tors, and small as has been the quantity of English | led the millers to continue the quotation as before, wheat exhibited at Mark Lane the millers have ma- viz,, 40s. per sack. Household flour has been nifested no signs of being in any immediate want. selling relatively cheaper, Norfolk and other counOn the first Monday in the month (4th inst.) fac- try made samples having been freely offered at 28s. tors were under the necessity of accepting prices to 30s. per sack, according to quality. Foreign 1s. per qr. below those current on that day week | flour having been held relatively high has met with before they could succeed in placing the Essex and little attention, and the tendency of prices has been Kent supply. Subsequently the trade assumed a rather downwards. firmer tone. On the following Monday the turn was in favour of the seller, and on the 18th an advance of fully 18. per qr. was generally established. Since then less disposition has been shown to buy, and though no actual reaction has taken place the upward movement has been checked. On the 25th inst., fair runs of Essex and Kent wheat were sold at 38s. to 39s., and fine weighing 63lbs. per bush. at 40s. per qr.; for Lincolnshire wheat of the same weight rather more money was obtained, but in comparing present quotations with those current at the close of January very little difference will be found. The arrivals of home-grown barley into London have been small throughout the month, and the display of samples at Mark Lane by land carriage from the neighbouring counties has been very moderate. The pressure which existed in the barley trade when we last addressed our readers continued during the first week or two in February, and prices suffered a further depression of fully 1s. per qr., until the top price for English malting receded to 27s. per qr. Subsequently a demand arose for fine qualities for seed; and though no portion of the decline has hitherto been recovered, the maltsters have latterly bought somewhat more freely, which has given sellers a slight advantage. The supplies of barley from abroad have been quite unimportant; but having still good stocks in granary, and considerable receipts of foreign being expected immediately after the re-opening of the shipping season in the Baltic, buyers have declined to take more than needed for present use, and the transactions have been altogether on a restricted scale, at prices similar to those current at the close of January. No change requiring notice has occurred in the value of malt; a slight concession was in some cases made in the early part of the month, but afterwards holders exhibited more firmness, and prices are now very nearly the same as they were about this time last month. The operations in foreign wheat have, throughout the month, been on a strictly retail scale, and its value has undergone little or no change since the close of January. The reduction of 1s. per qr. which took place in the price of English on the 4th inst. did not produce any influence on the value of the finer descriptions of foreign, nor did the rise which was afterwards established on the former extend to the latter. The arrivals of wheat from abroad have been unimportant, having consisted principally of a few large cargoes from Odessa. Some of these have come to hand in fine order; but others, having been a long time on passage, have arrived in so heated a condition as to be unsaleable from on board ship. The business done has been chiefly in parcels in granary; our own millers have confined A very large proportion of the supply of oats retheir purchases to such quantities as they have received since our last has been from Scotland; the quired for immediate use, and the country inquiry receipts from thence have been more liberal than has also been of a retail character. Holders have usual, but from all other quarters the arrivals have refrained, however, from attempting to press sales, been exceedingly small. That the supplies of this and prices have remained as nearly as possible grain have for some considerable time past fallen stationary. We may quote fair to good Polish materially below the quantity required for the Odessa 36s. to 38s., Hamburg and the commoner weekly consumption of the metropolis, and that the sorts of red Baltic 36s. to 40s., and superior Ros-dealers have consequently had to draw largely on tock 428. to 45s. per qr.; whilst for Danzig, owing their stocks, is certain; but this has failed to give to its extreme scarcity, relatively higher terms have an impetus to business, and we have had a retail been paid, the best high mixed having realized 50s. trade throughout the month, with little or no