SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 18, 27 May 1871, Page 10

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

ARRIVED. MAY. 19, Shepherdess, schooner, 40 tons, Gathercole,’from Kikerargu. . . barque, 365 tons, Tucker, from Newcastle. 19, Jane Elkin, schooner, 31 tons, from K 2o,°Taranaki, s.s., 299 tons, Wheeler, from the North. Passengers : Cabin —Mrs Benneb, Mrs Isaacs, Miss Holliday, Mrs Aickin, Mrs Stratford, Master Stratford, Miss Webby, Messrs Parker, Isaacs, Aickin, Stratford, Willis, Angus, Robertson, Gibson, Maxwell, Norgrove, Moorhouse, three natives. 21, Phoebe, s.s., 416 tons, Worsp, from the South. Passengers: Cabin —Mr and Mrs Laird, Mrs Spreny, Miss O’Hara, Messrs Little and Hood ; 1 saloon and 4 steerage tor North. . 21, Lord Ashley, s.s., 296 tons, Andrew, from the South. Passengers: Cabin—3 for the North ; 4 steerage. 21, Wanganui, s.s., 164 tons, Lmklater, from Wanganui. Passengers : Cabin—Mrs Einnimore, Mrs Mason, Mrs Sylvester, Miss Warburton, Messrs Watson, Savage, Dutton, H. Owen, Reid, Keon, Till; and 3in the steerage. _ , . ~ 21, Kate, schooner, 26 tons, Jenkins, irom the Grove. „ „ 21, Alarm, ketch, 15 tons, Callow, irom Rangitikei. „ 23, Collingwood, cutter, lo tons, Waller, from Pelorus Sound. 23, Jane, schooner, 25 tons, Bower, from Lyttelton. 23, Rangitoto, s.s., 459 tons, Mackay, from Melbourne, via West Coast. Passengers : Sa-loon-Miss Coats, Messrs Osgood, Brown, Ludwig ; 2 for Melbourne, 11 for Otago, 2 for Lyttelton. Gothenburg, s.s., 459 tons, Pearce, irom Melbourne via the South. Passengers: Saloon—Messrs Maitland and Daniells j 5 m the steerage, and 20 for other ports. 24, Falcon, ketch, 37 tons, Morrison, from Wairau. 25, Enterprise, schooner, 84 tons, Sedcole, from Lyttelton. 25, Canterbury, 75 tons,Ruxton, from Grey River. SAILED. 21, Go-a-Head, 84 tons, Doilo, for Foxton, Wanganui, Taranaki, and Manukau. Passengengers: Cabin —Mbs Snelson, Miss Watson, Mrs Ross and 2 children, Messrs Paston, Dixon, Dobbie, Ross, Perrin, Oakley. 21, Jupiter, ketch, 28 tons, Chapman, lor Lyttelton. 22, Lord Ashley, s.s., 296 tons, Andrew, for Napier and Auckland. Passengers : Saloon —Mr Isaacs and Miss Holloway. 22, Taranaki, s.s., 299 tons, Wheeler, for Lyttelton. Passengers : Saloon —Mr Miller, Mr and Mrs Ambrose. 22, Wanganui, s.s., 168 tons, Litiklater, for Wanganui. Passengers: Saloon—Messrs T. Reid, D. Allan, Robertson, M'Minn, and H. Owen. 22, Phoebe, s.s., 416 tons, Worsp, for Pieton. Passengers : Saloon —Mis 9 Toust, Mrs Leggett, and original passengers. 23, Gothenburg, s.s., 459 tons, Pearce, for Melbourne, via the West Coast. Passengers : Saloon—Mr and Mrs Daniells, Messrs L Daniells, Elliott, Fitzgerald, Stowe, Hobson. 24, Rangitoto, s.s., 449 tons, Mackie, for Melbourne via the South. 24, Jane Elkin, ketch, 24 tons, Leslie, for Pieton. 24, Alert, schooner, 28 tons, Scott, for Havelock.

