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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 720, 20 September 1870, Page 2

The B.s. Gland Hamilton is announced to leave this roadstead on Friday for Melbourne direct with gold and passengers. Thes.s. Kennedy, Captain Whitwell, arrived on Saturday morning from Nelson and Westport, and sailed on Sunday afternoon for Hokitika returning here again from that port yesterday. The Lady Dor, schooner, Capt.' Tobmy, arrived yesterday evening in tow of the p.s. Dispatch. She left Kaiapoi on Friday, 2nd inst., and fell in with a S.E. buster, which carried away the straps of tfie foreyard. She had to put into Wellington harbor on Tuesday, the 6§h, for repairs, and left the following day. It again came on to blow heavy from the N.W., which compelled hot to run f^r Cloudy Bay. She left there on the 10th, aud since then has had light variable winds till her arrival in the roadstead. In the Straits she was iv company with H.M.S. Virago, bound west. The Lady Don brings a large cargo of produce consigned to Messrs D. Jtfaclean and Co., who will sell it by auction on the wharf to-day.

Taking advantage of the recent Imperial Act amending the Merchant Shipping Act, the Government has introduced and passed through the House, a Bill entitled the Merchant Ships' Officers' Examination Bill, the object of -which is to allow seamen to pass examination for mate and master in the colony, and to receive certificates, which will be of equal value to those issued by the Board of Trade. This will be a great boon to many of our captains here, as, although holding local certificates, these documents give them no status outside the colony. As an instance of this may be mentioned the case of that favorite officer*fCapt*Kennedy,° of the Airedale. It is well known that he was offerexL the command of the Wonga Wonga, on Her first voyage to Honolulu, and that he would have taken command, had not a hitch occurred in regard to his not holding a master's certificate from the Board of Trade. His was only a mate's, and so he had to give up the appointment. The new Bill will nos come into immediate operation, however, as the Act, and the regulations as to examination to be made under it, require t3 be in the first place submitted for the approval of the Imperial Government. We recently published an extract from the Taranaki Herald giving what appeared to be a circumstantial narrative of the dangerous position in which the surf boat at Taranaki was placed owing to the refusal of Captain Worsp, of the Phosbe, to tow her into smooth water. Having given publicity to this para-; graph, it is but fair that we should state that Captain Worsp has written to the Wellington Post denying in toto the assertions made by the Herald. He says, " That I refused, or was asked to tow the boat is simply a falsehood, and the boat was not cast adrift, excepting at the request of the coxswain."

A fatal accident occurred on the evening of Saturday, 3rd instant, by a man falling over the Queen street Wharf, and getting drowned. It appears that, about half-past ten o'clock on Saturday night, a sailor named Legg, lately discharged from the Argyleshire, was standing near 'midships of the Excelsior, and, while there, saw a man fall over between the wharf and the starboard bow. He raised the alarm, and the unfortunate man also screamed, when the steward of the Excelsior and a sailor on board, named Jones, rushed On deck, and saw the man in the water, floating towards the outer dolphin. As the tide was flowing strongly at the time, Jones, with great presence of mind, threw a rope's-end to the floating man, while a boat was being launched to reach him, and Jones asserts that the rope went over the man's breast, and that he that instant called out to him to catch it. This he seems not to have done, for he floated away on his back, apparently struggling to keep himself up. When the boat was lowered, it was 'found there was only one oar in it, and as there was no one in the boat who could use the oar as a "senll," a little delay ensued until another oar was got, and Jones jumped into the boat. The man s hat was then picked up, near the dolphin, but the body hod disappeared. Search was made to recover the body, but in vain. — Soutltern Cross, Sept. 5,