Shipping News.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 610, 11 September 1858, Page 4

Shipping News.

ARRIVED. Sept. 8, s.s. White Swan, 10S tons, J. McLean, from Otago. Passengers, Mr. and Mrs. Rensliavr, Miss Moore, Messrs. Graham, Williams, Davidson, Reid, Hamerton, Trollope, Pike, Crawford, Preston, Powder, McDermid, Reading, McMillan, Clerke, Hodge, McKay, Minine, Mountfort, Cridge, Scarlett, and two Maories. SAILED. Sept. 9, s.s. White Swan, 19S tons, McLean, for Wellington. Passengers from Lyttelton, Mrs. Howard, Mr. & Mrs. C. 11. Moffitt, Mr. & Mrs. J. Moffitt & child, Mrs. Curtis, Messrs. McKechney, McDonald, Armstrong, Hawkins, Mclntosh, W. Grant, Abrahamson, King, and five members Hanoverian Band. CLEARED. Sept. S, schooner Uira, 26 tons, Toomey, for Wellington, from the river. Sept. 9, schooner Mary Lousa, 30 tons, Flight, for Wellington, from the river. EXPORTS. In the White Swan, Dalgety, Buckley & Co., agents: 125 bags oats from Otago; 4 casks cheese, Latter; 3 cases do., Cookson, Bowler & Co; 30 bags potatoes. 30 do. barley, R.Waitt & Co.; and sundry packages luggage, order. In the Uira, Cookson, Bowler & Co., agents: 557 bushels wheat, 705 do. oats, 112 do. barley, Cookson, Bowler & Co. In the Mary Louisa. F. N. Campbell & Co., agents: 500 bushels wheat, 600 do. oats, Jones; 100 bushels oats, Campbell & Go. PROJECTED DEPARTURES. For Wellington and Melbourne, the screw steamer Queen, on Monday next, Sept. 13th. Mails for Wellington, the Australian Colonies, India, and London, close at noon. For Auckland, calling at Akaroa, the brigantine Spray, on Tuesday, Sept. 14th.

Important Invention.—Lieutenant Brooke, U.S.jtf., inventor of the celebrated instrument for deep sea soundings, has given to the nautical world another invention for instantly detaching ships' boats from the davits, and thus preventing the loss of life so frequently resulting from the swamping of small boats, in attempts to disentangle them from the tackle after they have touched the water; an event most likely to happen when the sea is rough or the vessel from which the boat is lowered is moving rapidly. This invention consists of a metal socket and ball fitted to each other. The former is secured to the boat, and the latter is attached to the tackle; but as soon as the boat touches the water, the tackle being slackened, the ball drops from the place, and the boat is instantly released. Nautical men who have seen the contrivance have given it their unqualified approval, and it is likely to be soon brought into use, not only in this country, but elsewhere. The Eussian Government is about to adopt it, we understand, upon the new war steamer built by William H. Webb, and it is already in use on the U.S. sloop-of-war Marion. A working model can be seen at the office of E, H. Gallaher, No. 51, Liberty Street.— New York Journal of Commerce, April 10th. *

Air versus STEAar.—The application of air as a motive power for propelling vessels has, it is stated, been successfully introduced by Mr. Carter, a scientific gentleman residing at Mottenham, Kent. A small vessel fitted up under the direction of the inventor has been visited by numerous naval and scientific gentlemen, and is to proceed on a trial trip from Millwall to Greenhithe. The propelling power is obtained by the introduction of air, under the keel of the vessel, and its action upon the water.— London Observer, April 20th. Curious Discovery in the South AtlanTIC- —The following is a copy of a letter written by Captain Cubins, of the Caribou, belonging to Liverpool, to the Secretary of the Admiralty, relating to a cluster of islands, not laid down in the charts, and which lie in the direct tract to Australia:—

