PORT CHALMERS.—APRIL 2.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 119, 3 April 1862, Page 4

PORT CHALMERS.—APRIL 2.

Wind at noon, S.\V. ; weather, thick and misty, with frequent showers. Barometer, 29.84 ; thermometer, Gi High water to-morrow iit Port Chalmers, 5.11 a.m., and 5.35 p.m.; at Dunedin, an hour later. AKKIVALS. None. .■'.'■ ' .". DEPARTURES. ' Arabia, ship, .993 tons, Forrest, for Melbourne, in ballast: 20 passengers, and 15oz. lCdwt. gold. Hydra, ship, 495) tons, Gunn, for Melbourne; 157 passengers, and 3060z5. Cdwt. gold. Benedin, barque, 208 tons, Walker, for Newcastle, in'ballast; 7 passengers. Dunedin, schooner, 67 tons, Stewart, for Wellington, in ballast; no passengers. Swordfish, schooner, 155 tons, Roberts, for Wellington, in ballast: no passengers. The Cosmopolite; brig, left the heads yesterday (Monday) morning. . .

In consequence of the/prevailing south-westerly •wind, and the density of the mist, it would be a matter of difficulty and risk for vessels to make the land or enter the port to-day, and there are, therefore, no arrivals to record. As the same wind is otherwise favorable to the numerous fleet of vessels known to be some distance on their passage from Melbourne and other ports, we may expect a large number of arrivals as soon as a change of weather supervenes, and their arrival is not unneeded to coun-, teract the dulness which was beginning to prevail at the port through the considerable proportion of departures within a short space of time. Entries for the majority of the vessels in harbor had beenpassed, and, but for this delay by the late northeasterly winds, and for the arrival of the Aldinga and Prince Alfred, Port Chalmers would have presented a less busy aspect than it had previously done for for several months. As it is, unmitigated dullness has characterised the place to-day. Yesterday, two of the Small steamers were unable to make their regular passages to and from Dunedin, through a want of coals, and to-day the Lady Barkly is moored some distance off the jetty, prevented from plying from the same cause. For some time extravagant prices were being given for the trifling quantities of coals that were obtainable, and and attempts made to economise the supplies by the use .of firewood, but now matters have come to the dead-lock which had been anticipated, and, unless a coal-laden vessel arrive within a day or two, passengers between the town and the port will probably have either to resort to the road or trust to the tender mercies of the watermen.

Captain Thomson, Harbor Master at Port Chalmers, is preparing a full report of his visit to Catlin's Kiver for presentation to his Honor the Superintendent, and in due time we hcpe to be able to publish the interesting particulars it must contain. . Vi'he small-cutter which recently made the passage from Melbourne to Port Chalmers, and is now employed there as a water-tank, is named the Emma, and not the Martha, as by a misprint apjjeared in our shipping column some days ago. . Last week Poit Chalmers was enlivened by the presence of four fine steam vessels at one time—the Omeo, City of Hobart, Western, and Airedale; and this week the Omeo, Aldinga, Prince Alfred, and Geelong lay moored not far from each other, and the Samson, Lady Barkly, Ruby, and other smaller steamers being, in port at the same time, the array of funnels formed'a sight to which Port Otago has never before been accustomed.

A matter frequently complained of by the owners of boats and small craft., proceeding from Port Chalmers to Dunedin after sundown, is the absence of any distinguishing lights at the end of Dunedin Jetty, " Moving accidents, and hair-breadth scapes" ore frequently spoken of as (Occurring to the inmates of boats* getting foul of shipping, running into Pelichet Bay, or. getting hard and fast on the shallows on each side of tie channel leading to the pier. If otherwise advisable, considerable difficult}'' and trouble would be obviated by a leading light at some suitable point, ...,.'- The old Custom House at Port Chalmers has been removed, and the ground left unoccupied for a number of days past/but as yet there is no appearance of preparations for the new building being made. The jieeessity for somei accommodation different to that with, ■which the gentlemen of • the Customs' service have now to be satisfied is so urgent,"that it is to be hoped no lengthy delay will occur in the work of\ erecting the contemplated buildings. .Persons having business to-transact of Port Chalmers in connection with shipping, and Svho may be prevented from coming down by one or other o£the steamers, may be the better of knowing that, as yet, the new road is not open for traffic, and that, by venturing upon it where it is not yet completed, they are liable to be turned back by tho contractor, and frequently are so. The facilities for travel between Dnnedin and Port Chalmers are indeed inferior at, present to what they have ever been at any time before, for the newer'portions of the road are not completed, and the other parts are so encumbered with lieaps of metal as to be exceedingly dangerous to traveller after night-fall. A few weeks at the furthest now should see this chaos reduced to some_, thing like order, and we understand that the road wif; not be long open before a good hotel will be opened about midway between the two termini.

