NORFOLK ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9451, 23 August 1889, Page 6

NORFOLK ISLAND.

[FROM ocr OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

August 14. The schooner D-arcy Pratt, Captain George Short, from Brisbane, bound to Auckland, called in yesterday, after a remarkably quick passage of foar days from Brisbane, bo land two passengers, the Rev. Rawdon Nobbs and his wife, who had come on a visit to their Island relatives, and this afternoon the schooner resumes her voyage, and takes a mad. The whaling boats were launched on the 3rd of July, but operations have been much retarded by the stormy weather we have lately had, and so far no whales have been landed, although several bad misses have been recorded against the boat steer en? ; the whales, although not very numerous, show good chances, and if the gentlemen in the head of the boats will only dart their irons straight, there is yet time for the whalemen to make a good season of it. Admiral Fairfax, in his flagship, H.M.S. Orlando, called in on the 3rd ult., but only remained, much to the disappointment of the people, for an hour or two, the weather being exceptionally stormy, but we hope to see our good friend once again before he Krtnte down his flag. The Admiral has always taken great interest in the welfare of the community, and is universally respected by the islanders. The usual half-yearly meeting of the community was held in the Courtroom on the Ist ult., but was uneventful in that nothing of importance was transacted. There was a good deal of talk about liquor ; but, as the Island law regulating this traffic is almost prohibitory, nothing further can be added to it unless total prohibition is retried to, which with the present restrictions now in force is quite unneces-

sary. The schooner Christine, Captain McLiver, arrived on the 19th, and the Mission vessel Southern Cross, Captain Bongard, on the 20th ultimo, both from Auckland, the former going on to Noumea and the latter to the islands on her usual round to the Mission stations, taking the Revs. Bice and Co mi ns and a few natives. The American whaleship Niger, Captain Chase, is off the island, and after getting her recruits aboard, intends going south right whaling. The vessel has only token 125 barrels sperm since leaving the Bay last April. The schooner Mary Ogilvie, from Sydney, arrived yesterday, and returns to that port, via Lord Howe Island, in a day or two. I forgot to mention in my last letter that lie winners of the Queen's Scholarships for this year were John Buffett {son of Seymour Buffett), and Elsie Robinson the two senior, and Branker Nobbs the junior, the result being made known, with some little ceremony, on the 20th June.