PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Southland Times, Issue 659, 19 April 1867, Page 3

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

I The "Tauranga Argus" of March 30th, contains the following items of Northern news : — "Mr Clarke came in yesterday evening, and brings intelligence that the Native Contingent, under Major M'Donnell, attacked one of the Hau-hau pahs on Thursday, about Rotorua Camp, and took it, killing numbers of the Hauhaus, eight bodies of whom were found on the field. Most of these infatuated men are natives from the Waikato. There were no casualties, we are happy to say, on our side, not even a scratch. This is glorious intelligence." Under date Rangi Weia, March 25th, the same paper states that " a native woman arrived here yesterday from the Thames, via Kati Kati, and reports that the \ Ngatimaru are busily employed in conveying all | their moveable effects up the Piekos, and have or intend, upon the arrival of Tupaia to join the i Hau-haus, and .give the Ara was a thrashing. A j day has been fixed to attack the Waikato settle- j ments, Wanganui, Taranaki, Napier,. Tauranga, Rotorua, and Opotiki. She also reports that Mr Mackay endeavored to form the Ngatimarus into a native contingent similar to the Arawas, but that they would not listen to his overtures, and suid ' they would not fight against their own blood (thereby meaning any native who has sympathy with the Hau-hauß.") The final state of the poll for the Nelson election of Superintendent, will be declared on Tuesday next. The returns -till to come in are very small, and no doubt exists that Mr Oswald Curtis will be returned by a majority of fully I 70 v yotes. The " Argus " states that during the stay in' Melbourne of the gentlemen who came to represent the several colonies at the Postal conference, they held a meeting to consider the state of the law with respect to the arrest in one colony of persons guilty of offences in any other. The Imperial Act at present in force only extends to cases of treason and felony, and consequently offenders guilty of wife desertion and minor offences cannot be arrested as soon as; they. pass the borders of the colony in which their trans-, gression of the law has been committed. After some consultation, it was mutually agreed to that a dispatch should be forwarded by each Colonial Government to the Imperial authorities, requesting that a short Act should be passed extending the provisions of the measure before referred to to misdemeanors. The "New Zealand Advertiser" of April 3 Ba y S : — » The depression of the times is affecting companies as well as individuals in Auckland, as we learn by our files that an extraordinary "general meeting of tlje shareholders of the Auckland Insurance Company was held at their offices the other day, to consider a resolution respecting the winding-up or disposing of the business of the company. A resolution passed at the general half-yearly meeting, authorising the directors to take the necessary steps for winding-up the affairs of the company in such manner as they "the company id som^ti^^*^ *^"-*uW=£f in Auckland, was unanimously adopted. We regret to learn also that matters are so had in Auckland that a scheme of emigration from that province to California is being actively earned out A meeting of those anxious to leave the colony was held a few evenings ago, when the followng proceedings took place. Mr Benjamin Cummings was called to the chair, and explained that the committee had made every inquiry respecting the cheapest and quickest mode of accomplishing their purpose, and the result was that Mr Wooly had offered the new brig Flying Cloud, daily expected from the builder's yards at Omaha, at £12 a head, guaranteeing to sail six daya after her arrival in Auckland. After come discussion the meeting divided, those willing to accept the offer and pay a deposit on their passage money remaining, when it was found there : were upwaids of fifty men ready to do so. It is said that Mr Curran, a farmer, residing at Shelbourne, Victoria, has this season produced 125 heads of wheat from one gram of seed, The wheat is of very superior quality. , By the last mail from England the Govern. ment hai been informed by the Crown agent* that for the £250,000 for which tenders were re r cently invited— being portion df the three millior . loan— applications to the amount of £492,30< [ were received, of which £250,000, at rates vary ing from £95 to £95 7s ware accepted. 3 The " Hawke's Bay Herald" soys :— "Th 1 artesian well at Meanee flat bas bet n visited b i hundreds and is an object well wortiiy of a visit i The overflow is eqiMl to fifty or seventy gnftov . p-r n-'j)|iu<y«T)(l the water ijihcautitully "Ir^* an 1 e'oi)]. The dr-una-^* in the neighborhood bpju R good, no tap is fixed to the top of the pipe, an - foe water Hows -without intermission,

