 2s 6d to 3s per bushel. Gooseberries are also getting more plentiful, and were sold to-day at 5b the bushel. Good fresh butter is Worth from 9d to lod wholesale. Dairy produce is dull, especially bacon and hams. The fall in wool, now confirmed, will have a depressing effect on the season's business.

Otago.—The Daily Times of Not. 16, reports :-During the week there has been an appearance of greater animation in all departments of business, and in particular second houses haTe been fairly occupied with an increased amount of' country orders. In breadstuffs we haTe to report the market as stationary, though with no accession of firmness either in the Talue of flour or of grain, the only item of the latter in any way in demand being barley, for malting purposes, really gond samples of which command full prices. The Emma, from Tome, with Chilian flour, has, after an extremely long passage, come to hand, but nothing with respect, to her cargo has transpired. The principal transactions going forward within the lastfew, days haTe been the sale by.auction of new season's teas ex Sampan. The bulk of . the ordinary and medium teas in the cargo were placed at auction and privately, by the auctioneers afterwards,.,at very fair prices, but the offers for the fine teas not being so satisfactory, most of them, were withdrawn, the range of prices realised being about Is 5Jd to 2s 2d, A considerable parcel of these congous is understood to have been placed for. an outside market; and some lots of sugars from importers' hands at very full prices.' In consequence of these clearances it is now difficult to meet with parcels of either good yellow or white crystals, and prices bid fair for further improTement, unless some speedy additions to stocks are made. In general goods sales have not been individually heavy; but miscellaneous parcels have been numerous,- and a few items have been quite neglected,, A very languid demand for imported provisions prevails, and even good parcels of hams are now difficult to quit at prices saving the importers from lobs. A better state of things prevails with respect to colonial produce, both butter and cheese of good quality being in request, at maintained rates. Sales of bottled ales to some r extent have been reported—Tennent's, at 9s ! ; a small lot of Alsopp's, at 8s; and other brands at lower prices. Best brands of stouts have been quitted. at8s 6d. Spirits are very quiet; the sales of brandy, have not lately exceeded just the barest necessities of the buyers, and no better business has been done in whiskies, genevas, or rums, all of which remain without attention. Hemp goods, kerosine, candles, and blasting powder are all without improvement either in value or demand; but holders anticipate, an alteration, and in the meantime no attempt is made to push any of these goods. Except in recapitulating prices already noticed as having been realised for moderate parcels during the last few days, there is nothing to report it may, however, be noted that, owing to the storekeepers, both in the country and on the coast, having allowed stocks, to run low, a good general business may be expected during, the next few weeks. '

Melbourne.—The Argus of Nov. 7 reports:—ln the import markets to-day, very little indication of a desire to do business was presented, Breadstuffs are very firm, and there is more flour selling, though only for trade purposes, at £l3 10s to £l4, according to brand. Dealers, however, are very sanguine of a brisker demand springing up after the holidays are over. Wheat is Bteady at 6s 3d for good samples of Victorian and South Australian; but for, very prime quality, a trifle OTer this is required. Maize is dull at 3s lid to 45.. ;No transactions in oats have come under our notice. Cornsacks attract more notice, and at a slight concession on the rate generally required of 12s, in bond, a large business can be done. A parcel of 100 bales was cleared off on private terms. The demand is still only for export, inquiries for local purposes being insignifk, cant, There is an improved trade done in ' currants, at higher rate 3. About 300 barrels have been disposed of at an. advance on and holders now refuse to entertain any offers, under 3fd, We note a fair inquiry for malt. Alineof forty tanks was sold, to land, at lis. Kerosene oil still finds purchasers, though not to a large extent; about 800 cases of Oriental and Devoe's were disposed of at ls9d. At the public sale of tobacco, great difficulty was met with in getting buyers to operate; and very little was done, the greater portion having had to be withdrawn. Sugars are quiet, and few sales can be reported; we observe, however, thatf the Thames'.cargo, consisting of 8000 bags Mauritius, will be offered for sale on Wednesday next. In liquids we note sales'of Hennessy's brandy.at 7s 2d; ClozeauVbrandy has been quitted at 6s; Maubitio6.—The correspondent of the Argus, writing under date Oct. 2 reports : Since the date of my last letter, per Eva Joshua, our colonists have awakened to the fact that they will haVe to contend against another unfavourable season as regards the principal article of production—viz, sugar. A month ago the prospects of all the sugar planters seemed flourishing, but now that the canes are being cut in all directions it is found that by far the greater part of them, though bearing' plenty of foliage, contain little saccharine matter, which is attributed to their having been broken during the hurricane of February last. It is now thought that the colony will produce only 110,000 tons—3o,ooo tons less than it was anticipated would be produced last month, and a'small crop even in Companion with our last one, which was far below the average, Theunfavourable future before the colonists is very disheartening, 1 and little confidence is felt in any. branch of trade at present. A good deal of crystalised sugar has been sent forward to Bombay within the last fortnight j and owing to this circumstance, and to the reduction in the crop, prices have somewhat advanced. Our quotations are as follow : Finest white crystals, 7.40 dol to 7.60 dol per 100 lb; cargo do, 6.50 dol to 8.60 dol do; finest yellow crystals, 6.50 dol to 6.55 dol do; very fine, yellow counters, 6.60 dol to 6.70 dol do; middling to good do, 1.50 dol to 5.76 :dol do; good to fine yellow syrups, 5 dol to 6.75 dol do; low to medium do, 4 dol to 4.40 doL