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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1333, 6 November 1872, Page 2

The p.s. Lyttelfcon sailed yesterday afternoon for Nelson direct. The s s; Albion left Nelson yesterday for this port, and will consequently be tendered here on this foronoou's tide. She takes passengers for Melbourne direct. Tho s.B. Claud Hamilton has been expected for the last two days from Melbourne direct. She will, most probably, arrive during tha night, aud be despatched to-day for all New Zealand ports and Melbourne, via the Bluff. The Union Jacks to be in future issued will be of three sizes only, namely .—24 ft by 12ft, 21ft by 10ft Gin, and Gffc by 3ffc. Tho two first sizes will be used as gala flags, the largest being supplied to flag-ships and supenor shore stations only; tho second size will be supplied to all her Majesty's ships and other stations, and the third size to be the flag for common use. The present-sized Jock, 12ft by 6ft, will be abolished when those in nae and in store are worn out. Tho Belleislo, one of the old sailing frigates, for many years attached to the Bailing reserve squadron in the Medway, is in the shipbreakers' hands in one of the docks at Chatham, where she is being broken up. Notwithstanding the length of time since she was built most of her timbers are in a remarkably sound condition. As soon as the workmen have completed breaking her up, the iron floating battery Etna, until lately used as a police-ship in the Medway, will be placed in the same Jock for the purpose of being broken up. The English channel passage is likely to be improved ab lasfc. After much discussion • and aimless talk about tunnel-boring and bridge- building, the simple yet commonscheme of building better boats has now been adopted, and will soon be carried into effect. An Act of Parliament has been passed giving the necessary powers for deepening the harbor at Newhaven, and making it capable of floating steamers as large and swift as those which ply in all weathers, with unvarying regularity, between Holyhead and KingsThe screw steamship Ebro, the first vessel of the Royal Mail Company's additional fortnightly line to the Brazils and River Plate, was taken to Stokes Bay the other day, under the command of Captain G. £. Parkes, for an official trial at the measursd mile. With an average pressure of 301bs of steam, the engines making thirty revolutions per minute, and tho vacuntn 28in, the Ebro mode four runs at the measured mile as follows : — lst, 4min 40sec, or 12. 557 knots ; 2nd, 4miu 3&sec, or 11.811 ; and 4th, 4min 22seu, or 13.740 ; giving a common' speed of 12.847 knots per hour, the Government mean being 12.621. Tho wind at the time was westerly, force 5, and the vessel's draught of water was 17ft lin aft and 15ft 2in forward ; weight of cools and water on board, 3CB tons. The Ebro will bo followed by tho Tiber and the Liffey, the latter vessel being litted with new compound engines, and the Tiberhaving her present engines converted into compound ones, by Messrs Day, Summers, and Co, of the Northern Ironworks at Southampton.