A New South Wales paper has an account of a " desperate encounter between two constables and an aboriginal whom they were desirous of arresting, which in its high sensation style leaves the novels of Captain Mayne Reid far behind. The narrative makes the police fire some eighteen shots at the blackfellow at short range, he returning tbeir favors with " boomerangs, nullahnullah, helemau, and tomahawk," weapons of which he seems to have had an unlimited supply at hand. He at length smites one of the police from his horse, springs on him with " a demoniacal yell," and is just about to tomahawk him, when he is brought down with a bullet through the lungs. Slightly checked by this, his eyes flash fire, he gives an exultant taunt, throws himself into the river, and escapes. He is afterwards seen while. undergoing a surgical operation performed by other blacks, who are cutting out the bullet with glass bottles, and is finally arrested. Whether the narrative is given on the authority of the constables or of the blackfellow does not appear. We learn by last mail that our Victorian friends are now favored with the presence of a prodigy who can point out, by means of what he terms a "divining rod" the precise locality where water is to be found by sinking fjr it. In connection with the visit of this celebrity to the naturally drouthy district of Ararat the local paper has the following amusing anecdote : — " One day last week, when the water diviner was staying in Ararat, he, amused himself by pointing out the existence of springs in certain locations in the town. According to "indications" a number existed in Barkly-street, and others under the floor of. private, dwelling. In one instance, we are told, when prosecuting his search, he entered the bar ofa certain hotel, and was surprised to find his rod indicate water at every step he took ; unable to account for so singular a phenomenon, he inquired what sort of a place was beneath the floor, and though informed that it was the cellar where the landlord stored all his wines and spirits, yet he was cvi dently unable to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion as to the number of indications given by his rod. On making a still closer and more private investigation, however, he learned that the landlord had. just been watering. all his grog; this information, it is needless to say, at once solved his doubts. We are not prepared to vouch for the authority of the above ; we tell the story precisely as it was related to us." The " Melbourne Argus " contains the following with respect to the progress of settlement in Victoria : — " Walker and Landsborough, while searching for the traces oi Burke and Wills, did not neglect to note the features of the couutry through which they passed, and very soon, on the information they supplied, the be9t of the new country on the Queensland side was occupied with herds ahd flocks! Burketown arose on the banks of the Flinders River, at the head of the navigation, as the capital of the new district ; and small cargoes of wool have already found their way thence by sea to the Queensland ports, for transhipment to London. The onward march of the shepherd kings has also been well marked on the western side of Burkes track, and it may now be said that the whole country right up to beyond Cooper's Creek has been occupied. The expeditions already alluded to, and more especially that of Landsborough, proved that the country was of an easy character to traverse" by a bushman, and it was asserted on his return, that but for the difficulty of fording the rivers, a bu°gy might easily be driven all the way from the shores of Hobson's Bay to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Mr H. Beauchamp, one of the committee of the Melbourne Immigrants' Home, writing to the " Argus," gives a sad picture of the condition of the poorer classes in Melbourne. He says : — from my own personal knowledge as a member of the committee of the Immigrants' Home, so called, I firmly believe there are many helpless women and more children who are actually on the verge of starvation in and about the poorer suburbs of Melbourne. I have just left our committee, and we have been obliged to turn the most destitute cases from the doors of the . instiiaition for want of means to relieve .them, the Immigrants' Home being no exception to the whole of the charitable institutions 'in debt' to commence the year with. I enclose a cheque for £5 for the Immigrants' Home, from Beauchamp and Rocke, as without some speedy help the institution will have to be closed. If there is not legislative action taken quickly, and some more systematic way devised of dealing with our poor, the coming winter will tell a sad tale." The " Nelsou Evening Mail " says : — " We understand that that pet prisoner, Sullivan, has kicked up his heels in gaol at last, and has been put in irons. The wonder is, not that this has been found necessary, but that the gaol officials were not obliged to resort to irons before. The fellow has been made too much of, and has, as a matter of course, become so bounceable that there is no dealing with him by ordinary means. We are fc>ld that he refused to obey orders, squared away in right pugilistic style, threatened to knock the warders into smithreens, and was not .reduced to obedience without considerable violence." In a later date the same journal remarks : — " The murderer Sullivan has at length found his place iv the Nelson gang. He may be seen daily marching to and fro with his fellow convicts, and working with them in the city works. He looks well, and assumes a buoyant air - that is not supposed to belong to great criminals. It is an instalment of justice to the community which he has outraged tbat he is at length compelled to toil like other convicts before receiving the prison rations."

