ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP ANNE LONGTON, FROM LONDON.

Colonist, Volume VIII, Issue 733, 4 November 1864, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE SHIP ANNE LONGTON, FROM LONDON.

APPREHENSION OF THE CREW FOR

BREAKING BULK,

The Annie Longton, 643 tons, from London, chartered by Messrs. Shaw, Savill and Co., and consigned to Messrs. N. Edwards and Co., of this city, anchored off the Bank on Weduesday afternoon (Nov. 2nd), and was towed into the harbor yesterday by the steamer Nelson. She is commanded by Captain Hailing, and brings a number of passengers, chiefly Government immigrants, and a general cargo. The list of passengers will be found above, and a resume of the manifest appears in our lißt of imports. -The Anne Longton left London on the 9th July and cleared the Start Point on the 13th of the same month. She sighted New Zealand on the Ist instant, and is therefore 116 days from port to port, and 110 days from land to land. She had fine weather throughout the passage ; spoke three or four vessels, but none of theso was bound either to or from the colonies. The passengers, equal to 49 J statute sdults in general enjoyed good health on the voyage. One of them, Isabella Fincham, aged 21, died on the passage of consumption. She was hopelessly ill of this disease when she went on board the vessel, and it was scarcely expected that she would survive the passage. A serious charge has been made by Captain Hailing against his crew; and ten of them, including, we believe, the boatswain and the cook, have been apprehended for breaking in upon and embezzling part of the cargo. Spirits was the principal article taken, and it appears that this embezzlement had been going on for some time before it was discovered. The culprits had broken into the hold through from the coal-hole, and, after that mode of entry was stopped, they tore up one of the deck planks. Drunkenness and disobedience prevailed among the crew for some time, and the Captain had, in consequence of this drunkenness, to obtain the assistance of a number of the passengers, to aid him in suppressing it, and in working the ship. These were divided into two watches, and at last comparative order was restored. The Captain however, never moved about without a loaded revolver with him. It is believed that spirits have been thus surreptitiously taken from the cargo to the value of at least £150. The men will be brought up before the Resident Magistrate to-morrow.

Abeival of a Cabgo op Wheat at Nelson pbom Vaipabaiso.—The Dutch barque Jacobus, 265 tons, Captain Van Der Tas, arrived here from Valparaiso on Tuesday. She brings 14,300 bushels of wheat for Mr. Saunders, ordered through Messrs. N. Edwards and Co. The Jacobus left Valparaiso on the 18th August, and has therefore been 74 days on the passage, having been becalmed for ten days off the Feejee Islands. She had fine weather throughout the passage. The news brought by the Jacobus is that English freights were low at Valparaiso. Two vessels had sailed in company from that port with cargoes of breadstuffs for Sydney. One was leading with wheat for Melbourne, and on the departure of this last, the shipments of grain from Valparaiso would close for he season.

