Untitled

West Coast Times, Issue 331, 15 October 1866, Page 3

The B.N.Z. and A.B.M. Company's s.s. Claud Hamilton, G. Ponsonbyi, commander, left Wellington at 6 p.m. on the 2nd inst, and* arrived at Nelson at 10 a.m. on the 3rd. Landed mails and original cargo, and proceeded thence at 5 p.m. ou the 4th, and

anchored off Greymouth at 10 p in. the next day. Weighed and sailed for this port at 9 a.m. on the 6th, and brought to off the bar at J^3o a.m. Throughout her passage from "Wellington she experienced fine weather, but adverse winds. The Claud briugs 21 saloon, and 58 steerage passengers. The b'rigmtineljady Don* from Melbourne, amved'in port on the 7th inst, having suffered a detention of five days on the coast through light variable weather. She made the land about Abut Head ou the 2nd, and brought up in the roadstead on the 6th, having experienced strong S.AV. weather during her passage from the Straits. v The Lady Don left Melbourne on the 21st, but'wasiept iv the Straits by light easterly weather until the 26th, and also lost 24 hours in a heavy westerly gale on-4he 29th. She brings a fuil general cargo. v

The M.A. and N.Z. S.S. Company's s.s. Alhambnl, John M'Lean, commander, sailed from Hobssu's Bay at 2.30 p.m. on the 29th ultimo, and after a pleasant passage of six days aud two hours, during which fine but light weather prevailed, came to anchor in the roadstead at 4.30 p.m. on the sth instant. The Alhambra brings seventeen saloon and 220 steerage passengers ; also a few tons of cargo. She reports that when in latitude 40deg. 48nun. South, and longitude 160deg. East, d- three-masted schooner was sighted standing to the westward. The brigantine Isabella cleared Otago Heads on the 25th with strong N.E. winds and fine weather. She ran for Foveaux Straits, and when off Stewart's Island the wind fell light, but agaiu freshened up, and blew a hard N.E. gale whilst she was rounding the West Cape. It afterwards moderated, and , finally died away altogether ; and hence to the roadstead light variable winds prevailed. The Isabella came to an anchor on the 3rd, instant, but the bar being unworkable she was detained outside until the sth, and then reached the wharf, ~in tow of the Challenge. She brings a full general cargo. ' The p.s. Nelson left Nelson on the 3rd instant, at 4.30 p.m., and arrived off the Buller at 1 p.m. the following day, having experienced during the run light southerly winds aud a very heavy head sea. She crossed the Buller bar at 3 p.m., discharged cargo, and left again the same night at fi p.m. ; anchored off Hokitika at 4 a.ra. on the sth ; and reached the wharf three hours later. She brings a few tons of cargo and twelve passengers. This fine steamer — which commenced her career on the West Coast so inauspiciously — 7has, during her^ong sojourn in Nelson, undergone a thorough'repair j and very material alterations have been made in her machinery, which adds vastly/to her merits a 8 a fast and good sea boat. She is' permanently placed in the Westland, trade, under the command of Oaptain Whitwell, late master of the Kennedy, aud we trust, having so fortunate and ekilfui ' a commander, her future career will more than compensate for the disasters she once experienced, and which had rendered her name a by-wbrd on the coast.