The Melbourne " Argus of the sth uit. contains the following resolutions proposed by Mr Verdon in the Legislative Assembly :- — 1. That, towards raising the supply granted to Her Majesty, in lieu of the duties and customs now chargeable on the articles undermentioned imported in Victoria, the following duties shall be charged :—^Spirits or strong waters of auy strength not exceeding the strength of proof by Sykes dydrometer, and so in proportion for any greater strength than the strength of proof, 10s per gallon ; apparel and slops, and all articles made up wholly or in part from fabrics of silk, wool, cotton, linen, or mixed materials, excepting corn or wool bags ; boots and shoes, doors and window sasheß, gloves, hats, caps, and bonnets, hosiery, ad Valorem, iiVi&^'vo-. r «x>/}-lij».wi«sß..:ftio mr wnf. lowing duties of Customs be charged on the articles undermentioned imported into Victoria, yj^. — Carpeting and druggets, tapioca, sago, arrowroot, spices, pepper, ginger, ornamental castings, "and all manufactures containing silk, £10 per cent, ad valorem; all imported goods (including corn and wool bag-), not otherwise chargeable with duty, nor included in the appended list of exemptions, £5 per cent, ad valorem ; oils, of all kinds, in bulk, 6d per gallon ; grain and pulse of every kind, not otherwise enumerated, 9d per cwt. ; grain and pulse when ground, or in any way prepared and manufactured, Is per cwt j animals (living), printed books and newspapers ; specimens of natural history and curiosities ; coal, coke, and fuel ; alkali, sulphur, and resin ; hemp, flax, jute, cocoanut fibre ; fresh meat and fish ; guano, and other manures ; - plants and seeds ; wool, tallow, hides and skins, horns and hoofs; j coin and bullion ; timber, in the log ; ehooks and staves ; metals of all sorts, in the ore, and in pig, bar, sheet, or plate ; hoop iron, iron pipes, and railway iron rails ; passengers' luggage, cabin and other furniture or personal effects, which have been in use and are not imported for sale; carriages used in the conveyance of goods or passengers across the frontier.; and all packages in whioh goods are ordinarily, imported- — shall be exempt from duty. The Wellington " lndependent," says:—".Evidently the Imperial authorities a<*e in a terrible stew about the troops still in New Zealand. - Recent despatches from tne Colonial Offipe. tvitepile the 'demand that the soldiers are j to be s>nt home inslantly, while iii-; i'xoelleney i Sir Georjje Urey i> tnkon to task with more vigor i than justice for not having carried out the instruo* UioaVpreriowly waeiYed,'*'

Speaking of the disallowance by the Governor Of certain Ordinances passed at laßt session oi ,the Otago Provincial Council, the "Evening Star " says : — " The truth must be spoken. The prediction to which we lately gave utterance has been fulfilled even earlier than we anticipated. The- threatened interference with Provincial institutions has commenced. We now suffer the first results of the " swallowing " process ; but it . will be strange indeed if there be not sufficient vitality' in us to balk the monster of his contemplated prey. Messieurs Stafford, Fitzherbert, and Richardson may rest assured that they will not find Otago an easy, nor a very palatable morsel to digest.' . ... We are sorry indeed that His Excellency, who has been loyally received 1 and regally entertained here, should give his sanction to the despotic acts of his Executive. On theni be all the blame ; yet, it will scarcely add to Sir George Grey's own reputation, if, having extinguished the Maori rebellion in the North, he permits himself to become a tool in the hands of: any man, or set of men, | who, for the satisfaction of their private malice, would not hesitate to incur the risk of exciting a more formidable European rebellion in the South." We obseVve by the last " General. Government Gazette," that some innocent persons have been ÜBing Stamp Duty stamps ... to pay the postage on letters, thinking an equivalent in value would do as well for postage in one stamp as in the other. But it is not so ; and the postal authorities will not recognise Stamp Duty currency as, postage. The unwary are, therefore, notified that letters posted with' such stamps will be detained. Mr Yogel, leader of the Otago Executive and Provincial Treasurer^ "in addressing a public meeting in Dunedin recently, is reported to have said: — That morning there was more than £50,000 in the bank to the credit of the treasurer. He... did not take credit to