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Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 36, 29 January 1864, Page 2

Yesterday (Friday, January Bth). at an early Lour, signal vras made for a steamer iuside Tiri Tiri ; the stranger had fetched her anchorage off Fort Britomart . at 6 30 a.m.. and proved to be the British India Steam 2f . Company's screw steamer Australian, in cuminand of Lieut. A- C. Daado, B. iN.lt. Sailed irom Rangoon on the 21st [November, experiencing fine weather throughout the passage to .Melbourne (where she called f r coal), arriving on the 25th Decembnr, and taking ncr departure on the 31st. S.ie had pleasant weather, with light north-westeriy winds, on her run across. The Australian has brought the head quarter division of the 6Sth Kegimeat. Durham Light Infantry, numbering 299 rank and iile.. 7 •women. 10 children, and the following officers : — Lieut-Colonel Morant ; Captains Oakley and Seymour ; Lieuts. Marshal!, Robley and Turner ; Ensign Basfieirf ; Surgeon Major Best . Qnartermaster Sladd.-n ; Mrs Best aud Gladden. Good health prevailed. The accommodation on board the Australian is estremely good, and the utmostattention was paid to the convenience and comfort ; of all- She is a flne ship, built of iron, at Duaa- j barton, in 1552. She measures 1500 tons gross, j 735 ton nett. and has engines of ?>OO horss power. She will make a stay of about live days, when she i ■will proceed to Newcastle, and from thence to Melbourne and Calcutta. The first detachment of j the 6Sth landed at the Wynyard Pier, and with j band and colors (cased) marched into the Albert Barracks at 2.15 p.m.. The band is said to be a magnificent one. — Xeic Zealand, Herald. Toe Briton is ashore at Pondicherry and the Jlencius off Sadras. Nearly all the ships have now returned to their anchorage at Madras, but gome have not escaped without considerable damage, Serious apprehensions are entertained as to the late of the Lady Valliant which apparently bseaice disabled wniiat putting out. and* has not yet made her appearance, The b?aph from the fort to tlie railway tencinus is literally strewn .with the wrecks of dboniss. — Calcutta Englishman, Yesterday wj a cad occagicra ibr tbe snipping ia the Jfadrss goads and zoay be regarded as ync of tb«sc i are !?ut disastrous vijiiatioos which we arc Rt ioterya!* called wpo • to chronicle in cenneshn vrilix tbc north-east wonsws. Oliapses of the Bun Vfztf, jvwt perceptible fcr a« iiqwr o? two c?cry tbj, but jibs ui^his neto almost exception wet and fisonsronah' %bs vrjsd which had from about SJudniglii of Sunday prescrred a north-westerly tsadaccyj eaddenlj? efcacged at about daylight to a decided'eor .-caster, at "Which it coDtinued the *ho2s day. 'Xhs vessels ie ths Koads were SigßP.llcd to " strike topgallant raaiU," fclicwed ahortijT afterwards «}j Ihl; tii-d^r to " cut sna slip," At about tea o'clock the barque Adelaide parted her cable and shortly fJit^rwarda mule to sea; By this time most oi tbe cHier large yeS eJs and some of tbe native graft had began, to /yliotv her ezata* pie. About coon the barque Punjab be#an # tp fibevp signs of uneaaiiiss, wail alter parting uiich& cosomencing dxiftmg ashore. She was spucipJly eigtialiei to, to make to sea> btttin trying to do to &He became tznqjanageable, and Etraigbtwa^ bore along fc? tfae abore, All that could possibly bo demevfas tried to put her sbouS, but the suriiiad Tiistt tsrjeip}? t ifrs $pynj&m* getting iovnto

renewed force. The vessel tried the eft'ecfc of "her canvas, : but ; that was* of little aid. In: a few miuules she touched the sand opposite the' northeast corner of, the fort, and soon been tee a, hopeless fixture. Multitudes were collected nlon-j the beach, notwithstanding the heavy rain "which came pouring down at intervals. There wera a great number of Europeans and Enst Indians, who afterwards helped in rendering such aid as was required. The G-orernor was present at the scene of disaster throughout the day, and was untiring in his efforts to afford relief. The surf was absolutely impassable by boats of any desci'iption, so that after the Punjaub had dropped anchor within the surf, at a little distance from the shore, a rocket with a cradle attached was thrown across from the shore, by means of which the passengers aud crow proceeded to disernburk. The Punjab is a vessel of 659 tons register, and had just come from Calcutta with a cargo of piece goons. This UGfortuuute wreck was but the first of a continuation of " drifting" in quick succession, which terminated late last evening with a scene of no less than nine native dlionies, all stranded high and dry on the beach, only one solitary burquc, the tineas, being left in the roads. One dhouy, wo are informed, after drifting to beyond the South Beach Promenade, was capsized and sauk, while another met with a similar fate late in the evening. There was but one life lost. One native crew, having abandoned their vessel in a jolly boat, had a very narrow escape from a watery grave. Just as the coat got withiu the third surf, it was smashed to pieces by the waves, and the struggling occupants had to cling for succour to the shattered pieces of raft, which were soon ileatiug about in all directions. One of tho Lascars, whoso two sons were among the number of the crew, swam a great distance with one ot the boys on his hack, dragging the other alongside of him. The effort quite overpowered him, _ and tho party was reecued near the pier, just at exhaustion had begun to show itseif. Tae lads were taken in a state of insensibility to the master-attendant's office, where iC was found that animation was on>: iletely suspended in one of them, while the oti't'i-, with a good deal of assistance, rallied su.'.idemly to be taken to the hospital where he dieci. The "Cornelia Henrietta and tho Maritzburg both had a very narrow chance of sharing in the fate of the others by running very close to the pier after they had parted anchors, but setting all available sail th^y managed to clear a course and quickly stood out to sea. Two of the duonics were driven alongside of the pier with such force that the wonder is that they were not both smashed to pieces. The lifcbont, the Jemima, was shattered to atoms as she lay fastened alongside tho pier. — Madras Daily Neivs, October 20th. m