imto 52s. per qr. It is scarcely to be expected that provement in prices. Some of the soft and ill conthese terms will be supported on the appearance of ditioned parcels of Scotch oats have been parted the spring shipments from the continent, which ex-with at very low terms, say 15s. to 17s., and really plains the reason why purchasers have conducted fine corn has been freely offered at 20s. to 21s. per their operations with such extreme caution. The nominal top price of town manufactured flour has undergone no change since our last; there was some talk in the early part of the month of putting it down, but the subsequent rally in wheat qr., without exciting much attention. Beans of home growth have not come forward very freely, but the quantity offered for sale has kept pace with the demand. New ticks have realized 22s. to 23s., and other sorts from 24s. to 28s.; old have been held 2s. to 3s. per qr. above those rates. Several cargoes of Alexandrian beans have been received; the quality of these fresh arrivals from Egypt is much inferior to the average shipments from thence, and whilst fine parcels in granary have been taken in small quantities at 22s. to 23s., it has been impossible to exceed 20s. to 21s. per qr. for parcels free on board, and there have been offers of cargoes to arrive at 18s. to 19s. cost, freight, and insurance. Picked quantities of peas for seed have brought full terms, but for all other purposes the article has moved off very slowly. English boiling peas have been offered at 24s. to 27s., and foreign still lower, whilst maple and hog have been obtainable on equally moderate terms. The demand for floating cargoes of Indian corn, which was, it will be recollected, rather active in January, has entirely subsided since then, and at this port, as well as at Liverpool, prices have given way within the last week or two, owing to the total want of Irish orders. In proportion as the season advances and the time draws near when the navigation of the Baltic may be expected to re-open, the importance of accurate information from the continental ports increases; and we shall devote the remainder of our space to laying before our readers the substance of the latest advices from abroad. The ice began to break up rather earlier than usual this season; the Dutch and Belgian harbours were open the first or second week in February, and the Elbe a little later. About the middle of the month, the communication between Rostock and the sea became clear of ice, but further to the north the navigation of the Baltic continued impeded up to the date of the most recent advices. Letters from Danzig dated 18th inst. state, that though the thermometer had risen above freezing point during the day time, there had, up to that period, been frequent and sharp night frosts. The ice had therefore been but little acted upon by the thaw, and it would, it was calculated, require some time to set the harbour free. In the early part of the month a good deal of speculation took place at that port, but subsequently matters had relapsed into a state of inactivity in consequence of the continued dull reports from hence. So long as the sledge roads remained in good order the neighbouring farmers had brought fair supplies of wheat to market; but after the thaw had commenced a falling off had taken place in the receipts, which had perhaps assisted to maintain the confidence of holders. In point of price, very little change had occurred; but as few sales had for some time been made, quotations were not to be much depended on. Fine high mixed new wheat of 61lbs. weight had been held at 38s. per qr., free on board; but it was expected that if the English demand did not improve, the value might fall to about 35s. per qr. in April. The quality of last year's growth of wheat is described as decidedly inferior to that of 1848, but the yield is not complained of. Fair stocks had been collected at several of the markets in the interior, ready to be sent down the Vistula so soon as that river should have become navigable. Freights were moderate, and one large vessel capable of loading 2,500 qrs. had been chartered for Liverpool at 3s. 3d. per qr. for wheat. Old stocks were nearly exhausted; and it would appear that but little really fine wheat can be calculated on from that quarter. From Konigsberg we learn that holders of grain had begun to manifest more anxiety than they had previously evinced to realize, and that prices of most articles had tended downwards. Red wheat of 611bs. weight per bush. had been freely offered at 328., mixed at 34s., and high mixed at 36s. per qr., free on board, without exciting attention. Barley was also cheap at that