LIFE BOATS FOR AUSTRALIA.

Colonist, Issue 43, 19 March 1858, Page 2

LIFE BOATS FOR AUSTRALIA.

With the'Australian'Mails- which left England on Saturday, the 12th December, the Royal Mail Lifeboat Institution sent 15 working drawings of tiie lifeboat adopted by it, to the five Australian 'Colonial Governors.'- The packet contains also five sets of four descriptions of carriages for transporting the lifeboat, to the scene of .wreck.- The drawings are on a scale off of an inch to the foot. Being working.drawings on which are clear and distinct printed instructions, any competent boatbuilder, who will strictly and faithfully follow the drawing and instructions, cannot fail to build a good lifeboat. The institution, however, recommend that the first lifeboat should always be by its experienced builders, Messrs. Forrest, of Liinehouse. The lifeboat is on the. design; of Mr. Jas. Pcake, naval architect in her Majesty's' Dockyard, Woolwich. The drawings are to be extensively circulated in all our colonies and in foreign countries. '■Various explanatory lifeboat papers, regarding 'jtfie management of lifeboats, are sent, with the drawings. We, therefore, trust soon to havethe;pleasure to record, that the whole, of the' Australian coast has been supplied with this excellent class of lifeboats, and that hereafter it will be acknowledged that the great boon will not' be the least, that the mother country has conferred on. one of her richest and most thriving colonies. On our own coast the testimony from actual experience in favour of this class of lifeboat is almost universal. They are constantly and successfully used in saving life from wrecks. These lifeboats possess great stability, 24 men being required to bring her gunwale to the water's edge, thus showing that it is almost impossible to upset them; but, in the event of such a casualty, they possess the great quality of self-righting immediately. They also self-eject any seas they may ship. The Royal Natiorial Lifeboat Institution has between thirty and forty of these boats.on the coast of the. United Kingdom , and others are at present building by it for Brighton, Hastings, Holyhead; and Qroomsporf, Rosslarc, Ardmore, Couitmacslierry, and Kilmore, in Ireland. The society earnestly appeal to the public for pecuniary support somewhat .commensurate with its extensive operations, and with its heavy, liabilities for these, lifeboats.— Sun, 10thDecember, ■_■■■■. , , .-..:-. :

The Out,ward Australian Mai^s..— The Royal Mail Company's steamship Teviot, Captain Moir, left Southampton on. Saturday, December 12, with the usual Australian'mails, 70 passerigersja full cargo, specie value JI2QO, jewellery JSOOO. A post office was fitted up on the, deck of the Teviot, for the sorting of the mails by a staff officer from the General Post Office, under the superintendence of Mr. Nash. This is the first floating post office that has been established in connection with the English mail packets. ■ The steam clipper Royal Charter is fixed to sail on the 7th January. .

The Robert Henderson, for O.'agb from Scotland, cleared on the 9th November from Greenock. She carries out 285 cabin and steerage passengers; they are principally of the agricultural class. She will- be followed by the Strathfieldsaye, from the Clyde, in January.

From the monthly list issued by the Jerusalem CoiFee-house, it appears that on the Ist of December there were loading in the Thames for; the Australian colonies 53 vessels, viz:—For Tasmania, 4 (2 Launceston and 2 Hobart Town) ; few New South Wales, 9 (8 Sydney and 1 Moreton; Bay); for Victoria, 24 (5 Geelong, 1 Portland' Bay, and 18 Melbourne); for South Australia, 7 ;,.for Swan River, 1; and for New Zealand, 8. ~.;

The Admiralty have accepted, foivthe conveyance of stores, the Heather Bell, for Hobart Town, and the Dawstone, for Sydney.

Messrs. James Baines and Co. have just put on for Melbourne the clipper ship Caribon, built expressly'for the Australian trade. She is a very handsomely built ship, registers 1207 tons, and described as a very superior vessel for passengers.

The Emigration Commissioners have accepted the Arabian at Jl4 2s. Id., to embark emigrants in ths middle of January, from Bivkenhead to Melbourne. They advertise nothing for the ensuing week. This engagement is the lowest made for some weeks past.

The ship James Booth, Captain M!Q,ueen, from Liverpool to Melbourne, put into Gibraltar on the sth of December, with loss of mainmast, foremost head, and other damage. ~ ,■■■..,

The Simla left her moorings, at Sydney at 1 pan. on the 11th instant, and passed the Heads at 2 p.m., and arrived off Port Phillip Heads at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and Hobsoh's Bay at 3 p.m., thus making the passage in the short space of 48 hours, including one and a half hour's detention sounding off Wilson's Promontory, and half-an-hour while communicating with R.M.S.S. Emeu, from Bombay 13th January, via Point de Galle January 20th, and bound, to Sydney. . The Simla will on this occasion proceed to Suez via Galle and A.den, and on her return to Galle will be removed from this line and proceed to England. Her place will be supplied by the Australasian...; The Simla has been a great favorite, her commander and officers having merited the respect and confidence of the different colonies, and will carry with them the good wishes of all who have travelled with them.— Svdnej/ Herald, Feb. 20. ,--"■"

The enthusiastic reception the City of Sydney met with on her arrival in the Bay on Saturday evening must have fully convinced her respected commander, Captain R. .-T.-Hoodie; and-his.-offi-cers,' that their exertions in carrying out the mail service were duly appreciated by the colony... As the vessel steamed through the fleet, she Was heartily cheered by the crews of the vessels/at 'anchor in Hobsbn's1 Bay; Victoria,- and- -we *nay particularly mention the R.M.S.S. Simla. Uhb; steam-tng Sophia, with a large number of gentlemen on board, proceeded to meet. her. and accompanied her to her anchorage off the Railway Pier. Captain Moodie reports having transKipped. at, Point de Galle, into the R.M.S.S. Victoria, tlie; passengers and mail which he conveyed from' Suez. It is in; contemplation among several friends of Capfain Moodie to present him with a suitable testimonial in acknowledgement.of the services he lias rendered to. the Australian colonies by the sticcess which has attended tlie experiment of the employment of a colonial steamer in the Royal Mail Service under his auspices.— Sydney Herald, Feb,2Q i ■■'".■ '■ ". ■■ '

The screw steamer Great Britain, of 3893 tons, Captain j* Gray, arrived in our harbour last evening, with 63 officers, and. 1055 rank and file of H.M.s Bth Royal Hussars, 17th Lancers, 83rd and set-ix Footj" and 14th Light Dragoons, She'left; Queenstown on the 9th of October, and touched at St. Vincent and Cape of Good Hope. The H. Cb.'s steam frigate. Auckland also arrived last evening.— Bombay Gazette,.Dec. ISi Extraordinary Steaming and Sailing. ~rThe screw-steamer lipperador, belonging to the. South American and General Steam Navigation Company,Liverpool, sailed from Plymouth at four p. m. on the 10th of August, with marines, for reinforceiiient of'the fleet at Hong Kong..: She arrived At, Singapore on' the I.6th of October, at 11-20 p.m.,1 having made' the passage in; the, unprecedented, short time of 60 dayß>2B hours afsea. She was detained at Madeira and;; As^ cension, coaling, six days 'eight: hours, thus .making the total passage in 67 days 7 hours. Sho steamed.3s days, and sailed with the iscrew disconnected 26 days, going frequently at the ratelof nine knots under' canvas only, braced sharp up. She- sailed:-with'the wind free, without steam, 264 knots in 24 hour?.;-The whole voyage was performed • with a consumption of 700. tofts coals steaming.— ■■ Times, 10th December.