PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Volume VI, Issue 493, 13 June 1866, Page 2

PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

AEBIVAXS. ■ June B—Aparima,8 — Aparima, 20 tons, M'Lean, from InTercargill, in ballast. DEPASTURES. j June 9 — Kate, 40 tons, for Riverton, with cargo ex Alhambra. June 13 — Despatch, 97 tons, Xeenen, for Dunedin. J. Waddel, agent. CVEABED OTTT.June 11 — Despatch, 97 tons, Keenen, for Dunedin, with contractors railway plant. EXPOETS. June 9 — Per Despatch for Dunedin — 30S iron rails, 36 pair waggon wheels, 23 pair do Shafts, 36 draye, 67 dray wheels, 10 dobbins, 5 pair blacksmith's Lellows, 3 pair blacksmith's anvils, 1 xice, 1 box sundries, 1 quantitity of blacksmith's tools, Dalgety, Rattray and Co. EXPECTED AEEIVAXS. From Dunedin — s.s. Airedale, on the 13th inst. From Dunedin — s.s. Taranaki, or Wellington, on 14th inst. From Dunedin — s.s. Alhambra, on l7th inst. From Dunedin — s.s. Rangitoto, on 19th inst. From Dunedin — s.s. Albion, on 19th inst. From Hokitika — s.s. Auckland, on I7lh inst. From Melbourne, s.s. South Australian, on 16th inst. From Melbourne — s.s. Tararua, on 17th inst. PEOJECTED DEPAETTTEES. For EoMtika — s.s. Airedale, en 13 inst. For Dunedin — s.s. Taranaki, or Wellington, on 16th inst. For Dunedin, Hokitika and Northern Ports — s.s. South Australian, on 16th inst. For 1 >unedin, Hokitika and Northern Ports — s.B. Tararua, on 17 th inst. For Dunedin, Hokitika and JKorthern Ports — b.b. Auckland, on 17th inst. For Melbourne — s.s. Alhambra, on 17th inst. For Melbourne — s.s. Rangitoto, on 17th inst. For Melbourne — s.s. Albion, on 19th inst.

The schooner Despatch heving completed her loading, "will sail for Dunedin the first favorable opportunity. The schooner Aparima is loading flour at the •wharf for InvercargiU ex Alhambra, from Melbourne, and -will sail this day (Monday, 11th). It Trill be seen from our shipping list that we shall have do no less than eight steamers an-iving and sailing from the Bluff within seven days from the 13th to 20th mat., carrying passengers and cargo for all 3Tew Zealand and Australian Ports. A strong shock of an earthquake was felt here at 9.30 on Saturday morning, the weather stormy at the time, wind If.W., bar 29.60, and falling. "We understand from the agent of the Panama boats that mails and passengers will be forwarded . or Panama per 5.3. Airedale, sailing from here for * Wellington via West Coast, on the 12th inst. The ittVEBS Sooth of the (Jest. — Mr Warden Eynnersley, writing from the Grey on the 18th instant, gives an account of the trip of the small steamer Woodpecker to the river about which the prospector Fox made application to him. The river lies between the Grey and the Buller, and is called by miners the Parkees — probably the Maori Pakihi — and shown on Stamford's map as the Tukinui Downs. "We left the Grey in the Woodpecker on Wednesday, May 9, at daylight, taking eighteen men and two months' provisions for each, man, eawn timber for boxes, torn plates, Baws, axes and other materials, tools and mining implements ; and the weather being ■very fine and sea smooth and a light breeze off the land, we were enabled to keep close in shore, Wo first examined the Poroare, but could not discover any perceptible opening through the beach, and being satisfied that the steamer could fcot enter it, we proceeded to the Ana-o-Matuku, wher« we found that the entrance to the river was too narrow to be attempted by the steamer, but that there would be no difficulty in landing on the beach. We then proceeded to the Waitaikeri, which I had been informed was the largest river of all, and the nearest to the Tukiniu Downs, and arrived off the mouth of it at about 2 p.m., but found that although it was apparently a stream of considerable size, the mouth of it was Shallow, rocky and dangerous. We anchored near the entrance, and hoisted the boat out, but could not find any place sufficiently sheltered to land safely through the eurf in our small square- i sterned boat, although a good whale-boat might ! have landed easily. Finding both the Waitakeri and Ana-o-Matuku to be impracticable, although both sheltered by rocky points, I thought it useless to go on to the Totara, which empties itself at a point on a straight sandy beach, without any Shelter whatever ; and being desirous to l<md the men before dark, we returned immediately with the boat in tow to the- Ana-o-Matuku, at the mouth of which there is a large cavern, and anchored in four fathoms, sandy bottom, in Fox's Bay, inside Seal Island, and landed the men and taaterials without any difficulty on a small sandy beach at the south end of the Bay. Fox's Bay is something like Port Elizabeth, but more sheltered, and is a very fair anchorage for small steamers ; iheltered from the westward by Seal Island, and from all but northerly and north-westerly winds . 1 think that boats could always land safely except ia northerly or north-westerly winds, or when blowine so hard from the S.W. as to send a heavy »ea through the narrow channel between the Seal Island and the point of the main land. We examined the mouth of the Ana-o-Matuku from the beach, and there appeared to be quite enough water in it, for a small steamer like the Woodpecker, but the entrance is too narrow to be attempted with safety. We re-entered the Grey in the Woodpecker at daylight the following anoming, having been very fortunate in the weather; bat although theoveather at the time was ail that could be desired, the circumstances ■were not altogether favorable for enabling us to form a fair estimate of the capacity of these rivers, for the previous long-continuance of dry weather had made all the rivers unusually low, and the prevailing S.W. winds had silted up ihe bars to such an extent as to completely block up the mouths of tha smaller streams. I have no doubt that at high epring tides after some rain, if no great sea wns running, a small handy steamer of light draught could enter either the Poiorari, Ana-o-Matuiu, Waitakeri. or Totara ; but none of these rivers could be depended on under ordinary circumstances, nor would any great advantage be derived from entering them, for if a lavge goldfield were opened at the Tukiniu Downs, a -oad couli be ecsily made and supplies obtained { om the Euller, while further south goods could ac landed at Foji's Bay, and to Puaakaiki Point, ten mil 8 south of Fox's Bay. Pack-horses can already be taken -from the Grej ,"— tfekon ■GQlQtitit, Msy *5.