The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

fortunate enough to escape previous destruction, their
troubles and misfortunes seem only then to commence. In
the first place, the complaints of the passengers! for bad
treatment, &c., on the voyage have to be disposed of ; and
these instances are sometimes so gross, that in a case occur-
ring only last week the captain of a vessel was fined in pe-
nalties amounting in cumulo to no less a sum than £l,BOO.
Such, one would imagine, whould be a pretty strong lesson
for the future selection of captains. And the consequences
of a bad choice are by no means confined to the passengers'
complaints ; for after these have been arranged, then follow
the desertion of the seamen—the landing- of the seamen—:-
the landing of the goods—the difficulties or lighterage
—the disputes as to freight and other current evils—all
occasioned by an incapable captain, who finds himself in a
sea of litigation before he has well landed, in the midst of
which the freight is swallowed up, and the ship is then
detained in harbour till a course of correspondence takes
place between the captain or agents and the unfortunate
owner, who is thus severely punished for his injudicious
selection.

We have referred elsewhere to the particulars of our com-
mercial position, which is one of peculiar interest at the pre-
sent moment, and therefore requires great caution, and dis-
crimination in judging of its real value; and still more in
advising commercial men at a distance as to how the market
is likely to rule when the spring opens. The elasticity which
the market has already exhibited in receiving and disposing
of such a vast quantity of goods as have been thown upon it,
is really wonderful; but it appears to us that great as it really
is, very little is actually known of the quantity and value of
the imports which have poured in upon us.
The value of the imports at the port of Melbourne, from
various parts of the world, for the quarter ended 6th July,
1853, was as follows:

Imported in
From British ships. Foreign ships.
Great Britain .....L1,909,162 ... £270,132
Gottemberg.. — .. 9,720
Bordeaux 21,848
Lisbon .

Totals.
.£2,179,994
9,720
21,848
36
9,631 25,691
46,821
6,366 ... 41,952
328,315
397,989
2,500 ... 153,623
2,259
38,496
... 13,657
126,535
840
660
... 11,270
... 65,534

Oporto .
Cape of Good Hope. 46,821 ...
Mauritius
Van Diemen's Land 328,315 ...
New South Wales.. 3,97.989 ...
Adelaide
Western Australia 2,259 ...
New Zealand.
Bombay
Calcutta. 126,334 ..

Cochin.
Colombo .

Hong Kong.
Singapore.
Batavia
Manilla
Shanghai
Wampoa
Raiatea
Tahiti
Quebec -
Baltimore
Boston ..
Salem ..
San Francisco
New York ...
Rio de Janeiro
Valparaiso
Geelong
Port Fairy
Portland

11,270
65,534

... 16,579 ... 16,579
1,980 ... 7,300 ... 9,280
6,491 ... - ... 6,491
1,404 ... - ... 1,404
1,150 ... - ... 1,150
2,199 ... - ... 2,199
8,060 ... - ... 8,060
- ... 9,075 ... 9,076
19,758 ... 277,653 ... 297,441
- 6,751 ... 6,751
5,125 ... 4,395 9,520
- ... 233,854 ... 233,854
- 1,000 ... 1,000
17,173 ... 26,500 .. 43,673
820 ... - 820
60

Totals . .. £3,207,319 £907,914 £4,115,233

STEAM COMMUNICATION.

We should be altogether wanting in our duty, and it would
be quite at variance with our feeling's, if we did not notice
the great change for the better wllich has taken place in our
steam communication with Britain, or even overlooked the
great boon which the Argo (the vessel which conveys this
paper) has conferred upon these colonies by her recent
splendid trip, exhibiting, as it did, the superiority of steam
as a means of communication between England and her
Australian colonies.

The feeling of our business men towards the General Screw
Steam Company is evinced by the presentation of an address
to the directors of that body, now in course of signature, and
which is being signed by all our leading firms.
It is with considerable pleasure that we announce that
there is a decided current of improvement in the social con-
dition of the colony.

COMMIROIAL INTELLIGENCE.
FROM TUB ARGUS OF AUGUST 18.]
Gold did not come down so largely last week as the previous one,
yet there are indications of increased activity at the mines, and the
quantity produced on the whole has bean satisfactory. The price
still rules at 43 170. 6d., though reduction is talked of.
In money and banking matters, last week passed over very
quietly. There are times in co
"mmercial as well as other matters
wsthaeten thenonews
money
a good news, and therefore we refer to the quiet
market as an indication that it is in a more
healthy position than the fears of some would lead them to imagine.
Mr. John Mackenzie sold last week the following prop erties :
Allotment No. 4, of section 36, North Melbourne, for 41,050 ; four
allotments, the residue of the Wedge-shaped Paddock, St. Kilda;
for 4835 ; quarter-acre allutuisnt, Dlalvertt-hill estate, £llO ; lots
5,6, and 7 of Colonel Anderson's paddock, St. Kilda, having 126
feet frontage, by 102 feet deep, at 49 per foot, 41,080 ; two stone
cottages in William-street, near Brunswick-street, Collingn-ood, of
four rooms each, 42,500,; the Tragowell station, Lower Loddon,
the property of Messrs. C. and J. Rradshaw, with 2,000 cattle and
10, 000 sheep,sthe former at 46, and the latter at 41 per head,
amounting to 422,000, stores and sundries to be valued—purchasers,
Messrs. Booth and Holloway; 297 acres, being the unsold portion of
the Knoll Estate, section 3, Doutto. Galls, at .t'll4 9s. 7d. per acre,
amounting to £34,000. This and the previous sales, in subdivided
lots, at 4200 and 4300 per acre, have realised to the proprietor,
William Fletcher, Esq., the sum of 4411,000.
MELBOURNE GOLD h CIRCULAR.

The demand for gold for shipment by the Argo, has continued
during the week, and a large amount of business has been done. The
prices continued firm, at 17s. 6d.
The latest information from the different fields is as follows :
From Balaarat, the oldest of our gold fields, some astonishing lumps
of gold have turned up. From Bendigo, matters are progressing
steadly. From liVlvor, nearly ail the diggers have left for the
Gouiurn ; but a further confirmation of its productiveness has yet
to be received. From Koran all the diggers have gone, and the
storekeepers are following. At the Ovens matters are going on
pretty steadily, the quantity coming to Melbourne being rather over
that sent to Sidney.
It is with satisfaction we notice the stea.iy:increase now going on
in the amount brought down by escort.
Several vessels have arrived from Britain lately, in which there
is no specie reported.
We observe an appointment lately made, of an Aisay Master for
this colony. We do not exactly know where the gold is to come
fr-om for excercising the functions of such an officer, According to
our experience, we feel certain that the diggers as a class pefer re-
ceiving a definite amount for their gold dnst, rather than resort to
the expedient of having it melted and assayed, as that involves a
delay and uncertainty as to its value, which they will not risk.
We cannot see any other :mode of fully occupying the lately-ap-
pointed official than by an Government extending the establishment
a degree further, anu opening a bullion broker's office.
Exchange on London, drafts against gold taken at per. The
Banks advance from hOs. to 60s. per ounce. Freight of gold deliver-
ed at the Bullion Office, London, did. per ounce. Insurance 2i
guineas per cent.