MISCELLANEOUS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2738, 3 May 1866, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

Nkw Coastfr. — A fine new coasting cutter, built to the order ut Mr. Auiunio Martin, at Mr. Beddoes's yard, Noith shore, was brought over to Auckland yw&terday, and will shortly be placed in the firewood trade. fahe is a smart-looking craft, of about 30 tons, builders' measurement. Th« Patbnt Slip — The brig Waverley was taken on to Mr. £ iccol's new patent slip at high tide yesterday ; but, owing to an accident to the working gear, was not lifted her full height on the cradle. The gear was not found to work so smoothly as desirable, but when used a little this difficulty will disappear, and the utility of the enterprise will become ■tore and more apparent. The Zillah. — The schooner Zillah will be offered for sale at auction, to-day, by Mr. Da.vid Nathan She is in good working order, and possesses good accommodation for carrying cattle. The Ivanhoe. — The regularly trading schooner Ivanhoe, Captain McGregor, arrived at the North Shore yesterday morning from Mongonui, with a cargo of cattle, &c, on account of Mr. Maxwell, of the Flagstaff. She alao prought up produce ana several passengers. After discharging at the North Shore the Ivanhoe came to the pier, and will discharge 25 tons kauri gum this morning. Captain and Mrs. Butler, Mr. and Mrs. Duffus, and six others were passengers by her. — Cruickshank, Smart, and Co., agents. The p.s. Stint,n t, for Tauranga, Opotiki, and Napier, was yesterday detained by the Government. She will probably get away to day. A number of Government surveyors proceed to Opotiki this trip. The Lombard, which arrived at Kohimarauua on Monday, and came up harbour yesterday after discharging, brought 90 head of fat cattle from Poit Curtis, and experienced a tedious passage, with a succession of light winds and calms until arriving <ff this coast. Reports the barque Kate Waters as about to follow her; thea.s. s. Salamander having left for Melbourne, with cattle. The barque Eliza Shairpe, Captain Gay, entered inwards at the Customs yesterday from San Francisco, with a cargo of oats, and will haul alongside to discharge this morning. The schooner Donald McLean, Captain Patey, will sail for Turanganui and Napier in a day or two. The .Ringdove, cutter, arrived in harbour at 10 o'clock last evening, from iMahurangi, with a cargo of produce and eight passengers, haviug left that place at ten o'clock the same morning. The schooner George discharged a cargo of kauri gum from the '1 haines, yesterday. The schooner Lily arrived yesterday from Waiheki, with a cargo of firewood. The cattle barque Lombard, Captain Wolffe, came up harbour yesterday from Kohimarama, in order to take in stores and water before leaving again for Queensland. The cutter Betsy is receiving new rigging and other improvements alongside Custom-house-street. Several cargo boats are also receiving an overhaul at the same place. The new schooner Aspasia, built to the order of Mr. Thomas Russell, is being fitted out for sea alongside Custom-house-street. The N.Z.S. V Company's s s. Wellington, Captain Thompson, will leave the wharf at 2 p.m. to-day for Tauranga, Napier, and Wellington. Ihe schooner Mapere has been taken alongside Custom-house-street to undergo an overhaul. The schooner Rapid, Captain Bailey, ariived yesterday atternoon from Tairua, with a cargo of 20,000 feet of sawn timber. The Rapid left Tairua on Sunday night, and experienced rough weather during tjue passage. Reports the cutters Mary Ann and Shamrock about to take in cargoes of timber for this port, when she left. The cutter Hero, Joiner, master, sailed last evening for Mercury Bay, with sundry merchandise. The schooner Elf, Kuhl, master, sailed yesterday for Puhoi in ballast. The schooner Ben Nevis, Fluck, master, sailed last night for Cabbage Bay, with coal, sundries, and three passengers. 'J he cutter Snowflake sailed for the Thames yesterday with sundries and three passengers. The cutter Brisk sailed for Maraiati in, ballast, yesterday. The cutter Waterlily, Allan, master, sailed last evening for aiheki, in ballast. We learn from a letter received from a passenger by the barge Fawn, hence to Wanganui, that the corpse of a man was passed on the passage, also a corked bottle, apparently containing papers ; but, from the state of the weather at the time, no examination of either took place. — Tasmanian Morning Herald. The arrival of H. M. s. sloop Falcon at Port Arthur caused quite a sensation. Soon after the anchor was dropped, her decks were besieged by visitors. On Wednesday a game of cricket was got up between eleven of the residents of Port Arthur and eleven of the officers and seamen of the Falcon. The play lasted the entire day, and resulted in the Falcon eleven being victorious. The band of the Curagoa was on the cricket ground, and its music was a pleasant appendage to the cricketing. An excellent luncheon was provided by the people of Port Arthur. During the stay of the Falcon there was big gun and rifle exercise on board, which highly gratified the visitors and people«pn shore. — Ibid. H.M. s.s. Falcon sailed yesterday morning at an early hour, for a cruise. It is understood she will return to this port in a few weeks' time. The Falcon passed to the eastward at 10 a.m. — Ibid. H.M. s.s. Curagoa, carrying the flag of Sir William Wiseman, the Commodore of the Australian station, sailed at noon yesterday, for Adelaide, and passed to the eastward. — Ibid. Loss of the Akgonatjt.— The Argonaut was a full-rigged ship ,of 1,071 tons. bhe was built at Quebec in 1858, and was commanded by Captain McKenzie. She sailed from St. John's, is ew Brunswick, for Greenock, on the Ist December, having on board a full cargo of timber. After she left port the weather proved very boisterous, and south-west gales "prevailed till the 24th December, when the ship was about 360 miles to the westward of Tory Island, and making for the North Channel. About 7 o'clock on the evening of the 24th the three masts and everything attached went overboard. The boats, bulwarks, and stanchions were swept away ; the cabin was stove in, and, in fact, the vessel was stripped of everything that the fearful sea could carry away. The rudder afterwards became unshipped ; and in the morning, to crown the misery of the unfortunate crew, the ship became waterlogged. The officers and crew all managed to get into the forecastle, where they lived huddled together for seventeen days, suffering the keenest distress of mind and body. All the clothe 3, bed and bedding, were washed out of the forecastle, and, as the ship was at the mercy of the sea, every wave washed clean over her. The whole stock of provisions which could be found was a few biscuits and a little beef and pork. The only water left in the tank was found to have been impregnated with salt, and the quantity left was very small. The crew, twentyseven in number, saw no hope but to eke out existence as well as possible. The daily quantity of rations served out was half an ounce of bread, a quarter of a pound of beef, and one wineglassful of water for the first ten days, which was taken each day at 12 o'clock. During the seven last days the men were on the wreck they had no bread at all, but three wineglassfuls of brackish water were served as a substitute. To such extremities were they reduced that they cooked and ate the cat. On the Bth of January land was sighted, and towards nightfall the ship struck on the rocks near the south end of South Uist. When daylight broke, a man named Ferguson, assisted by his family, dragged a boat across the island, a distance of four miles, over the snow, and after experiencing great dangers succeeded in rescuing the shipwrecked mariners. '1 he poor fellows were conveyed to a farmhouse, where every assistance that could be rendered them in their sick and famishing condition was freely and heartily accorded. — English paper.

