PORT OF GREY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1843, 2 July 1874, Page 2

PORT OF GREY.

HIGH WATER. This Day- -11.50 a.m. ; 12.0 p.m. ARRIVED. July I—Nil. SAILED. Jalyl^-Nil EXPBCTBD ARRIVALS. Murray, from Nelson. Spray, from Lyfctelton. Mary Ogilvie, from Dunedin, Omeo, from Melbourne. VESSELS IN PORT. Janet Grey, from Wellington. Kennedy, from Wellington: Zephyr, from Melbourne. "Wild Duck, from Lyttleton. Dispatch, tug steamer.

The s.s Waipara has now been raised to the top of the bank and could easily be lannched into the lagoon, but before this is done some small repair* have to be effected. She is expected to be afloat to-morrow. There were no arrivals or departures at this port yesterday. The s.s Omeo is announced to leave here on the sth inst, for Melbourne, via Newcastle, N.S W.The schooner Zephyr will leave for Melbourne direct on Saturday. She has ample accommodation for a cumber of passengers. Immediately prior to the Rangatira's departure from Poverty Bay, intelligence was received there overland from the Mahia Peninsula that a quantity of wreckage comprising a bale of wool, a number of boxes of candles, jams, &c, had been,w,ashed ashore on the mainland inside of Bortland Island. The- supposition is that some coasting vessel has been lost, but no conjecture even has been formed as to the name of the vessel. A. rather important action, as beaiing upon insurance law, -was tried at Sydney recently, says the Sydney Morning Herald, before Sir James Martin and a jury of four. It was Jackson v. The Australian Insurance Company. The plaintiff was the insurer of a vessel named the Crishna, and. her cargo and outfit. She had. been engaged in the beche-demer trade, at Torres Strait, but on the 16th of January, 1873, was seized by H.M.S. Basilisk, for a breach of the Kidnapping. Act of 1872, in carrying native laborers not part of the crew. A libel was filed against her in the Vice-Admiralty Court at Brisbane, and, upon the suit being heard, -she was condemned. The owners now sought to recover the amount named,' upon the ground that the master had been guilty of barratry, in wilfully committing a breach of the Kidnapping Act, and thereby rendering his vessel liable to forfeiture, the owners not having given him any instruc- . tions to carry native laborers. The jury found, for the plaintiff, damages L 3720. • 'Masters of ships navigating Foveaux Strait are notified, through the Oazelte, that Captain T. Thomson, Harbormaster at the Bluff, reports the existence of two sunken rocks near Dog Island— one lies a quarter of a mile from the west end of the island, with the lighthouse bearing S.E , and has only two feet of water on it at low water spnn ; tides ; the other lies a quarter of a mile from the east end of the island, with tbe lighthouse bearing W. by S.. and. is awash at low water spring tides. Thebeirings given are magneic. The Suez Canal is now likely to be more O. C- inpany than it has hitherto. As the Egyptian railway was built by the. Pacha himself to accommodate the Company's business with India, they seem to have been un- : wilting to abandon the use of the railway, although it has been obvious since the opening of the canal that i sooner or later the steamers would use it. We now observe that, the ■ agents in . London .of the various Colonies represented have been in communication with the Imperial authorities on the matter. The Melbourne Age on the subject as fbllowB':—" The action taken by the Agent-General for the Colony in co-operating with the' representatives in London _of other A ust> alian '.' Colonies to ' gecure.. the transit of the, mails between London and Australia' via the Suez Caiial, though not authorised by the Government, has, nevertheless, their approval. The saving of time effected will be two days a i great advantage to this Colony. . Some reference to the subject appeared in the news brought by the Nubia, which: at the time received publicity, a deputation of merchants interested having waited - upon Lord Carnarvon and submitted to him their views on the subj- ct The Imperial Government .have tke-control of the mails to Galle, at ■which point ,^tae contract between this Government and' the P. and O. Company commences and terminates. ' ', An unfortunate ;^nishap occurred to the -steamer Star of the South as' she was leaving the wharf yesterday on her trip to the south, by which she will be delayed a day or more. . : She. had taken in a considerable amount of cargo, and started from the wharf about 4 o'clock. The /space left- for her to get out was very small, the schooner Aspasia being on her port side and the ship Result, with the coal hulk, occupying a good portion of the space between the two T's. The steamer got away from the wharf 'all right, but as , her stern swung clear, and before she had > sufficient way on her, the wind caught her abeam and canted her bow round on to the bows of the hulk, from which was suspended her large anchor. The force with which the - two vessels came together sent the anchor clean through the side of the steamer, just at the curve of the bows and about afoot below the water line. The water, of course, rushed in, but luckily the hole was easily reached from the hold, and a temporary stop was soon put to it with tow and. other materials, the leakage being overcome in a few Minutes. Not the slightest blame is attributable toCaptain Farquhar or his officers for the mishap. ' The vessel was too close to the quay to be backed with safety after her stern swung clear of the wharf ; and, but for. an unlucky puff of - wind just as she was swinging no accident would have happened. An attempt will be made by shifting the cargo, to careen the vessel over sufficiently on the starboard ;■ side to enable the workmen to get at the hole in her side without taking her inshore .; if this ' is unsuccessful, she will have to be temporarily beiched.— New Zealand Times, June