The few trivial repairs rendered necessary by her late stranding having been effected, and preparations for her final move made, the p.s. -Yarra on the 10th inst." was launched from the South Spit iutb the Lagoon. A cleaner launch was never made in the port, for directly the stops were" cut she started, and glided off the ways into deep water in beautiful style. So great was her impetus that an anchor had to be let go to prevent her running stem first int;o ,the bushes on the opposite bank. Captain Xicholl adopted an excellent plan to ensure a successful launch by cutting a trench about three feet deep from low water mark to the end of the sliding ways, so that directly she was clear of them she floated, and. thus that hitch, through the bow of the vessel grounding, which we have noticed has almost invariably occurred at former launches was prevented, The Yarra was towed to the wharf by the p.s. Challenge, -and Tvas ready to*resunie work the nert day.. On the 11th inst. the river rose slowly but steadily, the late rains having sent a smart " freshet" down, which has had the effect of clearing the channel, so that once more the port possesses with a straight and navigable " entrance. In the evening at low tide, a huge volume of water was rushing between tlie Spits, and found its way to sea through the place where, ou the previous day, the tail of the North Spit obstructed the channel. The southern channel has closed up, and we trust that the river will never make its exit in that direction again, as it forms a most intricate and dangerous, passage, which few vessels care to take. This year there has been a very marked difference in the run of the river as compared with last, for, then, the position of the channel fluctuated between a poVallel course with and close into the North Beach, and a straight run to the westward, whereas during the present year it has inclined to the southward, with 'an apparent intention of deserting the North Beach altogether. Several hundred ton's of merclianiiise were landed on the wharf during the past week, and it was « satisfactory to note in what excellent condition it turaedv out of the different vessels which conveyed it hither. The Lizzie Colesou, Mary, Ladj Don, a»d Isabella, discharged cargos, the condition of which reflects credit on the vessels as good carriers, and on the ships' companies for careful stowage. The Lady Darling was not so fortunate, as a quantity of her flour. was somewhat damaged . In reference to'that smart little brigantine,the Lizzie Coleson, we may state that on her last voyage she ran from Sydney to thiß port and back again, thence on to Newcastle for cpals, which she loaded up, and returned to Sydney, completing the long round in the short space of thirty days. She is once more ready for sea, and, weather permitting, will leave for Syduey to-day. We understand from Captain Beaumont, agen£ for the firm of W. S. Lockhart, that the well-known briguntine Susannah Booth is on the berth for this port, aud may be expected to arrive al; an early date. On Wednesday, the fleet of vessels which have been so long waiting in the Grey roadstead for a " slant" to run inside, took heart o ' grace, and favored by a slappin* westerly, breeze crossed the bar under canvas. They gained the wharf without mishap. The bfigantine Mary sailed from Hobson's Bay on the 23rd ult., with light northerly winds and fine weather, which kept her in the Straits until the 2fith, on which clay, favored by a steady S.W. breeze, she took her last departure from Swan Island. Strong breezes, increasing in squalls, prevailed until the 20th, whfn it blew up a heavy gale, accompanied by a high sea and terrific squalls, the vessel running under close-reefed fore topsail and reefed foresail. At 10 p.m. she •was pooped by a tremendous sea, which, carried away her starboard-quarter bulwarks, split the covering board, and filled the decks with water ; for a moment it was feared she ' must broach to. The Mary, however, behaved nobly, and once freed cf the top weight of water, steered like a boat before tho gale, which at midnight subsided, and hence to the land steady S.W. breezes prevailed. Bold Head was sighted on the Ist inst, and the, roadstead reached the following day, but the bar being blocked , up, she was kept outside until the 7th, and, then towed to the wharf by the Challenge, having on the preceding day been lightened of 80 tons of cargo by the schooner Tanibo. The Mary is fully laden with a miscellaneous cargo, and brought 15 passengers besides. On the Bth inst. an accident happened to a drayman in the Empire Hotel right-of-way which was all but attended \>y fatal results. He was sitting on the.edge of his cart, and, to allow another dray to pass him, drew up close to the fence on the Lift-hand side. On starting again, the wheel caught ono of tho palings, and made a creaking noise, which caused the horse to swerve suddenly, and the jerk threw the mftn from his sent and he fell head first

