SHIPPINGS INTELLIGENCE. PORT OF AUCKLAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4749, 13 November 1872, Page 2

SHIPPINGS INTELLIGENCE. PORT OF AUCKLAND.

HIQB Water, ThJi Day : 5.19 a m. , 542 p.m. Sunkise arid SuNSETIThis Day : 448 *.m.; 641 p m Moon's Ph\sb.— Full iMoon, Nov. 15, 4.47 p m. Wind.— November 19 N.E , fresh. WSatuv-K, — November 12, cloudy.

ARRIVALS. Columbia, schooner, 40 ions, McLeod, rom Napier. •— M\ster, agent.

"DEPARTURES. Rowena, for Northern ports; Luna, for Southern ports, via Russell.

VESSELS EXPECTED. Bhlpi* numbers *re from " New Commercial Onde " t>OM Lkndun — Northum Castle, chip, sailed \U£. 21; Agnes Wnir, ship, sailed Sept. 4. LoadiDg: Chile, Caduceus, Harvest Home, ihips. From Glasgow.— Helen Dennjr, ship, sailed Aug 3. From Ltpirpool. — GUdmtour, bq., sailed Aug. 23, BUT. From Wit? York.— Polar Star, ihlp, tailed July 10, HPFM Fkok Mauritius.— Ayr, bq., From Honolulu. — Dakota, p.s. F«,i>m Melbourne.— Heio, s.s , eaily. From Stdnkt — Hero, ss., early ; Southern Cross, sch.; Amateur, bq , loading From Newoabilb. — Hercules, sch., early. From Tahiti.— Dauntless, sch. From Levoxa.— Flirt, sch , Success, sch,, Merlin, sch., early From Ltttei.ton.— Ch*rybdi3, sch., loading. Fkom Sodthibn Ponw. — In the Manokau : Phoebe, s. s., Taranaki, M.S.

PROJECTED DEPARTURES. In this list coasters are not included. For London.— Countess of Kintore, ship ; Owen and Graham agents. City of Auckland, ship, early; CruicVsbank and Co , agents Fob. New York.— Coromlla, bq., loading; Kolph, Sterry, *n<i Co . agents. For Honolulu — Nebraska, p s ; Henderson and Macfarlane. agents For bxosEY. — Hero, s s., CruitksUank and Co , agents. For South Sea. Jsianps —Jessie Niccol, sch., early ; Owen and Graoain. .igents Fob jmeu ualedonh — Iv.mhoe, sch., eaily; Crulckshank and Co , agents Fob Norfolk Islinds — Ivanhoe, sch., early, Cruickshank and Co , agents ifvjß Southern Ports, — From the Mauukau : Wellington, s s ; Taranaki, s s.; Combes and Daldj 1 , agent!

Tbo si ip Countess of ICintoie will clear outwards ab the Customs for London to- (ay, and will proceed to t,ea to morrow, should the wind be favourable. The schooner Ivauhoe will load for New Caledonia, aurl sail in a few days. The s.s. Star of the South will leave for Napier to day. The Col Gov. p s. Luna teok her departure for Southern ports vul llussell lasbt evening The schooner Columbia, from Napier via Poverty B-iy, ai rived in harbour yesterday, "bringing a cai go of 148 bales %v 001, 2 tons nails. The schooner Tauranga, from Kaipava, brings a car^o of 396 bags gum, 6 hides, 100 bales flax, 4 bales tow, 133 bags gum. The schooner Golden Isle, for Russell, and the Cambiia, for Whangs rei, cleared outwards at the Customs yesterday. The whaling ships Miltou and Mger have arrived at Kussell with about 150 tuns of oil each. It will be remembeted that these vessels were fishiug in the same waters as the Auckland whaling baique Albion, when the men on board that vessel struck work. It was subsequent to the return, of the Albion that the other two vessels met with the success which made them full ships. No doubt had the men on the Albion been more reasonable they would have returned to port with a considerable amount due to them, instead of being wholly unsuccessful. Both the Niger and Milton have lost their second mates throus/h. the cdDsizinc of hr\at<s hv whales. The body of the mate of the Niger was afterwaids found on the beach at Tanna, and there interred by natives. After discharging their oil at Russell both vessels will leave again for the fisheries. A yacht race has been arranged to come off on Saturday next between the yachts Sabrinaand Fleetwing, A.V.C., for £5 a side. The race is to be sailed under the rules and regulations of the Auckland Yacht Club. The course is from the wharf round the chequered buoy in Rangitoto Channel, thence round the buoy off Drunken Bay, and back to the wharf. The start is to take place at 9 a.m. " A sailing race is to come off this (Tuesday) afternoon," says our Thames correspondent, " between the well-known yacht Energy,, belonging to Mr. Waymouth, of the Auckland Club, and a yacht named the Vandolph, the property of Mr. Bar won, of the Thames. The "challenge, for £20, originated in the latter gentlemen. The Vandolph ia a smart little craft of some seven tons register, being three tons smaller than her antagonist, which is to be handicapped to equalise this difference in power. The course between Grahamstown and Tararu has been moored by boats and buoys, and embraces a wide sweep of water. The distanct to be run will depend upon the quantity of wind blowing : if a stiff breeze, the course will be twice gone over ; if a light one, only once." [As will be seen by our telegrams, the Energy was the winner,] The Nebraska. —The following address I was presented to Captain Harding on the j arrival of the mail steamship Nebraska from Honolulu on Friday last :—": — " S.s. Nebraska, Auckland harbour, November 8, 1872. Dear sir, — We, the undersigned passengers per 8.8. Nebraska, before separating at Auckland wish to express our appreciation of your excellent qualities as commander, evidenced both by the high state of discipline on board and by your constant endeavours to promote the comfort of all the passengers, thereby rendering our voyage as pleasant as possible. We feel it due to the proprietors of the line to bear witness to the very superior arrangements for the comfort and health of the passengers, in the thorough ventilation of state rooms and saloon, together with the general cleanliness maintained throughout the ship. We have much pleasure also in expressing our thanks to the officers under your command for their uniform courtesy in our intercourse with them. In bidding you farewell, we heartily wish both you and them health and prosperity. -We re main, &c. [Here follow the signatures.] To Captain Harding, s.s. Nebtaska." The following letter has been received by Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane from the passengers by the last trip of the Nebraska to Honolulu :— "Honolulu, 2lßt October, 1872.— T0 Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, agents for the Nebraska. — G-entlemen, so agreeably are we pleased with this ship, Captain Harding, his offisers, and stewards, that we feel we would be wanting in our doty to the public were we to refrain from, expressing to you our approbation of the comfort and pleasure we have had in the trip from Auckland to Honolulu. We have all been sea-going travellers, and never felt so comfortable on board any ship as we have been on board the Nebraska ; she sails well, is very commodious, excellent ventilation, particularly cl«san, comfortable beds, good attendance, an amply provided table, with capital winea and liquors at very moderate charges. We have much pleasure in recommending this vessel to our friends in Auckland and the New Zealand travelling public. —We remain, &c. W. Morrin, Robert Graham, Samuel Cochranb, William Woolley, G. G. Smith, W.' Kelly, M. B. Smith."

