SHIPPING SUMMARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 284, 17 November 1862, Page 4

SHIPPING SUMMARY.

By the arrival of four home vessels and two from British Columbia, in addition to a regular succession of steamers and fat-go ship 3 from Melbourne and {Sydney, our shipping trade during the past month has only been inferior iv briskness to what it was during September, when the rur-h to the new gold fields givatiy increased the traffic.

Our first home arrival was the Planter, -which arrived on the 31st ult., after a protracted passage. On the way she was ten days in riimou's Bay, Cape of Go-xl Hope, and during* a subsequent gale had some of iier bulwarks carried away and her boat stove. Being a small vessel, she is enabled to discharge the major portion of her cargo in Dunedin Bay, where she now lies.

The Star of Tasmania, afco from London, and wit'i 118 passenger?, completed her passage on the 4-;h of November, the number of days out being increased by the ship's bowsprit being1 sprung, and by some heavy weather on this coast. ' Her passengers arrived all well, and without a birth or ueath occuring during the voyage. The other two arrival*—the Aboukir and Sevilla— were from Glasgow. They both sailed from the Gyde on the Ist. of August, one with 180 passenger.-, tiie other with 242. The Aboukir arrive*! oh the Gfch instant, the Sevilla on the 10th. The former had a satisfactory passage on the whole, crossing the line on the thirty-third day out, and losing nothing, though some heavy weather was experienced in tho southern hemisphere. Three deallis occurred during the passage —the passengers deceased Icing- Mrs l-'ei-guson, a native of Lanarkshire; M>s Brown, a native of Stirlingshire; and Alary Brown, a child eighteen months old. The othor passengers arrived all well, and highly satisfied with ilie couimarider. The Sevilla, after strong head wind?, crossed the Lhie on the -ith September. About the 19th of the sune month experienced some strong winds, and curried away her cross-jack yard. On the 24th, .sighted the Island of Tiistau D'Acunha. Oil" the Cape had very heavy weather, and lor roaiefime subsequently had strong winds, with snow showers, greatly from the eastward, the barometer being frequently as low as 23.40. On the 11th October sightml tho Orozets. On Sunday, the 29th, shipped a heavy sea over the starboard waist, which earned away round-house, poop ladder, and after hatch, and fi lei the 'tween dcclw. Her greatest southing was 49 degrees. Sighted Long Island, south of Stewart's [stand ou Saturday iasfc, aad made the port as stated. The ■ Sevilla, though she has made a slightly longer passage than the At>oukir, is a smart vessel, and under the care of Captain lverr, and the ship's surgto::, Dr. M'L-eay, all classes of passengers appear to have enjoyed the passage. Out of the numb r, 135 were assisted female emigrants, who arc now speedily finding engagements in town and country.

Our two arrivals from British Columbia wm-o the ships AJiceThoi'ndyke and Lady Young, both, of which had sailed from this port, under charter, in the early part of the yea;1. Of the number of diggers whom they at that time conveyed to British Columbia, several returnei by each vessel, and have resumed work on the Otago gold fields, which they describe as incomparably superior to the Carriboo diggings in point of situation, climate, and the average of wages earned by the miners. By both vessels we had later items of American news than by the regular mails. Their cargoes, winch they aye now ■discharging, consisted of the line timber which forms the staule export of Vancouver's Island or the contiguous territory.

Among intev-co'onial arrivals we had. on the Ist instant, the new steamer Claude Hamiiiton, from Sydney, and from the K:irn n port i 1 number of sailing ships, eich with jirUos or hundreds of passengers. Our trade being More intimata with Melbourne, there is a constant tmm'e to and fro, but the proportion in favor of Otngo is still considerable, and a number of vt.ssels are laid on in succession throughout the summer, by each of which we may expect additions to our population, now that the vulue of the new gold fields is becoming1 more and more apparent. As a natural sequence to the accessions to our population, we have had from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Tasmania, several large freights of horses, flour, and colonial produce.

The oniy shipping disasters of the mouth occurred the other day at the Heads, when the schooner Taraai-, by missing stays, got upon the rocks in such a position as to render her a total wreck. She had a cargo of stone and timber, from Hobart Town, with forty passengers, who lost everything, and for whose relief a very considerable amount is now beingsubscribed. The Flying Mist which was lately wrecked at the Bluff, has not yet been raised, though attempts with that object have been made. By a verdict in the Supreme CoMrt here, Capt. M'Lean, oi the steamship Aldinga, has been awarded L' 2,200 ibr the saving of the freight of sheep at the time of the wreck. The Victory, stranded ia WickHfte Bay, is not yet fairly afloat, but is now expected to be so in a lew days at the furthest.

The approaches to the Port of Otago have lately been gready improved by the natural opening of a new and a better defined channel, having a depth at low water of 18 feet; and by the issue of new harbour regulations, tho appointment of inspectors of steam vessels, and the contemplated formation ot Marine Boards, increased supervision an.l regulation of shipping matters is being provided for. as is the accommodation of local traffic by the construction of speedy and commodious river stcaniersinteuded to run in the port. The first of these, the Golden Age, is expected to arrive in a few days. Previously two old Hobson's Bay boats had sai'ed for this port—the Comet and ihe Citizen—but the former is believed to have met some sad fate, never having arrived, and the latter w so long overdue as to give rise to some anxiety as to her safety.