immediately under the wheel. The poor fellow was dreadfully frightened, and shouted lustily, which only made matters worse, as tho horse ?r-by this time thoroughly terrificd — bolted nt full speed, dragging the wheel over the man's left thigh and up the side of his body across the shoulder, missing his head by tho merest chance. Tho lookers-on were petrified with horror, thinking he was either killed or fatally hurt, when to their astonishment he sprang to his feet and made a dash after his runaway horse. The animal's career, however, received a speedy check, for the dray capsized, and* in some unaccountable manner ,the horso managed to get astride the upper shaft, and whilst in that position wa.s caught .by two or three men who happened to be close at hand. The driver's escape was most miraculous ; but fortunately the dray was empty, to which fact alone can his preservation be attributed. We'are glad to learn thai the long, projected scheme for the formation of a tramway, between Hokitika and Greymouth, is likely to bo fdrthwith commenced. Many weeks ago we expressed our confidence in the success of this undertaking. Indeed, so obvious wore the sources from which a'largj and remunerative traffic might be expected to be supplied, that it was a matter of astonishment that the project was allowed so long to hang fire. The terms offered by tho Government, to tho ori- , giual' projectors, 'being in danger of beiug forfeited, by default of action, a few enterprising persons determined that the scheme should not be allowed to fall through ; and during the past week; several meetings have been held', at which measures to commence the construction of the tramway, and to bring a 1 certain portion of it into working order at an early date were taken. It is proposed, in the first instance, to complete the tramway to the " Three Mile," a work which will involve fto engineering difficulties, and sufficient capital . .to execute the work has already been lodged by the promoters in the bank. This portkm of the line btiing opened to traffic, it will then be pushed on to tlie Arahura, and this further stage will no v doubt be attended by a very large and profitable extension of traffic. The company, which consists of a limited proprietary, have adopted, we think judiciously, the policy of not involving themselves, in the first instance, in very liabilities. They look at the matter from a discreet business point of view. It is expected that the pro-j ceeds of a moderate amount of capital at first invested, will help to furnish the means for an extension of the works, and they have every assurance that an opening success will bring plenty of support to' the undertaking. i

Commenting upon the extreme richness of some of the southern beaches, the " West- | land Observer " of the 29th inst says :—: — " Some instances of the extreme richness of the" Okarita beaches, aud of the good fortune of diggers in this neighborhood, have recently come under our notice. Not a few of these have been furnished by the Thive Mile -Beach, whichr everybody had latterly concluded was only iudill'erently rich, and now •nearly wrought out. Comparatively small as that beach is, it has proved' to be one of the richest on the coast, ,and those who have secured a competency out of it, believe that it yet contains enough to afford high -earnings to many more. Several of the passengers who went away by the Kennedy this week, were men who hkcl made small fortunes ac the Three Mile, and this week some Jarge parcels have been sold from the same place. On Wednesday a party of three men were seen wending their way along the beach towards the township, .one of them carrying a swag, the weight of which was very disproportionate to its size. They made their way direct to the Bank of New South Waie3, and we believe they disposed of a parcel contain ing close' upon TOO- ounces, tlie result of three men's work for a few months, cl^ar of ali expenses. By the same party weekly parcels have been sold for four months past', apd previous to that they disposed of several hundred ounces in one lot. IVoiu the same beach, on the same day this week, two smnll parties 'dis= posed, between them, of 250 ounces. Prom the Five Mile, where the parties are larger I and more numerous, large parcels continue to be received, and we know of two tnen who recently'left town, eaoh with LI7OO in pocket, I after four months' work.' Even from Gillesjpie's Beach, parcels varying from seventy to ■ninety ounces have, from time to time, been Breceived ; and we know of a hundred ounces lof rough gold having, in a very short time, Mbeen accumulated as purchases from a ' few Mparties who are working in some oi the creflcs ffof the neighborhood. With .such results on lithe beaches — and the instances we mention Dare by no means exceptional — Okarita may I boast of having had some of the richest beach j diggings on the coast, and, with • such promises from the interior, there is hope that the district is not yet so thoroughly " used up" ■ as many would fain believe it to be."