himself for this; heliad only walked ih the footsteps of his predecessor, Mr Moss, who recognised it as a most advisable policy, that, in the face of the heavy engagements the Government necessarily had, a large balance Bhould be kept. That policy enabled Mr Moss to leave to credit a sum of £30,000 ; and now the amount was increased to £50,000. All the votes of the Provincial Council had been put in progress towards having effect' given to them. It must not be supposed that the £50,000 balance was a sum free for disposal, nor did he think it advisable that so large a sum should be so kept ; what he meant was, that the Government having large liabilities for works in progress or under contract, had the comfort also of knowing that it had funds to meet them — instead, of, as was the case not long ago, having liabilities, and not knowing how they were to be met. A correspondent signing himself "Scotland" thus writes to the " Lyttelton Times," under date the 18th ultimo : — Sir, — By last Suez mail from England I was astonished to learn from a friend that a letter posted in a country town for Canterbury, via Panama, had been sent back from the General Post-ofliee, London, a few days afterwards, with the statement " that letters were not ~ forwarded to Canterbury, by that route." Such a statement) made by the General Post-office, will, if circulated at home, prevent people from taking advantage of the quickest and most direct line of communication to this colon.?. By the arrival of the Alabama from the Thames, we (" New Zealand Herald ") learn that tho natives there are iv a very unsettled state. The six Hau hau apoßtles were still there, and some of their followers had expressed their determination to shoot every European travelling across their country. Mr Thorpe had a narrow escape pf his life the other day, as he would have been fired upon only for some of the natives recognising him as an old hand ainongjthein, and so prevented the murder. The " Wellington Evening Post," speaking of the telegraph says : — " The laying of the cable across Cook Strait has not, up to the present, proved any great booh to the press, nor, if we are correctly informed, have the public much occasion to rejoice at the wonderful working of the electric spam. In all. other parts of the world the ' telegraph ' answers the pnrpose for which it was introduced ; but here in New Zealand it is little more 'than a delusion. Go when you will to the head oliiee in Wellington, your answer to an urgent entreaty to forward a message is, ' Tne wires are not in good worMng order ;' ' The poles are down ;' or porhaps, ' Tne Government messages will take some time jet for their transmission ;' bo that between cheap and nasty wortuianahip, aud the almost exclusive monopoly of the wire by ail iuiporcaut oiticials, still enamoured of their toy, there is but seldom au opportunity offered to the public of either receiving or sending messages. In auother column will be found a telegram irom DuneUin, dated. 15tn March (yesteruay;, 1.45 p.m., and delivered to us at hau : past nine o'clock last night ! 2 !" We ("Grey River Argus ") notice that the person at Hokitika against whom the first prosecution has been brought for a breach of the stamp Act, has been fined £50. The Magistrate said* that the Act gave him no option but to inflict the full fine when the offence was proved. Mr Rees, for.the defence, gave notice of appeal. It will be remembered that the charge was for having giveir an 1.0. U. for above £5, without stamping iti i Fifty pounds to pay for omitting to place a penny stamp should act as a caution to the public. It is said to be the intention of the Victorian Government to employ young ladies in the different telegraph offices scattered over the colony, in place of the present telegraph masters. From the " West Coast Times" we take the following report of a brutal outrage committed at Hokitika, and capture of the perpetrator : — " Amah of color, Vincent, cruelly stabbed his fellow servant at the Provincial Hotel, a young woman named Keleen. He was remanded until the 20th instant, when it was hoped the victim ofhis violence will be in a position to give evidence against him. Miss Keleen is progressing very favorably towards recovery. She avers that, after locking the doors, Vincent, advanced knife in hand and threatened to kill her if Bhe screamed. She, naturally alarmed at his menacing attitude, uttered a loud exclamation, upon which he stabbed her in the breast, and then she closed with him in selfdefence. Of