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Star (Christchurch), Issue 691, 10 August 1870, Page 2

The necessity of having the compasses on board ships trading fc> the southern hemisphere properly adjusted becomes every day more apparent. It is well known that in some instances the compass becomes erroneous to the extent of from seven to eleven points in passing from the northern to the southern hemisphere, so that its guidance can no longer be depended on as perfectly reliable. The facts of this deviation were published in the Melbourne papers, some time back, in a letter from Captain C. J. Perry, who has since then successfully adjusted the compasses of many vessels trading to Australian ports The matter is of great commercial importance, and ought to be carefully studied by masters of ships visiting Australian waters, so as. that the public as well as the owners of ships may be protected! from loss. Whether the observed deviation of the compass results from terrestrial magnetism, or local causes on board particular ships, the facts are equally worthy of careful consideration.—Sydney Empire. " H.M.S. Blanche dropped her anchor once more in Wellington harbour yesterday afternoon shortly after 5 o'clock, from the Auckland Islands, after an unsuccessful search for the supposed castaways of the missing ship Matoaka, and the boat's crew of the Daphne that went to the place where the General Grant was wrecked, towards getting the treasure lost in that vessel. The Blanche left Sydney on the 2nd July, and after a ten days' trip, with average weather, reached Carnley harbour in the Auckland Islands, Examined the coast carefully for any sign of the castaways for several days, but without success. Before leaving the islands the Daphne arrived, and made known to the Blanche the object of their visit. The people on board the schooner were taken on board theßlanche and landed at Port Ross, while the Blanche went round the island under very easy steam, and as close to the shore as it was possible to do with any ;safety, but at the same time close enough to be able to see any living thing that might be on the island. Ou completing the circuit, the anchor was dropped in Port Ross on Saturday and they remained there all day Sunday. All the boats were sent out to different parts of the coast, some of the Daphne's crew being in each boat, with instructions to light fires during the search ; but they all returned unsuccessful. The case in which supplies had been deposited was found broken open, quite empty, exposed to the weather, and with considerable water in it. The case was emptied, dried carefully, and a fresh supply of provisions, clothes, blankets, and other necessaries put into the box, and the whole sealed up. Everything that experience could suggest was done to discover any trace of people, and to make still more certain the heavy guns of the Blanche were fired at reguiwyintervals during her stay, and the reverberations through the hills must have been heard and elicited some sign of life if any human beings were there. The people of the Daphne expressed themselves thoroughly satisfied with the search, ana felt that there was no longer the slightest ground for hoping that the crew who left in the whaleboat were on any part of the island. The spot pointed out as the place where the General Grant was lost, is not a cave, as has been the impression, and as has been depicted in the illustrated papers, but a high buttress of rock that slopes gradually away on one side. The officers of the Blanche stated, however, that they noticed on one part of the island, a large niche in the face of the cliff very much resembling a cut in the Illustrated London News,ot the 18th April, 18GS, representing the loss of the General Grant. The weather was remarkably fine during their stay, exceptionally so for the Auckland Islands, so that the conjunction of circumstances could not have been more favourable for the search. It would appear from the foregoing that Mr John Knowles and the people ou board the Alexander Dufchie have most likely been mistaken in fancying that they saw a row of fires on tha cliffs at Enderby's Island when they passed there on the 6th of January last, as it is more than probable that had that been the case, some trace of the sojourn of the castaways would have been left either purposely or otherwise.— Wellington Independent, Aug. 4.