PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 51, 27 September 1864, Page 2

PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

[57 ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH] Bluff, 8 p.m. ABBITED. 5 p.m. — Albion, s.s., from Melbourne. 5.10 p.m. — Sate, schooner, from Invercargill. SAIXE3J. 5.40 p.m. — Albion, 5.3., for Dunedin. Pa3sss&E3 List. -per s.s. Albion, from Melbourne. — Saloon :' ISxs. Mitchell, Mr. Shaw ; and four in the steerage. IM?OET3. 2 cases, Wm. Young and Co. Ths b.s. Albion left the Railway Pier, Sandridge, at 4.15 p.m. on Wednesday, tha 21st in3t., and Port Phillip Heads at 6.33 p.m. same day. Has fcad.a heavy north-easterly squall on beam the whole" pasaage, with E.N.E. and N.E. winds, She arrived here afc four- p.m. She haa twenty saloon, and thirty -one steerage passengers, and a Tery large cargo, for Dunedin aad Canterbury. Tsz Gatfasnihurg attired at Melbourne on the 20th instant, and is appointed fo sail for the Bluff And Otago, ?Tth cargo, ©a the 26>h in.?t.

The schooner Lola Montez. which arrivod in Brisbane last night, is from Pitt's Tsland. one of the Kingsmili group, from which she sailed on the 6|h July,- With a cargo of cocoanut oil, bound for. Sydney. .Having run short of provisions ou the passage; she bore up' for Brisbane for supplies. The health officer," Dr. Dobbs, informs us that Captain "Tate reports having picked up a castaway., seaman . named Frank Robinson _on BakerVlslaiid, moro commonly called New Nantucket. Robinson was wrecked in the American vessel ABterian, on the 23rd August. 1863, since which timo he had lived on the island. Tbe Astorian was from San Francisco, louncl to Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, and at tlie time of tho disaster was laden with a cargo of guano, procured from mi island off tho coast of this colony, known as Howland's Island. The following are the particulars of the wreck : — The Asterian, Captain Heard, was an American ship, of 1,400 tons burden, and belonged to New York. She sailed from San Francisco, bound to Howland's Island, to load guano, and thence to Hampton Roads, Virginia, for orders. The passage to Howland's island passed without any occurrence worthy of remark, ancl after having received her cargo she sailed for Hampton Roads on the 22nd Sept., 1863. The next morning she was drifted on to tho reefs of Baker's Island by a strong current, against which she was unable to contend, as tbere was no wind, and she Btruek at daybreak. The four boats were got out, one of which was stove in under tlie bows of che ship by the surf, which at times ran to a height of sixteen feet. The other threo boats, however, were landed in safety, with all hands. Tbe ship broke up in a few days, anrl the whole of the crew lived on the island "for about eight weeks, subsisting on sea birds and their eggs, besides such fish as they could catch. At the expiration of that time, a ship named the Morning Herald, arrived at Baker's Island, and reported that a scbooner had sailed from Honolulu, some time previously, for Howland's Tsland, to load guano, avul thence to return to Honolulu. This news induced eight of the crew, including Robinson, to set out in a whaleboat under the charge of William Ulrick, the mate of the Asterian, in tho hope of reaolung Howland's Island beforo this Bchooner sailed. Owing to contrary winds and currents, they wore drifted to the" westward, and were unable to fetch Howland's Island ; and after suffering considerable hardship in being exposed at sea in an open boat, tbey made Miami, or Howe's Island, in the Kingsmili group. They remained there three days, when six of the _ party and the mate went to a missionary station at Apian, another of tho panic group, and subsequently they wero conveyed to Sydney by the schooner Clarence Packet. " Robinson, and a boy named Stephen J, Bowles*, remained at Miama about three months ; after which Robinson went to another island about twenty miles distant, called Terrewa, and subsequently be placed himself under tho protection of the Rev. Hiram Singham, tbe missionary at. Api'in, where he remained until ho obtained a passage by the Lola Montes. The boy "Bowles was picked up at Miami, by Captain Randall, of the brig Burnett, bound for Sydney. — risbano Courier, 2nd Sept.