Tonnage in Ltttelton Habbob.—lt is a rather remarkable fact that, in spite of this being the spring season and an_ unusually dull time, the aggregate tonnage of foreign shipping in harbor is greater now than it has been for some years, it being yesterday over 11,000 tons. We hope that the brightness of yesterday tempted some photographer to exercise his vocation whilst Lyttelton was looking its bo>t; we should then have seen the largest merchantman afloat —the British Empire, and the splendid s.s. Otago, either of which would of itself form a picture, besides five large ships, four barques, and the steamers Wellington and Airedale, to say nothing of a host of smaller cr&ft.—Zyttelton Times, 27 Oct. Bbitish Empibe.—Arrangements have been made for laying on this fine vessel for London with a cargo of wool. She will be the second wool ship of the season, and will follow tho Blue Jacket. Her cargo is expected to consist of seven thousand bales, valued at £150,000. She will sail in the' course of February next, and- being the largest vessel which has ever visited the harbor,she possesses excellent oalrin accommodation for passengers. No doubt those intending to take a homeward trip will avail themselves of tho opportunity afforded by her departure.— lbid. The Panama Company.—We understand that the ships being built for this company to perform the trip between Sydney, New Zealand, and Panama, were progressing satisfactorily at the end of August, and promised to be very fine vessels. A small steamer for the_ intercolonial and coasting service, the EgmonL which has been already noticed in our columns sailed for Melbourne and Sydney and New Zealand early in the month, and was to bo followed by a fine boat similar to the Otago, but not quite so large, which would be ready about November, and was to be called the Rangitoto, after tho majestic volcano at the entrance of the Waitemata. Besides these two, a third vessel of 700 tons would probably be purchased and sent out at once. These are all in addition to the ocean fleet of mail steamers, and prove the desire of the company to perform the New Zealand services respectably. Capt. Vino Hall, the principal manager of the company, would return to the colonies by the mail steamer of September from India.— lbid. Patai, Wbeck op a Steameb.—The following is one of the disasters caused by the gale which lately visited New South Wales. The Herald reports •— The steamer New Moon, bound from the Macleay to Sydney, was lost at Hannah Bay, near Port Stephens, on Saturday night. She had reached as tar as Bird Island, when the gale came on, and she turned to run back. She carried away her foresail, jib, fore-try sail; the steam valve broke, and thus all command over engines was lost. Heavy seas broke on board, and the water rose fast in her hold; the pumps soon became choked, and all hands were compelled to bail out with buckets for several hours The water, however, still increased, until there was three feet m the hold. The captain ran for Port Stephens, but was compelled to beach the vessel, at six o clock on Sunday evening, near Hannah Bay Kicliard Day, the only man saved, says lie saw the crew and passengers floating about on pieces of wreck There were eleven" persons on board, namely, the~ captain and owner, his two sons, two female passengers, three firemen, and three seaman. It was quire dark when the only survivor got on shore. Ho is much bruised. Captain Allen, the Harbor-maater, picked him up at the Bluff. Two men from Hannah Bay have since brought in the mail bags, but no news has been received as to the missing crew. Day says some of them may have got on ahore near Port Stephens.

Captain Sbmmes on the Modebk Sailob — "?™l m°}*£ BAall(Jr8 Aal l(J r (Bay" Captam Sommeß i" his •Cruise of the Alabama and SSumter f) has creatlv changed in character. He now stickles for pay like a sharper, and seems to have lost his reoklessness and »ove of adventure." However this latter proposition may be, the truth of the former was most amply proved on the day in question. J ac k higgled and haggled, and insisted pertinaciously on the terms he felt his would-be captain's necessity enabled him to command: and in the end Captain Semmes was fain to consent to the exorbitant rates of £4 10s a month for seamen, £5 and £6 for petty officers, and £7 «• firemen I " I was glad," ho writes, •' to cet them even upon these terms, as I was afraid a large bounty in addition would be demanded of me . Very onrini» was the contrast afforded by this scene with theT thusiasm that had preceded, and the gallant, dashing reckless career that followed it. These men wfi thus stood out for the last sixpence they could hone to wring from their employev'a neoosaUy, where the same who d«ahed. aubaequently blindfolded into th« I action with the BMrn^ <& hlte jsf £mal