Since our last visit to the District Gaol, on Cemetery Hill, astonishing improvements have been effected in that establishment, and the main portion of the building, then only commenced, is now in a fair way towards completion. At the date of our last report, one wing, containing eight colls and two or three outbuildings, alone constituted the accommodation provided for prisoners and their keepers. The stockade, which was then but partially erected, was finished a week or two later, and under the active supervision of the .gaoler, Mr Dale, the hard labor gang have constructed an excellent road from the foot of the terrace to a point nearly half way to the beach. Tlii& portion of the road will be finished in the course of a fortnight, and then it is purposed to continue it by widening the present pack track to the top of and along the terrace lo the Gaol entrance. By doing so, both the Gaol and Cemetery will be accessible to wheeled' vehicles, and if these improvements arc carcarried out in their integrity this locality, which is so closely allied to sin and death, will be rendered in appearance one of tho most charming spots on the coast. It was at the suggestion of Mr Dale that this work was undertaken, and we certainly think that a' better could not. have been selected, as (the approaches- to tho^pjlacc lay across a swa'np, that in rainy weather was next to impassable. The Graol itself is cruciform in shape, consisting of four wings which branch oil' from a central luill, 30 feet long by 16 feet wide, wherein the prisoners will take their meals. The north, south, and east wings contain the cells, of which there are twelve, capable of 1 accommodating between fifty and sixty prisoners. Tho building is entered by the west wing, which contains the offices of the e&tablishineut. On the right is the scullery, kitchen, and female prisoners' eating room, to tho left a larder, "store room, and debtors' eating room. The arrangements made fer the confinement of that unfortunate class are excellent, as quite- a suite of apartments have been provided for their accommodation. Four cells in the end of the north wing are set ap s art as sleeping rooms, and are connected with the dining room by a commodious verandah, under which the debtors can take exercise in rainy weather. As, the Gaol is not quite finished; it would be premature to enter into a mftlute description of its architectural details, but we propose at an early date to report especially upon it. when the crowd of artisans who now hold* entire possession of the building will haW finished their labors. 'We, however, saw^fufficieut to convince us that the plan of the' Gaol is a good one, and the building itself well constructed, and of sufficient strength to set at defiancb any attempt on the part of prisoners to effect their escape. We, however, observed one fault : the central hall is far too small for the purpose for which it is intended. It should have been twice the size, and would then have added immensely -to the appearance and convenience of the interior of tho build"ing, which now is somewhat cribbed and confined. On the 9th inst, tho beach in the. rear of Bcvell s'»?eot was the scene of a mishap which might have been attended by serious consequepces. A lady and gentleman were taking a canter along the Band, when the horse

ridden by tho formor became restive, and after a succession of desperate plnnges, succeeded in dismounting his fair rider, who fell heavily upon that which 'fortunately was not a macadamised road. In falliug, her dress caught tho pommel of tlie saddle, and was partly stripped off her, ard some of the garments wore carried away by the brute, which dashed at full speed along the beach. Excepting the shook and .confusion such an incident would naturally occasion, the lady, wo are happy to say, suffered nothing through the mishap. Another mining company has been forme J in the Kanieri district, and registered under tho nnme of tho " Commissioner's FlatGolH Mining Company.'" The 'prospectus contains full detailsof tho undertaking, which we are inclined to regard most favorably, as two leads of gold have been traced into the three acres of ground leased by the company, and a systematic mode of working, backed by capital, is alone needed to ensure remunerative returns. We wish the now company every success: We have received very favorable and reliable intelligence from a new workings situated between . the Waimea and Kapitia Creeks, from which we infer that