The ship Halcione, Captain Bishop, hence 20th December, arrived off Falmouth on the 21st March, after a pleasant passage of 91 days, all well, A letter has been received from W. Turnbull, Esq., intimating that when the Halcione was about thirty miles off Falmouth, a small cutter from that place came alongside, and he determined to land in her with his family. He then went up to London, arriving there'on the 22nd March. The Halcione had not arrived in London on the 24th, easterly winds keeping her back ; and it was thought probable that she would not reach London for a week. It is satisfactory to know that the fears entertained lest the affairs of the Supz Canal might seriously suffer from the circumstance of the French directors and staff of the company being shut up for five months in Paris during the siege have fortunately not been realised. After postal communications were re-opened, the French were surprised to find that the management had gone on just as usual, with this difference, that the receipts from dues, &c, were considerably larger, and without the occurrence of a single accident. Moreover, a great improvement, by means of dredging and modifying the bends in the canal, had been effected; whei’eas the Paris directors expected to find everything at a standstill and disorganised. This has, we are informed from Parish led to inquiry as to the desirability of continuing the maintenance of a large and expensive staff in that capital, now ascertained to be totally disproportionate to the services rendered to the shareholders.—" Mail.” Notice to Mariners. —The following notice to Mariners, received from the Marine Board of South Australia, is published for general information. Wallaroo Bay, Spencer’s G-ulf. A Shoal Patch, with only sixteen (16) feet at low water spring tides, has been recently discovered in Wallaroo Bay, on the following bearings, viz.: Extreme of Point Riley, N. 34 ° E.; large chimney of smelting works S. 57 °E. Masters of vessels beating up to the anchorage with S E. winds are hereby cautioned not to bring the jetty to bear to the southward of E.8.E., until Point Riley bears northward of N.N.E. R. H. Ferguson, President, Marine Board. Marine Board Office, P<?rfc Adelaide, 3rd April, 1871,

The “New Zealand Herald,” 16th May, says: —“H.M. p.s. Virago, Captain Sandys, arrived in harbor yesterday from Wellington, having left that port on the sth inst. The Virago will remain here a few days before proceeding to Sydney. From thence she will go direct to England.” The Martha Birnie, from Sydney, passed an iron ship of about 1200 tons register, on fire, with masts gone and decks off', on the 30th January, in latitude 35° S, 26° W. She had white painted ports, and her figure-head was a three parts woman painted white. No name was to be seen, as the paint was all burnt off; had apparently been burning some time.