what afterwards occurred she has but a faint recollection, hut from the fact of the narrow passage beine covered with blood, it is inniccea tnere. lt appears- mat Vincenfc ; boo '"""" "i infuriated oh being found fault with ioi in the preparation of the breakfast. He would probably have killed the girl, hal it not been for^ a butcher named Skeen, at whom he also made a desperate stab. He escaped from the house towards the beach pursued by a crowd of persons, and being hardly pressed, plunged into the surf, and absolutely swam outside the break, and there j remained apparently quite at home in the water. Information of what had taken place having been conveyed to the camp, several constables were despatched to the scene, who, keeping Vincent in view, him as he swam, and was carried* northwards by the current. Arriving abreast ofthe Montezuma (a distance of nearly a mile), he showed Bigns of exhaustion, and made for the shore s but seeing the beach covered with people all eager for his capture, he hesitated in his approach, and appeared inclined to put to sea again. At this juncture of affairs, Constable Rice (the Police Court orderly) volunteered to swim after him, and a long line being fortunately at hand, was attached to the constable's waist] who thereupon dashed into the surf, and being a strong swimmer, soon reaohed Vincent. A des perafce struggle ensued— Rice clinging to his man with bulldog tenacity, the other as desperately struggling to free himself, both men being, severa times covered by tlie siirf as it roiled in. Seeing that the constable had secured the man, those oi , shore commenced hauling in the line, which being old and rotten, broke, but fortunately i little distance only from the lirst man holding it > A. yoiing fellow named Morgan, observing tVi - mishap, made a dash at the end, which he eaugh - just as it was disappearing in the surf, and bein . aided by a soore or so of willing hands, supoeedei & lUuhng the two »ea whore "

A recent numberjof the- Dunedin "Evening f Star" contains the foUbwing :— "Abouta twelve- ; month ago, Mr Edward M'Glashan forwarded a quantity ot New Zealand flax to England, with a view of its capabilities for conversion into paper being thoroughly tested. We have to-day been favored by that gentleman -with a sheet of the paper manufactured from it, together with' specimens of the material in its various stages, in the 'breaker,' ' boiling vat,' and bleaching operations. The paper is thin, but exceedingly strong, and .in both respects greatly resembles the paper used for scrip, Bankers' drafts, &c. The color, owing to the presence of the resinous gum in the leaves, is of . a.yellowish grey- color, .but doubtless this defect will easily be got rid of, if it "can he proved, as we have no doubt it will' be, that it will pay to manufacture the .flax in the Province up to its middle stage, .and ship jit in !itfiat fcon dition to the heme manufacturer. But Buch an opening for the institution .- of a local industry should receive at once the attention of the Government, and the paper should be manufactured here." - -■ A public meeting, of persons desirous to proceed to CaUfornia has been held at Auckland. It was resolved to take the names of all persons desirous of securing passages, ahd leave the list with the Chairman for submission to the American Consul, with a- view of having a vessel placed at their, disposal without delay.- The list, was then handed round, and signed by more than half the number present. The following memorial against Chinese immigrating to Hokitika is being signed by large numbers of diggers on the West Coast :— "His, Honor W. S. Moorehouse, Esq., Superintendent of the Province: of Canterbury. Your memorialists beg respectfully., tn. ranr>AnaTifc..>^ j.«..«. "Honor that the recent arrival, of Chinese immi? grants upon the West Coast is viewed with very great alarm and apprehension by the population of the mining districts, and beg your Honor to take such steps as may be lbgally employed to deter the further immigration of such an objectionable class of men. Your." memorialists beg further to represent that the introduction of the Chinese into the Australian and other colonies has been seriously detrimental to the mining interests more particularly, ahd that their presence in the midst of a large mining population is not productive of any good to any class of European colonists. Your memorialists are likewise of opinion that the general- and almost proverbial thieving propensities, and the Veil