port; small, of 48lbs. to 49lbs. weight, being quoted at 12s. 9d. to 138., and large, weighing 50lbs., 14s. 9d. per qr. In Pomerania, Mecklenburg, Silesia, Uckermark, &c., the quality of last year's wheat is well spoken of, and we may expect the weight of the shipments from the different ports to average about 621bs. per bush., whilst it will not, we are informed, be difficult to pick up parcels of 63lbs. weight. This fine wheat cannot yet be bought below 35s. to 36s per qr., free on board; but freight from Rostock, Stettin, Stralsund, Wismar, &c., will most likely be low, and a small reduction on the other side would, if our prices remained stationary, leave a fair margin for profit on consignments to England. Taking into account the difference of freight and other charges, quotations are much the same at the nearer continental ports, and prices are gradually giving way abroad so as to meet the state of things here. At Hamburg the market has been steadily drooping during the last week or two, owing to the want of British orders, and good parcels of Upland wheat, on the spot, weighing 614lbs., might, according to the latest accounts, have been bought there at 36s. to 37s. per qr., free on board. Offers from out-ports had increased: there had been sellers of Pomeranian wheat, free on board, at 35s.; of Mecklenburg, at 34s. ; and of Holstein, at 32s. 6d. per qr., free on board. In the Netherlands prices are still somewhat too high to allow of shipments to Great Britain with much chance of profit, but quotations are fast accommodating themselves to the state of our market. From Rotterdam we learn that good red Rhine wheat was not worth more than 34s. 6d. to 36s. 6d., and fine 37s. to 38s. per qr., whilst at Antwerp superior Louvain (a quality much liked by our millers) had receded to 36s. to 37s. per qr. free on board. Our letters from France inform us that stocks of wheat had been a good deal reduced by the shipments to this country, and that sellers had consequently demanded full terms for both wheat and flour. In the north of France, where the quality of the wheat is ordinary, red might be bought at 33s. to 348.; and at the ports from which the best descriptions are usually received, quotations do not exceed 35s. to 36s. for red, or 38s. to 41s. for white per qr., free on board. The value of flour ranged from 25s. to 31s. per sack-according to quality, port of shipment, &c. At most of the Mediterranean ports, prices of wheat are relatively higher than in the British markets, and the advices from thence are therefore of little interest. From Odessa we learn that the stock of wheat in warehouse at that port amounted to about 270,000 qrs. of wheat, two-thirds of which were, however, of such inferior quality as not to be considered suitable for shipment to England. The result of the harvest in Poland had, we are informed, been highly satisfactory, and the quality of the growth of 1849 is described as something extraordinarily fine. Good supplies were expected in May or June, and it was calculated that the best sorts would then recede to 31s. to 32s. per qr.-indeed, merchants were willing to enter into contracts for delivery in June at the price named. The most recent advices from the United States inform us that very little business had been done in bread-stuffs for shipment to Europe, but that, though the trade had been dull, prices had been well supported, and at New York ordinary shipping brands of Western Canal had not been sold under 22s. to 23s., whilst for pure Genessee flour 24s. to 24s. 6d. per brl. had been realized. Stocks at the ports on the seaboard were small; and though the quantity of wheat in the interior was known to be abundant, the growers seemed disposed to hold for higher rates.-Feb. 28. IMPERIAL AVERAGES. FOR THE LAST SIX WEEKS. Wheat. Barley Oats. | Rye. Beans Peas. WEEK ENDING: 8. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. ds. d. Jan. 12, 1850.. 41 1 26 4 15 623 Jan. 19, 1850.. | 41 0 26 3 16 023 Jan. 26, 1850..40 125 Feb. 2, 1850.. 39 4 25 Feb. 9, 1850.. 38 6 24 7 15 3 22 Feb. 16, 1850.. 37 9 23 10 15 4 20 Aggregate average of last six weeks 39 Comparative avge. 4 26 628 6 926 627 6 9 15 10 21 226 128 5 4 15 2 23 10 25 627 0 125 326 4 724 11 26 10 8 25 4 15 6 22 625 927 5 same time last year 47 2 29 2 17 4 26 329 234 2 DUTIES. 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 01 0 HOP MARKET. BOROUGH, MONDAY, Feb. 25. We have a very restricted inquiry for the better class of Kent and Sussex Hops; other descriptions command no attention. Prices are tolerably firm, at the quotations annexed :-Sussex Pockets, £6 to £6 15s.; Weald of Kent do., £7 7s. to £8 10s. HORTON & HART. |