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Grey River Argus, Issue 887, 31 May 1871, Page 2

An error occurred in our report of the manifest of the Waipara yesterday. The number of cases of drapery consigned to J. Manson and Co. should have been 17 instead of 3. This occurred owing to the imperfect manner in which the manifest of the vessel was marie out by the agents. Although there waa still a heavy sea running on the bar yesterday, sufficient to prevent the arrival or departure of vessels, the weather was fine on shore, and the four crafts in port took advantage of it to discharge a large quantity of their cargo. The Kennedy is still detained at Hokitika. She will come on here this morning, and will leave in the evening for Westport and Nelson. The B.s. Tararua, from Melbourne, is now overdue at Bluff Harbor. It is not likely she will come any further north than Wellington this trip, and return via the Bluff. The s.s. Alhambra is due at Hokitika tomorrow from Melbourne direct, but she will probably not put in an appearance until Friday, as she would only leave Melbourne last Saturday. On arrival she will take passengers for Nelson, all other New Zealand ports, and also for Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide. The arrival of the Nebraska may now be looked for daily at Auckland, from San Francisco. She will not come round the ports, but will proceed on to Sydney from Auckland. The week ending March 4 will probably stand out as a red-letter one in the merchant steam navy of Liverpool, or, indeed, any port in the world. The number of steamers, together with their tonnage, which left the Mersey was the largest that ever was ki own to have sailed in one week, that is, of oceangoing steamers, as the coasting steamers are almost beyond count. On March 2no less than five of the largest steamers afloat sailed from Liverpool for United States ports alone, the total tonnage of these vessels footing up to something like 15,000 tons. The other large steamers which sailed during the week were— The Batavia, for New York ; St. Louis, for New Orleans ; Diomed, for China • Tycho Brahe, for the Brazils ; Ambrose, for Para ; Thessalia, for Constantinople ; Cordillera, for Valparaiso ; Lagos, for West Africa; Nova Scotian, for Baltimore ; Algeria, for New York ; and the Moldavia, Dnero, Alvarado, Zakynthos, Orontes, Fawn, Clara, Demetrius, Ousel, Venetian, Widgeon, Stromboli, all for the Mediterranean, Baltic, South Atnerica/and other distant ports. — European Mail. Messrs Burns, of the Cvmard Company, have contracted with Messrs J. and G. Thomson, the eminent ship-builders, for two screw steamships, of 2000 tons each, for a new line of steamers which are to trade between the Clyde and the West India Islands and South America. The first two steamers are to be called the Trinidad and Demerara. Captain Halpin, of the Great Eastern, has arrived at Southampton, from India, after completing successfully the laying of another submarine telegraph cable, and will shortly pay a visit to his family and friends in Wicklow. It is stated that Government will confer a mark of distinction on Captain Halpin for his services in laying the Atlantic cable, the cables connecting India with Suez, and more recently those of Singapore, Batavia, Penang, and Madras. It is satisfactoay to know that the fears entertained lest the affairs of the Suez Canal might seriously suffer from the ciicumstance of the French directors and staff of the company being shut up for five months in Paris during the siege have fortunately not been realised. After postal communications were re-opened, the French were surprised to find that the management had gone on just as usual, with this difference, that the receipts from dues, &c, were considerably larger, aud without the occurrence of a single accident. Moreover, a great improvement, by means of dredging and modifying the bends in the canal, had been effected ; whereas the Paris directors expected to find everything at a standstill and disorganised. This has, we are informed from Paris, led to inquiry as to the desirability of continuing the maintenance of a large and expensive staff in that capital, now ascertained to be totally disproportionate to the services rendered to the shareholders.