THE ALEXANDRINA.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 436, 3 June 1871, Page 2

THE ALEXANDRINA.

We are exceedingly glad to find that the Alexandrina spoken of by us in our "Extra" of yesterday has not proved to be identical with the vessel of the same name now safely riding at anchor in our harbour. The identity of names, the fact of there being only one British ship bearing this name, the circumstance of the vessel now in harbour, and till yesterday looked tor with some anxiety, having been at the time on a voyage which must have brought ber near to the'east coast of South America, and from which she might very readily have been blown into the Carrebiau Sea, all combined to produce one of the most remarkable coincidences on record. Our morning contemporary the Cross becomes virtuously indignant at our having published such "startling intelligence," and is pleased to style it * " sensation mongering." But we fail to see the duty of suppressing any intelligence, however " startling," and are astonished to think that our contemporary, for whose fidelity to right-principles of journalism we have the utmost respect, should counsel suppression of any news, i he items in our extra were, so far as we know, or as our contemporary has made appear, strictly true, and even had they been incorrect, the conductors of that highly respectable publication, the News of the World, are responsible for their authenticity. Our contemporary has evidently been under the impression that the murder had been committed at Puntas Arenas, whereas the statement was tnat the intelligence had merely come t© baa Francisco from that Pacific port.

:Our contemporary supposes that the Alexandrina "must have rounded Cape Horn" to arrire at the Puntas Arenas. As this would have been many thousand miles out of her course, we would suggest as equally probable that she might have been blown across the Isthmus some hundred miles or so by one of those fearful hurricanes known to infest the West Indian Archipelago. The fact is, however, that wheresoever the sad circumstance may have occurred, whether on the eastern or western coast, the tidings were conveyed to Puntas Arenas, nnd thence transmitted to San Francisco. The circumstances all pointed in the most striking manner to the ship now safely anchored in our waters; and, with that desire which we have to place our readers in possession of the earliest intelligence, we should not have b^en justified in suppressing them. We are exceedingly glad that the Alexandrina, now in harbour, has not been "connected with the unfortunate occurrence ; and we cordially congratulate the worthy captain on the safe possession of his two legs, and beg to apologise to him for having written his obituary notice.