VISIT OF THE LUNA.

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 1004, 25 February 1871, Page 12

VISIT OF THE LUNA.

from the BroffaFif a,m, on Tuei day, ooaled at the Port, and came on to Donedin with the afternoom's flood. She left the Bluff at noon on Monday, and experienced contrary winds during her passage here. The Luna is the first veßsel built of steel plates that has visited our port. She was built at Birkenhead by Mr Laird, the builder of the ill-fated Captain and Alabama, previous to the termination of the American war. She run the blockade successfully twice. After the war she came on to Melbourne, where she ran between there and Geelong, until her unfortunate collision with the s. s. Black Swan, off Gellibrand's Point. She was seized in Melbourne for indebtedness, and sold by auction to a Mr Marshall, who brought her across to New Zealand, and commenced running to, the Thames. Seeing that she was. a Boat of no mean speeoj viz., fourteen to fifteen knots, the General Government purohased her for general' purposes about nine months ago. Daring the interim she has been employed conveying despatches, Volunteers, natives, and Armed Constabulary from place to place in the North Island, as also placing down buoys, and conveying stores, and attending to lighthouses. She is a vessel of 177 feet in length and 24 in breadth, while her sponsons extend to 43 feet. Such breadth being over that of the Floating Dock, she could only be taken in tnere by the means of heightened blooks, so that her sponsons would overlap the dook, as also gates would be required to be fittedforherbow. She sailed on Wednesday with our representative Volunteers for Auckland, and is to return in about a month, when the Graving Dock will be ready to enable her to have an overhaul and oleaning. Her engines are a pair of double oscillators of 120 horse power, capable of working up to much greater power. At present, and for some time, for the saving of fuel, she has been working with one boiler, but should necessity require, both boilers are brought in use, and the highest rate of speed obtained of any vessel in these waters. Her saloon is a large and airy apartment, fitted with horsehair cushions on each wing, which can be constructed into sleeping berths for 16. She has also two spacious after cabins, in which there is room enough for 6 ; one for> ward on the port side was originally the ladies' cabin, but is now occupied by Captain Fairchild, her commander, a gentleman well known for his urbanity and courteousness during his service hitherto as a Government servant. From her appearance, with her large paddle-boxes, ooverings, and houses on deck, we would say that the Luna is not a good sea boat in heavy weather ; but we are in* formed that suoh is not the case— that she stands all weathers well.