[From the "Daily Times" of March 25.]

Press, Volume XI, Issue 1370, 29 March 1867, Page 2

[From the "Daily Times" of March 25.]

The week just past has furni-hed but little of interest in the slack business doing, the lull usually accompanying the incoming and departure of the homo mails bring added to by the holidays which hare occurred. The English intelligence to hand, though not specially made up for this market, furnishee us with the information that the shipments lately making from the United Kingdom for th » colony have been comparatively light— amongst other items, bacon and hams, brandies and ales in bulk, are noticeably so. Melbourne advices also report markets as satisfactorily firm, the late large advance on sugars being fully maintained.--.Teas are in demand, at full rate*--and brandies are recovering in value. In our own markets

the trade done has been unimportant. Flour has only been in demand for immediate requirements, prices not varying. Sugars have only been dealt in sparingly. Sales at an advance would have been practicable, and have indeed to a small extent taken place, but the coming sale on the 26th has suspended operations. Teas quiet, some moderate parcels for shipment being nearly all the business doing. Some small sales of provisions have taken place at last quoted rates, and there has been some little attention given to brandies, but no transactions have yet transpired. Malt liquors are quiet: the new brew ales have passed from first hands, and importers are experiencing no enquiry for beers in gla?s. The values of staple goods have not varied from our last quotations to any extent requiring notice. Referring to the sugar markets, respecting which previous mention libb been made of the advanced values both in the United Kingdom and Australias, we make the following extract from Messrs Ireland, Fraser and Co's circular of February s:—"Sugar-making may now be said to have been brought to a close throughout the island. The crop is estimated at 115,000 tons, of which quantity about 80,000 tons had been exported up to the 4th instant. Our market was very firm during January, and prices for every description of sugar materially advanced, holders generally showing little disposition to sell. Since arrival of the last packets, comparatively few transactions have taken place, but a slight advance upon previous rates seem to have been established, and it is generally expected that we shall have a gradually strengthening and advancing market for Borne months to com", in ]<r<->r>o»-Hon as our comparatively smnll stock of sugar becomes reduced by shipments. Our next crop will probably be unusually late, and it cannot in any case be commenced before July. The demand for white crystallised and yellow grocery sugars, which had quite subsided during the latter part of January, has revived since the arrival of the mail packet. We estimate the cost of a good yellow counter sugar at 29s 6£d per cwt., free on board, exclusive of insurance. The colonial clearances were Sarah and Danish Beauty, for Melbourne ; Isabella, for Port Phillip ; Alexander, for Adelaide ; Southern Cross, for Hobart Town : and Isabella Brown, for Sydney. Of the ships about to load, the Atlantic only is destined for New Zealand, for the port of Auckland.