2IO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF. 



"HENRY KIVER & CO.'S 

 "REPORT ON THE M.-O'-PEARL SHELL &c. SALES. 



"123, Fenchlirch Street, 



"London, E.G., June 22nd, 1892. 

 "The periodical auctions were held yesterda}' and to-day (one-half of the catalogues being 

 unfinished). The total quantity of White Shells, being 2,430 packages (viz., 1,558 Sydneys, 

 against 2,184 packages last sale) and 872 packages Western Australian, against 757 packages 

 last sale. The sales opened with considerable spirit, and prices were driven up for all White 

 Shells, afterwards slightly relapsing. Sydney and Queensland, — Bold 2s. 6d. to 5s., medium 

 los. to 15s., chicken 15s. to 20s. per cwt. dearer. Western Australian. — Bold steady to 5s. 

 advance, thin medium los. to 15s., chicken los. to 15s. per cwt. dearer. Bombay. — Bold A's 

 easier, B's and C's sold at steady to occasionally dearer prices, D's cheaper. Egyptian. — Bold 

 steady, medium 5s. to 7s. 6d. better. Manilla. — Bold steady to 5s. up, chicken at 5s. to los. 

 dearer. Black-edged. — Tahiti sold well at 15s. to 20s. advance for bold, and 20s. to 30s. for 

 medium and smaller. Auckland and Fiji steady to slight advance. 



" Mother-o'-Pearl Shells, &c. 



" Sydney and Queensland. — 1,558 packages offered and about 1,500 sold ; fine white selected 

 bold £\i I2s. 6d., fine bold £(^ to £() los., fair to good rather wormy backs ^8 to £<^, ditto 

 part yellow-edged £'] ys. 6d. to /^y 15s. per cwt. Thin medium part yellowish to good ^10 

 to ^10 17s. 6d., chicken ^10 7s. 6d. to ^10 15s., bold wormy defective 87s. 6d. to 107s. 6d., 

 broken pieces j^y 5s. to ^^y 17s. 6d., and dead 50s. to 95s. per cwt. 



" Western Australian. — 872 packages offered and nearly all sold, good bold and medium 

 at /^y to /^y 17s. 6d., heavy bold at £6 2s. 6d. to /^6 15s., fair to good thin medium at ^10 to 

 _^iO 17s. 6d., fair to good chicken at ^10 5s. to ^10 17s. 6d., wormy and defective pickings at 

 77s. 6d. up to I02S. 6d., broken and pieces 147s. 6d. to 155s., dead middling to good dead 35s. 

 up to 80s., low rotten at 13s. per cwt. 



" Bombay. — About 600 packages were offered and mostly all sold, heavy bold 95s. to 102s. 6d., 

 fair to good bold _^5 los. to £^ 15s., good to fine medium ^6 12s. 6d. to /^y, thin small 90s. 

 to 97s. 6d., medium and small ^5 17s. 6d. to /^6 los., oysters 65s. to 67s. 6d., broken 55s., 

 and pickings i6s. to 45s. per cwt. 



"Egyptian. — 413 packages were offered in auction and 355 sold, good bold 105s. to i los. 

 per cwt. ; ordinary stout ditto, 85s. to 87s. 6d. ; good medium, 105s. to 112s. 6d. ; small, S7S. 6d. 

 to 97s. 6d,, and oysters 57s. 6d. to 65s. per cwt. 



" Zanzibar.— 35 packages offered and 10 sold at 34s. per cwt. for yellowish small and oyster. 



" LiNGA. — 879 packages, chiefly Persia, offered and 480 sold, fair stoutish small, i8s. to 

 21s. 6d., ordinary 14s. to 16s., and common los. per cwt. 262 bags Ceylon withdrawn 



