SHIPPING- INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1299, 14 January 1868, Page 2

SHIPPING- INTELLIGENCE.

JANUARY 13th. Weather.—Fine ; Wind, N.E. ARRIVALS. Government s.s. St. Kilda, Captain Fox, from Wellington via the Kawau, with despatches. Mary, schooner, 22 tons, Brown, from Moraitai, with 80,000 feot timber. Caroline, schooner, 21 tons, M-Caskfll, fromHikutaia, with 120 sheep. Speedwell, ketch, 36 tons, Davieß, from Wangaroa, with shingles and timber. Passengers—4. Rob Boy, cuttor, 23 tons, Edwards, from tho Thames, in ballaßt. Glance, cutler, Diokßon, from Matakana, with produce, and passengers. Wahapu, cutter, 16 tons, Huttley, from the Thames, in ballast. Bella, cutter, 20 tons, Faulkner, from tho Thames, in ballast. Mahurangi, cuttor, from the Thames, in ballast. Ely, cutter, 15 tons, Black, from tho Thames, in j ballast. DEPARTURES. Colonial Government p.s. Sturt, Fairchild, for Wellington and Napier. Midge, s.s., 67 tons, Stuart, for tho Thames, in ballast. Passengers—loo. St. Kilda, s.s., Fox, for tho Kawau end Wellington. Tauranga, schooner, 60 tons, Bolger, for Russoll, with 1,000 feet timber and sundries. Pa3sengor3—6. Caroline, Bchooner, 21 tons, M'Caskill, for tho Thames, with sundries. Wahapu, cuttor, 16 tone, Huttley, for tho Thames, with timber and Bhinglos. Tay, cutter, 16 toDS, Smith, for tho Thames, with timbor. ENTERED INWARDS. Industry, schooner, 21 tons, Yates, from Noumea. CLEARANCE. Sea Gull, brigantino, 122 tons, Rogers, for Kaipara.—Biown, Oampboll, & Co., agents. IMPORTS. Per Industry, from Noumea: 70 casks cocoauut oil, 1,700 cocoanuts, 1,040 pino apples, 4 ceses preserved fruits, Cruickshank, Smart, & Co. Per Camille, from Lyttolton : 61S sacks wheat, 301 bags flour, 3.G25 sacks wheat, 14 tons flour, order— Coombes & Daldy, agents. Custom House.—Entered Outwards—Rita, brig, 198 tons, Trayto, for Sydney. ARRIVAL OF THE ST. KILDA.

The Government s.s. St. Kilda, Captain Pox, arrived in harbour yesterday afternoon. Sho loft Wellington on tho Sth instant, with despatches for his Excellency the Governor, and arrived at tho Kawau on Saturday, being scventy-threo hours from Wellington. Yesterday morning she received orders from his Excellency to proceed to Auckland, and arrived here at threo p.m., with the following pasBongei-, :—Dr. Skeat and Mr. Olark from Wellington ; t-o Rev. Mr. Thatchor and Master Coutts from tho Kawau. Two fore-and-aft schooners, one topsail schooner, and two cuttora, were lying in Hicks Bay whan the St. Kilda passed. Tho St. Kilda steamed again for tho Kawau last evening, with despatches for the Governor.

Tho schooner Caroline, which arrived from tho Thames yesterday morning, brought up 120 sheep. The f'TURT.—The Colonial Government p.s. Sturt, Captain Fiiirchild, steamed for Wellington at four o'clock yestordny, with about 100 tons ammunition. She will call at tho Kawau, Tauranga, Waiapu, and Poverty Bay, with mails, &c. The Speedwell.—l ho ketch Speedwell, Captain Davies, left Wangaroa on Thursday last, and arrived in harbour yesterday morning, with 100,000 shingles, 1000 palings, 5000 feet timber, 2 spars, 1 tou kauri gum, and four passengers —Mr. and Mrs. John Hays, Miss Slattcry. Mr. Kandell. One of the most useful and efficient boats forming part of the equipment of H.M.S. Galatea, is undoubtedly her steam-launch, Polyphemus. She is daily to bo seen in tho bay, engaged on business OJnnected with the frigate, and iier performances oicite no small surprise anti delight umongst those who witness tho rapidity and euso with which she speeds through tho water. Her miniature machinery altogether is a well finished piece of mechanism, and is from the establishment of Penn and Son, at Grcenwioh, where the huge engines of the Galatea were constructed. Tho nominal horse-power is G, and the icdicated horse-power 2901. There are four cylinders, with a stroke of 6 inohes, tho maiimum number of revolutions being 27*, and tho mean number 265. The launch is propelled by twin screws, having four blades ; the diameter being 2 feet 6 inches, and the pitch 3 feet 10A inches. She has capacity for carrying a half ton of fresh water for the purpose f supplying the boiler, but salt water can be used in case of neud. Her average tpoedis 7'303 knots, but under favourable conditions she can steam much faster. On Friday la.it sho left tho Queen's Wharf just below the Falls Bridge, and arrived alongside tho Bailway Pier, 3andridgc, in fifty minutes, and after taking on board several officers, sho was made fast alongside the frigate in one hour and five minutes.. Apart from tho peacoful missions on which at present Bho is exclusively employed, the Polyphemus, when the necessity arises, can bo quicklr fitted up with two pieefs of ordnance^—l2-pounder Armstrongs—and would thus be a valuable adjunct in a flotilla. — Argus, 16th December. 11.M. s.s. Nelson, V 2 guns, Commander Payne (aoting), suikdfrom rJpithoad on the 18th Octobor, for Australia.

