THE 'SANDFLY.'

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 102, 11 March 1864, Page 3

THE 'SANDFLY.'

This, the first and best of our colonial men-uf-war, Lilliputian though they bo, Lav been moored stern on to Custom" House-street, in Commercial Bar, where »he is having her boilers fitted and receiving the last touch of the shipwright. Tho thorough overhaul which the ' Sandfly ' has received will render her equal to new; she has however been but eight years built, and her bottom is, we understand, as sound as when she left the slip. Hor boilers, which arrived in the ' City of Manchester,' are new ones., and the whole of her engine gear has ; passed through the hands of Messrs. Vickery and Masefield, and will be found to be in equally serviceable condition besides being increased in power. The chief cabin has been curtailed in size, and the spaec taken away between the present cabin and the engine room, a space four feet in width, has been set apart ns a coal bunker capable of carrying 8 tons of coal, so that now with her other capabilities of stowage she will earn- as much fuel as will enable her to keep under full steam for five consecutive days. This alteration, though it may curtail the size of the cabin, will greatly improve its comfort, rendering it far cooler than before. The cabins are being repainted, and the mouldings rcgilt, and altogether, whether for use or ornament, the little steamer will put in a brave appearance. In the hands of a commander, one of the least likely to allow himself to bo humbugged by the traitors of the Native Office, who return the prizes fairly taken from the enemy to their former rebel owners, and who indirectly assist rebels in arms in the abduction of the sons of European settlers—we are likely to hear of good service being performed by Captain Marks with the little * Sandfly.' We trust that a Government which has ever shown itself practically useful and energetic will not allow the good deeds of its officers to be crippled by any member of that Augean stable who may happen to carry a black heart under a white skin. The ' Sandfly ' will be ready for sea in about ten days' time. The cost of her repair, a mostthorough one, will be about. £1600, but this, together with her original cost, £4000, will he considerably within her marketable value when again ready for sea, and yet this we suppose is one of the instances of ''wilful waste' with which the Colonial Government is charged by the philo-Maori party and their organ. We can only say that if the 3,000,000 loan shall be aB wisely expended—and, did we see reason to believe that it would be otherwise we should be the first to raise the alarm —the public will have good reason to feel satisfied with the charge which they have confidently trusted to the chosen of their own representatives.