another of those rich. 'patches so .peculiar to the coast line has been struck. The Prospectors' claim is situated at' the foot of a low terrace, about one hundred and fifty yards inland from the beach, and fron? the bottom of their shaft, a N return of from 3/ grains to 1^ \ dwts the dish was obtained. * TJbe depth of sinking is eighteen feet through layers of sand and sandy loam until the washdirt is reached ;' the latter consists of black sand and granite and sandstone wash, about nine inches thick. Between seven and eight hundred miners have assembled there, and the ground is 'marked out for a distance of nearly two miles on each side of the Prospectors' el; 1111. "Two stores are already erecced, and doing a thriving trade, and several others are going up, and as the locality is rlonsely scrubbed, the diggers and storekeepers have commenced a pack track from the .beach, which in a'few days will be completed.' . Many shafts are being sunk, but so far, the prospectors alone have bottomed. The Claud Hamilton left the Grey roadstead for Sydney on the 7th instant, carrying with her 9000 ounces of gold dust, the produce of that district. This swells the amount already exported during this mouth to the very handsome quantity of 38,000 ounces. The 4000' ounces cleared by the Union Bank — for exportation direct to England via Panama — but, which? unfortunately was missed by i tho Otago, in not included iv the above/ou the shipments would have amounted to 42,000 ozs. v This return is most satisfactory, as it shows 1 that the yield from Westland fields {s not, as some suppose, on the decline. The following are the district gaol returns for the week ending Saturday, October 6th : — Admitted under committal for trial at, the at tlie Supreme Court, 1 male ; discharged from custody, ] male j simple imprisonment, 1 cjebtor. _ The number and classification of prisoners remaining ut the above date is as follow : — Under committal to the Supremo Court, 8 mules : hard* labor gang, 25 males ; sample imprisonment, 1 mule ; debtors, 5—5 — total, 39. # Another of those mysterious disappearances for which the Coast is so remarkable, and which have never, in our recollection, beeu followed by any tidings of the missing parties, was brought under our notice, on the 10th inst, by the police. It appears, that on the sth inst. a man, who n day or two previously had pitched his tent close to Mr Ricard's residence, called upon that gentlemen, and iv an excited and incoherent manner said, "ho was looking for his brother, of whose whereabouts ho requested information." The man was quite a stranger to Mr Iticards, who, being convinced from his manner that he was laboring under an attack of insanity, advised him to make enquiries at the Police Camp for his missing relative j upon vi hich, the poor fellow departed, and Mr liicar Js has, not seen hiui since, but, observing that the tent remained unoccupied l ue,"""m"ade kndvni the circumstances to

the authorities, who at once inspected the tent which, from its appearance, had evidently been deserted for some days. The man's personal effects, bedding, - &c., were found inside and" taken possession of by the police, pending his re-appearauce. Active enquiries were also made, with the view, of eliciting information that might lead to his identity, when it transpired that lie was" one Nowland, by birth a Scotchman; and about twenty-six years of age. A miner by profession, he had lately been working at the Five Mile Beach, Okarita, from which locality he removed to town. Nothing farther is known concerning him, but it is feared that ho has made away with himself during a fit of madness. , The number of confinees in the Kevell streot gaol establishment is, we are ' happy to say, steadily decreasing, as by the returns handed us by Sergeant M'Myn we see that during the week ending Saturday, October 6th, only three admittances took place, v.'hihfc six> whose sentences had expired, were discharged from custody. At the above date, 13 males and 2 females remained in confinement, of which 7"iuales and 2 females belonged' to the havd- labor gang ; l"male was undergoing simple imprisonment ; and 5 n*les .were on remand, The total number of confinees in both gaols was 54. / • v ' So far the late increase of the* criminal class by arrivals from Australia has not been productive of evil results, as is shown by the records of the Magistrate's Court. For several weeks past we have noticed with pleasure the exceeding lightness of the criminal calendar, and

