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Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 1025, 8 November 1871, Page 2

Weather overcast and cloudy ; Westport bar rough, but Hokitika bar good, was the telegraphic report for yesterday. Barometer was highest at Tauranga, 30. 10 ; lowest at the Bealey, 27.50. Thermometer was highest at Napier, 72 ; and lowest at Balclutha, 50. The steamer Murray left Hokitika on the afternoon's tide, and crossed the Grey bar between six and seven o'clock. She will sail for Westport and Nelson to-day. The Anchor Liner Charles Edward, Capt. Holmes, arrived from Hokitika at 6.30 p.m. yesterday. She left Nelson on Thursday last, at 12 30 pm. Encountered strong N. W. wind ; brought under Separation Point at 4.30 p.m. Got under weigh at sa. in. on Friday, and steamed as far as Cape Farewell; but finding the wind had chopped inS.W., blowing very hard, let go the anchor under the Cape. Started again at 9 p.m, and arrived off Westport at 10.30 a.ni. on Saturday, and crossed the bar at noon. Discharged cargo, and sailed at 2 a.m. on Sunday, arriving in Hokitika at 1.30 p.m. Was detained by the inclemency of the weather till 4,3,Q.p..m. yesterday, when she left for this port, and an-ived as above. The Charles Edward will bo despatched to-night at 6 o'clock, conveying jjasatugers to all New Zealand ports. Messrs Money Wigram's new steamer Northumberland was to leave London for Melbourne in December. The loss of the Queen of the Thames will bo the subject of inquiry at the Greenwich Police Court in November, The investigation has beeu ordered by the Board of Trade. The Wellington Advertiser says:- "The friends of Air Charles Moss will learn with mingled feelings of pleasure and regret that he has resigned his appointment as purser of the Taran>vki, which office he has filled, to the satisfaction of the company and the general public, for nearly four years. Mr Sloss, we leain, has obtained a lucrative billet in Japan, and will leave for that city by the first opportunity. Experiments have proved that the electric current can be passed through a submarine cable of sufficient capacity so as to illuminate with brilliant flashes the locality of a sandbank or rock several miles distant from the point on shore where the battery is placed. This is another of those surprising applications which attend every advancing step of electrical science, and is of immense value on frequented but dangerous seaboards, when the darkness of night prevents the navigator from discerning buoys or beacons. The schooner Maid of Erin, Capt. Cairns, which recently arrived at Westport. left Port Phillip Heads on September 25, and experienced strong westerly winds until the night of the 28th, when the wind freshened to a strong south-west gale, which necessitated heaving to. At 8 p.m. the vessel shipped a tremendous sea which laid her on beam ends, carried away the starboard bulwarks and stanchions from the fore rigging tight aft, burst the deck over the cabin, smashing in the latter, and filling it with water, burst the mainsail, and carried away the compass, and binnacle. Those in the cabin uanowly escaped drowning, the master got above water only with difficulty, and the, mate, who was standing near the steps leading on deck, was carried upwards with the sea, but received several wounds from floating debris about the head and body. A boy passenger named Grant, son of Mr Grant, of the Star Hotel, Westport, very narrowly escaped drowning, as be remained in the cabin until the water had subsided. Singular to say. he received no injury from the floating timbers aud broken glass which obstructed all ingress and egress to or from the cabin. The vessel lay on her beam ends for two or three minutes and then righted. As soon as the weather moderated hove up for Sydney, arriving there on the 7th ult., j and remained until the 21st undergoing necessary repairs. Left for 'Mew Zealand at noon on the 21st, and after a fine passage with winds between north-east and nortb,and fine clear weather, sighted the Steeples at midnight' on the 28th, making the passage from Sydney to the Coast in 7i days. Sailed across the JBuller bar, and was moored alongside the Bright street Wharf. The cargo is ]esa damaged than was expected.