[From The New Zealand, April 9.]

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXI, Issue 32, 16 April 1862, Page 4

[From The New Zealand, April 9.]

On Monday night, Auckland was visited by one of the sharpest gales that have been experienced for many yean. Of this ns of all such visitors, especially towards the equinox, there were timely indioation9. Sunday was close and calm ; and in the evening, the moon was begirt with a halo, which they who were at sea, looked on with grave suspicion ; the barometer, too, gave its warnings, and on Monday, at daylight, there were unmistakable notifications of an impending storm. Bain fell thick and fast, and as night closed, the wind began to rise, not rapidly but gradually, until about midnight, when it burst forth with tremendous fury, veering from E.N.E./to N.E., blowing a perfect hurricane in the squalls, with short lulls, during whioh the rain descended in sheets. It was truly a fearful night, the tempest raging with unmitigated violence from before midnight until four or five, a.m., of yesterday morning. In town and country many of the inhabitants were unable to sleep, houses creaking and trembling under the force of the blast, and the rain beating in wherever a leak was found practicable. But the most distressing occurrences took place among the shipping. Yesterday, Commercial Bay was a complete scene of disastrous shipwrecks, small Teasels being piled upon each other, driven against and sunk alongside of the eastern and weather face of the Queen-street Wharf, which it is surprising should have received comparatively little injury. At the angle of Custom-house-street, there lay two vessels, the schooner John, with her rudder unshipt, and bowsprit over the wharf, beside her was the cutter Asp, well known as a tender to H.M. surveying ship Rattlesnake, and latterly as a yacht of Mr. J. C. Blackett. In hull, she seems to have sustained but little injury, but, 'bove deck, a clean sweep has been made of every thing. The Asp, we believe, is now the property of the Bishop of Melanesia. A little further down the wharf, the Eclipse, a new Bchooner, lay full of water, her masts standing, but her stern frame smashed in, and her bulwarks broken up in several places. At Waterman's Stairs, wrecks were huddled together in a lump, more than one on the top of the other. Of these, the cutter Clyde was only recognizable by her mast, her bull being under water and beneath the cargo boat' Triad, whose mast and bowsprit were gone, but whose hull, it is imagined, may have escaped with comparatively slight damage. Ahead of the Triad lay the schooner Township of Tauranga, dismasted, stove in many places, and rapidly breaking up. In this crowded spot we likewise perceived some fragmental portions of a boat said to be the pinnace or one of the cutters of H.M.S. Harrier. In this group was the schooner Rose Ann, on her beam ends, stern smashed to pieces, bulwarks gone, and the vessel beaten in in every direction. It is said that the Rose Ann had some £2,000 worth of property on board. In the course of the day she was hye up by tackles from the schooner Zillah, which lay alongside, and had been sorely scraped along her port side. The outter Wanderer lay inside of all, muoh injured in different parts, but with her mast and rigging standing. Abreast the wharf, the new schooner Fawn, the cutters Bessy, Shamrock, and Annie Laurie were at anchor, all much damaged. Further up, the three-masted schooner Vistula, lying alongside, had her jib-boom snapped short off by the cap, port cat-head carried away, hawse-pipe broken, and scraped in different places. Immediately under the Vistula's forefoot lies the unfortunate steamer Phoenix, full of water, brokenbacked, and rapidly going to pieces. This has been truly an unlucky ship. Built to receive the machinery of the shipwrecked Emu, there was some difficulty in getting her launohed. Scarcely was she ready for work when the water was mysteriously let off from her boilers, and the fires having been lit in ignorance of this fact, the boilers were burnt, and repaired at a heavy cost. She was then sold to Otago proprietors, and had been but ten or twelve days from that port, when this last and irreparable misfortune befel her. The schooner Sea Breeze, in running to leeward of the wharf, fouled the brig Sporting Lass, fitting for sea, carrying away the brig's bowsprit close to the ■tern, and her own bulwarks from abaft the mainmast on the starboard fide. The ship City of Manchester, lying at the extremity of the wharf sustained damage j and-the barque Kate, ' Juit crrivea from erao«y, ijwgcf ttwwter Xj tetf ifae

covering boards rotrad her stern smashed, one of her boats torn from the • davits, some of her covering boards opened, and her fore-top-gallanfc-mast carried away, by coming in contact witli the City of Manchester's jib-boom. The American whaling bai'quo Atkins Adams, at anchor inside the North Head, drove a short distance and then brought up. H.M.S.S. Harrier, 17 guns, Commander Sir Malcolm MacGregor, Bart., likewise drove. She, however, got up steam, and resumed her position soon after daylight. We lament to learn that two of her men were drowned, the only lives lost on this unfortunate occasion. The sacrifice of property has been variously estimated at from £5,000 to £10,000. Much of this, we fear, is uninsured, and the loss will, therefore, fall upon many of our most industrious and energetic citizens. As for the wharf, probably no piled structure in the world ever had to contend against snch an amount of straining and thumping, some 1,400 or 1,600 tonß of shipping heaving ugaint it. Had it not been of the strongest, a breach must have been effected in one quarter or another. Aa it is, some piles have been nearly sawn through by the strain and action of chains and hawsers, one or two have been smashed in the middle, and a few pile-heads have been carried away. As a whole, the damage i 3 trifling and easy of repair. Were the pier carried to the extent it ought to be, with a terminal T of fitting breadth, and the inner T's extended on both sides, so as to furnish suitable berths to ships of moderate tonnage, no such casualties as those which the Kate and City of Manchester have sustained could have befallen. The sooner such provisions are made, the better it will be for the credit as well as the interest of the pore of Auckland. We must again be permitted to urge the suggestion we threw out upon occasion of the former gale, namely, that on the threatened approach of a storm, a foul weather flag (similar to those in use in British ports) should be hoisted, and all vessels lying on the weather side of the wharf be compelled by the Harbour Master to haul off.

The revenue of the London and North- Western Railway, from traffic of all kinds, together with the dividends received from various lines with which the North- Western is working, shows a gross amount of £500 every hour, both day and night. The law expenses of this company amount to something like £1,000 per week. Gold Mining. — A now mining undertaking of importance is announced in the London papers under the title of the Montes Aureos Brazilian Gold Mining Company (Limited). The gold estate and works which are to be purchased are situated in the province of Maranhao, in Northern Brazil. It is mentioned that the estate, which is about 6,000 acres in extent, contains an almost inexhaustible quantity of goldbearing earth. Of four samples of quartz matrix assayed in London, the results varied from £3,672 to > £6,784 per ton of ore. Amongst the advantages set forth are the favourable situation of the estate, facility of transit, the inexpensive nature of the excavations, and the fact that the works, which have cost £50,000, and whioh comprise water reservoirs, washing and stamping mills, &c., will allow of the immediate commencement of business. In explanation of the fort mation of the present company it is mentioned that the original explorers find themselves under the necessity of calling in fresh capital for the development of so extensive an undertaking. The vendors have agreed to take one-half of the purchase money in shares. The directors have taken the precaution of verifying the statements made by despatching to the spot Mr. Gustave J. Giinter, who has had great practical experience in Spain, Africa, and Central America, aim whose report is very favourable. The capital is £"200,000, in 100,000 shares of £2 each, of which the number now offered to the public is 62,5000. It iB provided that "no application for shares will be received after the list haß reached to one-fourth more than the required number." The chairman is Sir W. G. Ouseley, X.0.8., and the board is otherwise respectably constituted.