Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-06-07 00:00:00

m for their
h in the

hill, and the diggings there have employed, to good
advantage, a large number of alluvial workers. The once
popular Pleasant Creek now almost entirely depend-
its quaatz reefs, which continue to yield a good paying
average. Bendigo, Ballaarat, and Castlemaine are at pre-
sent suffering from the effects of migration to the Back
Creek. A report was circulated about a week that an
important gold field had been discovered at, the Cockatoo
Creek, but the official inquiries subsequently set on foot
have thrown considerable doubt upon the genuineness of
the rumour. The gold field in the Dandenong ranges, and
which is now known as the Emerald diggings, has a mining
population of from three hundred to four hundred, bus little
is known as to the state of things there. A vessel arrived
"--Y days since in Sydney from Port Curtis, to which, as
-^A. nearly 10,000 Victorian miners emi-

s upon

remembers

grated in October last year, in consequence of the country
in its neighbourhood having been reported to be highly
auriferous. The miserable discomfiture of the hopes of the
adventurers, and their return en masse, were the conse-
quences of the Port Curtis mania. The vessel referred to
brought 289 ounces of gold, and intelligence that many of
the miners who had remained were doing well.
McacANTILE AND CommEr.mAL.—lmmediately before the arrival
"ed from Liverpool in the

reach 2s'per 11i. Since then, an entire change in the prospects or
the trade has taken place, and sellers have been realising at from
Is 4d to is 6d per lb, it having been assumed that the shipments

from Great Britain in all January will turn out to nave oeen
extremely heavy. There has been a good inquiry for bulk ales,
&c., and the favourite brands have been sold at £9 2s 6d to £9 ss.
For bacon, hams, cheese, there has been a steady, and for oilmen's
stores, a moderate sale. The values of Eastern produce have,
with the exception of rice, advanced, and both teas and sugars
are saleable at quotations. There has been a lair inquiry for
Belmont sperm candles at 15d to 152 d per lb. In the market fer
wines and spirits, flr,t-class brandies have slightly advanced, but
for other descriptions of wines and spirits the demand has not
nuterially increased. The sales of flour which have been effected

have been made at quotations varying from £l9 to £2O 10s, for th
various brands of Adelaide flour. A parcel of fine French barec
flour was offered for sale by auction last week, and withdrawn a

11d. For hors(
oats are quoted

Wheat has been selling at 8s 3d per bushel, and bran at Is
- very limited. Colonial
5s Id to 5s 3d ; and

at 5s 9d to Cs; Californ
cotch and Irish at 4s 8d to 5s Id per bushel. Transactions in tl
uoney market have been limited, in consequence of the continue(
icarcity of approved securities; but capital is still freely availabh
for the purposes of investment, at rates varying from 8 to pei
cent. In the stock and share market, quotations have been wel
maintained, and in two or three instances, higher prices have bees

lielbourn

(son's Bay Rail Way shares

changed hands at as high a figure as £7B, and they may u. ,
at from £77 to £7B. The third annual meeting of the shareholdc
in the Colonial Bank has been held, for the purpose of receivin,
the report of the directors, and of electing two directors, and twc
auditors. The report of the directors set forth that £2,000 had
been appropriated to the reduction of preliminary expenses, and
£l.ooo to bank furniture and note forms,—leaving a nett balance of
£21,691 7s 4d to pay a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent. per
annum on the capital of £312,500; to meet bad and doubtful debts,
£2,000 ; to the credit of r( serYe fund, £4,000 ; and to balance (IV
profit and loss, £69 7s 4d. The report having been read, tl•
following resolutions were carried unanimously :—l. That tin,
report now submitted be received and adopted, and that it be
printed for the use of the shareholders. 2. That Mr. H. MI Murphy
be re-elected an auditor for the ensuing year. 3. That Mr.
Samuel T. Hooper be elected an auditor for the ensuing year. 4.

That the thank; of the proprietors be given to the manager and
directors, for the satisfactory manner in which the business of the
bank has been conducted. 5. That the thanks of the meeting be
given to the Hon. John O'Shanassy for his conduct in the chair.
The Hon. John O'Shanassy and the Hon. Donald Kennedy were
re-elected to seats at the board.
LABOUR.—The labour market continues without change. The
masons and some other trades still hold out in their opposition to
sub-contracting, and to anyinfringement of theeight hours' system.
There are large numbers of unemployed ia town at a loss for work,
and we fear that more will be in the same unfortunate position as
the winter sets in. The following wages list exhibits current rates :
With Rations—Married couples for home stations, farms, &c., per
annum, £6O to £7O ; ditto for hotels, &c., £7O to £BO ;
4130 to £35; bullock drivers for roads per week, 20s to 25s
• bullock drivers for stati,----

cooks for hotels, 20s to 4as per wee., _ ,
20s ; ploughmen and farm servants, 20s to 22s 6d per week ; c,
penters for stations, 30s ; gardeners, per annum, from £52 to £65
grooms, ditto, £45 to £5O; general smiths for stations, 30s to 35s pe
week ; able seamen, per month, £4 10s to £5. 11?tions according V.
authorised scale, via , 101 b flour, 121 b meat. 21b sugar, and Ilb tea,
each person per week. Without Rations—Carpenters, for town,
Ils to 12s per day; masons, bricklayers, plasterers, blacksmiths,
13s to I6s per day ; unskilled labourers, 7s Gd to 8s per day ; quar-
rymen, lOs to 12s per day; splitters, posts and rails, per 100, 20s to
according to t " 2s 3d per rod

has, -r; fencers. three-rail,
Female Servants—Laundresses and cooks, £35 to £4O per annum
housemaids and general servants, from £26 to £3O ditto; nurse-
maids, £l6 to £2O ; needlewomen, £25 to £3O.
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. —The ordinary revenue of the
colonial government for the quarter ending the 31st of March,
amounted to 0130,766, thus exhibiting a decrease as compared with
the corresponding period of last year of £81,526. This falling off is
mainly to be attributed to the large decrease in the receipts from
the sale of crown lands, the comparative excess and decrease under
the other heads of revenue about balancing. The difference
between the land for the last quarter and its parallel of 1858,
amounted to £85,520. The Customs revenue also, shows a diminu-
tion, principally o wing to the falling off in the receipts from spirits,
sugar, and from the export of gold. The net decrease under this
head amounts to £17,212. The gold revenue for the quarter has
fallen off £2,040, and fines and forfeitures show a decrease of
£1,436. Under the following heads, the revenue for last quarter has
increased when compared with the returns of the first quarter of
1858 : —Ports and harbours £ll3, licenses £3,910, postage £3,095,
fees £1,897, and miscellaneous £5,667. There is a falling off in the
revenue for the year as compared with 1857-8 of £410,784. In the
revenue for special funds, there is an increase on the quarter of
£21,496, and on the year of L 323,780. The total expenditure of the
government for the quarter was £829,053, and including disburse-
ments (other than expenditure proper) £1,707,139.