Commercial Notes

Australia is about the only country thiit gives subsidies to stcamship linos now. A contract lias just been given to i new line to run to the Eust Indies. The animal report on tlie provisión business of the West, prepareil at Chicago, predieta thnt in a few yearH thut city will export direct the grcater part of khe pork' provisión of the West. Figures are given showing that there has been a great increase in the direct trede within the last live ycars. The first shipment of beef to Europe lias been mode from Boston. Wheii beef was flrst offered as cargo to the steaniers at New York, the line to which it was offered sconted the wholo business and ro.fused to carry the coinmodity. All tlie lines are glad now to get a load of beef, and at the smaller ports the steaxaei companies aro almost begging for it. Arrangements are being made both at Baltiiuore and Koston looking to a large business. OaMPOBNIA ík beginning to look up hopefully from its woe, and talks even of having a surpliiR of wheat for export tliis year of 150,000 to 250,000 tons. A thousand tons of the new erop have nlready been sold at 2í cents a pound, and contracts for shipping to Europe have been made at from $10 to $12 a ton. With 250,000 tons surplus from Orcgoii, the Pacific coast will thus make no mean contribution to the flgures of America and the food of Europe for the next ycar. A letter from Australia, speuking of the Sydney Exhibition, says the American and Oanadian exhibits are the great features of the show. Au annex has been built especially to accommodate theni, and this part of the fair turns out to be the most densolyand most conti duously crowdéd with sight-seers. The things from the United States which attract the most especial attention are the large displays of cotton goods, tools, earriages, scales, house hardware, slutcs, statuettes and Yankee notions. The New York Tribune publishes tables showing the enrnings of nearly all the railroads in this country, and also tables showing tlie dividends made by the railroad corporations. From these it appears that stock amounting to $1,400,000,000 paid uo dividends the last year ; that stock amounting to $826,(541,702 paid an average dividend of 7 per cent. The dividends made average about 2.G per cent. on all the stock outstundmg. The roads paying dividends have about $800,000,000 of bonds outstanding, which practically represent the capital invested - the roads bcing constructed by the sale of bonds, and but a small proportiou of cash being invested in stock.