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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1710, 27 January 1874, Page 2

Yesterday afternoon the p.s. Chas. Edward returned from Hkoitaia. She will leave for Westport and Nelson this afternoon. A schooner passed the port early yesterday, and as soon as the tide would serve the Dispatch, Titan, and Waipara, swung off from tho wharf, and crossed the bara few minutes from each other in the order named. The Dispatch was the first to speak the Bchooner, which proved to be the Flying Cloud, from Lyttelton to Hokitika, in ballast. As she had previously been engaged for the Titan, that vessel was signalled to take her in tow, and "the Dispatch returned to port. Both the Titan, and the Waipara had a considerable number of passngers. The s s. Albion, due here to-mororw, when she will take passengers for Melbourne direct. The following appeared in a recent issue of of the -drflrcw, from its special, correspondent : "On the morning of Friday, the Bth August, we successfully threaded a number of reefs and coral patches on the east coast of Rabi, which no place in the chart, though the neighborhood is supposed to have been surveyed by Commander Wilkes, of the United States Navy. The afternoon of the, same day found us fairly ■waltzing down the straits of Somo, light airs blowing from nearly evary point of the compass at once. As the Alacrity circled about, we were one moment bearing right down on the bright green plantations pf Taviuni — near enough to recognise the owners': houses— and the next threatening to . spoil, the symmetry of the shore of Vanua Levu, opposite." The amp Otago, bound to London, cleared at the Customs, Dunedin, on the 19th inst. The value or her cargo is estimated as follows :— Gold, L 33.256 15s ; wheat, L 827 5s ; wool, L68.290 19s 6d ; oil, L9O ; butter, L 7 5; ferns, LSO; sundries, L 5. Total, 1i102,639 19s Gd. . The value of the Surat's cargo i« not nearly so great as is generally supposed. The total value entered at the London Custom House was L 23.700. This amount includes the railway material, the value of which was L 6906. On the 19th inst. Messrs M'Landres°, Hepburn, and Co, held a sale of goods saved from the Surat j and notwithstanding that the drapery and clothing appeared to be thoroughly saturated by the salt water, yet they realised high prices, in some instances equal to the usual who'esjle price. 241 cases of Hennessy's brandy brought 27s 9d a case. A quarter-cask of Hunt's port, apparently an ullage one, went for L 7. Tobacco, 5Jd per lb. These goods were all sold under bond. The candles were sold for 9|d per lb, and An<l hams Is 2d, both duty paid. . An important provision in the new Imperial Merchant Shipping Act has come into force. Iv every case of collision the master or person iv charge of each vessel is to stay by the other ys?Bel, and to render 'all the assistance in his power, and to give the name ,of the vessel and the port to which she belongs, and the port to which she is bound In default, and no reasonable cause is shown, the offender is to be deemed guilty Gf a misdemanor: and, if a certified officer, his certificate may be cancelled or suspended.