ARRIVAL OF THE WHALING BARQUE ALBION.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1306, 15 April 1874, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE WHALING BARQUE ALBION.

The Auckland whaling barque Albion, Captain Hall, arrived in harbour this afternoon,! after a cruise of seventeen months in the South Seas. She brings fourteen tons of sperm oil. This is in addition to seven tons which were landed at the Bay of Islands in May last. One death has taken place during the cruise, 'that of a seaman named Peter, a" native of the island of Tanna> wlio died from consumption and was buried on the 22nd October, 1873. Since leaving the Bay of Islands the only place called at by the Albion is the Chatham Islands, where she lav off and on for three months., leaving there on the Ist February. Since then the barque has been cruising about French Rock. Four whales have been captured during the cruise on the following dates :—February 18th, 1873, 70 barrels; October 15th, 5 barrels (a calf); March 16th, 1874, 50 do.; April 3rd, 1874, 90 do. It will be thus seen that no less less than 140 barrels out of 215 have been taken during the last month. This must be rather a tantalising fact for the shareholders of the company. The ship Dorette took her departure from her anchorage for the quarantine ground off Motuihi this afternoon. The Agnes, cutter, left the Manukau yesterday for the Waikato with 14,500 feet nf timber, shipp&d by J. W. Waller. The schooner Belle Brandon arrived from Lyttelton yesterday with a cargo of grain, &c. She is discharging alongside the wharf. The barque Serene, Captain Segerman, now lying at Wellington, has been chartered by Messrs R. Walker and Co. to supply the place of the East Lothian. She is' to sail for Wellington on Saturday, and will on arrival be placed on the birth for New York. The following, taken from the Dunedin Guardian of the Gth instant, is illustrative of the careless way in which the property of the unfortunate immigrants by the Surat has been looked after by the immigration officers down South. It will be remembered that when the vessel was sold the purchasers claimed all the passengers' effects, but an outcry was raised against it, and at. last an injunction was obtained from the Supreme Court forbidding their appropriation. It will be seen that between friends and foes the passengers have come to the ground :— " The luggage belonging to the Surat's passengers was on Saturday removed from Mr Miller's store, in Bond-street, to the Kaitangata coal shed on the Jetty-street Wharf, Where it will probably be delivered to the passengers to-morrow. It is to be feared that the delay which has taken place in coming to arrangements for its delivery will have resulted in almost rendering it useless. Since the'injunction from the Supreme Court was served on the salvors they have not removed any of the luggage which was on board the Surat at the time. Since then several of the passengers' packages have been washed out of the ship and lost, it being nobody's interest to look after them." Since the above we learn by telegram that the passengers have entered an action against the captain for damage to their goods. The HawTces Bay Herald says :—"lt is reported that Messrs Brogden intend laying the p.s. Patteson on regularly in the Auckland and Napier trade."