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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 645, 8 March 1870, Page 2

The s.s. Kennedy came up to the wharf en Saturday morning, having left Hokitika on the first gf the tide. After discharging her Cargo, she s,aile»l northwards on Sunday at noon. From her entrance until her dgpar. ture a strong south-west swell had arisen, and the bar at the time she crossed outwards was a mass of broken water. She, however, got well over, although not •without shipping some combers. From the shipping telegrams j-jceive-1 yesterday, we see that she entered ths Buller on Sunday night, as expected. The s.s. Omeo, Captain Calder, from Mel. bourne and New Zealand ports, arrived in the roadstead on Saturday at 9 a.m. She left Melbourne on the afternoon of the 19th instant, cleared Port FhiJlip Heads at 8 p.m., aud passed Swan Island on the followiug day at 5 p.m. Experienced favourable Westerly and northerly winds on the run across, carrying the topgallant sails, the whole time. Passed the Solander at 4.20 a.m. on the 24th, and arrived in Bluff Harbour at 10.45 a.m. ; thus making one of the smartest passages, on record. Landed mails and 45 tons of cargo. Embarked passengers, and left at 5 p. m., and experienced light S.J3. and E. winds to arrival at Port Chalmers, where she lay until Monday the 28th, when she left, arriving next day at Lyttel. ton. Sailed on Wednesday morning, and arrived in Wellington ha.rbor at 5 a.m. on Thursday, sailing; the same evening, aud arriving here as above, without calling at Nelson. Here she shipped about tweuty passengers and 2000oz of gold, and landed twelve passengers from Melbourne and Coast ports. Immediately after being tendered by the p.s. Dispatch, the Qineo steamed for Melbourne via Hokitika. .The ship Percy has been despatched to Victoria by Mr Verdon with about 350 eini. grants. The P. and O. Company, in compliment to the colonies, purpose calling n steamer now building the Australia. The ship Matoaka has been posted at Lloyd's as a missing ship, and a notification issued by the committee for the underwriters to settle on her loss. The general belief is that she was wrecked in the ice. James Samuel Wright, formerly captain in the White Star line from Liverpool to New Zealand, was washed off the Dido steamer during oae of the recent gales, and drowned. We understand that the well-known and popular Captain of the Airedale has been offered and has accepted the oommauJ of the pioneer steamer of the new ocean mail servtce to Honolulu — the City of Melbourne, which is to leave Sydney on the 28th instant. We cordially congratulate Captain Kennedy on this upward step in his profession, and although we shall be sorry to miss him on the inter .provincial line, we hope that he may ere long bring his new vessel to this port as his New Zealand place of call. The A.S. N. Company is singularly fortunate in having obtained the services of such an experienced, judicious, aud highly popular officer, and it is said that the Company has also secured the services of another gentleman well-known on this coast — Cap? tain Francis, formerly of the Taranaki, to act as Captain Kennedy's chief officer, — Wellington Independent, March 1. The repairs of the s.s. Taranaki are being pushed forward with the greatest vigour, and it is anticipated that in less than three weeks she will be ready to proceed to sea. The repairs are let out iv small contracts, aud a large number of persons are engaged at different occupations 011 board. The lo»ver poop, and forecastle decks are laid, and the shipwrights, are now busily engaged laying the main deck, which will be completed in a few days. Mr Seagar is making very satisfactory progress with the boiler, and the engines are ready to be set up immediately after having undergone a thorough overhaul. Yesterday the Taranaki was taken alongside the Melita, Captain Grant haying kindly lent the use of his main yard, and the foremast was stepped. The roasts ami yards were made by Mr H. Meeeb, and taking them altogether are as fine a lot of spars as y<at could wish to s,ee ; and the low price at whic.li they have been supplied will, we are convinced bear favourable comparison with anything of the kind supplied at any other port in these seas, The sailmilkers are also busy at work, an.l the painters in another week will make her look quite a different vessel. — Wellington Independents Fob 26. It will be remembered that the. clipper Ship Spindrift was lately wrecked off Dungene3S, when in charge of a pilot, on a fine bright moonlight night, with a liyht breeze off shore, An official inquiry has. be.en made into the circumstances, with the result of acquitting the captain of all blame. The pilot is said to have been the worse for lijuor j he has been suspended for six months, and will have to pass another ex* animation before being replaced upon the list, ' As instancing the wisdom of the English Naval authorities, we may state that her Majesty's ship Donegal was ordered to sea for China, on December 23, during a gale. Kight hours afterwards the Douegal was off St, Alban's Head. Storm sails were split, ports stove in, quarter gallery washed out, and decks filled with water, The ship was strained and leaked very ; much in her topsides, if not below the wa.ter line. Alter knocking about in the Channel all night, St. Helen's Koads, beyoi.d which no sane perßou •who saw her get under way from Spit-head on the pn-.vioi 8 day uiippoeed the liau gone, wait maiie, ahii the bLiy anchored thtiein

safety. Her damages will cost, it ia said, LI OOO to repair. The sea serpent has been sesn again. On Nov. 10, Captain Allen, of the barque Scottish Bride, being in lat. 3Sdeg 163 CC aud long. 74> leg 9sec, on the American coast, saAv a serpent about 25ft long, ami "proportionately" thick— as thick, we presume, as a bullock's body — with a large flat head, and two wicked looking. eyes at the extreme edijos. The back was covered with large scales, and the belly was tawny yellow, 111 fact, it was very like an exaggerated cobra. A young one accompanied her, and Captain Allen tried to secure both, but failed, the serpents divinsj as the boat approached. The story is told in a very sensational way, but there is really no reason why a snake of that size should not live in the sea. Smaller ones do live in the Mediterranean, and there may be just as much difference in sea serpents as in land serpents, which vary from the viper to the boa constrictor. The Time* notes that, while the British Admiralty has decided on dispensing with masts, sails, and rigging in the fighting ships of the future, relying for purposes of propulsion on steam alone, the United State 3 Government has adopted a resolution of exactly an opposite character, and has decided on making its men*of*war fulkrigged sailing vessels once more. In future, American war steamers are to employ steam power only as a possible auxiliary. It follows, therefore, that a cruiser under the American flag will be rigged for the future like one of our China clippers. The apparent contrast between our view and those of the American Admiralty disappear on oluser inspection. We say, " Our lighting ships need have no masts, for they are never intended to sail, and only occasionally — in other words, for immediate purposes of action — to be moved at all." The American say, " Our cruisers need use ho steam, for steam is only indispensable where certaiuty of movement is required, and that requirement is not felt on an' ordinary voyage." On these principles both nations would be acting alike. The principal difference between the two navies at present is that, by our latest designs, we have obtainnd a class of vessel which they do not possess. The American navy may be roughly divided into seagoing ships and harbour ships, for although it has been shown that their monitors, or at least some of them, could cross the Atlantic, the service was allowed to be exceptional, and the ironclad neat of the Union is substantially a fleet for home service only. Ou the other hand, our iron-clads were always more moy. able, and now we have designed a type of ship as fleet, movable, ai.d handy as any cruiser withiu given limits of time.