SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 801, 13 April 1871, Page 2

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

WESTPORT. HIGH WATER. Thio Day ... 4.43 a.m., 5.28 p.m. To-morrow 6.14 a.m., 6.50 p.m. T>EPA7ITUBEB. April 11—Murray, s.s., Palmer, ior Hokitika. On Friday, at noon, the p.s. Dispatch towed to sea the schooner Ceres, from Grey mouth for Newcastle. She took upwards of twenty-five passengers for Sydney. The French war steamer Ranee, arrived at Sydney on the sth instant, from Toulon. She came through the Suez Canal, and from thence to Bourbon. Her destination is Tahiti, on which station she will be placed ; but there aro on board some troops for Now Caledonia, at which place she will touch, en route. After obtaining supplies, she will proceed on her voyage. The " Standard " says that the introduction of tlie new engine ot war as parr, of a ship's :armament will render it necessary that any vessel exposed to such mode of attack should have its gunners well under cover. The mitrailleuse in the maintop will ring the death knell of the men in the opposing ship, who may be working the guns on tho upper deck after the old broadside model. Gunners below the upper deck maybe sought out through the ports by a mitrailleuse worked on the same principle. At present a gun is called "protected" if it happens to.be placed in such a posil iun that it has armour in front of it. But this kind of protection is essentially imperfect. The enemy cannot launch 400-pound projectiles from his rigging, but he cr.n send a shower of bullets from that quarter, and though ho may not smash the gun, he may terrify and kill the gunners. Or, if the guns are below the upper deck, the bullets may rattle in at the port with annoying pertinacity.

Telegrams from Ismailia state that the receip s of the Suez Canal during December last amounted to £32,000, composed as follows :—Transit of 69 vessels, about 700,000f.; ditto small craft, 25,000f.; ditto merchandise, 20,00 Of.; total, 8G0,000f., being £12,000 in oxcess of the receipts of the preceding month, and the heaviest return for the year. The work of deepening the Canal lias been going on without interruption, and it is further stated that, notwithstanding the large dimensions of most of the ships, not the slightest accident has occurred, and not a single case of grounding.