TO SAN FRANCISCO AND BACK.

Kumara Times, Issue 849, 20 June 1879, Page 4

TO SAN FRANCISCO AND BACK.

We are indebted to Mr A. E. Cresawell, late chief clerk at the Greymouth Post Office, who acted as mail agent on board the Australia, for our San Francisco files and the following report of the trip of the Mail steamer The Royal Mail Steamer Australia, with the outward San Francisco English mail, left Auckland on the evening of April Ist, having been detained six hours for the southern mails. She experienced contrary weather till arrival at Honolulu on the 16th. A stay of twelve hours at this picturesque port enabled the passengers to pay a visit to the “Pali” and the other lions : of the neighborhood in the way of scenery. Left on the 16tb, and fine weather was our portion till arrival at San Francisco on the 23rd, one day in advance of contract time. We landed the mails, which were forwarded next morning by rail to New York en route for England, and besides some 240 passengers we discharged over 750 tons of cargo. The steamer remained in port eighteen days, thus allowing an opportunity of paying a visit to the Yosemite Valley, winch for beauty of scenery is acknowledged to be unsurpassed in the world, and, being springjtime, we saw it atits perfection. During our stay we experienced a State election, the great fight being as to changing the constitution of the State of California, and the battle was an affair that would have done the people in these parts good to witness. After a severe struggle, the New Constitution party were successful, and, as usual with radical changes, some were certain that ruination were sure to follow, whilst others with equal force asserted that it would bring about a blissful state hitherto unknown on this mundane sphere. Your correspondent, however, is unwilling to commit himself by stating what the actual result will be, but he can testify that the immediate effect was plenty of liquor, the brandishing of arms, and sundry other extraordinary actions indulged in, no doubt with a view of relieving the superabundant energy of the Californians. The election on the whole was not an unalloyed blessing, however, for it appeared to cause the almost entire cessation of business for a few weeks prior to the contest; and this seemed to me the worse, inasmuch as the number of unemployed in San Francisco is very considerable, and the majority oi mining scrip appears to be below par; On the 12th May, the contract date the good ship Australia took her departure New Zealandwards with a number of passengers and a full cargo, of which a large portion consisted of flour. We called at Honolulu on the 19th May, after a very smart run, the distance being 2,100 miles. We landed passengers and about 350 tons of cargo, and proceeded onwards on the 20th May. On the morning'of the 28th we passed close to the Navigators, calling at Tutulia, one of the group. We had a mail on board for the Island, but as no European came off, it was not thought advisable to hand it over to the few boatloads of natives, who appeared thoroughly frightened of us. Your correspondent here witnessed one of the grandest sights to be seen in the tropics—the placid water just washing the coral beach, with cocoauut groves and tropical vegetation in rear, and a background of majestic mountains. The passengers were unanimous in their thanks to Captain Cargill for having afforded them so glorious a treat. We came on at once, and with moderate weather reached Auckland 6n tHe nibrning of the 4th of June, making; fast to the wharf at 8 o’clock. The maiils were got ashore with expedition, and indeed, so quickly were they landed and transmitted to Onehunga, that the connecting steamer, the Taiora, left the latter port the same morning at about 10 o’clock, it being after high water. The Tairoa could not have waited another minute, or she would have been unable to cross-the bar, for as it was we just got over by : the skin of our teeth/. On. the eve of departure, the Postmaster at Onehunga received an urgent telegram from Auckland, asking him to wait half-an-hour for the Napier portion of the mail, thirteen bags of which were being forwarded, but Captain Peterson deemed it unadvlsable to stay longer, and in consequence of his action, the whole of the southern mail will be delivered at least twelve hours, and probably twenty hours earlier than would otherwise have been possible. The trip down to Taranaki was very pleasant, but from there to Nelson we experienced a strong gale and heavy sea. We landed the mail here at 7 o’clock, and the Dunedin portion will be received tonight. [This speaks well for the smartiness of the Mail Agent and his assistant.]