"?MTELBOURNE 'PODUGE MARKET. yR0M THE AEGUS. :-Flour and Grain.-The breadstuffs:mar ket latterly has. shown more signs,,.of im provement, though last week was very quiet. Prices have again advanced. As holders are very firm, 'higher rates' are anticipated. Telegrams are to hand from London stating that the weather continnes very unfavorable and that the market there has. a. strong up. ward tendency. This together with the fairly short supplies in town, has induced a speculative demand, which has resulted in some good lines of both wheat and flour being taken up at very full prices, For flour a good demand continues both for con sumption and for export. Early in the week,jbesides ordinary trade rates which were making at from £9 15s to £10, one or two good lines were taken up for export at these prices. Later in the week, however, owing to a speculative enquiry, prices ad vanced, and on Friday about 300 tons were disposed of at up to £10 5s, but of this about 100 tons were for shipment to the adjoining colonies. For wheat also there has been a speculative demand, which has caused a considerable advance in prices; Millers are in very short supply, and have been compelled to purchase, to enable them to continue grinding. Receipts from the country have also been on a limited scale, and this has enabled holders to maintain considerable firmness, and unless the higher prices ruling should bring much largei quantities o grain to town, rates are hkely to be sustained., We also hear of enquiries for a vessel to load for London with r.ain in anticipation of a good advance in prices there. The harvest at home is just now being reaped, and the movement- of the market nowis likely.?o be soiame criterion of funtre prospects. L&it. week ibod t 8,000 bags were cleared off, privately and by auction at up to: 4s; 9d; . This week on Mondsy, beside' smaller. parcels: 500:bags were sold at 4sgd, while'for a lie 8?,? bags for export'4a 9jd ez store'wau obtained,: Od Wednesday, publicl,"'out of ?,'877"bag offered, only:;1,147 beged Ietn sold at fro4 ,4 fi .o r 4. .9jfc fir
milling, 4s 10d for good, and 4s 101 for prinme; 4lld was bid for one line but was not accepted, holders requiring 5s. Privately before the sales, 500 bags were placed at 4s 10d, 'while 200 bags were also quitted at a aimilar figure. We were also advised of .1,100 ag of New Zealand having been take op at 4s 2d, duty paid. On Thursday abs 2,000 bage were cleared off at full ceo, while to.day we hear of 4,000 bags having been taken at up to bs, being an advance of lid on late rates. Further large lines are under negotiation, and are likely to be closed for; a good demand is also re ported for hipment to the northern colonies and some fair parcels have been'sold at full prices. The arrivals as well as the ship -enthoi-br-a -fsiingi ?.--eThe receipts -at Melbourne, Williamstown, Sandndge, Gee long, and coastwise, for the week ending -Angust 4 amount to4,046, bags of flour and 6,517 bags of wheat, while the shipments for the same period amount to 4,284 bags of flour and 2,315 bags-oftwheat. -The total receipts for the year aggregate'178,851 bags of floor and 645,632 bags of wheat, while the eports reach 177,772 bags of flour and 270,226 bags of wheat. The latest wire from London quotes 478 6d-as -theprice-per. qnarter ex stole while from Adelaide we learn that from 5s to 5s Id are still the prices for fair parcels for shipment.