THE SHAREMARKET.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4304, 31 May 1871, Page 2

THE SHAREMARKET.

Mr. P. W. Slev«ns reporfca : — " The sharemarket has been decidedly firmer to-day, with an upward tendency, and likely to improve, in the face of the dividends about to be paid. Thames, 34Z. to 35Z.J Tookey, 221. to 241,-, Care, 27s to 80s ; "VVaitemata, 15s ; Whau, 60i. Demand for Thames, Tookey, < Care, Otago, and Caledonian." Mr. J. Newman reports: — "The share-, market ia depressed for all shares except Tookey, Caledonian, and Thames Goldminiug Company ; the shares in .these companies have advanced to-day, and will give- increased confidence in other interests. Cnres haye also been in request. My sales comprise: < Caledonians, 1681, I59£, %tyl, 162?. 10s, to, 165lj Thames, 35&;, Tookey, 23£.j Cur$, 29sl to 30s j, Kelly's, 51. } Tokfttea, 5?. -, Eed! Queens, Hi." ■' • ' • ' ' ■ j Mr. J.Tpnson Gar^iok reports,:—" I^avej > eold to-day : Caledonian, frOiii 160/. to 165?. ; Thames, 3U. 10m to 352.; .Corel, 25s to '27s; 6d: Golden Calf, 47« 6d; Tokatea, 61. y Nolan's Candlelight, '^)s j- Tookey, ;\ Nonpareil^ 11,' "Alburnia. 122.: Inverness, 35a; Prince'tmb'enai; x m i M£ 'Belfast, 7tj! 2J*8 O » e F?i i^rJ^JMWr^qokey, and[ Thamee in demandT^Povelfy andTcharleston, «*U«ri, 61, 15s; KeUy '«, «eU«s, 61 15s."

' Mt. reports 'sale^this^Bay :— "Caledoniaiiisi 10$2. t h0hi fJ»r;17S?t vtl i li*me3 ) <$£ 'i*i , Wra : for1^i|h«r Vftta*^ Tookey, in demand, 251. ; Cure, 30s ; Alburnia, 111. 10s ; Ballarat and Rising Sun, 10s ; All Nations, 5/. 15s;Tokatea, 5L; Shotovor,12s ; Ofcago, 31. Tookey, Thamee, aud CaladouiattB iu demand, with few sellers, Bayers for Gas, Bank, and Insurance shares.?' ' , , , ', '

Australian Wines.— -The Australasian Trade Review says :-—"The Agent-General,* in a recent letter addressed to the Chairman, of the Wine Committee of the Board of| Agriculture, expresses his regret that? Australian wines are not making as much? progress in English consumption as they deserve: and refers to a combination of ■circumstances as being against their introduction. He says, ' The Continental wanes' aie very cheap, they are well-known, ,jyid they are greatly favoured by the French; treaty. Light claret, which is thought good! enough for ordinary consumption in the London clubs, can be had for 15a per dozen,' while the Australian wino is from 30» to 40s per dozen.' Now some French claret waa recently sent by a London' wine merchant, doing an extensive business, to a gentleman in Melbourne, with paiticulars of net cost and all charges, to enable the Victorian growers to compare notes both as to quality and price ; and it was found that some of the Yering wines would compare most favourably, indeed were almost identical in flavour, and not at all inferior in quality, and could be ' shipped to England, and retailed with a good profit, at less than 15s per dozen. A gain, we have seen some wine from the neighbourhood of Melbourne equal to a very high-class Rhenish wine, which readily fetches 60s ; and some from Sunbury, of a ? Madeira character, which would be cheap in London at 30s or 40a per dozen. The 1 fact that many of the Australian wines, particularly those from beyond the Murray, and; from South Austra'ia, through the influence , of the dry climate, attain in their natural state a degree of alcoholic strength ju»t a, shade higher than the standard fixed by tnej English Government, viz,, 26 per cent. of. proof spirit, operates greatly in favour of Continental winea, and against those of Aug. tralia ;— the former being admitted at the la. duty, while the latter has to pay 2s 6d. The Agent-General says he has suggested to our Chief Secretary that a joint application from' the Australian Governments to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject might have some effect. We believe that the Melbourne Vinegrowers' Association are about to memorialise the Home Government,, through the Chief Secretary, on the great disadvantage in which the Australian colo- , nies are hereby placed, in competing with' Continental vinegrowers in the English 1 market. The vintage in Victoria is now nearly finished, and the weather during the' last month has been most propitious. The crop in-many, districts will be found heavier than the average of the last five years, and) the specific gravity of the wine must be fully equal to that of several years, if we except the vintage of 1870."