SHIPPING.

Evening Star, Issue 5014, 29 March 1879, Page 2

SHIPPING.

High Water, TO-MOBROW. Hradb. I pt. Chalmbes. I Dmnrom. 6.41 p.m. J 7.21 p.m. | 8.11 p.m. MOKDAT. 7.87 p.m. | 8.17 p.m. | 9.7 p.m. Fort Chalmers. AERTVEl*—March 29. Waitaki. s.s.. 228 tons, Edie. from Oainaru Pw sengers: Mrs Kempster, Messrs Atkinson (l\ ■ c \.l\ * in the steerage. v '' ■=■ Beuutilul star, s.a, 146 tons, Jonea. from Timaru. Tararua, s.s., 503 tons, Sinclair, from Svdnev via intermediate ports. Passengers : Mcsdau.es J* MKissack, F Morse, two children, and servant Mis* M'Gilvray, Messrs Slmttleworth, Elton, Dewsl.im Day, Parr, Wadie, Holder, Smith; sixteen m t e' Eteerage. v SAILKD-March 29. • Myrtle, brigantine, 167 tons, Anderson, for Oamaru.

We understand that Captain Carey, of the Rotorua, "• will succeed Captain Underwood in the Arawata. Captain Underwood gooS Home per John Elder to . bring out the Company's new steamer ftotomahana. Tho ship Western Monarch was berthed alongside the new pier this forenoon to complete her loading for London. Tho barque Freotfadw was berthed at the railway pier to discharge her cargo of timber. The B.s.,Tararua arrived at Port Chalmers at 11.15 ft m. from Sydney, via intermediate ports. She left Ly Mel ton at 6 p.m. on tho 27th Inst, and oxperietioad the full force of a terrific S. W. (rale, which moderated at. 4 a.m. to-day. tho Tnmrua Is to be docked «* e ™ »p painting and general overhaul. The s.B. Beautiful Star arrived early this morning from Timaru, and Bteamed alongside the ship Dunodi?totranship 1,005 sacks grain. The s.B. Waitaki arrived this morning from Oamaru *lth 700 sackß wheat for the barque Ethelberht, atid W2 sacks for the ship Dunedin. Tho following Is tho passenger list per Wanganul, which leaves this evening for London:—Saloon : Mr Mid Mrs Skinner, Miss M'Dermid, Messrs A. L. Reed, J. Hay, Eichbaum, R Williams, R. Galloway. Second Cabin—Messrs M'lntosh, Rennle, Basstian, and Shayton. >. J< H.M.B. Emerald has only recently arrived on the Australian Station. She Is a ship of 12 guns, and 350 h.p. The following is a list of the officers:—Ci»ptain, w. H. Maxwell; lieutenants, A. C. Clarke, H. D. Barry, H. Harris, R. G. Giles; naval lieutenant, J. Btocken: chaplain, Rev. G. H. Trehonarne: staffsurgeon, J. r., Burke; paymaster, It. J. Harvey; O. Oldknow; Bub-lleutenants, H. E. Goldfinch, W. O. Oxley; surgeon, G. W. Williamson. The-Arrogante, the French war vessel, the foundering of which in a gnle with the loss of forty-seven live*, was cabled" this week, was of 1,388 tons, and belonged to the lowest (floating battonos) of the five classes into which the French ironclad fleet is divided. i he thickness of her iron-plating was only five inches, and she was armed with nine 6-ton guns, and possessed engines of 60?-horse power, being propelled by screws, she \n s> practically speaking, of an obsow. tvT ■ °* Ironclad, being built many years ago, in tho 084,y a ayß of tho i ron . p i atulg , 0 i vessels. MERCHANT CRUISERS. The Hecla, formerly the, British Empire, originally fc merchant Steamer, now an armed man-of-war, has lately.returned to Portsmouth from a successful trial t uruUe of several weeks' duration, and the ' Pall Mall Gazette' gives this description of her :—The Hecla is a v. m '^ or B P ec ' mell vessel, having been bought by the Admiralty some months ago in order that experiments might be made, in the first place, as to the possibility of converting in case of emergency merchant steamships of a certain class into armed cruisers for tho protection of our commerce, or for any other pur-,-pose for which fast, unarmored, and not very heavily armed ships might bo usefully employed ; and in the second plare, in order that it might bo determined by actual trial how the proposed conversion of a peaceful into a fighting ship might be best effected. The Heckla herself is armed with six Gt-poundcr guns, the Sides and., deck of the vessel in the neighborhood of each piece having been strengthened to enable those parts to withstand the strain brought upon them when the guns are fired. Ports have been cut in the sides of tho ship through which torpedoes can bo discharged, and she carries also four fast torpedo launches. Assuming, theroforo, that torpedoes aro the formidable weapons which they aro generally believed to be, the Hecla must be hoheld to be offensivelyavery powerful vessel, and ono which might, under certain circumstances, prove to he a dangerous antagonist for even a largo ironclad. To strengthen the Hecla defetisively a novel expedient has been resorted to. hi vessels of Her build the engines are to a great extent above the water-line, and are, therefore, more exposed than even in an ordinary unarmored man-of-war' To protect, therefore, this vital part of the shi" as much as possible, coal armor, as it', has been named, has, been employed ; or, ,in other words, the machinery and boilers of tho vessels havo been surrounded with 'permanent hunkers, which are filled with coal and strengthened with thin iron plates. Before this plan was adopted it .was ascertained by experiments made at Portsmouth, that this coal armour possesses considerable resisting power, and will, at all events, keep out the projectiles of guns as powerful as those carried by the Hecla herself. During the cruise from which she has Just returned, it was proved that her guns could be fired without in any way; straining or damaging the ship. SUpping Telegram. Ltttkltok, March 29.—Arrived : Ladybird, from Port Chalmers, via Akaroa, at 1 p.m. ■