POST OF BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Issue 1253, 20 May 1870, Page 2

POST OF BLUFF HARBOR.

' ABBTTSD. May 17 — Tararua, s.s., 523 tons, Hagley, from ' Dunedin. Gibbs and Co., agents. SAHiED. ■ May IT — Tararua, m., 523 tons, Hagley, for Melbourne, with mails for England, via Suez. Gibba and Co., agents. . IHPOBTS. Per Tararua— «l pkg, order ; 5 do, Matheson & Cameron ; 5 do, Cooper and Co ; 1 do, Calder, Blacklock and Coj 1 do, GoodwiUie ; 2 do, Whit- • tingham Bros ; 1 dp, order; 12 do, Meat Preserving Company ; 8 do, Hannah ;31 do, Tapper j 6 do, Thomson and Strang ; 1 do, Craig and Co. expobts. Per Tararua— l box gold (4020z. 12dwta. 20gr.) .-Bank of Otago. *ASSEK<KB IIST. . . - ' _. Bar Tararua, from Dunedin — Mr G. Coates, Mr and Mrs Hannah and 5 children, Miss Henderson, Mr Benson, and Miss M'Kechnie. ■ ; JPer Tararua, for Melbourne— -Dr Deck, and 4 in the steerage. Yesterday morning a deputation of gentlemen . interested in the fate of the Matoaka waited upon ■ the Hon. the Premier with a view to ascertaining ■what hopes there were of the General Government instituting a search for traces of the missing , vessel. The deputation consisted of Mr Inglis • (Matheson's Agency), Chairman of the Chamber of. Commerce; Mr Hennah (Dalgety and Co.), Deputy-Chairman of the Chamber ; Mr Banks (Miles and Co.), Mr W. Kennaway, and Mr -Willeeeks, Registrar of the Supreme Court, who had relatives on board the vessel; and Captain "Roberts, of the ship Caduceus, to give evidence. ; • It was pointed out to Mr Eos that the ordinary course of a vessel leaving Lyttelton for England via Cape Horn would be between the Chatham and Bounty Islands, and that on the day the ! Matoaka left (13th of May, 1869) Captain Thomson, of the barque Southern Cross, started - -for Sydney, but met with a rtrong north-east | gale which compelled him to return to port. It L. was, therefore, urged to be within the bounds of probability that the Matoaka had been blown so far out of, her course as to come against one or other of the Bounty Islands. Mr Fox was reminded that these are twenty -four in number, =and that the charts gave three or four different 'indications of their position, some of the variations being very considerable. The opinion that the Matoaka, not having been spoken beyond them, had been wrecked amongst the group, was thought not at all an unlikely one. ■ It was urged that there were no other islands in the route, and that the Government would be conferring a great boon if .they would send a steamer or some other vessel to cruise among the islands, in the i hope of discovering some trace of the unfoitu- j sate vessel. Captain Roberts pointed out upon hia chart the course the Matoaka would be likely to take, and, as a gale was blowing, said it was extremely probable that the vessel would come on to the group of islands. In support of this, it was also stated that Captain White, formerly oi the Blue Jacket, but now of the Charlotte 'Gladstone, had actually gone through the group when the weather was driving in that particular way ; and, ' further, that there were many instances on record- of persons being discovered on islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, a considerable time after the loss of their Tessete. Mr Fox replied to these statements that, in the interests of humanity, it was only right that some - steps should be taken to trace the missing vessel, and that if the matter had - only been named sooner, he had no doubt but - that Commodore Lambert would have gone to the group for that purpose. As it was, if that < gentleman, who it must be understood is on the ' point of leaving for Australia, could not under- : take the expedition, he (Mr Fox) would endeavor . to get the St. Kilda, p.s. to go, or failing her, . • adopt some other course, lhe deputation ten. dered their warm thanks to Mr Fox for this . assurance, and after some further conversation, the interview terminated. — Lyttelton Times > May 14.