It will be remembered that the Megsera was commissioned last month at Sheerness, to take fresh officers and crews to H.M.S. Blanche and Rosario on the Australian station. She left Plymouth on February 25, with 33 officers, 350 men, and 400 tons of stores, in addition to provisions and stores for the use of the officers and men during the voyage. Captain Tbrupp, commanding the Megcera, on being ordered fram Plymouth on the evening of the date above mentioned, finding the ship’s decks very much lumbered in consequence of there not having been time to secure the baggage and stores taken on board at that port, and finding the barometer unsteady, notwithstanding the fair wind then blowing, went on shore, and represented to the Commander-in chief, Admiral Codringfon, that he did not think it judicious, under the circumstances, to proceed to sea until the following morning, and asked permission so to act. The Admiral, however, put great pressure upon Captain Thrupp, referring to “ their Lordships’ ” directions, and how displeased “ their Lordships” would be that the Megtera had not sailed, although in his letter to the Admiralty the Admiral somewhat jesuitically writes, “I may add that I did not give Captain Thrupp any order to sail on that evening, although I certainly advised him, as stated above,” viz, bow displeased their Lordships would be. The Megsera therefore sailed in the unprepared state represented by her captain ; she met with heavy weather, began to leak, and bad to put into Queenstown with a goodly proportion of the stores and officers’ baggage spoiled, but lucky to have reached that port without any more serious mishap. There cannot, however, be a doubt that Admiral Sir Henry Codringt-on was not justified in allowing the Megsera to proceed to sea with a heavy gale of wind blowing. The alterations which have been made at Queenstown, and which are very slight, will enable her to proceed to her destination without any further discomfort to those on board. The Megsera sailed from Queenstown for her destination on March 14. It will not surprise our naval readers, although we should think it would the general public, when we inform them that the acknowledgment CaptainThrupp received from the Admiralty for having simply done his duty was “ disapproval of his proceedings,” and that serious thoughts were even entertained by “ my Lords” as to whether he should not be superseded from his com. mand. The Megsera has sailed, and we heartily wish her a successful and prosperous voyage. The Caducous will be the bearer of the largest cargo that has left this port for many months. She is rapidly filling up, and will be a full ship about Tuesday or Wednesday next, having been in port only two months. It is but seldom we have a vessel of 1000 tons register loading at our wharf, and it is highly creditable to the port that she has been filled up with such celerity, and shows that our articles of export must have increased to a considerable extent. We understand that there is nearly sufficient cargo stored and coming forward during the next month to load another ship of the same tonnage, and that it is probable a ship will be sent up from the South to fill up here. The Alexandria, dally expected, will also load for London, and the Mary Russell Mitford has commenced to stow away a cargo for New York. —“ New Zealand Herald.” Captain Cleverly, of the Lismore, writes, that on the date of the loss of the Hindoo, he was lying to in the same gale with the brigantine Lismore, in the Straits, between the Solander and Sandhill Point. About 10 a.m., when the fog cleared a little, he made the land out, but could not get any cross-bearings by either of his compasses, there being a great deal of local attraction, so much so as to cause his compasses to be of no use to him whatever. Fortunately ho knew his position, and got through the Straits about 9.30 p.m. He also mentions that he was informed some time since by Captain Louden, that he has found his compasses of no use to him iu some parts of the Straits. Captain Cleverly and Captains Ellis and Thomson, who presided at the inquiry into the wreck of the Hindoo, think her compasses were affected in the same way as those of the Lismore. —Dunedin “Star.” The “ Semaphore,” of Marseilles, reports the loss, lately, near St. Malo, of the French transport Sevre. Out of 48 passengers, mostly wounded soldiers, and 113 seamen who were on board, only 55 persons were saved. The captain of the steamer Blackbird was summoned by the revenue inspector in the District Court on Monday for selling liquor without a license. He was unable to appear, as the vessel had left the port on her passage to New South Wales, bub he was defended by Mr Gillott. Upon the second day of May two informers, Bevan and Kingdgn, went on board the ship, which was then mpg at the wharf, and the latter purchased some clrinks from the second steward. He not only shouted for his companion, but also for the first mate and purser. He was acquainted with them, having been a passenger from Sydney a few weeks previously. The two confederates then left, and proceedings were immediately instituted against the captain for a breach of the Wine, B°eer, and Spirits Act. Evidence was given to this effect, and Mr Evans stated that he searched the register, and, as far as he could tell, no license had been granted to the Black-

bird. Mr Gillott submitted that the captain could not be summoned for an illegal act committed by one of the stewards. Even if the vessel had a license, it would not have permitted the sale of liquor on board while the ship was at the wharf. Mr Stephen argued that the captain must be responsible for the offence, he having control over the ship. Mr Call agreed with the argument of Mr Gillott, and dismissed the case with £1 1b costs.

With a view to facilitate the reporting of ships from the most important points on the coasts of the United Kingdom, and to establish the International code of signals, which is now in general use at home and abroad, the “ Shipping Gazette” has long since had in active operation signal stations at the following places, viz : —Aldborough, Bridlington, Flamborough Head, Grimsby, Yarmouth (Norfolk), Broadstairs, Deal, Dover, Dungeness, Yarmouth (1.W.), St. Catherine’s Point (I. W.), Prawle Point (near the Start), Penzance, Roche’s Point (Queenstown), Holyhead, &c. At all these signal stations the International (Commercial) code is the only code recognised, and vessels of any nation which make their names known by this code in passing the stations, are promptly reported in the “ Shipping Gazette” and to the owners if required. To these signal stations has just been added one of considerable importance (o vessels approaching the Scilly Islands, or which may be driven near there for shelter. A station is now in full operation on the highest part of Peninnis Point, on St. Mary’s Island, and the exact position is marked on the charts as the Old Mill. Vessels approaching from the south can with safety go within a mile of the point, and ships signalled by the International code are reported, by telegraph, by a special correspondent appointed for the purpose.