EXPECTED ARRIVALS AT WELLINGTON.

Monpwai, from Sydney, on Wednesday. Atitnie. left London sth August, via Capetown and Hobart; Titaaia, left New York, via Auckland, June 25th. Wakanui, - lef t London, 3rd July, '-via Capetown and Auckalnd. Paparoa, left Plymouth, via Capetown and/ Hobart, July 19th. Pakeha/left London Tun* 3rd, via Capetown and Hobart.:

The Star of New Zealand left Wellington on the Bth inst., for London direct, and is due there on September 17th. This steamer will be despatched again on her next voyage to the colonies- so aa to be available for homeward loading in New Zealand about the 18th of January. The, Bedhill, from New Tork, arrived at Melbourne on the Bth, instant, and , is now discharging her cargo for that port. Thence she proceeds to Sydney, Auckland, Wellington, Lyttolton, and probably Port Chalmers. - The, Niwaru, which left Wellington , on the 16th of July for London direct, is due then on the 4th of September. She will be despatched again so as to be- available for homeward loading in ' New Zealand about the 20th of December. . A steam/ steel water tank firefloat and tog vessel of 300 horse-power indicated is to be constructed at Sydney by the royal naval authorities for use_ in the harbour> Her dimensions will be: Length between the perpendiculars 115 ft, and beam, 21ft. She will nave a displacement of about 390 tons, and the capacity of her water tanks will be 130 tons. . . ' \ The s.s. Ripley, now on her way to Port Chalmers from New York, via Australian ports and Auckland, is due about tha 4th of September. The Leth- ' ington will follow ncr about the 25th inst., and will be succeeded in turn bj tho Hawke's Bay, sailing about the 35th of September. The turret steamer Lime Branch left •.Newcastle for San Francisco on August. ■- 11, with a record cargo of Wallsend coal, amounting to 7936 tons. Loading was/commenced at 10 a.m. on\the 2nd inst., and was completed 'at 2 p:m. on tho 11th; the, vessel sailing at three o'clock the. same afternoon. The steamer Michigan, a vessel of 17,500 tons displacement, and the second largest vessel .that- has even entered the port of Cardiff, was recently dotted in the Cardiff Channel dry dock, "where" »he was shored up,, painted, and had repairs- to her rudder made —all in U hours." The port has always had a,' reputation for repairing vessels of all- descriptions,, and judging from the above performance the dock-owners do not intend to take' a second place to Any port in the Empire. Thei P. and O. Company's new steamship Orontes, which -will leave London •am in October for Australia, is dcacribed a» a strikingly handsome vessel, with, a straight stem, elliptical stern, forecastle; long promenade deck and poop. She is a ship of 9000 tons repstor, and her principal dimensions are: Length overall 530 ft, breadth (mould-ed)-38ft 2in. The displacement of the vessel is 16,000 tons, and her engines are of the quadruple expansion type and of 10,000 horse-power. There are six -decks in all. Accommodation has been provided for .320 saloon and- 320 third-class passenger*. A ealvage claim of £4000 has been made against the barque. Netherby by the captain and crew of the tug Bacer. The Netherby was bound from Liverpool id Melbourne, and in a recent gale came to anchor near Cape Patterson, and made signals, which were interpreted to mean assistance was wanted. The tug Bacer responded, and towed the Netherby into Melbourne—hence the claim.

The' annual statement of British shipping for 1901 shows tttat the merchant navy of Great Britain consists of 20,050 vessels of 14,607,849 gross tonnage, an increase of over half a million tons as compared with last year. Vessels of 775,681 net tonnage were built for the British merchant fleet, and vessels of 207,452 net tonnage for foreign countries. Last year 326 vessels of 240,482 tons were sold to foreigners during the year.