tlie weok ending Oct. 6, is happily not an excep- ' tion— a state of things which, for the*future, we tvu ; t, may prove the rule. The committal of Thomas Audley, for embezzlement, and the sentencing of three other prisoners to different periods of hard labor for lighter offences, was tUe only criminal business disposed of by his Worship. On the Bth inst, the jjrisouers Chamberlain, Aldridge, and Cai;r, who have so often been remanded, in order to give time for the arrival of the notorious Sullivan, whose against them will, it is supposed, be of the conclusive nature, uero again brought up before the Bunch, and again remanded, although his Worship gave notice that on production of good and sufficient bail he would discharge^ their, and that if the arrival of Sullivan was delayed much longer, \\o should certainly liberaXe them on their own recognizances. Wo quite concur in the course taken by My FitzGerald, asjt is extremely doubtful whether Sullivan will ever land in Hokitika." "YYas it ever- intended to send him down here, positive information on that point must, long ere this, have reached the police, who have "sent telegram after telegram requesting advice, but have so far received no answer — .not even so much as'an acknowledgment that these messages came to hand. In the evening, bail was tendered for the prisoner Carr, and the bonds being -signed, he was liberated, himself at L'2oo, aud two sureties at LIOO each. No bail was offered for either of the other prisoners, who, in consequence still remain in confinement. ' The report of Constable Elliott, who visited the Ho Ho and Three Mile diggings on tho 2nd inst., shews that, at the Blue Spur lead and neighboring workings, the miners are fully and profitably employed, aud n,o diminution iii their nnmbor is observable since the date of his last report. The terrace which opened a few weeks ago about ono mile and a quarter from the Three Mile township, towards 'the Arahura, is turning out well, and the lead from i\> has' been traced-for three-quarters of a mile to a swamp situated within a short distance of the Christchurch road. Along tho edge of this swamp .claims were taken i|p and several shafts bottomed, some of which gave I fair prospects, of/rom^dwt. to ldwt. the dish. Tlie sinking runs from 20 feet to 30 f C ct> through ground wet and difficult to keep up, which much delays the development of the lead. The number of miners located on this rush is estimated at 350, and are represented as very orderly, no crime having been reported during the fortnight.

1 A sad accident happened at Maori Gully, ill the Arnold river district, by which a miner namod Lurry Moran lost. his li/e. The deceased was at tho time employed in clearing a claim of timber, and whilst chopping down a tree close to an~ old shaft, some fifteen feet deep, missed his fooling, and fell into it. His mates 'heard him full,- and in a few minutes recovered the body, but only to find that life had departed, the poor fUlow having broken his neck, There w.is also a deep cut. upon the forehead. At an official enquiry held by the police the above facts were elicited, and a verdict of accidental death returned. Deceased was about fifty-one years oi' »ge, and a native ,of Kildare, in Ireland. He left no property behind him. On the 2nd instant the dead body of a man was found upon the South Spit of the Grey River, and recognised as once belonging to a sailor named Henry Owens, a native of Virginia, U.S. An inquest was hold upon it the same day, when from tho evidence adduced it appears that on the 14th of September he was working at the wreck of the schooner Excelsior, ou tho South Beach, and was last seen alive at 3 a.m. the 'next morning, making his way towards Blake Town. Being somewhat intoxicated at the time, it was supposed that he must have fallen into the lagoon, and met his death by drowning, and the body afterwards swept out to sea by the current. A verdict of " found drowned" was returned.