French Sihpping.— A return just issued in France shows that the effective of the French merchant navy, sailing vessels and steamers united, on the 31st of December, 1864, was 15,181. in number, and 998,519 in tonnage. On the 31st of December, 1863, the number was 15,092, and the tonnage 985,235. The increase in the course in the course of the year 1861 was, consequently, 92 vessels and 3,384 tons. The following ia a detail of the number and tonnage of the vessels at the end of 1864 :—: — No. Tonnage. Vessels of 800 tons and upwards 50 ... 58,216 „ 700 to 800 ... 31 ... 22,943 „ 600 to 700 ... 50 ... 32,433 „ 500 to 600 ... 119 ... 65,196 „ 400 to 500 ... 256 ... 114,605 „ 300 to 400 ... 296 ... 104,826 „ 200 to 300 ... 639 ... 155,318 „ 100 to 200 ... 1,286 ... 181,116 „ 60 to 100 ... 1,541 ... 117,759 „ 30 to 60 ... 1,586 ... 67,742 „ 20 to 30 ... 963 ... 23,6 35 „ 10 to 20 ... 1,591 ... 23,113 „ below 10 ... 6,776 ... 31,588

15,184 998,519 Of the above, as many as 8,596 vessels, of 41,197 tons, were employed in what the French call the " little fishery," that, namely, on the coasts of Prance; 6,691, and 33,877 tons, belonging to the Atlantic Ports ; and 1,905, and 7,630 tons, to those of the Mediterranean. The number of men occupied in the 8,596 boats wa541,197, of whom 33,877 belonged to the former ports, and 2,320 to the latter.