MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 893, 9 January 1869, Page 15

MISCELLANEOUS.

In the present Btate of uncertainty, with regard to the despatch of the P mama mail from Wellington, the following paragraph from the Advertiser of the 23id v t. is worth reading :— It is repor ed m town tbat in c se of the non- arrival of the Mataura, from Sydney, the Tararua wll be sent on to Panama wi f h the Knglish mill. The Ma> tnura was advertised to le:'ve Sydney for England early next moirh, and it is , robable that bhe nr.y have taken a j_o<id d-al< f cargo on board brfore the gratifying int-ll'g<nce tbat she is to nmiiin lor another ye ir in the Pa.-ific waters reaches Sydney. She mi^ht not, therefore, be able to leave in time to carry on the miil.

The Brnce Herald of Wednesday gives the following details regarding mining matters at the Blue Spur :— Most of the washings-up which have tasnn place lately have been hiirhly satisfactory. The ground he'd by Fyffe and Co. continues to yield we*l, and they are about to tunnel for another blast. Livingstone and Co. have completed the purchase of the ground formerly held by Polkiughora's G<>ld Mining Company, and they are now engaged in expending their tailrace, and tunnelling for another blast. Mouat and Co. have worked close up to the waterraces and have had to stop work entirely for the present. Morrison and Co. have completed a tunnel in their lower face, and are about to fire a blast The Perseverance Comply continue to «M&h away enorm us quanut es of dirt, and they *■ aye yet nea ly 12 months' washing let Irom the great landslip which, occurred about 18 months ago. John Hall and Co. and the Briti-h. -*melican Compuiy are busy sluicing, andhace plenty of lo^se ceme -t on hand. A number of vfll-to-do B.ue Stair mui-rs ;»re 'alkm^ of removing to the Fijis ami elsewhere, as ths clinnte of th.s anything hut agreeable. For the last IS monies vie kave had heavy vales of wind, .accompanied or followed by rain or snow, and mauy of the miners, who were htrong hardy m n, fir,d ihat working in the water ror a l>-i iithened period, together with the bad wea.thfi\ is seriously injuring toeir health, and hence arises the desire to move to a more genial climate.

Although a coDsidprable amount of business in the shape of repairs and alterations to vessels is done at the various yards and slips at vV illiamstown, there, is not muoh. acmeved in the way of ship rankling ; and ib is only at intervals that the launch ot an entirely n w craft of anythng like tonnage haa to be reemded. At present, however, there i 3 on the slip at Mr Geo Duke's yard, Williamstown, a new schooner, which will ha ready for launching to-morrow or Thursday. The schooler is fore-and aft rigged and has been constructed expressly for vb.e Land Lakes trade, for which her flat floor and extremely light draught ot water will admirably adapt her. Her- dimensions are as follow :— Length, 70ffi ; beam, 19it ; depth of hold, stt 6m. The timber employed m the framing is the bese blue gi.ax, and the ottom and planking are of hardwood. Oregon pine has i ei-n used for the top sides, and Kauri pine for the deck, and the material and workmansni 1 have been the best procurable. When loaded with a hundred tons o? cargo it is anticipated that she will pot draw ni >re than four feet, of water, a- d this ouahfc to ensure her passiug through the Lakes' entrance at almost any time. The schooner has bten built for Mr W. R. Murrell. of Wiiliamstown, and is the seventh vessel of a similar description built by Mr Dune for bar. harbour trade, ."he is to be named the bxcel ; and, although comparatively a^pietending in appearance, she id nevertheless well and faithfully built, and is altogether a very cred'table specimen of shipwright work. Argus, lftiult.

The clipper brig Victory, from the Mauritius, with a c.ir_o or sugar consigned to >iessrs "W. and G\ Turnbull and l'o , arrived oil th« Heads at 10 30 p.m. en Tuesday, after a fins pas^age of 37 d;iys. ■"he was towed up to a discharging berth by the tug Geelong \esterdiy foieuoon. The ong sailed from the Mauri m-. on the 2t)tk of November, and exuunenced l'ght t\ E. trades until she reached lat 28 S , when the wind hauled round to the westward. Ss Paul's was passed on the 12th u lt. Fror& thence she encountered stiong N.W. an^ westerly winds, until within 50 miles o£ the Snares, which she reached on t'ae Ist mst northerly and northeasterly gales were then experienced, with thick weather. Reduced canvas to the Jowertop. sails until th« 4th, when s?.'ii -was made, and ahe pasaert between the Snares a;<d Iraps ab noon on the same day. .shortly afterw<rds the wind veerea ro^nd suddenly to the N.W, and blew heavily, with track v riving ram j reduced canvas to the two lower topsails a id foretopmaat staysail, and kept head reaching. About 3 pm. the lee leach-rope of the maintapsail parted, and the sail was fpht from clew to earii g ; bent another and tjok in the foretopsail. At 5p m. the gile increased to a perfect hurricane, with tremendous high cross sea, which kepG eontitmally breaking on board. At 10 pm. the wind moderated, when more sail was made and she stood to the northward ,and eastward.. The wind as it moderated veered gradually round to the westward, enabling her to ''.ceer a true course. Nuggets Point was passed at 420 p.m. on the sth, frooi thence a spanking >.W. bre-ze brought her to the Heads as staccd above/ The Victory is a handsome bng, '„„ it by Messrs. Brown and Simpson bi Dundee, of the best materials, in IS{>s. She carries a large caryo on a light draught of water, and sa Is well— her pr^'nt passage being ample proof of few gBJJ£» s capability.