SHIPPING NEWS.

THE DIRECT STEAMERS. The Turakina, from London, arrived at Capetown on Friday. AUCKLAND, May B.— Arrived: 5 a.m., Drayton Grange, from Liverpool, via I Australia. j AUCKLAND, May 9.— Arrived: Ardgowan, from New York, via Australia. I WELLINGTON, May 7.— Arrived: 11.15 ' ' p.m.. Tongariro from London. , WELLINGTON. May 10.— Sailed: 4.45 p.m., Rinmtaka, for London. The cargo shipped from New Zealand for the United Kingdom by the New Zealand and African Company's Essex was as folfolws: —99,550 carcases- of lamb, 15139 carcases mutton, 161.793 ft timber, 1327 ingots" .spelter, 2132 bales flax, 7731 sacks oafs, 3394- sacks peas. 4025 cases preserved meats, 2194- boxes butter, 7170 boxes boned beef, 108 quarters frozen beef, 397 cases cheese. 374 bales wool, 187 sacks wheat, 156 bales twine, 309 dumps tow. 222 bales tow, 765 case 3 kauri gum, 253 tasks palte, 161- caskstallow, 110 boxes dross. 30 cases general, 51* casks oleo. 4 bales leather, 8 bales hair, 65_ boxes veal. : Reports just to hand show that- a band 'of pirates seized the Standard Oil Company's launch Comet near Canton on March 22. She was proceed in? to Kongmun. towing a lighter laden with kerosene, and was . passing the second barrier at half-past 6 in ] the evening, when, within sight of Whami iwa Fort, a piratical fleet closed round her. threw a stinkpot into the engine-room, and overpowered the crew. The launch and fixe lighter were beached, and some valuables were removed, but the kerosene was not touched. It had been the intention of the Standard Oil Company to ship 20.000d0l worth of specie on the same trip. - i but the shipment was transferred to a - , freight steamer. The United States Con- , sul is investigating the affair, and the gunboat Callao was despatched to the locality. The wonderful expansion of the German mercantile marine has occasioned a good deal of comment of late throughout theshipping world. Germany now owns 4156 vessels, exclusive of small craft under 17 tons, represanting 3.471.525 tons cross. employing close upon 60.000 men. The population of Germany i* given as 56,367,178, , snowing that fully 10 per cent, of her 1 people are actively engaged in shipping", to say nothing of the large proportion who are directly interested through owning, 1 managing, and building ships. Whilst it \» true that Germany is a cood customer for British-built ships it must be borne in minct that a snootily proportion of them enterinto more or le«s direct competition with British -owned vp,?sr>ls with a con ; oquenti tendency to cut freight rates and wasfas all rriiind.