Latest Telegrams.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 140, 23 October 1868, Page 3

Latest Telegrams.

[BY SUBMAHIITE TELEGBAPH.] "Wellingtoit, Oct. 22, 8 p.m. Lockwood, the mailman between Wairoa and Napier, has been missing for several days ; he is supposed to be murdered. Tho rebels are close to the township of Wairoa. An attack being still expected, the women and children are being sent away. His Excellency the Governor proposes going South after the arrival of the mail of November 8. A short trip to Wanganui will probably intervene.

The following commercial news is in addition to that furnished in our mail telegrams yesterday. The conversion of provincial sevens, eights and tens is apparently not very successful, as only £144,650 out of about £500,000 has come in, but the Crown Agents suppose that a large proportion of the balance is held in the colonies. The following are the sums in detail: — Otago eights £16,400, tens £7100; Canterbury eights, £19,100 ; Wellington eights, £84,240 ; Nelson eights, £14,900; Taranaki sevens, £2900. There is also a further conversion of Otago sixes to the extent of £5200, and of Canterbury sixes £8000. The total conversion already effected increases the debt of the colony £241,650, but decreases the annual charge for interest and sinking fund by £26,800. Mr Fitzberberb is awaiting the return of Mr Julyan, Crown Agent, from the Continent to offer further proposals to holders of General and Provincial debentures outstanding. Mr Fitzherbert remains in England till next year. Westgarth's circular reports Colonial securities as unusually quiet. Quotations unchanged. The penny decline in wool on the early August sales was succeeded by a still further fall. All descriptions are twopence to threepence lower than at the May — June sales. Inferior and illconditioned were hardly marketable at that reduction. Some circulars consider the decline may fairly be said to be only twopence. "No particular complaint (says Schwartze) about bad trade is advanced, but business was evidently not sufficiently brisk to prevent the large quantities pressing on the market in an unprecedented manner." The sales of Aug. 29 passed off without spirit. Considerable withdrawals were made. This did not relieve the market, but seemed rather to depress ifc, causing buyers to become less anxious to stock, and destroying the confidence of those purchasing on the strength of better times. If anything like a good trade was doing the weight of the August and November sales would not be considered oppressive, but sluggish trade causes extreme caution. '