SHIPPING.

West Coast Times, Issue 100, 12 January 1866, Page 2

SHIPPING.

{••'PORT OP HOKITIKA. , yi '3 * ' * ' ; nioH-WATKn. Friday ... 6.12 ... 630 r^ AniUVKD. January 11— Gothenburg, s.s., Mackie, from Nelson. Henderson and llonar, agents. Claud Hamilton, s.fl., Ponsonby, from Sydney. Passengers— Saloon : MNs Lewis, Mr Roberts, and 42 in the steerage. F Grecr, agent. PAII.KD. January 11— Woug.i Wonga, s.s., Mundle, for Nekon. Passenger— Saloon : Messrs Brookeß, Chathwell, Stephenson, Isaacs, M'Carthy,' Mur- • ryatt, Corbett. and one in tho steorago. I Star of Tasmania, cutter. Millander, for Dunedin. OMtAUKD OUT. January 10-Wonga Wonga, (T.s., for Nelson. PKOJKOTBn PEPARTUUKS. Gothenburg, s.s , for Melbonrne to-morrow. Brucfcop>Bj, for^Okarita, 10th mat. Claud Hamilton, s.s'., for Melbourne, via Nelson and^Dtmodip, to-morrow. , Lap wing, "for "Grey River, early. Keera, s.s,, for Bluff Harbor and Dunedin, to-morrow. ' Alma,, for Melbourne this day. Mary Ann for Grey ltiver. Boscarn , for Tasmania. Three Sisters , for the Grey. ' Meteor, for Manakau. . Dart, for Melbourne Jane Lockhart, for Sydney, this day. Hector, for Dunedin, early. Thane, ss., for Grey. VESSKLS IK PORT. Brigantines — Isabella. Hector, Dart, Jane Loukhartj William. Schooners— Caroline, Meteor, Alma, Gem, Boscarn, Mary Anne,, J. B. Russell. Cutter — Lapwing. Ketch — John Mitcholl. Steamers— Ballarat, Yarra, Bruce. IMPORTS. Per Claud Hamilton : 1 case hardwaro, 3 kegsy 's' reams paper, Huwkcs and Stronts ; 15 bhgs onions, Walker ; 2 kegs butter, order ; 6 do do, Henry ; 129 cases fruit, Roberts.

Much oxcitoment was occasioned in town yeatorday by tho circulation of a rumor to tho oifect that tho Bteam tug Lioness was hard and fast ashoro on tho Groy bnr, nnd that small hopos were ontertaincd of hor release. Wo sincerely trust this will prove- ono of those monstrous reports which occasionally aro disseminated, originating from no ono in particular. We must, howevor, confess to feeling Tory unonsy, for wo aro credibly infonnod tho Groy bar is in a wruti'hocl state, thoro being two ihannols, in noither of which is thoro more than eight foot of water at high tide ; and, moreover, wo fully expected tho return of tho Lioness to-day, in which we aro disappointed. N Our Sydney brethren have this time alighted us with a vengeance, by sanding away the fine powerful P.N.Z., A.R.M. Co'ss.s. Claud Hamilton without a mail ami only some four or five papers. 'Truly we must have fallen in their estimation, unless the Sydney Past. Oflice officials, overcome by the excessive heat of tho season, found themselves unequal to the task of making up the letter bag in timo It certainly is a disappointment, considering the Claud Hamilton only left Sydney on Saturday las', and we fear it will be some time ere another opportunity presen'e itself "of receiving such exceedingly " late intelligence" and advices Our c.immeroial men murmur loudly and with good reason

The Panama, New Zealand and Australian Royal Mail Company's s.s. ,Olaud Hamilton, left Sydney at 3 p.m., on the 6th instant, with light NE winds and fiho weather, and after a fine run pf,four days and a half arrived off Hokitika at 5 a.m., on the 11th. She brings twenty-six tons of 'cargo for this port. Tho Claud Hamillearcs for Nelson at 0 a m,, this morning.

Between low nnd -high water yesterday afternoon a most sudden ami unexpected alteration took plaoo in the entrance to our river, the wido open channel thro ]gh which .tho Wong* Wonga (p«( p« sedatearly morning's tide completely silting up save a very narrow gut remaining to tlje N\V, and which is so situated'aa to render it impossible for the signal man -to work it from its present position. Should it remain as it is vessels will have to bo guided in from the signal station en the South Spit.

