Vessel Ashore.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume V, Issue 270, 29 January 1850, Page 3

Vessel Ashore.

We regret to have to report that during the heavy gale of Friday last, the Hawaiian Schooner "Ilia-mama" (Grayhouud), Captain Church, of Honolulu,in making for this port/was driven upon a ledge of rocks running out from the west head of the Tamaki, where she bilged, and went over nearly on her beam ends. A vigorous attempt is being made to float her off, in which, we are glad to find, there is every prospect of success j and, on inspection, we trust that the injuries she has sustained will be found less serious than were first anticipated. The "Ilia-mama ' is one of those remarkable vessels whose performances give her a peculiar interest. Built at Baltimore, on the celebrated model of the clippers which have made the name of that sea-port famous, she proved herself equal to the most noble of any of her sister-craft, and was consequently early employed in services where her extraordinary speed gave her advantages over every com- ; petitor. On one occasion she made the passage from New York to Valparaiso, round the I Horn, in the winter season, in 60 days. In the Pacific she saw some service in privateering, which was put a stop to by her capture by the Peruvian Government, who had her for several years under their flag, equipped as a war schooner, under the name of the " Galga.' r From their agents in San Francisco she was purchased by her I present owner Mr. Risely, in September j last, and had only performed two successful trips among the Sandwich Islands when she sailed for this port for a cargo of produce. We regret her loss the more on account of her not being insured, and from the fact of her having undergone repairs to the extent of nearly £2,000 a short time previously to her disposal by the Peruvian Government. A finer model of a vessel has never been seen in our waters, and convinces one at first sight of her extraordinary sailing capabilities. Her passage from the Sandwich Islands has been the quickest ever made to these colonies, having been performed in 31 days, out of which her logbook shows her to have been becalmed 8 days, during which she did not make 600 miles. The chief cause of this accident may be attributed to the want of a pilot station on Tiritiri - matangi, which island the vessel passed in safety. No charts of the coast, or of Hauraki Grulf, being procurable at Honolulu, Captain Church was obliged to make for the harbour without these preliminary requisites. Having run close on the buoy recently laid down on the sunken rock off Tiritiri, and fearing that he had got into a channel, he took the Eastern passage between Motou-tapu and Waiheki, having 1 cleared which he stood over for the mouth 1 of the Tamaki, in beating out of which he suddenly came into shoal water, and one of the heavy squalls, accompanied with thick showers, having come on at the time, before he could come to an anchor, or put the vessel about, she had touched the reef, upon which she lay a considerable time before heeling over.

The "River Chief," from Hobart Town December 7, and from Melbourne sth instant, on her voyage to San Francisco via Tahiti, put into our harbour on Friday Evening last, for a further supply of water and fresh provisions. We have been favored by Captain Matthews and one of the passengers with some Port Phillip papers, coming up to the sth instant. They contain, however, no later intelligence from England than already received, neither have they any general matter of particular interest to our readers.

Mechanic's Institute — We are limited by time and space to a very concise notice of the Meeting of the friends of this Institution;

held last evening, for the purpose of its reorganization. The business of the evening (conducted under the able presidency of W. Connell, Esq.,) consisted in the appointment of officers, the enrolling of (48) names as the nucleus of the resuscitated Society, and the choosing therefrom 15 as members of the first Committee of Management. The greatest unanimity prevailed throughout the evening's proceedings, and when the meeting separated it was with the belief that they had succeeded in effeoting one great step towards the permanent establishment of this great desideratum.

The Band of H. M. 58th Regt. will perform the following pieces, on the Grounds of Government House, on Thursday next, between the hours of 4 and 6 :—: — Orerture— "Guy Mannering" Bishop. Melange— Op. "The Bohemian Gul" Bilfe. Cayatina — Op. "Marino Falieri".... Donizetti. Recit. &Cay.— Op. "Eliza c Claudia" Mercudante. Waltz — "D' Amour" Koenig. Quadrille — "II Giuramento" Mohr. Polka — "The Agne«" Brown. Sons — "The YeH-w-H aired L»ddie*» Song— "SdYOurneen Deelish" Campbell.