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Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1968, 26 November 1874, Page 2

The barque, supposed to the Samuel Merritt, arrived in the roadstead yesterday, consigned to Messrs Butler and Co . with the first instalment ef the iron bark timber for the now wharf She will ba brought in the first oppovtttnity by the p s Dispatch. We iave received information from the Telegraph Deparrmnnt that the steamer Tararua is expected to leave the Bluff at 9 a.tn. to-day. Telegrams for the Australian Colonies or Europe, via Java Cab'e, will be received at the Greyniouth office for transmis>ion to B"uff up till 9 am. The Sarah and Mary is now beached just below the flagstaff at Hokitha, and all day Tuesday was occupied in pumping her c ear of "water, she having made a large quantity. The precise amount of injury she sustainsd has not been arrived at, but a survey will be held on her by Captains Turnbull and Agnew. Messrs M'Meckan, Blackwood, and Co.'s ocean steamer Albambra is due here to-Hay, from Melbourne direct. As soon as possible after arrival, she will be tendered and despatched on her return voyage to Melbourne, via Nelson, Wellington, Lyttelt n, Dunediu, and the Bluff.

A corespondent writes to the London "Times" as fallows :—" The lo?s of the Canton, stumer, only a foitni<?ht ago, i 3 still fresh in men's mm p, when the telegraph flashed the ntws that the Gordon Castle, from China, a first-rate magnificent s*eamer. with a cargo of tea worth at least L 160 .000. hns been totally lost near Lisbon. Underwriters of the longest experience never recollect such p-rsistent f atality ■with which one loss treads up>n the other's heels. Since June 1873, tuere have been seven steamers from India and China via Suez Cat>al totally -wrecks \, viz : — 1873 : July. DrummondOisfcle, from China; Aug., the Singapore, from China ; Dec, A returns; from Calcutta. 1874 ; March. Woosu-ig from Ca'cutta ; Queen Elizabeth, from Calcutta ; July, Cant"n. from China ; and Gordon Castle, fr«>m Chin , showing a monetary loss of LI. 000 000 sterling. A new vessel built by Messrs Meiklejnhn, at Gre it Omaha, arrived in uck'atul Harbor od the 15th instant. She is lig^ed as a brig^in inn. and i o*se3Be« fair lines for soeerl an.l will have jiood curying capacity. Sh is owned by Cuptaiu Fail child, of the Colonial G'overnnunt steamer Luna, and the Meiklejohn Hios Her dimensions are as fol'ows : — Registered tonn ge, 120 tons; carrying cap-icity (abou 1 ) 210 tons; ienuth overall BSffc ; Jength of keel, 70f o ; bfam 22£ f t; draught of water when lorried, 10ft. The vessel has been on..th.ej3tocks_.for a considerable time and nothing but timbers of the best description have been used in her const uctton. On the passage up under short canvas the brigantine attained a speed of 7$ knots which, under the circumstances, must be acknowledged as a very fair performance. The new schooner is to be employed in the coastal trade, and will be commanded by Captain Meiklejohn.— " Southern Cross " A 8 has already been stated, grave fears were entertained for the safety of the schooner Ivanh"e, which lft Auckland nsarly two months ago for the Islands The " Fiji Times," of 'he 2Sch ultimo, says : - "By the arrival i>f the Star of the South we learn no news of the missing schooner Ivanhoe, which left Auckland for his port som« seven weeus since, with a cargo of timber. It is feared ihe vtssel is Ist" No labor vessels arriving at any of the principal po ts of the Is and s have reported seeing the schooner at sea,, aud H.M.S Beagle which was sailing on a course likely to intercept the Ivanhoe. did not see her There is. thenfore but little doubt now that the vessel has foundered at sea in one of the heavy gales which have occurred in these seas la u o:y Anxious enquires were made by friends and relatives yesterday as to whether anything had beec heard of the missing vessel, but to uo putpose, as Captain l^rquhar was possessed of no intellinence regarding her movements beyond what is already known. The apprehensions entertained regarding her seem to have too surely received confirmation, and very -ittle hope can now be en'ertained of the Ivanhoe ever reaching her port of destination.

There is a movement on foot at present amongst the people of the Thames to obtain from Britain a fast iron-built steamer, drawing little water, and capable of going between the Thames and Auckland in three hours, or three hours and a quarter. The cost of such a boat is estimated at from L IO, OOO to L 12.000. and the working expenses at from L3OO to L 350 a month. It is expected tbat in the item of coal alone such a vessel as they desire •would use about 100 tons of coal Jess per month than tbe p.B Golden Crown did. The profits to be d rived from running such a hoat. with th« s me trade that now exist < b tween Auc 1 nd and t'<e Thames, is estimated at from L2OO to L3OO per month, but in tbe event of the upper 'lhames being opened, the returns would be much greater because the tradewould be greatly increased. In commenting upon the mttter, the "Thames Advertiser" remarks : — "To ensure success, the project ouly desires to be taken in hand by some active and energetic business roan, and if the whole of the required capital cannot be raised at the Thames, there w<>uld be, we believe, no difficulty experienced in obtaining the balance in Auckland. We can scarcely remain satisfied •with our present position."