Shipping News.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XII, Issue 712, 3 September 1859, Page 4

Shipping News.

CLEARED,

Sept. 1< schooner Mary Louisa, 30 tons, Toohig, •for Auckland. Cabin passengers—Messrs. .'Jones, Young,-Walker, and Hargrave. Steerage—Messrs. •Mall and Sieff. , ....... Same day, schooner Mary Thomson, 52 tons, Muirhead, for Jfefson. Passengers—Mr. and Mrs. ~ Thomson. • Aug. 31, schooner Mariquita, 74 tons, Gray, for 'Wellington, in ballast. ■ Same day; brig. Ann Sanderson,2so tons, Barton, for Wellington. Passenger—Mr. Sanderson. Same day, s.s. White Swan, 198 tons, Cellem, for Auckland via Wellington. Cabin passengersLieut. Col. Russell, Messrs. Martin, Boyd, McCullock and Saxton. Steerage—Messrs. M'lntire (2) and Webster. . Sept. 1. s.s. Airedale, 286 tons,-Johns, for Wellington .and Kelson, j EXPORTS. "In- the Ann Sanderson, Dalgety & Co., agents: part of original cargo'from Otago." In the White Swan, Cookson, Bowler & Co., agents.- original cargo from In the Airedale, Miles & Co,- agents: 8 bags barley, •Hargreaves. . . In the Mary Louisa, master, agent; 618 bushels vheat,^ Jones. In theMary/Thomson, master agent: 40 boxes soap, Barnard j arid part of original cargo from ■Wellington.

The Great ;Eastern Steam• Ship.—Taking ad • ■- vantage of. two days' holiday to the -workmen,-of -whom several hiindreds are now engaged in-endea-vouring to get this vessel ready for sea in the ensuing autumn,-the directors determined to open it to the public; on Whit Monday and Tuesday. The deck js-now completely planked from end to end, and a glance.along, its aramense expanse gives the "first and best idea of the enormous size of the ship. The different skylights are all also in their places, and give a look of finish where all was before incom-pleteness-and confusion. Three masts, have been ■set up, and two funnels, which also go far to "furnish" tire deck, and the completed bulwarks all • round take; away the sense of dizziness and insecurity with which people used formerly to approach the side of the ship. one can now look* over the side, judge of; the vast height of" the vessel out of the water, make comparisons between her and anything else iippn the Thames, and then enjoy the prospect of the country—Kent and Essex—now clad r>iu the Ijnghest green. The lower decks have been planked,' arid great progress has been made in par- • titioning them off into thin permanent compartments. . The grand saloon is, in a very forward state,-andTvould be a-noble apartment, more like a - drawing-room in a princely mansion>on shore than the cabuvof-a sliipf-were it not for the two. immense funnels whielu run-up the centre, and inconveniently interrupt the longitudinal sweep of the apartment. ■\On each side elegant cabins are being fitted iip, aud • the same may be said" of the other saloons, of which there are, we believe, six in the ship. One of the cabins has been'finished in order that the visitor may _ judge of what the rest are intended to be, and a very pleasant notion-it gives of what a voyage across the Atlantic wiil be in such -a noble ship as the - Great Eastern. This completed department is what ■is called a family cabin, containing bedroom, sitting • room, and dressing room.-all of them lofty and well ventilated, and possessing a much greater number of conveniences than could be found in a similar suite on shore. The other cabins are also in an exceedingly forward state, and as ail'immense number of men are kept incessantly at work, there is every prospect of the ship being ready for her trial trip on .the-4th of August. .There is tree circulation now all through the ship, there being elegant staircases with carved ■ oak balustrades, leading to the various saloons and ' cabins, arid iron ladders for the scientific, or inveterately curious, who cannot believe they ha-ve 'done"' the ship until they have. explored the gloomy mysteries-of the vast-engine room. Here those who '•have read " Vathek" will be'forcibly-reminded of the V'Hall-of Eblis. and those who have "not will wonder at the ponderous beams and shafts -i-and cylinders, • will be struck with the bright polish of the steel work, and think of the timeVhen all this vast mass ■■ t>f mechanism shall be iv motion, ploughing up the ocean with a giant's strength; and .carrying the ■Great Eastern along as if she weraa ;feather -at the rate:of 20 miles^an hour. Let v: hope that she nny ro on prosperously to completion, and thus justify -the scientific but daring scheme upon, which she lias been constructed. If she should realise the hopes of liur projectors, and the designs of her architects, she -will fill a brighter page, in England's history than any of her most famous victories' by land or' water, • for she will inaugurate a revolution in ocean transit] 'Which will bring the farthest ends of the earth to-gether,-and make travelling oh'the ocean.as pleasant ■ nnd little fatiguing as it is now on the best ordered -•of our great railroads.— European Times. [': A terrible catastrophe occurred at Spithead on the 3rd June, which caused the loss of seven-or -eight lives, but which tended in a remarkable degree to illustrate "the courage and coolness of our soldiers in the most trying circumstances. The 'Eastern Monarch had brought home several hundreds of invalid soldiers from India, with their j ■wives and children,-anti being Short of provisions, had anchored at Spithead before proceeding further •up the Channel. About half-past -A An the -morning the- soldiers were all thrown out of their hamimcks by a violent concussion on -board. It was the explosion of some destructive gas which at first was supposed to have been generated by the overheating of the, cargo--; andto -add to the terror of the scene, ..the ship was speedily discovered to be on fire. For a moment all was confusion and dismay, but in .'another instant the old habits ancl'instincts of dis-••cipliue-prevuilwl. The women and children were •collected and passed over the ship's side to the boats tthat came to their assistance, while the soldiers vied "with each other in obedience to the commands of their officers and in general forgetfulness of .their • own ■■sjffety.'in providing for the helpless persons tunder their charge. It was by a merciful providence •that they had brought up where help was so near at liand. Had they proceededup Channel few would ihave bfeen saved, 'though"■'there is no reason tod,o;}-&tsb.Btt, even in such appalling circumstances, the conduct af $l>e offerers. sxnA ra<?n of

nmi«iammmiTlnii«Minni«ai3««r»»w.y«^^^ T^[^ bntli services would ■have been equally deservingof praise. Their conduct rivalled the* lioroism displayed on board the ill-fated ißirkenhead, though they fortunately escaped the Birkenhead's appalling catastrophe. The conduct of the snilors was cowardly sin tho extreme. They were among -the first tojeefrom the vessel, and their dereliction of duty, contrasting so forcibly as it ditl with,the disciplined order and calmness of the soldiers, bas.beoii severely reprobated. A protracted investigation proved that tins calamity was caused by the steward, contrary to orders, taking a light into the room containing , thesaltpetre. Ile'has been indicted for manslaughter.

The disaster of the Eastern Monarch at Spithead has been followed by the loss of H.M.S^ Heron, on the coast of Africa., The-Heron on the.9th of May was 200 miles from the coast, when it .was caught in a tornado, and Instantly capsized. More than 100 of the crew were lost. (Captain Truscott and some others saved themselves in a boat. They were picked «p by a Liverpool vessel, and taken to Sierra 'Leone; but it "is grevious to have to record that Captain Truscott died on his passage to Liverpool in theJEthiope, which has arrived at that port, and which is the bearer of the bad news. The boatswain of the Heron was also saved; but he, too has fallen a victim to the yellow fever. The Heron was after slavers, and had captured a shave ship. which had been taken to Sierra LeonCiin charge of a prize crew.—^iEuglish JPqpers,