THE SOUTHESK, FROM LONDON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3655, 29 December 1879, Page 2

THE SOUTHESK, FROM LONDON.

Yesterday morning this vtssol was signalled, and at 11a.m. she dropped anchor off Diamond Harbour. The Hea'ilh Officer, Dr Eoubo, and tho roporters went off to the ship shortly after she bronght np, when it was ascertained that all on board wore ■well. , . The Southosk Is a very handsome iron ves?el of 11154 ton3 register, rigged as a barque, bnilt by I Alexander Stephens and Son, and owned by Messrs fD. Bruce and ik>., of .Dundee. Bhe is three years old, and is on her third voyage, the two previous voyage* having been to Queensland with immigrants and Homo. The ship is fitted with all tho latest improvements, and has a nice snuff saloon comfortably fitted up with ample passenger accommodation in hor 'tween decks, whore 231 pasEcngors wer« quartered. Bhe sails well, and is reported to be ft thorotighly - comfortable vessel n-. sea. Hor commander 13 Captain Thomas Niccoll, who makes his first voyajo to Now Zealand. The Southosk's passage was 92 days from Gravo3end, which, considering 1 the po3sa?c3 recontly made and tho continued northerly and easterly weather, may be counted as a very good ono. Very light winds wevii met after leaving tie- channel to meeting with tho sonth-e*st ttade3 ; " -ocd rnn was then tc.de to t' <i southward of "' t Zealand on Doc. 18, since w -ch. time ufflin; r ithcrl/ winds prevailed np Ih :y\3b to irrival. i tho passenger:), 10 are in the : loon, 21 n tho £>: . . ad cabin, aai 207 in tho eteer >; \ They iavo c: .' ed Tory good health throuj 1 - "/.it the lassage One death occunvd, namely, thai of . Hr C. 13. Hay, ngod 38 years, a medicil pracliionar, whowa4 among the stearaee passengers; lio died from apoplexy on Oot. 21. He had been, it is said, iu practice in the Colonies, and wo3 coming out to rettle here. The medloal officer of the Southesk wa3 Dr HenTy C. Qarde, who appears to havo been very popnlar among the passengers. Tho various divisions wore found in a very fair state of oleanliuess and order, and the general arrangements for tho convenience of the < passengers were good, excepting the hospital and dispensary. These two places were situated in the main division of tho ship, and were not what they should have been. The hospital was simply ono of tba ordinary bertha, while the dispensary w*b a miserably small place, in which the medical officer tad barely room to move. Pottunately there -was so sicinean, or elae theso drawbacks would bare been much felt. It is highly necessary that better arrangements should he made in order that the medicil officer of a uhip should have ample room at h*s disposal in the event of serious sickness manifesting itself on the passage. The passengers all looktd remarkably ' well, and seemed to be thoroughly Batiafled with tho kind treatment rewivert trt the Uanfls of Cuptnin KicoH, Dr Garde, and ihe om'cors of the vessel. To Captain Nicoll andDr Qarde they presented testimonials expressive of tho respect and esteem in which they were held. A newspaper waa instituted on board, entitled tho Soutlusk Wtekhj News, much amusement being derived therefrom. Mr March arrived in Fort in the afternoon, and at once mace the official inspection of the passengers. Thai done the ship was formally cienreJ, and the passengers were at liberty to go ashore. Notwith. standing the absence of ordinary means of communication, it will be Been that very little time was lost iu clearing the ship. Tha Southesk comes out under charter iolJegsrs Shuw,Savill, ani Co., and has about 800 tons of general cargo aboard. Ciptniu Niccoll roports:— left Gravesend on Sept. 27 ; passed Deal tame day ; met with wostorly winds and ditty weather down Channol, and landed pilot off Portland on Oct. 1/ Hod light winds across the Bay ; e o N.B. trade?, and crossed tho equator on Oct. 27, STet with good S.E. trades, crossed the prime meridian on Nov. 16, and that of tho Cape on Nov. 2 1. Ma'lo a good run through tho outing with good weitorlies, pafsin? the meridian of the Leu win on Deu. 8. and Tasmania Dae. U. Tour days later was south of tho Mow Zealand coast, when the wind Bhlfted to tho ~H.V. and northerly, N.N.B. and N.W. winds were experienced. Was in company with the ship Tarinaki south of Kew Zoalaud and exchanged signals with her. Tho first landfall was xuada on Saturday night, being tho Kaikoura Ranges, at 10 p.m. Godley light was sighted, and yesterday morning' Pilot Qalbtaith hoarded the vessel, bringing her up to an anchorage at 11 a.m. No Colonialbound voaseU were 6poken on the passage.