PORT OF GREY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1932, 15 October 1874, Page 2

PORT OF GREY.

HIGH WATER. This Day- -12.32 ; 12.50 p.m. AKRIVBD. October 14— Nil. SAILED. October 14— Murray, s.s , Palmer, for Westport and Nelson. Passengers : Stephen-son-Burford Troupe, and 12 others. Ino, s.s., Bonner, for Hokitika. Sarah and Mary, schooner, for Lyttelton. EXPECTED ARRIVALS. EmfeT&ld, from Lytteltoo. Mary Ogilvio, from Dunedin, Spray, from Lyttelton. Jessie, from Nelson. Lizzie Guy, from Dunedin Creab of the Wave, from Oamaru. Saucy Lass, from Lyttelton. Marion, from Wellington." Gothenburg, from Melbourne. Otago, from Melbourne. VESSELS IK PORT. Sarah and Mary, from Lyttelton. Ino, from Hokitika. Murray, from Hokitika. IN THE ROADSTEAD.

The sea having gone down considerably during Tuesday night, the shipping business of the port was resumed on Wednesday, •when the s s. Murray sailed tor Westport and Nelson, the s.s. Ino for Hokitika, and the p.s. Dispatch towed to sea the schooner Sarah and Mary, coal-laden, bound for Lyttelton. The Government steamer Luna, with the San Francisco mails, arrived at Wellington at 2 a.m. on Sunday from the Manukau ; arriving at Lyttelton next day ; left the latter port yesterday, and arrived at Akaroa at 9. 10 a. m., where she pnt in weather bound en route for Dunedin. Captain Cross, of the Flying Scud, brings melancholy news from Stewart s Island. He reports that Mr George Preece, of the cutter Jessie Traill, on Sunday last, whilst on a trip from the Bluff to Stewart's Island, about six miles off the island, fell overboard and has not been heard of since. The particulars, as we have them, are as follows :— Mr Preece left tbe Bluff on Sunday morning in the cutter Nelly, and when about six miles off the^island, his mate went below to light his pipe, and when coming on deck some time afterwards, he found Mr Preoce had disappeared, and also that an oar was missing from the deck. He immediately lowered the sail, and hung about the place for s' me time, bat was unable to find any trace of him. An inquiry was held before Captain Greig, R.M., on Stewart's Island. The strangest part of all is that the unfortunate man's mate declares that he did not go to sleep when he went below, and that he did not hear any unusual sounds whatever. — "Southland Times." The Board of Trade, as Receiver-General of Dioits of Admiralty, claim all derelict property picked up at sea by British ships, and masters of ships are bound on arrival to deliver all such property to the Receiver of Wrecks for the district. The law is not statute law, and is not contained in the Merchant Shipping Acts, but will be found in the old books, and we give the following condensed report of the Integrity case as a clear illustration : — ln the case it appeared from the joint affidavit of Robert Haynes and William Ash ton, late seaman on board the Integrity, that being on a voyage from Liverpool to Jamaica, on the 14th May, 1823, the Integrity, at about three days' sail from Maidera, fell in with a merchant vessel waterlogged, and so shattered that they could not make out what she was, • xcept that she was not an English vessel ; that she appeared to have been drifting about the sea for several months, at her sides and even her deck were covered with barnacles ; that the master and the mate of the Integrity boarded the wreck, and fished down her hatchway with a boathook, by means of which they dragged np a heavy trunk containing various gold coins to the value of between L3OO and L4')o. some gold watches, rings, &c. ; they also got np some cordage and claret, but found no papers that could lead to a discovery of the owners, neither could they go below on account of the water. It appeared that the cordage was used up on board the Integrity, and the claret drunk by the master and crew, and that on their return to Liverpool Johnson divided the gold coin with his crew in tolerably fair proportions. The KiDg's Advocate stated that the law did not sanction a private distribution ; that whatever property is found derelict must be restored upon the payment of a salvage to the owner, if he appear in due time ; but if not it must, subject to the same demand, be condemned as a droit of Admiralty. The monition was decreed, and in a few days the master brought in the property, accompanied by an affidavit as to the goods that; bad been found, and as to his perfect ignorance of the law with regard to them. A decree of condemnation subsequently passed, and upon a prayer on the part of the master for salvage remuneration, the Court directed a moiety of the coin and other articles heretofore brought in by him.' to be delivered out for that purpose. — Nautical Magasriue.