AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 655, 12 November 1851, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

The mission schooner Border Maid arrived here in the course of Monday night, with the Bishop of New Zealand on board. She sailed from Sydney on Wednesday the 24th of September. She has brought no papers or letters, but the Emma was to sail on Thursday the 25th, and the Moa on Saturday the 27tb. Both those vessels may tbeiefore be hourly looked for. During his absence, his Lordship visited fourteen Islands in the New Hebrides and Loyalty Groups, and brings back with him thirteen scholars from six different Islands, for education in New Zealand. Five of these are from the Island of Mare, in the Loyalty Group, who confirm the account of the destruction of the Lucy Anne, belonging to Mr. Towns of Sydney, by the natives of another part of the Island. This was the Island where (as will be remembered) Capt. Lewis last year killed three natives, under circumstances which led to a trial at Sydney, 1 report of which appeared some time since in our columns.—New Zealander, October 8. The following account of the loss of the Government schooner Maori at Manakau, October 7th, on her passage between Onehunga and the Waiuku, is by Mr. Cooper, a passenger at the time of the accident: —

“We left Onehunga about half-past 10, a.m., and, the wind being contrary, were obliged to ,beat out, which we continued to do, making very fair progress. As soon as we rounded a point which is called Cap® Horn, the wind became stronger, and blew in puffs ; we then took a single reef in the mainsail, and lowered the foresail, which, however, Captain Smale ordered up again in a few minutes. Mr. Geale and myself were sitting aft, talking * — ? •”* - t — r 0 % I - • V — IV vafJKnu umaiS. i uc ttuc al ililS time Was nearly out. We had almost passed the main channel, and in a few minutes would have rounded the sandspit in the Manakau, when, as we were going about, in the middle of a heavy puff of wind, the vessel lav over till the water touched her sails, when she immediately filled, but did not go down. Mr. Geale and I climbed up on to the side of the vessel, and the next moment I found myself struggling in the water. I managed to regain the vessel, and there found Mr. Geale, evidently in a very weak state, Mr. Donne, a man of the name of William Kew, and some of the natives of whom we had about fifteen on board. Capt. Smale I saw swimming about half way between the boat and the sandspit, which several of the natives had reached ; I never saw him again. Mr. Donne said to me “ make for the shore, it is your only chance and immediately sprang into the water ; that was the last 1 saw of him ; be never reached the sandspit. I, having divested myself of all my clothes except my shirt and cap, followed shortly after, and reached the sandspit in safety along with Kew. When I arrived there, I found the native who was going into the interior with Mr. Geale on the sandspit, and he told me to call to Mr. Geale to swim for the shore, and he would go and meet him, which I did ; Mr. Geale immediately jumped in and made for the shore, and the native met him about half-way, and endeavoured to drag him ashore, but before he could accomplish this he was dead, and the native was obliged to leave him in order to save himself. We were then obliged to start off as quickly as possible, for fear the tide should flow and cut us off from reaching the main land. However, with running, wading, and swimming, we contrived to reach the settlement of Mangere, where we were most hospitably entertained by the natives, who gave us clothes, food, and a passage in a canoe to Onehunga. From thence I returned to Auckland. To the best of my knowledge, none of the natives were lost.”