ARRIVED.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 220, 16 September 1880, Page 2

ARRIVED.

Sept. 15, cutter Wave, 10, Rieketts, from Tata Island. — brig Syren, 157, Collirer, from Newcastle. 36, steamer Hawea, 461, Kennedy, from Taranaki and Manukau. Passengers : Miss Russel, Mr and Mrs Money, Mr and Mrs Von Rotter aud family (6), Rev J. Beckenham, Messrs Dyson, Aristie, Gibbs, Wood, Tovey, Bishops, Russell, and Shipton. — steamer Graf ton, 156, Johnston, from Wellington and South. Passenger: Mr — steamer Charles Edward, 15 G, Whitwell, from Wellington. — steamer Patea, 50, Gibbons, from Patea. — steamer Lyttelton, 86, Scott, from Blenheim. —• cutter Maid of Italy, .15, Clarke, from Riwaka. SAILED. Sepb 16, steamer Grafton, 156, Jbbnston, for West Coast.

The Charles Edward arrived here from Wellington this morning. The Lyttelton arrived here from Blenheim this morning. The Murray is expected to leave Hokitika to-morrow morning. The ketch Janette arrived at Lyttelton from Wfiitapu on Tuesday. The Niagara took shelter at Totaranui on Monday, and was lying there yesterday. The Patea arrived from Patea this morning with a cargo of live stock. Tlie "Wallace leaves at 7 o'clock this evening for West Coast ports. From Hokitika she proceeds on her periodical visit to the bays and sounds on the west coast of this island. The Taiaroa left Wellington at noon today, will arrive here to-morrow morning, and sail for Taranaki and Mauukau at 5 p.m. The Te Anau, which is in the dock at Port Chalmers, will be sent up to Wellington on Sunday, and leave there for Melbourne via South on Monday, with the Suez mail. The last opportunity of catching her will be by the Hawea this afternoon. The Graf ton left Lyttelton at 5*45 p.m, on Tuesday, and reached Wellington at 2 p.m yesterday; sailed at 6 30 p.m. and arrived here at 7*30 a.m. to-day, having experienced a N.W. gale in the Straits. She sailed for West Coast ports this afternoon. i The brig Syren arrived from Newcastle last night, and was towed into harbor by the Wallace this morning. She was moored alongside the hulk Hera, into which she will commence discharging her cargo of coal, which is for Messrs J. H. Cock and Co., to-morrow morning. The Hawea left Onehunga at 430 p.m. on Tuesday, and reached New Plymouth at 6*lo a.m. yesterday; landed mails, passengers, and cargo, and proceeded on to Nelson at 4 p.m., arriving here at 6 a.m. to-day. Ifiae weather was experienced down the coast. She sails for Picton, Wellington, and South at 5 o'clock this afternoon. ; The Hero, which leaves Wellington for Sydney to-morrow, will take a large number of passengers, about 80 having booked from Wel'ington, while not less than 70 have taken passages from Auckland and Lyttelt on. The owners of the Hero are so satisfied with her maiden trip that it is reported ; they contemplate laying on another steamer, the Bowen, so as to establish a fortnightly Bervice between Australia and New Zealand The Grey River Argus of the 11th instant aayß :— A strange sight was witnessed yesterday morning on board the three-masted BChooner Alma, which was stranded on the North Spife and abandoned to the under- . writers. The strange sight was the appearance of a flag on the niizen mast, sigra'ising for the Dispatch tug boat. When the vessel got up- steam and proceeded to the Alma, it was found that during the night the water had washei away the bank from the schooner, and the current yesterday morning had finished the work and bo left her free. No time was lost in getting the tow line on board, and the schooner was towed to the wharf. The Alma is built in three watertight compartments—the fore and aft ones are quite sound, and only the centre injured. With this exception thevessel is not much damaged. It is fortunate that the weather has been so fine, had it been otherwise the vessel must have gone to pieces. . ■ ■.' The following information will be useful to masters and builders of small vessels: — Captain Thomson, the harbormaster at the Bluff, says — My attention has been called by • the masters of many small coasting vessels to errors in their compass on certain courses, 1 amounting in some cases to as niuch as twp points. These I have invariably found tb arise from the proximity of the compass to long iron bolts driven vertically through the r deep coml ings of their half-raised cabins. The hammering in driving and their vertical position give them strong polarity in this hemisphere, with the red. pole upwards, ' which repels tho north or " red" end of th!e compass-needle, the lower end attracting it. This derangement can in some cases be conveniently compensated ; but the surer and better plan is to have the iron bolts replaced by copper or composition ones; or, if convenient, the compass removed out of their influence. Builders of small vessels of the class referred to should guard against putting iron .' fastenings ; near the compass. Their' beinjf covered . with the timber does not prevent their affecting the compasses as some suppose. : Several masters have related to me their narrow escapes through these errors; and I have no doubt some losses have occurred from tho same cause. \