known depravity of the Chinese, render them a most undesirable class of colonists. Your memorialists would therefore- beg respectfully, to. urge upon your Honor the necessity which exists lor taking immediate action in the matter. Aid your memorialists, as in duty bound, will ever pray." The "New Zealand Herald" says: — The present commercial, depression in Auckland is mainly .the effect of a cause which ought to be clear to every one. And it is simply this, that the town has overgrowh itself, . and is too large for the ordinary requirements of the country. The bounds to the increase and expansion of our trade are very easily passed. They are so now, for the number of traders in town, men who deal in property created by others, is too great for the trade created by the producers of wealth among us. The "New Zealand Herald," in a recent article, says: — "The taxation of the Colony is indeed the question of the day, and one that will have to be unflinchingly faced in the next session of the Assembly. An average taxation of £6 per annum paid by each man, woman, and child in. the Colony, say £30 by each family, is so monstrous a state of things, that itcannot pass unheeded. And for what purpose is the money thus raised expended ? Setting aside the permanent charges, we find it spent to maintain an army of some 1500 officials required to administer the government of some 30,000 colonists. Talk, indeed, of European aristocracies living by the oppression of the working classes. What have we in New Zealand but the most iri some of | class oppression — the whole public tithed and taxed for the support of a privileged caste, the governing families of New Zealand north and south, and their parasites and relations, some fifteen hundred in number." As an instance of the rapid changes taking place in inland districts of Victoria, which were, unknown six or seven years ago, it may be mentioned that a public-house is about to be erected at Cooper's Creek, near to where Burke and Wills perished through starvation, and where John King eked out a miserable existence for months after his leaders breathed their last—depending solely on the hospitality of the aborigines to prevent him meeting with a similar fate. . The Melbourne papers contain the following : — : i( A sad accident has occurred to Mr Beaumont, of the Lyster Opera Troupe. While out shooting with some friends, three or four of the pellets from the gun of Mr William Lyster struck him in the face, and one eye sustained injuries so serious that his -medical attendants found it impossible to save the organ. The other is also injured, but there is hope that the sight of it will be preserved." Another account says : — " We regret to learn that in consequence :of the unsatisfactory' and unpromising state of Mr Armes Beaumont, it was decided at consultation on Monday to remove his left eye. The operation was performed by Dr Grayj in the presence of Drs. Tracy, Motherwell, GUlbee, and Lilienfield, and the unfortunate gentleman is now progressing as well as can be expected under the circumstances." From the "Westport Times " we extract the following concerning the supposed discovery of the remains of the late Superintendent bf Nelson :— " It will no doubt be remembered that some two years ago John Perry Robinson, Esq., Superintendent of this Province, was unfortunately drowned with two others whilst crossing this bar in a, boat from the Wallaby. Although every search was made for the bodies, aiid large rewards offered for their recovery, nothing, was ever seen of them, *nd they were supposed to have been carried out to- sea. During the -last week, however, a discovery has been made which is thought by many wi'l throw some hght on the matter. Some diggers from the Karamea started on a prospecting tour to the Heaphy, and from there crossed to the Big River, about thirty miles from the K-wamea. . They there came to a sort of c^oVhCff S °^ e lm S 8 I° cks > Bnder-ai hhrb rusty, andt tin billy. Close to the skeleton was abundleof letters and papers, which had evidently been saturated for a length of time in water, and which had also been torn to pieces by rats The water had rendered the writing wholly or quite illegible, but on one piece Ijhe words » William Robinson" could be.distmotly made out The clothes were all gone, with the exception of part of the trousers and the boats. The. trousers were of dark tweed, and the boots were Napoleons, but bothwere^ of a, superior kind, and not like those usually worn tiy miners or j prospectors."