Ottk Ironclads at Sea.— A special corMipondent of the Tiviet with the combined Channel and First Reserve Squadrons gives an account of the doinga of the fleet whilst between Falmouth and Plymouth. The correspondent explains that the reason Admiral Hornby drops anchor, nearly each alternate day of a short cruise is, that the taking of such vessels as those which comprise the combined' a^uadronr'in 'ahdroufc of Harbour

in their place in lino, and bringing them to their anchors with precision, are two of the moßt useful of nil the steam manoeuvres which can be taught, and which cannot be well learnt without practice under various conditions of weather and locality. Ironclads are difficult to handle, and the least error in speed or steering may damage to the amount (if thousands of pouuds a fighting machiue of incredible costliness. That leaving a port in company is not yet reduced to a certainty of safety, is evident from the collision at Belfast, in which the Minotaur and Bellerophon hurt each other rather seriously, starting plates and ribs, the repair of which is likely to come to a sum of money also rather serious. In leading, the Favourite led, the other 'vessels preserving their lieaimg3 from her and from each other. This necessitated a good deal of nicd steering and steaming, especially when Admiral Hornby altered the course a point or two, as he did from time to time. The signalling from the fUgships was incessant. The midshipmen on the bridges had lively times, semaphores worked fiom ship to ship, and the permanent signals denoting the speed of the vessel, the number of evolutions the screw was making, and the position of the helm had to be altered a hundred times an hour,as the ironclad made haste to recover lost ground, or dropped astern to a position it had overshot. The lines were generally well kept, and it was a pretty sight to watch the great ships doing their drill, now tacking in succession, now advancing in a V line (one of Nelson's favourite formations), now in echelon, now in a long double column, and now in three shorter lines led by the three rear-admirals in their flagships — the Minotaur, Achilles, and Agincourt. After dark the easiest conversation was held with Captain Colomb's flashing lights, though now and then a vessel got wrong in obeying an order, as when an ironclad, which shall be nameless, endeavouring in the watches of the night to obey a signal for the fleet to wear in succession, wandered away alone, and was iighted upon some time afterwards by the flagship, with a good deal more astonishment than pleasure. After dinner the Agincourt and Sultan asked permission to haul out of the line to try torpedo experiments. The Agincourt expeiirnented by herself, but Captain Vansittart, of the Sultan, thought he might as well see what he could do with on 3 or two of his neighbours. One of Harvey's torpedoes, of a size to have contained 701b of gun-cotton, was got ready and lowered over the taffrail. About 200 yards of wire rope were run out, and the Sultan steamed rapidly past the Hector ; the torpedo, dragging its cork buoys after it, coursed foaming through the water, rising and falling as a porpoise swims, but it m ssed the Hector. Captain Vansittait was inoio successful with the Penelope, the torpedo striking her fait ly under thequaiter. Th Northumberland, the cot respondent says, is a magmticent station-keeper, and seems always to be in her exact place. The Valiant, Captain Buckley, V C, the coastguard ship from the Shannon, byit the whole sijuadiou at setting her canvas on Monday, though, like those of the other coastgntud ships, her crew have only worked together for a week or two Every morning each ve3Sel signals the amount of coal used during the last 24 hoius, and there is a gieat nvaliy among the captains as to who shall use the least So far we have h<vd yachting weather, and if it keeps as lino for the lest of the cuiise it will be haid to imagine a more delightful ten days, or a finer and more imposing spectacle than those 15 vessels, manned by nearly 9,000 men, setting and taking in their sails, steering and steaming here and there, the whole picture set in a calm sea, and picked out by the bits of colour of the flying signals Every one is praising the way in which the unpractised officers and men of the reserve squadron aic making their ships do the various work required of them. The officers of both squadrons are on their mettle, and it is very evident that Admiral Hornby means to keep them so, and especially to turn the cruise to good account in the practice of seamanship."