EXPORTS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1315, 16 October 1872, Page 2

EXPORTS.

Per Garibaldi, for Hokitika— 7s tons coal, D Maclean and Co,

A stiff nor'-wester prevailed yesterday, and, although the Claud Hamilton made her appearance in the roadstead early in the afternoon, it was not deemed prudent to risk transhipment of passengers in open boats at the late hour at which the tide only served. The same weather was the means of preventing the Charles Edward from pro* ceeding on her voyage northward. Twenty years ago Hobson's Bay presented an appearance of great activity. The bay. was alive with square-rigged ships. The number of vessels was not, however, altoSther evidence of commercial: activity, any of them had their anchors in the mnd for. months, because the crews had run, and the cash wasn't always forthcoming to pay each A.R, LSO (in gold, on the capstan-head, before sailing, for the run to Calcutta or Callao. Occasionally thero is despatch, now-a-days, which might compare with Liverpoo) or Glasgow. About noon of one day last week the first tea ship cf the season was at the Heads. By the following morning the samples were in the hands of the trade ; by noon nearly half the cargo was sold ; before sun-down the ship had a swept hold, and about a hundred tons of her cargo had been transhipped, and was on its way to New Zealand. Commercial activity such as this gives character to the port, and helps, iv part, to account for the scarceness of ships in the bay. And noticing tea ships reminds me that the captain of a first vessel, and who was to receire a douceur for his successful voyage, was asked by the consignee's clerk for a candle, by the light of which he could identify the samples in the hold. But the master was of the same nation as he who, after desperately fighting a couple of garotters was overpowered, and found to have been defending a sum of money considerably under 6d. This canny captain declined to lend a candle to his consignee without a prior deposit of half-a-crown as a guarantee that a whole candle would be returned !— Australasian.