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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 677, 21 May 1870, Page 2

The s.s. Kennedy, Captain Whitwell, arrived early yesterday morning from Nelson, Westport, and Hokitika. She left Nelson at "noon on Tuesday, arriving at the Buller next day at the same hour. Left again on TO<sdnpjuliiy,-»t-miilnigh£,---iuid- arrived at Hokitika on Thursday, left next morning, and arrived here the same tide. Fine weather was experienced during the trip. She left early this morning for the North. The schooner Wild Wave, from Charleston, arrived at Lyttelton on the 15th inst. The schooner Canterbury, Capt. Ruxton, left Lyttelton for this port on the 14th inst. The s.s. Claud Hamilton is expected here on Sunday, from Nelson, when she \rill be despatched, with gold and passengers, for Melbourne direct. The next steamer from Melbourne direct is the s.s. Gothenburg, due here on Wednesday. On arrival, she will be despatched for all New Zealand ports aud Melbourne. The. Kate, an Auckland cutter, has been missing for some two months, and it is supposed that she foundered on some of the islands of the South Seas. She was sold to the French Government at Noumea, New Caledonia, and it is known that she had some European families on board at the time of her sailing from that place. . The s.s. Taranaki has been thoroughly scraped and cleaned in the Port Chalmers Dock, plaiuly showing any imperfections of her bottom. From appearances she must have struck the rock first underneath the break of the forecastle on the port side, where ono plate is considerably dented in and cracked from thence along to the hole under the donkey engine, which was the cause of her sinking. Small indents are visible, as if she had grazed along the rock. Her repairs, under the management of Mr Seager, engineer, are being rapidly proceeded with.-- Otago Daily Times. Daring the recent visit of the hon. the Premier to Christchurch, a deputation of gentleman interested in the fate of the Mataoka waited upon him with a view to ascertain what hopes there were of the General Government instituting a search for traces of the missing vessel. The deputation consisted of Mr Inglis (Matheson's Agency), Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce ; Mr Hennah (Dalgety and Co.), Deputy-Chair-iran of the Chamber ; Mr Banks (Miles and Co.), Mr W. Kennaveay, and Mr Willcock3, Registrar of the Supreme Court, who had relatives on board tbe vessel ; and Captain Roberts, of the ship Caduceus, to give evidence. It was pointed out to Mr Fox that the ordinary course of a vessel leaving Lyttelton for England via Cape Horn would be between the Chatham and Bounty Islands, and that on the day the Matoaka left (13th of May, 1869) Captain Thomson, of the barque Southern Cross, started for Sydney, but met with a strong north-east gale which compelled him to return port. It was, therefore, urged to be within the bounds of probability that the Matoaka had been blown co far out of her course as to come against one or other of the Bounty Islands. Mr Fox was reminded that theaa are twenty-four in number, and thai; tbe charts gave three or four different indications of their position some of the variations being very considerable. The opinion that the Matoaka, not having been spoken beyond them, had been wrecked amongst the group, was thought not at all an unlikely one. It was urged that there were no other islands in the route, and that' the Government would be conferring a great boon if they would send a steamer or some other vessel to cruise amongst the islands, in the hope of discovering some trace of the unfortunate vessel Capt Roberts pointed out upon his chart the course the Matoaka would be likely to take, and, as a gale was blowing, said it was extremely probable that the vessel would come on to the group of islands. In support of this, it was also stated that Capt. White, formerly of the Bine Jacket, but now of the Charlotte Gladstone, had actually gone through the group when ; th;e weather; was driving in that particular way ; and, further,

that ihere were many instances on record of persons being discovered on islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, a considerable time after the loss of their vessels. Mr Fpx replied to these -statements .that, in •the interests of- huinanityj it was only ris;lit that some steps should be taken to trace tbe missing vessel, and that if the matter had only been named sooner, he had no doubt but that Commodore Lambert would have gone to the group for that purpose. As it was, if that gentleman, who it must be understood is on tbe point of leaving for Australia, could not undertake the expedition, he (Mr Fox) would endeavor to get the p.s. St. Kilda, to go, or failing her, adopt some other course. The deputation tendered their warm thanks to Mr Fox for this assurance, and after some further conversation the interview terminated. — Lyttelton Times.