The trade for distribution has not equaled the expectations of merchants generally. Domestic cotton goods, however, continue to advance, and prices are now higher than they have been before for very many years. Sugar is also high, although prices have fallen off a little from the extreme point. Flour has declined, but provisions generally are still very high, and persons with fixed income find it very difficult to "make both ends meet."

The news from California represents the yield of gold there as on the increase, but the amount coming forward to the Atlantic States is only a part of the production. We annex a statement of the business at the New York Assay Office for the month of February :—

DEPOSITS AT THE ASSAY OFFICE, NEW YORK, FOR THE MONTH OF February.

STATEMENT OF THE DEPOSITS AND COINAGE AT THE MINT OF THE UNITED STATES AT PHILADELPHIA, DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, 1857 :

DENOMINATION OF COINS ON HAND AT THE MINT OF THE UNITED STATES, AT PHILADELPHIA, AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS FOR THE DAY, ON THE 28TH OF FEBRUARY, 1857:

The following is a statement of the deposits and coinage at the Branch Mint of the United States at New Orleans, during February, 1857 :—

The report of the operations of the United States Branch Mint in San Francisco for the month ending January 31, 1857, is as follows:-Deposits of gold, 96,086.83 ounces; silver, 332.80 ounces; number of depositors, 1,457. The coinage in double-eagles was 65,000, amounting to $1,300,000; half-eagles, 10,000, amounting to $50,000; total coinage, $1,350,000.

The banks have been pressed throughout the country, and some have expanded beyond what is ordinarily considered a safe limit. The contraction at New York continued one week after the date in our last, but the total loans have since been larger than at any time previously. We annex a comparative summary :—

94,231,267

March 14... 59,266,434 118,250,980 11,077,732 8,452,541

We also annex a comparative summary of the Boston bank averages since the date of our last :

Deposits....

.......

............

Circulation

......

15,093,000 15,027,091

14,889,428

15,287,900

6,870,600 6,604,529 7,160,064 6,626,000

The following is a comparative statement of the New Orleans banks :

The imports of foreign goods at the port of New York since the opening of the current year have been larger than for any similar period in the history of our commerce. The total imports for February are over twenty-five-and-a-half millions, being $9,488,209 larger than for the same month of last year, $13,443,010 larger than for February, 1855, and $14,428,912 larger than for February, 1854, or more than double the total for the corresponding month of either 1854 or 1855. We annex a comparative summary for the last four years:—

FOREIGN IMPORTS AT NEW YORK IN FEBRUARY.

Total entered at the port.... $11,095,580 $12,081,482 $16,036,283 $25,524,492 Withdrawn from warehouse. 1,954,010 2,563,274 2,047,067 2,501,696

It will be seen that the entries for warehousing are much larger than usual, the importers desiring to take advantage of the reduction in the tariff, which, it was supposed, would be applied to goods remaining in bond when the new rates take effect. The total imports at New York since January 1st are $12,916,877 greater than for the corresponding two months of last year, $19,503,915 greater than for the same period of 1855, and $13,827,825 greater than for the same time in 1854: FOREIGN IMPORTS AT NEW YORK FOR TWO MONTHS, FROM JANUARY 1ST.

Total entered at the port.... $30,703,399 $25,027,309 $31,614,347 $44,531,224 Withdrawn from warehouse. 4,843,526 4,621,205 4,392,675 5,175,451

As February completes two-thirds of the current fiscal year, we have compiled a summary showing the comparative totals of the imports since July 1st. From this it will be seen that the receipts for the last eight months are $28,258,808 in excess of the corresponding period of 1855-6, $38,200,558 in excess of the same period of 1854-5, and 22,821,436 in excess of the same period of 1853-4. We have been compelled to omit the last named year in our table for want of space :

FOREIGN IMPORTS AT NEW YORK FOR EIGHT MONTHS OF THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING FEBRUARY 28TH.

Total for 8 months... $126,964,528 $111,585,406 $121,527,156 $149,785,964 An examination of the tables giving the receipts of foreign dry goods, shows that half of the enormous imports during the month of February consisted of this description of merchandise. The total entries of dry goods at New York for the four weeks ending February 28th were $5,092,007 greater than for February of last year, $6,608,849 greater than for February, 1855, and $4,451,622 greater than for February, 1854. This increase extends to every description of goods, but is greatest in silks, which have been received not only in larger quantities, but also at higher invoiced values. We annex our usual comparative statement:

IMPORTS OF FOREIGN DRY GOODS AT THE PORT OF NEW YORK FOR THE MONTH O

FEBRUARY.

Total entered at the port...... $8,054,989 $5,897,762 $7,414,604 $12,506,611

We also annex our usual comparative summary showing the comparative receipts of foreign dry goods at New York since January 1st. The total for the last two months is $4,791,712 greater than for the same period of 1856, $11,364,932 greater than for the same period of 1855, and $4,605,628 greater than for the same period of 1854. We do not think that the total for March will show any material gain upon the comparative receipts of last year, and as the amendment to the tariff, making an important reduction in duties, has been finally adopted in Congress, the imports will probably dwindle until July 1st, when the proposed reduction is to take effect:

IMPORTS OF FOREIGN DRY GOODS AT THE PORT OF NEW YORK FOR EIGHT WEEKS, FROM JANUARY 1ST.

Total withdrawn.....

312,186 302,124 366,897
89,457 215,407. 109,909 158,680

$2,706,865 $2,513,520 $2,231,794 $2,611,986 Add entered for consumption..... 16,303,013 8,847,575 16,325,300 20,698,390

Total thrown upon the market... 19,009,878 11,361,095 18,557,094 23,310,376

Total entered at the port..... 18,287,459 11,528,155 18,101,375 22,893,087

The exports for February from New York to foreign ports have also been very large. The total, exclusive of specie, is $332,577 larger than for February of last year, $1,373,695 larger than for February, 1855, and only $19,311 less than for February, 1854 :