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Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 76, 19 April 1879, Page 2

The frarque Reconnaissance arrived in liarbour on Sunday afternoon last, from Sydney, via the. Tonga group. Captain Hawkins has favoured us with the following report of the trip :—Sailed from Svdney on February sth; experienced moderate winds from ENE to N with gloomy weather and heavy easterly swell, until sighting the Three Kings on the 12th, which £«* "ot lost sight of till the 16th. Light ENE winds with torrents of rain and heavy easterly squalls from thence to Tongatabu. Suturday, March Ist, at 3 p.m., sighted tho island of Eoa; 6 p.m. hove too till morning. Sunday, 2nd, bore away for the harbour of Tonga, and at Uu. anchored off the township of Nukalofa, thus making the passage in twenty-fivo days. [Captain Hawkins' report of the hurricane in Tonga will be found in another column.] Sailed from Tonga for Haabai on Wednesday, tho 26th, with light airs and calms, and arrived -at Haabai on the 29th; sailed again for Vavau on April Ist, arriving there on the 2nd. Sailed for Samoa on April 4th, with a hue east-south-east breeze, which carried tho ship only eighty miles on her course. From thence to Savaii calms and light airs, attended with fierce raiu squalls, prevailed. Savuii was sighted on April 11th, with strong oirrcrt setting to the southward, weather still squally, with much rain and •thunder and ii;,utning. Sunday, 13th, at 7 a.m. passed the cast end of Upolu; at 3 p.m. the pilot rame on Ira d, and at 4.30 p.m. csme too ~n Apia, alter a tedious passage of sixty-seven days from Sydney, including twenty-four days at Tonga, two days at Haabai, and#wo days at Vavau. On Wednesday evening last the schooner Madona arrived in port from Keppell's Island, which place she left on Sunday last. She is a smart little fore-and-aft schooner, ot fifty tons register, and is at present on her maiden trading cruiso from Auckland. She will leave for Fiji this morning. Yesterday the British ship of war Wolverene, Commodore Wilson, arrived in port from Tongatabu, which place she left on Monday last. Sho left Sydney on the 19th of March last for the purpose ef conveying Sir Hercules Robinson, the newly appointed Governor of New Zealand to Wellington, which port she reached on the 27th of March. The Wolverene is one of the old school'of wooden corvettes, carrying seveiteen 64 pounders muzzle-loading guns. Her. engines are also of the old school, and are 1549 horse-power. Her full complement of men, including officers and marines, is 330. The following is the list of officers:—John C. Wilson, A'.D.C, Commodore; Colin C. Wilson, Secretary; Walter B. Bridges, Commander;;. Graham J. Bower, Chas. W. Gordon Spring, William M. Maturin, and W. Corbett, Lieutenants; William J. Symonds, Navigating Lieutenant; Chas. W. R. Hatching, lieutenant of Marines; Revd. F. L. Warleigh, Chaplain; Walter Reid, M.D., Staff Surgeon; Alex. Allen, Paymaster; William McDowall, Chief Engineer; Albert F. Arthur, and B. J. Rudc-Keene, Sob-Ljeutenants; James G. Gordon, Assistant Paymaster; Herbert E. Marsh Surgeon; JohnHapps, Engineer; Robert W. Edwards, and Daniel Griffin, Assistant engineers; Selby H. B. Ash, F. A. Winter, Alen F. Gardiner, AVilloughby P. Dawson, and Colin Keppel, Midshipmen ; Chas. C. Webb, and Harcourt W. B. Delafons, Clerks ; Henry de C. Ward, Assistant Clerk j Alexandor Barfoot, Gunner; Henry lice, Boatswain; James R. May, Carpenter.

The (iermim ship of war Ariadne left Saluafata on Tuesday morning, for Matautu, Savaii, and returned to our harbour yosterday, whon salutes were exchanged between her and the Wolverene.