COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2416, 19 September 1868, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times Office, Friday Evening.

The Customs revenue collected at Christchurch to-day, amounted to £255 19s lid, The following were the items •.—Cornflour, 10 cases, £2 4s 2d; lobsters, 20 cases, £ 2 5s lOd ; carraway seeds, 3 kegs, £1 Is 3d; salmon, 15 cases, £ll4s sd; sugar, 3530 lbs, £l4 lis lCd; drapery, 47 cases, £lßl ss; Forfar unbleached sheeting, hf-case, £1 6s; carpets, 2 bales, £lO 14s 10d; check cotton shirts, 1£ cases, U 19s 3d; untrimmed straw hats, 6 cases, £lslßs 6d; fancy goods, 1 case, 10s Id; stout (bottled) 143 galls, £8 18s 9d; wine, galls, £lO 10s; other receipts, Is; light dues, ls4d. The' Customs revenue collected at Lyttelton to-day, amounted to £46 13s 10(1. The following were the items:—Bottled beer, 188 gals, £1115s; sugar, 2282 lbs,£9los 2d; tea, 270 lbs, £6 15s; leather, 1 pkg, £1 5s lOd; boots, 1 pkg, 4s 6d; light dues, £8 14s; pilotage, £8 9s 4d,

Business continues to improve slowly, and will no doubt do so with the advancing spring. Rather more than half the cargo of the Light Brigade has come to hand in perfect order; we have not heard of a case of either damage or pillage yet. The goods by her are generally meeting with a ready sale. The sugars per Severn were all sold by auction in Dunedin, except one line. Finest white brought £39 10s; fine white, £36 to £3B. Teas are more enquired for, but no change has taken place in prices. Currants are saleable at sd. Corn sacks and wool packs there is no sale for.

We have no change to report in the wheat market. Oats are being shipped to Melbourne in very large quantities; the Swordfish took about 10,000 bushels; the Fawn is now filling up, aud will take about 15,000 bushels; and the Laughing Water sails early next week with 20,000 bushels; besides these shipments, the steamers take all they can find room for. The stock on hand will be so much reduced that we look for an advance in price very soon. Barley is finding buyers at 4s 6d for good malting samples.

The stock market remains without animation, and we are unable to note any quotable transaction since last week. Business in grain and breadstuffs during the week does not offer much scope for remark, Wheat is Biill offered in small sapmles, but not of a very good quality, and 6s 3d is the highest quotation we have heard of. The re-action in oa s bus slightly subsided, and they arenow somewhal dead in the market, Barley, if of good malting quality, will easily procure 4s 9d and even ss, but there is none at present offering. Flour is very quiet, and no alteration in ; rice lias taken place.

Sydney—The Herald of Aug. 29 reports: —ln the import market sales are chiefly restricted to trade lots of limited amount. During the last two days there has been more inquiry for articles of general consumption. Breadstuffs are very quiet, but, with few exceptions, holders evince nodispositionto force sales, and, for bakers' lots, prices have not undergone much change. Adelaide brands arc quoted at £l7 to £lB 10s; town mills, £l7 to £lB, Wheat is in request, and we understand that a portion of the recently arrived Califoruian has changedhands on private terms. Maize has a declining tendency, good samples were obtainable to-day at 2s Gd. Thedemundforliqnorshasbeenlight.Marteirs brandy was placed at 7s 9d to Bs. Hennessy's case, at 28s Gd. Rum is firmer; sales of 30 o.p. were made at 4s 3d to 4s 4^l ; for parcels on the spot 4s Gd is asked. There is very little doing in bulk ale; the prices asked by holders here have induced some of the trade to order supplies from Melbourne, and a large parcel is stated to have been shipped thence for this port during the present week. Bulk stout is very firm, demand limited; bottled dull. A large shipment of kerosene, just to hand, has found a buyer in one line, at Is 1 id, and 2s Id is now asked for parcels.