The lamp in front of Mr Mcc' 8 Golden Ago Hotel, in Eevcll street, was maliciously broken on the night of the 3rd inst., about half-past 11 o'clock. Mr Mcc wns at the time, with some friends, sitting down in ' tho pnrlor, and^ on hearing the crash, ran out.,* but coujd not succeed in catching tho offender, although, i from what wo can learn, ho is pretty well known. This is fho second time a month, Mr Mcc has been subjected to this annoyance ; and the lamp being a very costly one, the repairs have caused considerable expense. It ia to be hoped that the offender will be found out, and receive the punishment which so cowardly an action deserves. A large number of the thieving *fraternity have established themselves at the Scandinavian Rush, Stafford Town, of course, being their head quarters. The most daring robberies are of almost daily occurrence, and being committed with consummate skill have hitherto set at defiance all attempts to dotecfc tho offenders./ On tlie night of the Bfch inst. a most barefaced rdbbery was perpetrated on the person of a butcher, who, whilst employed in cutting steaks for a customer, had his pocket picked of forty LI notes, •by one of the lightfingered gentry. Tho amazement of the unfortunate man, on discovering vhis loss, can be better imagined than' described, as 1 ten minutes previously he had the mouey in his pocket. Punctual to her time, the s.s. Gothenburg arrived oil 1 the port on Friday morning from Melbourne. She steamed into the roadstead at ]0 a.m., but' -did not bring up, U3 the sea was 100 heavy) and during the day kept under ensy steam and mainsail and mizen. Siguals with her were of course' exchanged, and her. flags reacl 210 pas3engei's and 116 tons of cargo. The usual demand for a steam tug was made, and responded to in the negative. Almost simidtaneously with her arrival, the s.s.' Egmont, from Nelson, rdu'nded to off the < port, when her bunting showed that she had on board 31 passengers'a'nd 25 tons of cargo waiting to be landed ; but finding there was no chance of getting rid of them that dayj she, in company with the Gothenburg, drifted lazily to the southward, just outside the break. Towards midday, she made for the ofung, and at sunset was apparently at anchor, but along distance out3i<le. The Gothenburg secinpd in no hurry to leave* tho vicinity of the beach, and the day was fust drawing j.n when, enveloped in a squall of hail and i»aiu, she turnod stern to the and headed- to the westward ,s, s

When we last saw the Persevere on the night of the 12th, inst she \vas lying on tho north side of the South Spit, bow up thp strewn. Excepting that .-ho wns ashore, there was nothing unusual in her appearance, and, although it was evident that her position was one of great peril, we trusted, as she was well securo'd, that she would tide through the night in safety. But it was fated, otherwise ; for the following morning, viewed from, tho North Spit, Bhe looked a complete ' wreck, as nothing could he seen standing above her covering board save the port paddle-box, and a part of the bridge, surmounted by a fragment of the wheel. Ifc was ,ut once evident that she, had been fearfully knocked about, for she lay, bow down the beach, far to the southward of her original position. In the afternoon, our. reporter visitel the wreck, and learnt from Captain Macmeikau that, at 10 o'clock on the previous evening, the bank upon which the Persevere laid was washed from under her by the tramendous cur -ent which set dead against the fepi ► Being thus caught by the stream, she slu d. across it, and although mobreu forward wth a chain fable and warp (which held goori). the strain tore the windlass aud haw.*epipes completely out of her, and she then swuii'i; to tho current, and hung by her stern moorings and the warp which was still fa3t to the bitte forwards. For some time she lay afloat close jnto the bank, and as Mr Akerly (who contracted to relaunch her), and a gang of hands wore in attendance, strenuous efforts we're made to save her from being; cai'ried out to sea. Tackles were rigged and ran out from the b:nv and stern to further secure, _aiui yet, at the same time, to allow her a moderate range, as the seas rolled in. The warp, Avhieh now led along her starboard and seaward* side to the flagstaff, was bridled across her stern to the port quarter bitts, to bind her close tq tho bank ; and as she rode pretty easy, hopes were entertained that the night would be weathered through safely. But just befo.-o midnight the- Hood came 'down with sudden and increased violence, fut a passage between her' and the shore, oiuUigaiu she sheered across the stream, snapping the, smaller lines like pa"kthread. At this critical moment the bridle of tho warp parted, and the latter slipped up over her slow; matting a clean sweep of everything before it. The stern, and port quarter bulwarks and stanchions, cu bin, companion, main mufl. towinsc-bridse, funnel and steam-pipe, I starboard paddle-box- and bridge, and half of the w heel were gone in less than" a minute. The warp in some incomprehensible manner passed ov.r Nic port bridge and paddle-box, and being fast to the foremast, brought her up all standing with a sudden jerk, which was more thnn tho spar could bear, us it carried away close to the deck ; and her last v holdfast gone, the unlucky little steamer was whirled into the breakers. Fortunately all hands left her a few.miuutes before the final catastrophe, Captain Macmeikan being tho last to jump ashore, and ' only just in time' to save himself. That her fate was scaled, no one there present had-thc slightest* doubt, believmg that her hold being open she would fill in the break and-go down ; but to tlfeir astonishment her black hull rising au*d failing.Tjmd keeping head to sea, •■could be^plainly distinguished against the white surf: Foretime she was lost sight of, and when next, se,efr hail drifted some distance to the south ward } still, however, high out of the water. At length, when clear of the river current, she was swept close in shore by the surf, and being caught by <iv eddy running to the northward, was carried back to nearly abrenst the position she occupied on the beach. This again brought' her within the influence of the river, which, again swept her to sea, ,wlien she was once more drifted south, and then came back on the eddy. For nearly four hours she made .this round, keeping head to sea all the time, and was at last deposited on' tho beach about one hundred yards south of h6r former berth. The sea hove her well up, and as the.- tide receded she was left) high and dry, when the crew, who had never ceased to watch her, found to their uinuzoinent that, save the havoc made by the warp, she was but little the .■worse, for her rough handling. Tho hull /was wonderfully sound, hot a soam having started ; but the rudder was gone just below the trunk, the, gudgeons having been torn from the Btern

