PORT OF NEWCASTLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 719, 7 April 1864, Page 4

PORT OF NEWCASTLE.

Sailed.—March 25—Challeneer, for Mel"bourne; Omagb, for Adelaide ; Pride, for Hobart Town. March 23 Royal Exchange and Arthur M'Kenzie, for Adelaide.

Arrived.—March. 28 -Mandarin, from Melbourne ; Monarch, from Auckland.

The s.s.B. Gothenburg left Hobson's Bay at, 5.30 p.m., March 30th. Experienced light variable winds, "with fine weather the whole of the passage. Arrived at the BluS at 6 a.m. on the sth instant/and landed mails and paesengers. left at 8 a,m., and arrived off the Heads at 8 ■p.m. on the sth instant. It being too dark to come in, she hove-to till daylight. Exchanged signals with the s.s. Blackbird at 2 p.m. on the Ist April in lat 41.50. lon 151.32. Spoke the s.s Alhambra at 6 a.m on the 2nd, in lat 42.46, lon 154.34. The Scotia arrived in Melbourne just as the Gothenburg left. Passed the s.s. City of Hobart two hours sail from Melbourne. Both these versftls sailed hence on the 24th ult-the Scotia at 1 p.m. and the City of Hobart at 6.45 p.m. After her arrival at Melbourne from this port, the Gothenburg made a trip to Adelaide, the Aldinga being put on the slip. The s.s. Hero was advertised to sail from Melbourne on the Ist April. She may, therefore, be hourly expected. The City of Hobart was to leave on the sth; and the Scotia was to be laid on for Auckland, if sufficient inducement offered, sailing oq the 4th.

The following are the particulars of the Otago Steamship Company's steamer Scotia's trial trip to Melbourne:—Scotia left Bort Chalmers at 12.30 pm. on Thursday, 24th March. A strong southsrly wind to Ruapuke Island, where she ai rived nt 3 next morning. A thick fog and rain. Ship hove to till 7, then half speed. At 8 siw City of Hobart close to. Pissed Bluff at 10 o'clock, stroner gale a head. Made the Swan at 4 p.m. on 29th inst. Entered Port Philip Heada at 1.30 pm. on 30fch. Speed averaged, 10 knots throughout. From Swan going 11 to 12.

The oniy sailing vessels on the berth at Melbourne for Otago, on the departure of the Gothenburg, were the Albert and Prospector The Jane was laid on for Invercargill; the Esperanza for Lyttelton and Wellington ; the Duke of Rothsay, for i Wellington and Auckland ; and the Cragievar, Chance, and Golden Age, for Auckland direct.

Captain Keen, of the ship Flying Cloud, has been committed for trial at Brisbane for giving untrue information respecting the sanitary condition of his shin.

A sig'al-staff has lately been erected at Port Chalmers, and a signal-master appointed. He is engaged daily in exhibiting signals which nobody understands, because nobody has yet been informed of their mpaning. Even on inquiry at the Harbor Office, the subordinate officials, including the pilots, are unable to give information as to what tbey represent. The public would be obliged by this beint; remedied. The ship .Ramsey, the last wool ship of the season, was taken in tow by the Samson at Ip.m. and was left at a considerable offing, with a very light wind fronvthe northward. Captain Thos. Robertson, of the Marine Board, has proceeded to the Bluff with the intention of proceeding to Dog Island, where the erection of a liehthouse is now to be immediately proceeded with. The other members of the Board, Capt. Sharp and Capt. Kennedy, are at present both in Dunedin.

The Aldinga, witli the homeward mails from New Zealand, arrived in Hobson's Bay on the evening of the 26th. having left Dunedin ; oa the 18th, calling at Bluff Harbour the following day to receive the Southland mails. After leaving the Bluff a heavy westerly gale was encountered, which lasted four days. Captain Stewart reports that on no former voyage has he had to contend against such severe weather. The Aldinga has again proved herself thoroughly able to carry out the mail service which is entrusted to her. The Aldinga was taken up on Saturday last on the Government patent slip, for au annual overhanl and Government inspection. On examination her hull, which was coated with Borthwick's antifouling preparation, proved to be perfectly free from marine deposits.—"Argus." The pretty little steamer Yarra, which, was lately launched from the building yard of Mr Robert Colquhoun, farra Bank, from the design of Mr Douglas Elder, made her first trip to the bay yesterday morning. She is a paddle steimer, of seventy-nine tons register, of the following dimensions-90ft long by 15ft Bin beam, and Bft. 6in in depth; and is propelled by an engine of 45-horse power, on the high pressure principle, constructed by Mr DaJglish. Her frame is of iron, and she is built of wood and coppered. She is the first vessel built in this colony in that manner, and which, combines strength with light draught of water. She is a very nice vessel, well built, and is intended, we understand, for the Schnapper Point trade.— " Argus." • The Hero, s.s.s , from Otago and Canterbury, had a very tempestuous passage. The Hero's trip on the round, via Bluff Harbour, Otago, and Canterbury, and back to Melbourne via Otago, may be ranked as one of the quickest passages ever recorded. The entire trip throughout has occupied only eighteen days thirteen hours. On leaving Otago heads, on the homeward passage, the Hero was met by a very violent gale from the south-west. The wind blew with great fury for four days, and on the second day out the Hero had only reached the Solanders, under which Captain Logan decided to take shelter. After lying there twelve hours, the gale increasing in violence, he hove the auchor and faced the storm. The gale moderated on the fourth day, towards midnight, when the Hero began to make rapid way.—"Argus."

The West Hartley, No. I.—A new iron schooner, built at Blackwall, to the order of Messrs Broomfield and W hitaker, arrived here yesterday, 22ad instant, after a somewhat lengthened voyage, having; occupied 157 days from Portland. She left London on the 30th July last, and, after being at sea a short time, put back to Portland. The captain's illness precluded any further attempt of proceeding: on the voyage, a new master was placed in command, and the vessel left as a fore-and-aft schooner, but, meeting with continual heavy weather, she was temporarily rigged a topsail schooner. She crossed the Equator on the 29th November, and rounded the pape of Good Hope on the 7th January (having been hove-to ofl there a week in a heavy gale.) Was off Cape Otway on the 7th instant, and has been on this coast fifteen days. The We t Hartley is a centreboard craft, which acts by the use of a windlass. At present, with eiehty tons cargo on board, she is drawing: 2ft llin forward and 3ft 6in aft. She has been built expressly for .the Lake Macquarie coal trade, in conjunction with her sister ship, West Hartley No. 2.—" Sydney Morning Herald."

Nine seamen, of the Liverpool barque Castleton, which a>rived at Melbourne from New York a few rlavs agq, were brought before the Bench at Williamstown on Thursday week, charged with mutiny. It seems that atter leaving New York one of the men refused to do duty, and as the case was a somewhat aggravated one he was put in irons. Eight of the crew then ■went aft a»d demanded the releasa of their comrade, and, this being refused, they also declined to do their work. This state of matters lasted for two or three days, when the original offender succeeded in breaking from his place of confinement, and the attitude of the others was such that the master of the barque was unable to eniorce the discipline of the ship by the re-arrest of the prisoner. The men, in fact seemed to think themselves entitled to exhibit on board ship the reckless independence which is supposed to be the characteristic of American rowdies. The men were remanded for a week.