The old Arabia, as she is familiarly known, which has made several successful passages from Melbourne to Port Otago with freights of sheep, sailed, on Tuesday evening for Port Philip, where she will probably again take on board a cargo of the same stock for this port. The largest sheep freight at present on the way from Melbourne, is that by the ' White Star,: which is daily expected, .and may probably discharge part of her stock at Oamaru or Moeraki."

The Loss oi? the Bakque Nokna.—-Annexed is a copy of. two communications relative to the loss of the English barque Norna, Wilson, from Newcastle, • i ™ S r s Kon S> on an uninhabited island in the jPaoifie Ocean, known as St. Ausustine, but as yegnrds the fate_ of the crew nothing is, known :— " H. M. sloop Pioneer, Hong Kong, October 19,1861. <3entiemen, —In compliance with, the request which it contains, I have the honour'to forward you, for your information, the enclosed papers, together ■ with a copy of the record which it cohered, and which were found by me bnthe island of ' St. Augustine on the 22nd ultimo, when in search of the party-of which the writer was one. I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant,—H. H. Reilly. Commander. ■To Messrs. Came, Newton, and .Co., Liverpool." -Copy of the original record:—" St. Augustine, or Mcartlean's Island and Reef, North Pacific Ocean, lat. 7deg. llmin. N., long. 155deg. 18min. B, August 10, 1861., V This is to be left in the S. B. end of this island, in a. white .glass bottle, Under the ship's name Norna, nailed to a tree, We leave the island about this date, in a boat which waa built on this island by twenty-two hands of the barque Noimy lost on the reef twenty-four miles E.S.E. from this, on Sunday night' the 31st of March, 1861. "We arrived at this island, in all, thirty-one hands, in one lone boat jmi two smaller ones, on the 7th of April; and on the J7th of April, Captain Wilson, wife and child, *the wehjef ■; officer (Mr. Bobinson,) one sailmaker, two rqusi-igrmasters, and two Lascars, left this in the long Jboat, staking all sextants, chronometers, and compasses, hjayjng nothing in case they were lost. They •went away jvfth the intention of going to Guam to get assistance for as, the other boat being too small .*o carry all. We haye now been on this island better ihan four months, living on cocoanuts and wild fowls, ..jind.; turtle," which wer,e to be had plentifully, but this Jasfc month there has not been any. We are going to iry .and reach the Pelew Islands, if we can (God wiJling), havjag heard nor .seen An? iwrson since the iongbQat left. .So much for captains' promises, and the pride of English Captains !_A nice idea of the brave—-first to Jeave the ship, and first to leave the pxpw. -Onjthe reef, about fourteen miles from where £he Norna was lost/ is. the wreck of a large Belgian £hip—the Constant of Antwerp—lost about the 7th of ■/ufy,;lßsß, from' Sydney," (N.S.W.) for Manilla. The Norna tos rpm Newoastle (N.S.W.) for Hong

Kong. We loft on the 4th March, 18.61. Her owners' are Dent and Co., of Hong Korig. If this record should be found, the finder (God willing,) if he gets on shore safe in ft, Christian country, forward it to Dent and Co., they would much oblige. We had to break up one of the ann.ll boats for imils. She was (pile ro!l/>n. This io written by Robert Nixon Tu-i-yile, hue •■eeoncl otllcer of the baiV|r,e Norna, en behalf uf J. 11. Foreland, carpenter ; George Edward ;iti(l Isaac Oltio, qiinrtcmiHslerf.' ; and eighteen Lascars."— Mitchell's Steam Shipplvg Journal, Jau. 3.