PORT OF BLAFF HARBOR:

Southland Times, Issue 1192, 7 January 1870, Page 2

PORT OF BLAFF HARBOR:

JIP.TirvED. January 5 — "R-angitoto, s.s.. 449 tnns, H. Mai;kie, from Melbourne Gibbs and Co., agents. SAium. • January 4— Lord AshW, 296 tov.s, E. ■Wheeler, for "Dunedin and I-Tovthem Ports. T. Brodrict. accent. Januarys — Lerwiek, cutter, 15 tons, "Walter Joss, for Stewart's IsLtrid. January s— Eangitoto. a.s., 449 tens, H. Mackie, for Melbourne. Gihbs and Co., agsct3. , 135P0T.T3. Per Baneitoto, from Melbourne — 300 bags bran. Order ; 1 case tobacco, Wadde.l, ; 5 do^ H. T. Ross ; 1 cask poap powder, Calder, Blaeklock and Co. ; 14 pkgs, Cunningham ; 1 reaping v machine, Gibbs and Co. ; 1 parcel, Webster j 5 pkgs tea, Frederick and Hunter. ESPO3T3. Per Lord Ashley, for Dunedin — 1 bos, Gobbs and Co. ; 1 truss, 1 parcel, Nichol. Per Farigitcto, for Melbourne — 1 box gold, 63&0Z3 9:Mts 32»5, Ba^t of Oteco; 1 "bos patterns, 8 pales fias, 84 bags •wheat, 8 pieces lead, Hay Bros. PASSEWG-TTB UST: ' Per TJangitotc— Messrs Alezander f»nd Hewitt, Missßnrns, Messrs Walter Bell and 3hand 5 and 8 in the Bteerage. Per Lord Ashley, for Dunedin — Mrs IWMonamin, Mrs Lame. Col. Thomson, Mr Dun' ley, Mr M'LeoS, Mrs Neil, and two in the steerage. Per ■Rangitoto, for Melbourne — ifr B. Hill. and 5 in the steerage. The If. A. and NZ. Co.'s s.s. Eo.nsn'toto arrived at the wharf from Melbourne and her j Usual round of "New Zealand ports at 7.15 a.m. on the sth inst. She left Hobaon'sßay at 4 p.m. ot> the 20th tilt., and experienced strong E.Tf.E. wmds j «Tth heavy head sea to HoMtita, which ■wag reached on the 2fith ult. at 5.45 r..m. ; sailed at 5.40 pm., called at Nelson, and arrived at Wel- • lington at 1.50 p.m. on the 30th ; Railed at 3.40 p.m., and arrived at Lyttelton at 9 a.m. on the 31st ; 3a3ed for Port Chalmers at 7.30 p.m., and arrived at 3 p.m. on the Ist ; sailed for the Bluff at 4 p.m. on the 4th, and arrived here as above. We are indebted to the purser for files. Thb Geeat Eastebw. — The bottom of this ship has been cleaned by divers from the diving smacks Sea Lark and Ann Elizabeth, of WhitBtable, under the superintendence of Mr John Pierce, of that town. This is the first occasion that the bottom of th 9 vessel has been cleaned by divers. The bottom of the ship was in a very foul state, mussels having gathered on it at some places more than a foot thick. After the bottom was cleaned, it was found that the iron hull was very little rusted, and the surveyors from - London went down and expressed their satisfaction at the able manner in which the work of cleaning: had been performed. It is estimated that 50,000 gallons of mussels and rubbish were ' removed from the bot'om beneath the water line. The Great Eastern, in consequonce of the heavy load in her after part, sits very low in the water ■at the stern. The rntfre hull has been painted white, which gives the huge vessel a remarkable appearance, white being chosen as not absorbing the rayß of the exm so much as a paint of a darker color. An ice-making machine is being fitted on board, capable of producing a couple of tons of ice per day. This great quantity of ice is required not only for consumption by the officers and crew, but for mixing with the water in the "tanks to keep the cables as cool as possible when in the tropical seas, and to prevent the melting of the" covering of tor-protecting the' jpres. The "Ghreafc -Easterxr "proceeds— direct-to -tbe-.-Bed' Sea, " . and will round the . Cape.oLGood Hope for the first time. Immediately after laying the cable connecting Suez with Bombay and Calcutta she will return to the Medway, early in the ensuing j year, for the purpose of commencing the shipment of the cable intended to be laid between Falmouth • and Malta, which will thus place England in instantaneous telegraphic communication with her East India possessions. — Daily Telegraph. 1 ' The Oceau Eace peom Cbxsa. — Special 1 intelligence was received by the owner in Greenock on Wednesday afternoon that the celebrated Clyde built ship, Sir Lancelot, Captain Bobinaon, had arrived in the Downs at 2 p.m. that day, from Poo-chow-foo, after a passage of 88 days to the Downs — the fastest passage on record. The Sir Lancelot left Chin* at noon on the 17th July, and reached St Helena on the 11th September — 56 days out. The new Aberdeen clipper Thermopylae, which arrived on the 4th inst., reached the Lizard from Poo-chow foo this season in 88 days, but the sailing distance from the Lizard to London Docks occupied upwards of two days, while the time ocenpied from the Downs to the Docks being only one day, the Sir Lancelot thus beats the Thermopyls by fully 24 hour?. The latter ship was 90 day3 from Foo-chow to j London Docks. Under these .circumstances the " blue riband" of this justly celebrated race is yet retained by a Clyde-fcuilt ship, and that after the performance of the most remarkable voyage that has ever taken place in the history of the China ' clippers. In 1887 the Sir Lancelot arrived in the Downs from Shanghai after a very rapid passage of 96 days. The same feat was performed tais year by the Clyde-built ship Titania, which also arrived in 9R days. Last year the Ariel and Sir Lancelot left Foo-chow-foo on 28th May, and the Spin- - drift (winner) on 29th. The three ships arrived together in the Channel, and their respective passages occupied — Spindrift, 95 days 20J hours ; Ariel, 96 days 11£ hours ; Sir Lancelot, 9Q days s>3£ hours. The Sir Lancelot was bui'.t by Messrs Bobert Steele and Co, Greenock, in 1866. Captain Bobinson was formerly master of the celebrated English-built clipper Fiery Cross. The Sir Lancelot is owned in Greenock by Mr John Maccunn. As'already noticed in our columns, the Ariel, leander, and Tahloo have also arrived in the Downs this week, but the voyages of the Sir Lancelot and Thermopylffi have completely . outstripped these vessels. — Glasgow Herald.