IMPORTS.

West Coast Times, Issue 629, 30 September 1867, Page 2

IMPORTS.

Florence, from Greymouth —9o tona coal' order.

The P.N.Z. and A.X.M. Co.'s s. s. Eangitoto, J. Taverner commander, arrived in the roadstead on Saturday at noon from Melbourne, via Dunedin, Lyttelton, Wellington, and Nelson. She left the latter port on the 26th inst, at 8 p.m. ; arrived off the Buller at 2 p.m. next day, and after waiting there three hours without communicating -with the shore, no steamer being at hand to tender her she proceeded onwards, and anchored in Grey roads at 9 p.m. Next morning she was tendered by the Persevere, and then steamed for this port, arriving as above. Yesterday her mails and thirty-seven passengers were landed by the p.s. Tarra, which will again run out to her this morning, when, she positively leaves direct for Melbourne. "We have received scant files of Wellington and Nelson papers by the Rangitofco. TheM.A. andN.Z. Co.'s s.s.Omeo, Captain Edwards, steamed into the roadstead yesterday forenoon, and anchored in an excellent position for tendering abreast the bar. She is from Melbourne via Dunedin and other New Zealand ports, and will leave direct on her return to Melbourne this morning. The ketch Florence arrived from Grreymouth on Saturday's tide with a full cargo of coal. She left the Grey on Friday morning. The steamer Huntress is still ashore, and will scarcely be released except by the expensire process of relauncliing. An attempt was made to heave her off on Friday night, but in consequence of the bursting of one of her steam pipes at a most critical moment — she being then almost afloat — it ended in a failure, and the old' boat was driven high upon tho beach, about one hundred yards south of the river, and eighty or ninety from tho lagoon. She not injured, in fact her material is far too toug-Ji to be affec ( ed by the ordinary run of West Coa^t Beas . Wo are hup>y to say that the brigantine Union is at last clear, of this part of the coast, having by some thing -01-jn to a miracle escaped shipwreck on Friday rilgjjh This termination to one of the most remarkable, shipping adventures that has ever occured m Westland, was entirely unexpected, so perilous was the position she occupied when last seen on Friday. She was then in the centre of the break, hanging on to one bower anchor and a kedge, and singular to relate, succeeded in holding her own until Saturday morning, at 7 o'clock, when a smart breeze springing up from N.E., she slipped both anchors and cleared the surf. But even then her safety was any but assured, as the breeze lasted no longer than bearly sufficed to carry the old craft about a mile from shore, and there she remained until sundown, watched with the utmost interest by people on shore, who hazarded many conjectures touching her ultimate delivery — which seemed more than doubtful — for the breeze having quite died away, she was again drifted shorewards, and at 3 p.m. was scarcely three-quarters of a mile from tho beach, and no anchor on board to bring '.up with. She was not seen again that day as a dense mist settled down upon the roadstead,- and hid everything outside the outer break from sight, aud not being in sight yesterday morning when the horizon cleared, we presumed she had taken advantage of the light northerly breezes that blew during the night to get clear of a coast, towards which she seemed to be irresistably attracted. We wish the Union a safe and speedy run to Melbourne, where we dare say the owners are anxiously awaiting her arrival. The bar is in excellent condition, ten feet being the least depth found in the channel on Saturday and yesterday.