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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1199, 1 June 1872, Page 2

There were n<> arrivals at the port yesterday. The only departures arc the s a Wallabi early in the morning for Westport, and during the night the Waipara for Hokitika. The s s Murray will arrive at daylight this morning with the San Francisco mail. The clipper brig Fairy Queen has been purchased at ilelbourne by Messrs Nipper and See, for the sum of L 1859. She will carry about 350 tons dead weight, and her owners intend placing her in the intercolonial trade. The p 8 Golden Crown has changed hands, and is now the property of the Auckland Steam Packet Company (limited), to whom she was knocked down by Mr Jones for the sum of LS3SO. Tbe changing hands we believe to have been more in form than iv reality, since'wo understand that most of the shareholders of the old company have taken stock in the new one The capital of the new company is L 25.000, divided into 2500 shares of LlO each. The barque Chattanooga loaded at- and sailed from Auckland for New York on the 18th instant, with a general cargo of kauri gum, comprising nearly 4000 cases, 398 bales of flax, &c. The total value of her cargo is about L 13,500. The sthip Naomi sailed from Ruasell (Bay of Island*) for New York on the same day the Chattanooga left Auckland. She took a cargo of sperm oil and whalebone, besides a small quantity cf tow and gum, the whole bemn valued at L 43.417. The Auckland papers state that a race had been arranged between these two vessels, and no doubt both will do their best for the honor of the flags they represent— English and American. The Newcastle Chronicle has been favored by Mr Malbon, Secretary to the Pyrmont Bridge Uompany, with a view of his invention for protecting the ordinary compass card and its needle from the local attraction to which those at present in use are subjected by their contiguity to the masses of iron now used in ship building ; more especially so in iron-built ships. We bad iutended writing of tbis as a late invention, but should hardly , be justified in doing bo since ten years have elapsed aince Mr Malbon first projected tbe ' idea which he has now brought to perfection. The secret, for of course there is one, we are not in possession of, but wo are of the facts of the case ; for we witnessed the fallowing experiments :— We saw tbe magnetic needle in a small ordinary compass, lying by the new one, driven hither and thither by tbe approach of a minimum portion of iror, whilst a large quantity thereof bad not the slightest effect on the new one. Tbe new compass cose was then turned on a pivot j sharply— to the right and to the left ; the needle sought its pole, subject to the ordinary variation, bnt again remained entirely unaffected by the iron test applied. The inventor informs us that his anti-deflector can be fitted to the ordinary compass card now in use, and he claims to have, by its assistance, removed from tbe path of the seafaring man one of the greatest difficulties and dangers he has to contend with. The invention is to be exhibited at the forthcoming exhibition in Sydney.