Shipping.

Evening Star, Issue 3388, 30 December 1873, Page 2

Shipping.

HIGH WATER. To-morrow. Heads I Port Chalmers 1 Dunedin 12.54% I 1 2.19 p.m. PORT CHALMERS. arrived. December 30. —Pretty Jane, s.s., 101 tons, Peterson, from Oarnaru. Passengers: Messrs Davis, Swallow, Kelly, Heffren, Baker. Mermaid, 12 tons, Turley, from Waikouati. SAILED. December 30. —Governor s yacht Blanche, on a cruise. „ T . ~, ~ Wallabi, s.s., 101 tons, Lccs, for the Bmff. •p-nspnf'ers • Messrs Drummond, Clark, Smith, Binneys Watt, Steward, Salter, MTntosh, Paterson, Murray, and 5 in the steerage. Maori, US tons, Malcolm, for Lyttelton and intermediate Boris. Grace, 12 tons, Brady, for IV aikouaiti. Wellington, s.s., 262 tons, Carey, for the North. Passengers for Akaroa: Misses Bell (2) and Aylmer, Mrs Rattray, servant, and six children, Eor Lyttelton : Misses Bathgate (2), For Wellington: The Hon. Mr Reynolds, Blisses Reynolds and Osgood, Airs Donald, Air and Mrs Muir and two children. For Napier : Mr Stevenson. For Manukau: Miss Mackay; and six in the steerage, thirty-four Chinamen for Hokitika. The yacht Blanche left at 1 p.m. to-day on a Cr Xhe French man-of-war Vire was taken into the dock for cleaning this morning. Thep s. Golden Age conveyed the passengers to Dunedin from the City of Dunedin this m The liealandia commenced to take on board 1 000 bags of wheat this morning, being the first portion of her homeward cargo for Lonship which was seen by the pilots off the Heads yesterday morning was probably one of the Home ships for the North, as she was distant about twenty-five miles, and has not been Governor, dressed in his yachting suit, accompanied by Captain Fergusson, Master Fergusson, and Mr Fergusson, arrived in lort to-day, by the 10.30 train, and embarked on board the yacht Blanche for a cruise outside the Heads. Captain Stevens, of the Harbor Department, accompanied them as coasting pilot. The Blanche.will return by New Years Day. The twin screw Pretty Jane arrived at 10 p-m. last night, from Oamam, with a full cargo of 1 000 bags of wheat for transhipment to the ship Zealandia, and 21 bales of wool for the ship Otago. She left Port Chalmers at 8 p.m. on the 25th : arrived at Oamam at 4 a.ra. on the 26th. Being a holiday, no cargo was brought alongside; and on the 27th, there being a strong wind and high sea during the day, the surf boats were unable to bring the cargo alongside. Commenced to load on Monday morning, and left for Port Chalmers at 3.30 p.m., and ar* rived as above. . . Mr PlimsoU’s agitation for reform m shipbuilding, the sending of unseaworthy ships out of British ports, together with the overloading and undermanning of vessels, has extended itself to New South Wales. It is there asserted that many of the steamers and ferryboats are in a highly dangerous state of decrepitude. Their timbers are d scribed as rotten, and their boilers are worn and rusty, while their certificates (neatly framed and glazed) are suspended in their saloons, all strictly according to law. It is further asserted that the engineers working on board these boats will bo to substantiate the foregoing statement, if their evidence could be obtained in such a manner as would not reach their employers’ ears. One contemporary is open to prove that in no port in the world of equal wealth and prosperity to that of Sydney, are there such a number of floating coffins in daily use. The writer, who is evidently well acquainted with the subject he discusses, goes on to say that no steps will be taken to remedy this state of things until such time as an accident involving the loss of a hundred lives or so opens the eyes of certain people ; then, as in the case of the_ steed being stolen, a beautiful Bramah lock will be placed on the stable door. The French war steamer Vire returned yesterday morning from her mission to Campbell Island for the purpose of selecting a suitable spot on that i-land for the French astronomers to watch the forthcoming transit of Venus. The Vi> e left Port Chalmers on the afternoon of the 26th of Nov., and afte- a fine passage of three days arrived off the island, which they report as having a fine harbor for shipping, there being two large b-ys, one on the S. -V. side, and the other on the N.W., both bays having good shelter from heavy winds. During their stay there they took observations, and chose the spot for the instruments, the crew being employed in erecting the platform and making a path to the same from the beach, likewise sowing various kinds of seed in different parts of the island. They report plenty of fresh water on different parts ; also a large fresh water lagoon on the S. W. side of the island. During their stay there, which occupied twenty-five days, they had light winds and misty weather, with the exception of one day, when they had a gale of wind from the N.W., accompanied with snow. There are plenty of penguins, seals, and albatross there, the Yire’s crew having got over 200 albatross eggs, besides having collected some very beautiful plants on the island but saw no signs of any pigs or other animals, which were left thereabout five years ago. The signal staff still remains, with the bottle attached to it containing instructions for castaways, likewise the case of provisions, which was also left there. Having so far completed her mission, the Vire got up steam and left for Port Chalmers on the 25th December, having had fine weather and light S.W. winds till arrival off the Heads, early yesterday morning, when she -was boarded by Pilot Kelly, and steamed up to her anchorage off Observation Point at 8.30 a.m., but was afterwards removed to the head of the Graving Dock for the purpose of being docked as soon as the yacht Blanche comes out. After a stay of about two weeks, the Vire proceeds to New Caledonia.