SUBSIDIES TO MERCHANT CRUISERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 38

SUBSIDIES TO MERCHANT CRUISERS.

The Outlaid Company rtceive an annual subBidy of £7600 each for the Lucani* and Campania from the Admiralty, and the F. and O. Company l fj£3376ettch for. the Himalaya and Australia and U2438 each for the Victoria- and Arcadia. The {White Star line receive- £7285 for the Teutonic and £7396 for the Majestic. The Canadian-Pacific use receive for the combined service* of the ■sEmpreis of India, Kmpresa of China, and Empress •f Japan £7313, making a total of £48,620. During the week ending April 28, 11 vessels, representing 9969 tons, arrived at the Dunedin Wharves, and seven vessels, with a total of 4030 tons, left them. < "We are informed that the barque Himalaya, Captain Mann, did not leave Glasgow for this port bntil February 29. f The barque Vallejo, formerly a constant trader to this port, was recently anld at Manchester for iboot £1550. Another old trader here, the Famenoth, although put up for auction was not sold. i H.M.S. EapidTof 12 guns, Captain Casemaß, Jrom the north, arrived at the headsoa Thursday kftenioon and steamed up to the anchorage in Mansford Bay at 4.30 p.m. She left Akaroa at sVm. of the 22nd inst., and had light f*ir winds with smooth eeas along the coast. The .Rapid is to be in these waters for a week on this occasion, fend will be thrown oren for inspection as usual. 1 The New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer {Ukaia, from Timaru, awived on Thursday, Rnd was berthed at the Georg« street pier, to take on board wool and frozen meat for London. ' During the month of February 39 sailing and 25 Steam vessels, with a total of 34,454 tout, were reported to the Board of Trade as lost, while 205 livei were reported as lost in these vessels. ' Captain J. Stott, formerly of the U.S.S. Company's 'Eotorua. and lately of the CanadianAustralian B .e Miowera. who recently relinquish- d the command of tbat vessel, is about to proceed •• lo=Bn«l«nd. • . Captain M'Gee, of the s.i. Tasmania, organised ' Iwo- concerts in- aid of the sufferers by the Brunner disaiter, - wfth the result that ne has landed over to tbe 'Evening Poet fund the sum The barque Wenona in getting on well dia(barging* her <argo of pile* and timber at the • George street pier. • . _ - Tbea-B-KskataleftibeGeoTgestreetpieronMon. gay afternoon for London, Tia~Tiorthern pom. kci cargo from Port C2uJm«rß conafetecl 0£703

bales wool, 48 bales leather and basils, 600 sacks grain, 620 cases preserved meats, 25 packages sundries, 10,614 carcases frozen mutton, 130 cases rabbits, and 3 cases fish. The b.s. Otarama is getting on well with the discharge of her cat go, acd is expected to be clear of the portion for this \ orb about Wednesday.

Tae R.M.S. lonic commenced ou Monday morning to take ou board frozen mnttou, cases cheese, bales wool, and other cargo for London. . . .- , The "British Trade Journal" for March states that the desire of the Japanese to obtain a share of the carrying trade of the world is bringing important orders to British shipbuilders. For the new AngloJapanese line of the Japan Mail Steamship Company, or Nippon Yusen Kai>ha, six additional' twin screw steamers will be required. One of these is being built in Japan, and orders for the other five have been planed in Great Britain. Each of the new vessels will be 500 ft long and of 5550 tons, the carrying capacity being 7500 tons dead weight, and the average speed 12 knots. The Firth of Solway, which was lost by collision near Greenbck, wan an iron barque of 1313 tons grost, and classed after special aurv.ey in February 1895 as 100 Al at Lloyd's. She was built by W. B. Thompson at Glasgow in 1885, and was owned by Messrs J. Fpeucer and Co., of that port The Firth of Sol way was 228 ft long, 36ft Sin beam, and had a depth, of hold of 21ft. H.M.S. Endjmion, which lately brought out the relief crews for the Australian squadron from Plymouth to Sydney, is one of the new style of ocean-going battle cruisers built in 1890 by the Admiralty, and so successful has been her performances in long-dietance steaming that the Admiralty were perfectly satisfied with her, aa she proved that for long range of action a squadron of such vessels would hold their own in any part of the world and be ready for despatch at a moment's notice. The EnrVymion is a steel twin* screw deok-protec ( ed cruiser of tbe firtt-class, and has a sister (the Edgar) in the ojlebiated Flying squadron, ordered for immediate service by the Admiralty when trouble was brewing recently among the nations of iht Old World. She is divided into nijnxerous wat<?r-tight compartments, and the deck meeting these and covering the machinery and vital parts ranges from 6in lo lin. She was built at Hull, and engiued by Earle; the date of her launch being 1890. She measures, or rather her displacement, is 7350 tons, whil* her enginea are of 13,260 h.p. She is 360 ft long, 60ft beam, aud 23ft 9iu draught of water. The total cost of her hull and machinery amounted to £401,083. Her armament comprises tvvo 22-ton breechL lading rifled guns, 10 6in gui- k firing guns, 12 6-pounders, five 3-pounders, aod seven machine guns, four fish torpedo tubes and launching carriages. Her speed is equal to 20 50 knots and her coal endurance 850 tons ; equal ft 10,000 knots at 10 knots speed. She is a handsome, poweiful looking vessel, rigged with two pole masts aud two funnels.