quietly out of a safe harbor with a disabled ship, to meet an enemy hi perfect trim aud of superior force, and as their shattered vessel sank beneath their feet, crowded around the very captain with whom the hard bargain had been driven, imploring him not to yield." The Connector Steamvessei.—A model vessel, which is intended by its projector to be the precursor of a large fleet of cargo-carrying craft for the coasting trade, has for many months been the object of curiosity and remark to the traveller by the river steamboats. It is necessary to remind our readers that Hhe is intended to show the practicability of adding together separate cargo-carryiog compartments, in the same manner that luggage trucks are formed into a train upon a railway, the motive power being comprised in a distinct compartment. The object sought to be gained by this arrangement- lias special reference to the London coal trade, and consists in the avoidance of delay and consequent waste of expenditure by detaining the machinery compartment while the cargo sections are being unladen, and therefore it is proposed that upon a laden water-train—as it may be termed—reaching its destination, the machinery shall be disconnected and transferred to another train of empty vessels, with which it will return, while those which it had just brought into port are being unladen. The advantages of such a plan, if practicable, are obvious; but the means proposed to that end are so novel that at the first sight of the model vessel few persons can avoid entertaining doubts as to its success. The vessel, as it at present lies in the river, consists of three compartments connected together by projecting bolts fastening in the eyes of the overlapping iron spon.«ons. The idea of excessive friction upon these connecting points naturally prosents itself as a probable difficulty to the success of the plan ; but the inventor and captiin of the vessel, Mr. Mac Sweeny, affirm that the amount of friction is surprisingly small, and certainly after more than two years' wear no signs of injury are discernable in either bolts or sponsons, although the vessel has twice made the passage fiom-Hartlepool to London, laden with 43 tons of coal in heavy weather. When it is borne in mind that the three connected compartments are 110 ft. in length, with a beam of only Bft. 4in. and bulwarks of only 2ft. in height, the motive power being an engine of 10-horse power, the exposure of such a jraft to the rough waters of the North Sea would seem to be a bold venture. However, the Connector went to Hartlepool and returned, and on Tuesday she started upon an experimental trip down the river to Sea Reach. Notwithstanding her disproportionate lengfh she was easily steered through the intricacies of the crowded Pool, her singular appearance and the snake-like motion of her various sections exciting great curiosity. At Tilbury a stoppage became necessary to receive an accession of visitors, who were brought off from the pier by the stern compartment alone, containing the machinery, which was disconnected from the other sections in less than half a-minute, the means employed being a rack worked by a key upon deck which drew inwards the connecting bolts. The machinery section was afterwards reunited to the other compartments, an operation which occupied scarcely two minutes, and the journey towards the Nore was resumed. There was but little wind and less sea, so that it was not possible to judge of how the Connector would behave when encountering heavy waves. Upon meeting the heavy wave caused by a large paddle steamer, the fore compartment leaped up a very considerable angle, but the following compartments, were entirely unaffected by the motion. The managers of the vessel stated, that such was the ease at sea that the fore compartment does all the tossing, and opens a quiet path for the next section, a feat interesting to many sea travellers, but the importance of which is qualified by an admission that, although not given much to rolling, the connected vessels are apt in rongh weather to acquire a considerable "list." During a portion of the run, sail was hoisted upon the mast, one of which is carried by each section, but there was no opportunity of testing the alleged stiffness under canvass of this novel craft. Whatever may be the ultimate practical value of the invention which it is said has received the approval of many nautical and engineering authorities, there can be no doubt of its ingenuity, nor of the success which has attended the performance of the experimental Connector,— The Times, Aug. 18. A Ship's Chew Mxjedebed by Pibates. Information has reached Liverpool of a whole ship's crew having been murdered by pirates. This is the well-known East India clipper Gym Castle, the property of Mr. Edward Bates. The telegram conveying the information, says the Liverpool Courier, is as follows:—•• Accounts from Shanghae, dated the 20th June, mention a report that the Gym Castle, from Foo-Ohow for Japan, had been wrecked upon the Fishermen's Group, and her crew murdered by pirates." This telegram is from Lloyd's, who appear to have been the sole recipients of the information, the agents having no information of the occurrence. The Fishermen's Group are a series of reefs that run between the small island of that name and the mainland of the island of Mendoza, and a noted rendezvous of the piratical outlaws who have recently committed such depradations iv the China Seas. The Gym Castle was a beautiful iron clipper-ship of 691 tons • was built in Belfast in 1857. She is the second' Liverpool ship that has been captured by Chinese pirates within the last few months.