Ship Caribou, Hobson's Bay, March 13, 1858. " I sailed from Liverpool on the Bth December, 1857, bound to Port Philip, in Australia. On February 22, wind westerly, brisk gale, with snow squalls; at 10 33. a.m. in a clear between the squalls I fancied I saw land to the southward; took in studding sails, shortened sail, and stood towards it. At 1. 30 p.m. hove-to abreast the island, when the centre bearing S.S.W., about twelve miles, lowered a life-boat, and sent her to the land. I afterwards stood in to about nine miles off shore, and got no ground with 120 fathoms of line. The island appeared to be in a S.E. and N.W. direction, about twenty five miles, its southern extreme trending to the S.W., forming a deep bight on its western side, which was entirely snow-clad and gave it the appearance of a great barrier of ice. The greater part of the whole island was covered with. snow. There is a remarkable group of high rocks lying* off to the N.E. from the S.E. part of the island, apparently six or seven miles, and on the N.W. extreme, an iceberg aground. The island was cloudy-capped, but I think that its greatest elevation could not be less than 450 feet above the level of the sea. Whilst hove-to, awaiting our boat's return, I was astonished to see vessels at anchor in a bay, we having opened it through drifting to the S.E. One of them got under weigh and stood towards us: it proved to be the American schooner Oxford, of Fairhaven. They put out a boat and the master came on board; he told me they called it Kurd's Island, and that it was discovered by them 18 months before. He seemed annoyed that my boat had landed, and advised me to go and leave her behind, saying that she would never return, but I told him that I should never leave her while I had another boat to seek for her. I was very anxious, for it was then sundown, and darkness coming on fast; but while speaking, the look-out at the mast head reported the boat in sight. He then became more communicative, and told me they were after oil, that the shores of the island swarmed with sea elephants, and that they had sent to America, since the discovery, 25,000 barrels of oil. The island was bold on the north-east side, and no hidden dangers; and the bay where they lay was a fine bay or natural harbor, with good anchorage —no sunken dangers—with 12 to 20 fathoms all over, and sheltered from all winds except a north-

easterly, with a fine river of fresh water at the head of it. He also told me that there was another island west of Kurd's, distant some thirty miles, and another E.S.E. seventy miles, both of which he had seen but not landed on. My own officers confirmed his statement of the sea elephants, and the island being well watered; there were penguins and other birds in myriads, and on an island about a mile apart from the main appeared to be a great mound of guano. Whilst lying to, I went to look at my abstract, and it made me shudder to think that only twelve months before I ran past the island at midnight in a heavy gale of wind, not more than four or five miles distant, ignorant of its existance. My greatest wish, on sending my boat to the island, was to find out if there were any shipwrecked persons on it whom I might releive. The island was entirely of volcanic origin, my six officers having found the surface ashes and stones. Twice Wrecked in one Day.—Liverpool, Mat 4.—The man Williams, who had two miraculous escapes from shipwreck off Tuskar on Friday last, has arrived at Liverpool. It appears that the new clipper schooner George, Captain Cross, which lately brought over the first cargo of produce from Laird's Town, on the River Niger, sailed hence again for that port on Tuesday with supplies and a cargo of fuel for the exploring steamers. All went on well until she arrived about 27 miles east of Tuskar. The wind was blowing fresh from the north-east, and the ship was under easy sail, when about eight o'clock in the morning of the 30th she suddenly capsized. The captain and all hands were on deck at the time. To save themselves from going down with the vessel they jumped overboard to windward. Williams states that he swam about until he saw a small piece of timber belonging to the galley, which rose up to the surface. He caught hold and clung to that, so also did two others of the crew, but they became exhausted and fell off one after the other. Williams remained upon the plank until half past three o'clock, having been in the water seven hours, and he was then beginning to despair and to feelexhausted, when his head was seen on the crest of a vrave by a passenger on board the steamer Brigand bound from Swansea to Belfast, and then about 100 yards off. She bore down, and he was taken on board, kindly treated, fed, and put to hed. About 13 o'clock the same night, however, the steamer came in collision with the barque William Campbell, bound from Glasgow to Trinidad which latter immediately sank. Williams feeling the shock of the collision, jumped up and rushed to the boat, which he and others succeeded in launching. He and part of the crew escaped in the boat, and the steamer soon after sank, and the remainder of the hands, 21 in number, were drowned. The men in the boats were picked up by the Espoir, from Ostend to Liverpool.