The death of the Rev. Thos. Odell, who Sor seventeen years was the pastor of the Lonsdalestreet Congregational Church, is noticed in the Melbourne papers. Fletcher's new slip at Port Adelaide has been opened in the presence of a very influential company. It will carry a vessel of 2000 tonß. The mqvments of the Imperial troops in this colony may be shortly 7 summarized thus p-Thc Military -Train is to leave in Mfcy • . and it is rumored that arrangements are to be 'made foi sending home the 18th Regiment. The portion of the 18th which is still on the West Coast lis under orders to leave immediately foi Auckland. The ship Maori left- for London or tho '31st March with the left wing of the 57tl '•feghaent. .The Blectrio was to leave about th* latter end of list week with tbe head-quarters o< ths same-r aiment. Th* Mary Shepherd »n< England are chartered to convey the 12th Regi ment; and will leave about tho end of the mohtr. No vessel has yet been taken up for the reraovi , of ti» Military Tyiin,

v TOTAIi WMokoP THE SCHOONER AIBION, OP Sibirai7 akd Ltiss OF~BiYB~iLrrEB.— -It is once" jmqre our painful duty to report the loss of life by; shipwreck, In this instance, the schooner Albion, the .property of Mr J. Shopbet, of Balmain, is the unfortunate vessel. From Samuel '•-Waters, one of the two survivors, we glean the following accqvmt^of the sad catastrophe.:— -The Albion, ,a schooner of 170 tons. William Watkins, master, left Bulli for Sydney, with a cargo - of coal on "Thursday morning at 5 o'clock", the wind at that time being light southerly, and dur- - ing the forenoon' it dropped' quite" calm. On Friday there was a light N.E. breeze, which continued from that quarter until 2 p.m. on Satur:day, when it veered round to the southward, coming in. squalls all night, accompanied by fain, and dark dirty weather. At half-past 9. o'clock the Captain stood off the land to try arid make out : Sydney hght, but,,failihg to do so, came in close for the purpose -o&endeavoring to recognise theland. It being too darkto see what the land was, he began to wear the ship, and in doing so struck - on a reef near the south head of :Port Hacking, afc 10.30 p.m.; she then began to break-up, thestern, gomg firmly and the crew, wishing to stick to her as long as they could, assembled on the bowsprit until 11 o'clpck, when the bows parted and precipated theni into the water. Thomas Williams, Samuel Waters, and another . called Jack, whose surname we were unable to ascertain last night, got on a piece of the bulwarks, where they remained until 7 o'clock yesterday morning, having been drifted about- three miles to sea, when the tide, set them in again; Jack, however, about 2 a.m., died from exhaustion. The following are - the r names of the erew ;— William WatMus, mas- - ter. (drowned) ; Charles Nelsdir (drowned) ; Charles Morgan (drowned) .; Christopher — , 1?T flwode (drowned) ; John (drownedV : „ -.Samuel—-^viworo—^ottrom/ ,- v ~ wimams (saved. All the crew were single men, with the exception of the Captain, whose wife and family reside at Miller's Point. — " Sydney Morning . Herald," April 1. ........ r :