COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume II, Issue 51, 3 May 1862, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

SALES THIS DAY Mr. W. D. Barnard— Saddle, light harness, and draught horses, milok _ fa SHIPS LOADIXU FOR NEW ZEALVJT. Auckland-Queen of the North, Crombie ■ \ui\u nr bach, Gaudie. ' atllda Watfe n . Canterbury—Harewood. Forsyth; Mary An« Egmont, Morgan. T Ann - As%. Nelson—Knight Bruce, Cotton. Otago—Geelong, Wallace; Abdul Medjed Willi. ~ Flower, Morris. J llkle i May Wellington—Triton, Nielson; Joachim Christian P* Princess, Sargent. ' re wrs; The ship Zealandia, 1032 tons register, Captain P . sailed from Gravesend on the 4th of February f n' bury, with emigrants and a full complement of pi ter " Among the emigrants, to whom assisted passages t, Ti***' granted by the agent of the Provincial Government dp ♦ bury, were 33 married couples and their families together 86 statute adults, 52 single men, and 35 women. Dr. Urquhart, surgeon-superintendent. Sm^ LONDON WOOL REPORT. February, 1862.—0ur market may be quoted as inactive. «m. but few inquiries, and those chiefly for wool at last sale t which dealers are not disposed to accept, notwithetaml' their wish to be quit of all old stock prior to the next which are announced to commence on the 28th of Febru The arrivals to date aro—Sydney, 322U bales • Port Pvlv 7170; Van Diemen's Land, 4(59 ; Adelaide, 52i0- )UrT ft land, 192; Cape, 20,048; total, 3(5,312 bales. ' Judging from the dulness which pervades nearly all ft woollen districts, late rates can scarcely be looked for Co tinental accounts are equally Unsatisfactory, and, with'a com' bination of indifferent trade tnxeughout the country, a con cession must be made to buyers, and we doubt not that im. porters will meet the market freely at a decline on the average of about Id. The easy state of the money market will hem prices, as many may, should prices rule easy, l>e willing to purchase freely in anticipation of a good spring trade. The arrivals for the May sales are expected to be very large, and without a very decided improvement in trade before then! lower rates will then be established. On the 28th, they again met, and after many hours' labour late in the day, the first session was closed. ' POST OFFICE NOTICE. .Mails per Airedale to England, India, the Australian colonies, and Dunedin will close at Lyttelton at 4 p.m., and at Chnstchurch at 1 p. m. on Thursday the 15th J/ay. Late letters for England, the Australian colonies, and Dunedin, only can be posted at Z,yttelton until within one hour of the departure of the steamer, and at Christchurch until 6 am. oa the 16th of it/ay. Post Office, Lyttelton, F. E. WRIGHT. April 29, 1862. Postmaster. To the Editor of the l Press. , The signal failure of the volunteer force throughout the Colony of Hew Zealand, calls for immediate attention of the "powers that be," to devise what measure ought to be adopted to ensure the safety of the country from invasion. It must be apparent to all, that in the event of any sudden rupture taking place between England, either with France or A merica, this country would at once be chalked out as an object of importance and of easy capture. The incalculable advantages that woidd be gained by taking possession of the* islands are manifold, and quite seen through by foreigners. India—that beautiful fertile region—no doubt would be the great battle-field of attack, and their greatest ambition would be to deprive us of it; but would they not in all probability try to secure New Zealand in the rirst place: so eminently well suited to rendezvous a great army and immense fleet, from the fact of her climate being so temperate and delightful, her soil so fertile, and her anchorage of bays so numerous, whose entrances defended by scientifically planned batteries can be rendered impassable. I maintain, in these days of steam power, they would resolutely endeavour to make this their encampment ground and refuge if ever the invasion of India is contemplated where they could at all times fall back on their meeting with defeat, and are we Britons then who have adopted this land as our home, spending our wealth in imgrovements, and developing the resources of the country, with its precious metal and minerals that be buried under it to wait on patiently, until the floodgates of destruction bear down upon us unprepared to stem its terrible approach ot disaster ? The time has arrived when this apathy must be cast off, and a more vigilant policy pursued. It must us confessed that the volunteers, however stalwart and muscular, would be no match against disciplined soldiers accustomed daily to inaiuvvere in tactics of rield movements, and subject to the divest penalties of the law on the slightest disobedience of orders, or seeming cowardice. A well drilled wxly ol soldiers act as one man, and to entertain a thought that tne volunteers, who have not attained that proficiency, or even can, and who are not subject to the articles of war, coma cope with trained with trained troops, is altogether madness. You will allow mc, Mr. Editor as an old son of j«MJ«j differ widely from those who are impressed with tne Deu that our volunteers are at all martially capable of repelliM «» invasion. To bring them up, then, in actual conflict wiin «« rtgulan, against the enemy, would indeed but create contusion discomfiture, and general slaughter in our ranks, i value our strong love of liberty, we must without loss M w» go back and resort to England's stern days of n***?} I , hays the embodiment of a Militia drawn up and dnlleq o or twice yearly, and the gallant officers whom the er "'" f have already appointed, will soon bring tliam mto a ewe martial bearing and efficiency ; I would allow » however, who" were ballotted, the privilege of pro» £ themselves with substitutes if they choose. Let i barracks built, convenient to the different capitals, "«' y . other requisite accommodation necessary for tne co soldiers, mullet them be quartered there during tner term of drill season. Let the whole of the Militia i»• «i rf occasionally assembled and brigaded as near to "'" te . settlements in the northern island as possible, ami 1 o that we shall hear m> more of that race rising up i , j Lord Bentick. by such a strascm, whi-n <-;' ,verno J , p unja nb, India, ovcrawled I'umjeet Singh, the rily riiller ot *>* a , when appearances dictated au expediency ot tv» necessary. At all events, foreigners awart> . ° with strong in Military resources would Ihj canti.ms to ™* us; lot us then have the embodied £ j,_