CnAIMHt OV MUIIDBH Otf-THK 111011 SkAS.— At tho Williamstown Police Court, yesterday, a seaman named Henry ltawlius belonging to the ship Salamander, which anived in this port on the 28th inst., from Auckland, .was brought up boforo Messrs Call and Mason, charged with ihe wilful inurdor of James Drown, one of the crew, by stabbing him with a knife on the Oth inst., a few hours after the vessel had sailed. A huge • number of witnes >cs woro examined, and accordiug to the evidence of tho inns' er (Capt. Clark), , tho vessel got under weigh about 3 o'clock in tho afternoon. Previous to her departuro, a gentleman, tbe owner of some cuttlo, came on board, and gave the nien a quantity of liquor unknown to the captain, by which thoy became very much intoxicated. The ship continued lier course till between 10 and 1 1 o'clock whun it wa-ss ated that there had been a disturbance in the foiocnstle, and that one of the men was stabbed after this, the prisoner appeared on the quartor-dock, much out and bruised about tho head and face, nnd in a very , excite J sate. Ho was accompanied by .the Ohief officer, who stated that tbe man was de.id, upon winch the prisoner w.is placed in iroas, whero ho was kept for ih,o remainder of the voyage. The chief officer,(Mr, Beatley) stated that on going into tbe'foreciiatlo he observed Brown lying on his baok upon a chest, apparently dead, nnd on feeling hia pulse 'he discovered that tho man actually was dead. Witness examined the body, and saw .on deceased's left (side a wound between . the second and third ribs, as if inflicted with a knife, and there wns shout a pint of blood on the floor. Efeeeased's shirt »as partly off, tho wound appearing just above tho trousers. The Bheath-knife' belonging to the prisoner, nnd utained with blood, was pioked up on the spardeck two hours afterwards. The body was brought on deck, where it was seen by the prisoner on the following day, previous to its being buried. Witness also stated that Ihe foreeastlo was bolow tho upper deck, and that no noise there could bo heard by persons in other parts of tho vessel. Tho mun who witnessed the murder was a seaman named John Hayden. < This witness stated that on tho night in question several of tbo crow wero in the forecastle together, in a diunken and quarrelsome state. The prisoner, the deceased, and a man named Ildddelberg were prosent. Tho deceased was so drunk as to bo unable to stand, and as he lay ou the deck, Haddelborg seized him by the hair and bout his head against the deck.* The' prisoner seeing this told Haddelbcrg not to hurt the man as he was drunk. Some angiy words followed, wlieu Hnddelberg said he would serve Rawlius the. samo way. Tho latter then. .said he would fight Haddelberg for £20, and th«y stripped and exchanged blows for soveral minutes, when the -pri-oner gave in and they separated, Haddelborg, who appeared to ■averted like a madman, then struck uud insulted .all who came within his roach, and being unablo to. get any one to quarrel with him, inviUd the prisoner to stand forth and have another fight. This the ptisoner declined, sayiug that he was too drunk, upon wliuh Haddelberg again 'struck him, and the fight was resumed. After a short time, tho prisoner , rushed to bin bunk and seized a knife, which he put into a sheuth he wore ronud his waist. Ho then' sat down on a stool in front of his berth, and remained there a fuw minutes, wbou Htddelberg advanced and struck bun again. As tha prisoner got up and stood as if to defend himself, tho deceased approached Haddelberg and patted him encouragingly on tho back. Tho deceased tben sat down, Haddel' erg-still cha'. lengiug tbe prisoner to stand out. Seeing that llawlius refuted to renew the fight Brown got up, and staggering towards the prisoner, received a blow from him under the left'ariu. Deceased stepped backwards without speaking, and ou looking into his faoe witness 'hHw him ohango «o!au.r f H« tfien fell,. m\<\ U ft fv«

minutes w«s 1. corpse, not having spoken a word fiom the timi ho was struck. ' Thtt prisoner, on seeing the blood, ran on dec^, whither ho was followed by three of the crew. A lamp was burning in the forecastle the whole tine, to that witness saw distinctly all that transpired. Tho prisoner, who appeared very dejected, reserved his defence, and was committed en tho charge of murder, to take his trial at tho Criminal Sessions in Melbourne, on the 15th February, — Melbourne Herald, Deo. 30.

Accident in Lyttei/tox Hatiiior. — It is our melancholy duty to report an occidont which occurred in tho. harbor on Saturday morning, by which ono man named Honry Sutton was drowned. Tho pilot boat's crow wero employed in bringing in to Poacouk's wharf tho schooner Aniolia. Tho vossol had mado a short board down tho harbor ns far as tho Indian Empire, and whon going about it was found that tho pilot boat was filling with water. Tho deceased and another man got into tho dingy to .bail her out, when this boat sunk 5 ono of tho men catching hold of a rope, got on board again, the other into tho pilot" boat's Btern-shcots, which was thon nearly full of water, and which by somo means got its bows undor tho schoonor's quarter, and sunk, tho man boing washed out. Tho third boat was cut adrift, so that tho drowning man might get into it, but tho poor fellow evidently lost hia prcsanco of mind, for ho swam away from it, and after a few strokes sunk. Tho accident was witnossod on hoard tho Indian Empire, nnd although a boat was instaurly lowered und put oft 1 to tho spot, nothing could bo soon of tho man. Tho doceasod was a man much esteemed by all who know him. Ho was formerly a watorman, but has lately boon omployod as ono of tho pilot boat's ci'ow. It is a most singular circumstance that for sovoral years wo havo had to record a death by drowning eithorat tho ond or tho commoncomont of tho year. — Lyttvlton Times, Jan. 1.