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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1400, 25 January 1873, Page 2

The steamer Wallace, after an absence of some months, arrived in port yesterday morning, under command of Captain Palmer. She sailed for Hokitika in the afternoon. The barque Chaudiere, from London, aftei a protracted passage of 128 days, arrived at Nelson on the 15th instant, and was towed into harbor by the p.s. Wallace. Tho following letter from Captain Chapman, of H.M.S. Dido, has been published by the Otago Daily Tivies:—" H.M.S. Dido, at Port Chalmers, N.Z., 26th December, 1872, —To his Honor the Superintendent of Otago. — Sir— l have much pleasure in bringing to your notice that, in conformity with an invitation received horn the Otago Dock Board, I docked her Majesty's ship under my command in the graving dock at this port on th< 19fch instant, and I beg to express my greal satisfaction with the dock and the mannei in which the service was performed ; and ] am of opinion the undertaking is a very ere ditable one, and trust and believe it will be of great importance to the Province oi Otago, and benefit to her Majesty's ships em. ployed on the New Zealand station. I alsc consider that when the LIO.OOO additional is expended in dredging the channel deeper, and in erecting uornshops, &c, it will be ■equal lo any dock in the world. — I have, &c, W. C. Chapman, Captain, and Senioi Officer, New Zealand station," The following is a list of the emigrant shios despatched by the Agent-General, with their dates of sailing, aad number of adult passengers, from the United Kingdom and the Continent for this colony up to the latest dates :— Glenlora, for Wellington, August 8, 60 passengers'; Gladstone, foi ru-~-, -*jw~.«wt-^,— *jq Jq . w<*rwicfc. for Auckland, November 4, l2o do ; Forfarshire, for Wellington. November 12. 380 do. A case of -«ime interest, aud of a somewhai novel diameter, was heard on the 28th ult., atiheß.M. Court, Auckland. Mr G. M Fletcher, a resident at the North Shore, brought an action against the Messrs Holmas, proprietors of steamboats running betweei Auckland and the North Shore, for a bread of contract in not adhering to a time-tabl< published and distributed by them. Th< , Messrs Holmes advertised up to the 3rd De cember that their boats would leave Auck land wharf at half -past 11 o'clock, whict they did up to the night of the 4th ; and on the following night the plaintiff, who had - gone over in the boats for two or three weeks previously at half -past 11 o'clock, went {to the wharf at that hour, and fottna^ that the ste&mer had left at 11 o'clock, and in consequence he had to hire a boat. The defendants said that the steamers were only to leave at half -past 11 o'clock during the opera season, but his Worship thought that the . time-table in the advertisement should have been altered, and gave judgment for the plaintiff for the amount of the boat hire and costs. Northern Queensland is destined, at no very distant period, to be one of the richest pearl-yielding countries in the world. No fewer than from 50 to 60 schooners (chiefly belonging toSydneyJand Melbourne) are at present engaged in this trade. We (Northern Argus Jhe&r of one schooner which in less than six months netted over LBOOO ; the captain's share, he being part owner, was L3OOO. The divers engaged were Wide Bay blacks, who are considered preferable to South Sea Islanders. About 150 pearls of large size and great purity and about 80 tons of shell were the produce of the cruise. This valuable fiihery is being worked by Southern capitalists, and the whole of the proceeds goes to the adjacent Colonies.