post. In the afternoon, Captain Turnbull, thojiarbor master, Captain Smith, of the lona, and Mr Nancarrow, Inspecting Engineer, surveyed her, and we believe their report will be favorable. If so, the work of transporting her across the spit will be a£ once commenced, an 1 wo hope to yet sec this useful vessel, whr-h has, on moro than 1 one occasion, proved of infinite service to the port, again pursuing 1 her avocation in the river and roadstead.

At an early hour on the morning of the 11th thc/fararua, s.s., steamed up from the Westward and entered the, roadstead. She rounded to, olf the bar and apparently dropped an anchor, but, being every now and then hidden by the rain and squalls it was difficult to make out her movements. She made her number, and in answer to the shore stated by bunting that she had on board 100 passengers } and that, during the passage from Melbourne fine weather prevailed The increasing gale brought down such" a cloud of mist that afterwards sho '"as completely shut in, and the horizon again cleared had disappeared, having evidently .made for the offing, there to buifet out tho gale aud await a return of fine weather. * t ., ' The bitter northerly gale and pouring rain on tho 11th hist., put an effectual stop to the shipping business of the port. Nothing crossed the bar, and tho different vessels at-tho wharf made themselves as snug as possible, by running out extra moorings, and using other precautions to ride out in t safety the heavy freshet which swelled the river until it crossed the low sand flats, and presented an almost unbroken sheet of Vater from Gibson's Quay tathe bush on the other side of the south arm o.f the river. The current rushed by with furious speed, and even at high water, could Kave been running at a rate but little i less than five knots an hour. The diftprent ' steamers banked up their fires and made every preparation for 'trusting to their paddles in the event of being driven from their moorings by tlie 'huge snags which now and again were whirled past by tho stream. At-high, water, the tide had backed the river up to within a few inches of the coping of the wharf, and another overflow, whioli would have converted CHbsou's Quay into a fine navigable canal, was anticipated. Fortunately, the time of slack water was of short duration, and as the tide receded the river fell, but at no time during the day was it below a point four feet from the top of the wharf. Tluurc was no sign of a change in ihe weather as the day closed in, barometers 'all standing low, with a downward tendency. High range glasses marked from 20*50 to 29.80, whilst those of a lower range stood at from 29-08 to 2030.