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New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 593, 9 April 1851, Page 2

The Maria arrived on Monday from Sa Francisco, after a passage of forty-two days, She made the East Cape in thirty-six days, but meeting with an unfavourable wind, has been six days off the coast of New Zealand, Through the kindness of Captain Plank we have received a file of Californian papers to the 20th February, from which we have made several interesting extracts. The! latest English news contained in them is to I the beginning of December, but we under-1 stand that if the Maria had left San Fran-1 cisco a few hours later, she would have brought English news to the beginning of January, the steamer from the Isthmus having arrived just as she was at the point of sailing. This fact speaks volumes in favour of the Panama route as the best and most direct communication from England with the Australian colonies since, even in a sailing vessel from San Francisco, the English news by the ordinary route might have bea anticipated a month. We are very sorryte hear that the shipments from this place to San Francisco have proved so unremunenitive as to discourage further speculation ia this quarter. Mr. Revans, who went ii the Thames to San Francisco with the first cargo from this settlement, is a passenger ia the Maria.