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Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 529, 8 June 1869, Page 2

The sp, Alhambra, from Melbourne, arrived off Hokitika on Friday afternoon, and lay there until Saturday afternoon, when she came on here with her tender, the p. s. Persevere, in tow, arriving late on the tide. The night was dark, and there was a nasty sea on the bar* but the handy little boat made for the entrance, and gained the river safely, after receiving a severe dressing on the bar, several seas breaking on board. It was intended that the tender should make another effort to get out on the same tide with the outward passengers and mails, but Captain Robertson found that it would he madness to make the effort under the circumstances, especially as there was an early morning tide, and the detention which the Alhambra would anffer would only be a few hours. As a signal to the steamer that the tug could n< t come out, the lights at the signal station were hauled down. Immediately afterwards the Alhambra fired a gun and stood off to sea on her trip to Nelson, without her passengers or mails. About a dozen passengers were left behind, some of whom had been booked for days, and a most serious detention caused to the mails, which had to be sent overland yesterday by Cobb and Co.'s coach. This arbitrary aot on the part of Captain M'Lean is only a sample of the manner in which this port is treated by M'Meckan, Blackwoodand Co.'s steamers since the Panama Company collapsed. In this case, the Alhambra could afford to remain three t : des at Hokitika, but she could not wait half-a-tide here. This matter has caused universal dissatisfaction, but not the slightest blame is attachable to Captain Robertson of the Persevere, who would have gone out had there been the least chance of his doing so without risking not only his boat, but also the lives of his passengers and crew, Indeed, had he attempted to do so, under the circumstances, it would have been the duty of the Custom-house officers to have prevented him. It may easily be imagined that the announcement which has just been made of the intention ( f the Australian Steam Navigation Company to run their steamers round these ports has given much satisfaction here, and should this be carried out there is not the least doubt that they will receive the largest amount of support from the community. The Tararua arrived at the Bluff, from Melbourne, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, after four days, sixteen hours' passage. She left on the 31st ult., and experienced fair winds throughout the voyage. She has eight saloon, eighty-nine steerage passengers, and 435 tons of cargo for all ports. This is the largest cargo she has ever carried. She arrived at Dunedin on Sunday. The p. 8. Yarra, Captain Kerley, came up from Hokitika on Saturda}', and after landing a Pargo, of timber and taking in a return cargo of coal, left for headquarters on Sunday, The p. 8. Persevere left for Hokitika on Sunday afternoon, and arrived there the same evening. On Saturday morning the s.s. Waipara, Captain Bascaud, arrived from Hokitika, but she has not yet sailed, owing to the surf which has prevailed on the coast, which would have prevented her from landing her cargo at Brighton or Charleston. She leaves this morning \i The schooner Ceres, from Melbourne, was v etill In the roadstead last evening, It is expected .that she will be brought to the wharf fMa morning. Tie schooner Spray, from this port, arrived at Ljfttelton oiTWednesday, the 2nd inst, The following caution to mariners is published in the Christchurch papers:— Captain Gibson has received a telegram from Wellington to the effect that a sunken rock haa been discovered in Cow Bay. A white buoy has been placed upon the rock, and captains of vessels are warned tp give the bay a wide berth. On Saturday morning, 29th ult., as two men were engaged on the Waimakariri, in towing out the schooner Rose of Eden, ijhc tow-line broke and the boat was capsized. One of the men succeeded in getting on board the schooner, but the other, who clung to the boat, was carried out to Reaand drowned. Hjs name was Johu Taylor. The vessel

drifted ashore on the norbh spit.— Evening Mail. On Friday nveninj a square-rigged ship made her appearance in the bay. She did not anchor, l>ut sent a boat on shore for provender, Tue members, of the boat's crew stated that the ship had been for twenty days without any food on board, If these men were hungry they certainly did nob look it, We have been unable to ascertain the name of the ship, or her jmrt of hailing, or her destination,.— Western Thuen, As the s.s Wamui came up the harbor last night a waterman's boat with two men, named Plummer and Burns, attempted to board her as s,he was under full way, The steamer sheered in, ami ib being dark the captain did not notice tlu boat, which got under the steamer's bow, a: id was cut in two. The men were picked n\> by G. Ayar, waterman, who fortunately was near at the time. — lyttelton Times, 2nd inst. An action was tried in the Supreme Court yes 1 erday, in which William Baillie, master of the ship Champion of the Seas, was sued by William Wright, the former chief officer of the vessel, for damages for wrongful dismissal from hig position. Tlie captain, alleging thab Mr Wright bad on two different occasions been absent from deck when he had charge of the ship, suspended him from duty when the ship liad been a fortnight at sea, and, on arrival in port, discharged hau. The occasion which was made an excuse for suspending Mr Wright was his sleeping iv his berth for an hour and a half after his watch on deck began, but the reason he gave forib was thab he had been up twenty-one hours, and was also suffering from a sprained ankle. The jury thought the captain was not justitie 1 in acting as he had done, and awarded him L'J2O damages ; but Mr Justice Barry considered he was only entitled to his wagos, L 72, bub reserved leave for plaintiff to move to increase it to the amount named by the jury. — Argus, 28th ulb. The three-masted schooner Louisa is certainly about as queer a looking craft as has ever arri\ ed at this port ; nevertheless, as one of the sailors remarked, " she is a stunner to go," and can "lay to" in a gale without making half as much leeway as vessels of (ordinary build. We hardly know how to describe her. She is more like an enormous whaleboat than anything we can imagine, and yet there are many points on which she differs. Her bow is similar to a Norwegian prow, very sharp and shelving up from the heel of the foremast ; no two sections are alike ; there is not a flat board in her hull. She gradually swells out from the bow, and from amidships gradually recedes to the sbern, which is almosb as pointed as her bow; she represents, in fact, the segment of a circle. — Geelong Advertiser.