Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 635, 12 February 1870, Page 2

The smart-sailing schooner Clyde made her appearance in our river at a very early hour on Thursday morninjr, having sailed in with ' a fair wind and smooth bar. The captain reports having left Onehunga on Sunday last at 5 p.m., and arrived off the Grey bar on Wednesday evening, having made the run down in a little over 75 hours. She experienced very fine weather, with light northerly winds a'l the way. His oargo conpists of timber and New Zealand produce, the latter of which at once met with a ready market. We have to thank Capt. Wilson > for late files of Auckland papers. The Ceres, schooner. Hughes master, sailed for Melbourne yesterday afternoon in tow of the Dispatch. When the tug left her she was rapidly getting under full sail with a fair wind. The Jane Ann sails for Dunedin today. A private letter received at Melbourne from Aden, under date the 7th of November, says :— " The Great Eastern, on her return, will embark a cable to join Ceylon with Venang and Singapore, and finally to unite China and Australia, but it will be some little time before we get down to your pait of the world— say two years and a-half, or so." Here are two items of news from different quarters of the globe, both of great interest to Australians in connection with tbe opening of the Suez Canal. The Liverpool A Ibion says the demands of the Australian and Indian trades have become so extensive, and the forthcoming opening of the Suez Canal being I kely to do away with the use of sailing vessels to a very considerable extent, some of thp euterj rising shipowners of Liverpool are combining together to substitute steam for nailing vessels. Already there has been formed II large company, which has given an order for a steamer of 440 ft in length, and of light draft ; and one of our oldest and mostrespectable firms is, it is said, about to follow suit The Delhi Gazette remarks that it is in contemplation to send the Southampton passengers and mail through the Suez Canal, the Marseilles mail going overland as before. It is also stated that the Peninsular and Oriental Southampton steamers will go through the canal, if it can be managed, and continue the voyage without entailing the necessity of disimbaAation upon the passengers. Storms have raged in the Eiver Plate, •South America. Among the catastrophes reported are the wrpek of the British barque Stan ton, the burning of the American barque O'Brien at sea, and the loss of an unknown barque on the English bai.k. In the storm of October 12, at Monte Video, the British barque Otodini, the French schooner Petrus, the German brig Adonis, and the British brig Azof were lost. Captain Coles's idea of atuiretship is about at length to be practically tested. MrChilders has laid the keel of a new ironclad tuirefcsliip, the Devastation, which, although nearty 2030 tons burden less than the Warrior and Minotaur (4400 against 6000) will.be by far the most powerful vessel ever constructed. She is to be purely a fighting turret-ship, and will have no masts or sails wha'ever. Her armor will be nearly 3ft in thickness, arranged so that, although it is barely twice the thickness of the Warrior's, it will be nearly seven times as strong. Her crew will consist of only 250 men.