The J£Bk, 21 guns, 1160 tons, 250 horse-power, Captain John l*. Luco, arrived at Spithead on tho morning of tho 4th inßtant, from Austialia, andd ring tho day was oflicially inspected by Admiral Sir Thomns 3. Pugloy, naval l.ommnnder-in-Chief at Portsmouth, being under orders to como into harbour to dismantle and return stores, and pay out of commission. Ehe sailed from Sydney on the 15th of June laßt, arrived at Auckland on tho 30th, and experienced a heavy easterly gale of four days' duration, on tho way. Auckland was left on the 4th of July, and Cape Horn rounded on the 30lh. Remarkably fine weather was experienced between Auckland and Cape Horn, with light easterly winds off the latter famous promontory. Bahia was reached on the 22nd of August, and loft again on the 21tb, Fayal being called in at on the 19th of September. Fine weather -was mot with between the Western Islands and the Channel, — Mitehell's Register, October 12.

The South Australian Chronicle, of December 21, has the following extraordinary particulars respecting the steamer Pareora, from Glasgow to Sfcw Zealand, furnished by Captain Castle :—The steamer Pareora was laden with general merchandise, and a quantity'of coals supposed to suffice for steaming through the calm belts was placed on board, but it was under sail principally sho was expected to make the voyage from Glasgow to Dunedin. She was in charge of Captain Grahtiire, who sailed on October 29th, 1866, but on getting to sea found a twin screw steamor anything but fast when under sail. After beating about the Atlantic until the following April ho put into Surinam with" provisions and coals expended, and the vessel's bottom like a thrummed mat from the marine accumulation on it. the lay there long enough to communicate with Britain; aud two engineers being sent out, after four months' respita she agaia essayed thu pathless trr.ck on July 21, 1807, and on September 23, in 3 dogrces 9 minutes N., 13 degrees 12 minutes E., she was spoken by tho Hampshire. It appeured that for the previous three days no cooked food hid keen made use of, for the very simple reason that there was no fuel loft with which to liyht a fire, everything combustible having been expindel, even to tho fragments of tho cases in which cargo was stowed. Her bottom wns as foul as ever; and b-ingot' light draught, the twin screws were a terrible lira? to her sail, though of course they could not 1 e unshipped. Some idea of hor course was obtained from the second officer sent in charge of the boat, who. stated that blio hud crossed aad re-t'-.e lino nine times, and was at ono time as f»r S. us 5 legmes. The master's intention was to attempt, if possible, to make Pi-roarabucc the next port of cill. Captain Custle furnished the Pareroa with a few hundred weight of coals, which was all he could fpan>j unci recommended Captain Grahame to keep a look-cut fur a Teasel which sailed in company with tho Hampshire from Wales, coal laden on ship's account, bound south. According to a rough citlculat'on, it will take her four years to reach her final destination.

The Great Ship Bacb.—The whole fleet of clipper ships engaged in the great race from China to London having arrived, it may be interesting to learn the time taken by each of them in the contest. Ariel, 102j days ; Taeping, 102 days; Fiery Cross, 110 days; Flying Spur, 115 days; Maitland, 116 days ; Taitsing, 118 days ; Black Prince, 118 days; Serica, 119 days; Ziba, 120 days; Yang Teze, 120 days; Chinaman, 123 days. The cargoes of teas they brought over wore as follows: —The Ariel, 1,268,960 lba -.Taeping, 1,136,961 lbs; Fiery Cross, 940,519tb5; Flying Spur, 949,710 lbs; Maitland, 1,198,708 lbs; Taitsing, 1,098,310 lbs: Black Prince, 1,163,114 lbs; Serica, 1,030,525 lbs ; Ziba, 742,207 lbs ; Yang Tsze, 875,972 lbs ; Chinaman, 856,576 lbs.—Mitchell's Register, October 12.

The Ship Eastward Ho ! —which six months ago came into this port dismasted and with her bow oruahed in by a collision with an iceberg—has had tho misfortune to meet another of the great perils of the sea, having been towel into Hongkong on fire and again dismasted. Wo extract the following from a Hongkong newspaper:—Tlie British ship Eastward Ho ! reports having left Sydney, August 1, bound for Shanghai. Experienced a favorable time until the 10th instant, in latitude 30 N., longitude 140" E., when fire was observed issuing from the fore hatch. The fore-pump was immediately set to work, all veutilation stopped, holes cut in the deck and water poured down, and every effort made to subdue the fire, hut without effect. It gradually increased. Kept before the wind to confine the conflagration to the fore part of tho veesol. Irom that time until tho 23rd experienced moderato east-north-easterly winds and fine weather, when the siuth end of Formosa was sighted. Nfxt day the breeze increased, with heavy squalls, and the sea began to ri9e. Hove the ship to at 3 p m, and at 5 noticed tho foremast settling down through the deck and rigging Blackening up, the mast surging about from side to side. It still continued to settle down, and preparations were made to cut it away. At 6 p.m. cut the rigging, and tho mast went over tho side itself, havinjr been completely burned through below the deck, carrying with it tho main and mizon. top-gallant masts and main topmast head ; tho main stays being all adrift by the fall of tho foremast, and the ship rolling heavily, the main-topmast soon followed, fating the rn'iinmast head. The fire increasing all thiß time and all hands continually employed in trying to keep, it under, but it became so hot as to burn through the port Rido of the vea-el just above the water's edge. Un the 17th mauaaod to rig a jury foremast so as to get tho vessel under command, and having a fine E.N.E. breezo, sighted Hongkong yesterday and arrived at 4 a.m. this morning in tow of the ocean steamer Achilles. She has sinco besn condemned. The Eastward Ho! was tho property of Messrs. B. Towns and Co., and was insured hero to the extent of £4000 on tho hull and £2500 on cargo and freight. —Sydney Herald, Dec. 20.