IMPORTS.

West Coast Times, Issue 50, 28 September 1865, Page 2

IMPORTS.

Per Pamson, from Dunedin — Ex warehouse -under >bond — 9 qr-cssks brandy, 5 qr-casks •whisky, Wilson ; 187 cs whisky, 100 do geneva, M'Glashen Transhipped ex Alhambra, from Melbourne.— Uunder bond — 10 qr-casks brandy, ■\Tilson ; 2 cs cigars. Luhning. Fiee and duty paid - 2 cs 1 bale drapery, Wa'<s and Co ; 6 cs do, Bullen and Co ; 16 pkgs hardware 6 bdls iion, 73 sheets galvanised do, Foxcroft ; 1 iron safe, 1 pkg sundries, 50 cs beer, M'Glnshen ; 50 bxs candles, Wilson ; IC3 drugs, Prosser ; 3 do eggs, Ferguson.

At last, there seems some probability that vessels with the requisite draught of water will be enabled to cross the bar without suffering so many vexatious delays through too much wind or want of ifc, as hitherto have fallen to the lot. of numbers of unfortunate craft bound here, and whose protracted voyages in most instances have been caused by the want of the requisite steam power to tow them in. It is satisfactory to at last be able to make known to our readeis that that olratxuctfon to onr progress is removed by the arrival of the steam-tug Samson, which reached here on Tuesday last. She left Port Chalmers September 14th, calling into Lyttelton for coals on the loth ; arrived at Nelson on the 17th and laid there until the 19th, coaling and weather-hound. On the night of the 19th she had to run into Totaranui for shelter, in company with the Gothenburg and William Jliskin steamera, and three sehooneis. She arrived at the Grey on the 22nd, remaining there three days. The Samson is of 97 tons burden, exclnsive of engine room and boiler spase, with a nominal power of 65 hor=os, a«4 v?bcn ehe i.-. in towing trim, draws six feet of water. We have no doubt that she will answer the expectations of those who sent her round here. Another useful vessel has been added to the fleet of steamers in the coast and harbor trade of the West Coast. We allude to the p.s. Ballarat, which arrived on Sunday last. She belongs to an Auckland firm, and has been running between that port and Wanganui, but in consequence of our increasing requirements her owners considered it advisable to put her on the West Coast trade, and we sincerely hope it will be as profitable to them as beneficial to us. The Ballarat has had a long passage, having been greatly delayed by heavy gales and contrary winds. She left Auckland on the 23rd of August, and anchored in Napier on the 24ih, where she remained three days. Left that port on the 27th, and on the 30th was obliged, through stress of weather, to anchor under Port Kidnapper ; but the weather clearing up, she left again the same day, and arrived at Wellington on September 4th ; she left there the next day, but when tinder Cape Terawiti it came on to blow heavily from the S.W., which obliged her to run for shelter to Fitzroy Bay, and on the 6th, the wind shifting to S.E., she ran back to Wellington. Left again on the 7th, the next day having again to run for it through had weather coming on, bringing up in Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound. On the 9tb, the weather moderating, she made another start but apparently to little purpose, as the same evening she once more anchored in Titorangi Bay. She laid there two day 3, and on the 11th left, arriving in Kelson same day. On the 14th she left Nelson, but was obliged on the 15th to take advantage of the shelter afforded l>y W<inganui Inlet, where she remained until the 22nd. Anived off Hokitika on the 24th, »nd reached the wharf the day after. The Balhrat, through her light draught of water, pos-essps an advantage over every other boat at present running in and out over our bar — she oraw ing, when loaded, four feet siz inches of water, and only two feet when she has three days' coals on board. She is built of iron, is 45 horse power, with a burden of 69 tons register. Taking her in all, we consider she is a decided acquisition to our port. The cutter Fanny, which arrived in the river on Sunday last, has experienced a somewhat long passage from Invercargill. She left that port on September Ist, but in consequence of contrary winds, lan into Port William, Stewart's Island, the same day, where she remained windbound until the 4fcb. On that day she again put to sea, but on the Oth, head winds again prevailing, she came to in Seabreak Sound, and there lay waiting for a change for five days On the 11th bhe once more set canvas and arrived off Hokitika on the 15th, where she anchored, but it was not until last Sund;iy she could effec ah entrance The Fanny has thus been twentythice days from port to port. The P.N.Z. and A.R.M. Company's steamer Rangitoto arrived in the roadntead on Tuesday morning. She left Dunedin on the evening of 21st instant, calling at Lyttelton and Nelson on her route, thus making the passage in four days and a-half. Seventy passengers from her were transhipped on board the- Bruce and safely landed on Tuesday at noon. She brought mails from Dunedin and intermediate ports, but in consequence of there being no provision made for the conveyance of such lumber from (he roadstead to the office she carried their back to Nelson, leaving for that port the same afternoon. The K'fngitoto is a splendid vessel, and is the latest a I'Ubion made by this company to their already numerous and efficient fleet. She is 340 tons burthen, and is considered the fastest vesacl on t<ie Australasian coasts, her last trip from Melbourne to Dunedin, occupying four days ler? two hoars. She can steam fifteen knots an hour, and is a capital sea boat.

£fc was but the other day that our roadstead was filled with vessels having on board valuable rargoes of which we stood in the greatest need, ami which we were then unable fo procure, through there being no steamer to either lighter or tow them in. Hokitika became quite alarmed, especially a3 their pet scheme of a steam tug company had fallen through ; and the Canter - Mry Government seeming iv no hurry to supply < ur wants in this respect, we began to wonder if i <j were really worth such an appendage to our ' -t ar not, and whether our neighbours, who 1 enough and to spaie, were afraid to trust their

vessels in our keeping. Any one, however, who will now take the trouble to visit the wharf, will see that question answered in a most satisfactory manner, there being no fewer than seven steamers that may be said to belong to Hokitika, as they are sent here to run in the coast and harbour trade. Their names are the Samson, a powerful tug-boat, the steam-tug Yarra, the Bruce, Ballarat, Lady of the Lake, Uno, and Eleanor. These, in the aggregate, possess a power of two hundred and twenty horc-es, and a burden of four hundred and twenty-one tons. This is indeed an improvement upon the old state of things.