THE SQUADRON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 101, 22 January 1908, Page 7

THE SQUADRON.

ITS ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON. _ Witli black smoke belching in great volumes from her four funnels the Powerful, the flagihip of the Australasian Fleet, moved slowly :nto the Wellington harbour a little before Iwo o'clock yesterday afternoon. She was followed -by the Promethous, the Pioneer, Pe"oBiis, and Py) anius, and the warships then took up their anchorage in the bay in proximity to the Challenger; The squadron was outside the Heads some time, but maintained wireless communication with the Challenger during the greater part of the morning. In the afternoon two of th» vessels nianceuvred in the harbour for about an hour. A number of the sailors from each of the men-of-war • were granted leave in the evening, and the officers of the squadron were entertained at dinner on the flagship by Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes. The fleet will remain in Wellington probably. until the end of the month, or until early in February, when Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes wih return direct to Svdnev, and hand over the command of tho station to Admiral Poore, wh- has been recently appointed. Tho latter left for Australia on January 19. Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes will return to England by the Orontes, and will take up his now position oi coimnnndor-in-chicf at Portsmouth. Last night people congregated on the Queen's Wharf to see the lights of the men-of-war, which appeared to stretch across the harbour as if a continuation of the Oriental Bay lights. No sound camo from the grim anil Stealthy hulls, except one or twice the distant notes of n bugle-call. From the mast-head of the flagship, a flashlight was busy with a message, and at its conclusion answering Hashlights wime out of tho darkness, and then bugle-calls again sounded over the waters—apparently they were tho last orders for the night.