PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 227, 12 March 1866, Page 2

PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

ABBIYED. Marrh 9 — Hying Buck, J. Brown, from Adelaide. March 10. — Southland, Fraser, from Dunedin, March 10. — Phoebe, Gardyne, frou Dunedin. SAILED. March B.— Alhambra, S.S., 800 tons, M'Lean, for Dunedin. Dalgetty, Battray & Co. March B.— Amherst, Brig, Gilroy. on a whaling voyage. ♦ The Steam Navigation Act was for the first time stringently enforced in thia pert on Thursday, February 22, and much excitement •was caused thereby. The steamer Ballarat had been advertised to sail for Okarita, and with passengers and cargo, and in consequence of the late favorable news from the south, a very large number of miners embarked in her. After some delay they were informed by Mr. M'lntyre that she would not leave that day, a clearance for the boat having been refused to Captain Quance at the Custom house, in consequence of certain representations made to the Collector of Customs. It appears that the Ballarat had no ocean /jertificate, being only licensed to carry passengers a distance of three miles from, laud, and this disqualification also extending to the steamera Lioness and Yarra, it was useless transhipping the passengers to either of them. Under the circumstances, the captain and agent had no alternative but to ask the whole of the intending passengers to leave the vessel. This the diggers were at first very loth to do, although the steam was at once blown off, and they were urgently requested to quietly go 88hore. The crowd on the wharf had meanwhile much increased, and some fear of a disturbance, the whole available police force were called out and mustered on the spot. > To the credit of the miners, they at last gradually left the Ballarat without creating any disurbance, beyond expressing a strong feeling of indignation at bei ngso summarily dealt with. The authorities are perhaps justified in thus suddenly enforcing the clauses of the Act which hav6 hitherto been held in abeyance , but it is difficult to imagine what sudden necessity has arisen for doing so ; and it is to be hoped that the stri gent regulations •will be relaxed in order to allow our steam fleetbeing usefully employed between Hokitika and the new' ports opening up along the coast. If this is not done, it is more than probable that the trade will soon pass into other channels, and Hokitika thus lose a present lucrative connexion. — Sokiiika Chronicle.