S.S. STAR OF THE SOUTH.

West Coast Times, Issue 104, 17 January 1866, Page 2

S.S. STAR OF THE SOUTH.

The following is the report of Captains Turnbull and Joyce, who held a survey on tho above vessel at Ohnlky lulot : — •' We, the undersignocl, having suvvoyed tho •toamer Star of the South, at tho request of the master and purser, report her damages thug— On the starbonrd side, twelve frames are broken, and the plates ripped the same distance along j also the keelson bent upwards four inches out of truth. On tho port side several floors avo also startod. In the main hold the floors aro started and anglo irons broken. Tho main mast is started upwards about four inchos in tlio spariugs. Thoro was nothing at all started in the foro compartment 10 fur as "wo could sco." Thomas TußNßUrit, Harbour Master. W. Joyce,' master, s.s. Kcera.

The New Zealand Herald understands that it is the intention of the Government to dispose of all gunboats in the Wnikato river at an early date. Tho only one intended to be retained is the p.s. Mouton, for service atWnngnnui.

The Argus reports the arrival, at Melbourne, of the p.s. Challenge, one of the River Thames tug-boats. She is of seventy-four tons measurement, and her engines are of seventy horso power, while her "draught of water is only frix feet with ten tons of coal on board. Iv size and build she is almost a facsimile of the steam-tug B«solute, and she comes out consigned to the agents of-that vessel, Messrs llcid, Poole and Co.

Honolulu papers received iv Sydney report that the Shenandoah had burned the Hawaiian whaler, Htirveu, near Ascension Island, and steps were being taken to pursue tho pirate. Dropped ynoii a Stkamku. — A gentleman belonging to Coupav-Angus, whilo on hja wuy ofrom Rotterdam to Loith on tho 9th f Scptomber, at noon, and when about 100 miles from tho mouth of tho Rhino, onclosod his card in a bottle, pencilling on tho back of it tliat lie would pay a Bum of monoy to any ono who brought or sont tho card to his address. Tho' bottlo, carefully corked, was dropped from the steamer Holyrood about twelvo o'clock noon of tho 9th 'of Scptomber, and on Wednesday morning, tho 11th of ' October, tho gontlcman received por post tho identical noto from a fishermnn, who had picked it up on the shore near Sizwell Gup, about seven, milo» north of Orfordnoss, in tho county of Suffolk. Tho bottle was found •bout three o'clock iv tho afternoon of tho 6th inst. The gontlcman nt once transmitted tho promised reward to tho finder. It U ■omowhat remarkable that a promissory noto • placod in such a position should, within a month's time, bo presented for poymont. — Dundee Advertiser. Tdf Btkam Shipping Tradk.— The Timet of the 24th October says :— •'• It is intimated that Messrs. Guiou and Co , of Liverpool, who have been long identified with the business, havo contracted for the building of fivst-cluss-steanier.s to form a weekly lino from that port to New York. These will commence early next year, and during the interval other steamers havo been engaged by the firm to sail overy Thursday. Thuatberewillbo!sweeklyßteamersdopartin{;Jfi'oin Lirerpooliiri tho New York trade— viz , ono by the Cunard Comyauy, two by the Inman Company, one by the National Company, and ono by the Guion Company." This is certainly mar- ' vellous evidence of the progress of steam navigation. We learn from a private source that the eott of the seven steamers, whioh th ; s new company are about building, will bo not Ipss than i£500,000, which is double the original capital of tho Cunard Company. Loss ov tub Garkawai/t. — The British sliip Garr&walt, 027 tons, with a cargo of (ca and silk, for London from Shanghai, fell in with very heavy weather on tho 20th ultimo, when Dear the Prates Shoal, which continued until the Ist instant— gale from N.NE. to B. Tho ship (hen struck aud became a complete wreck on the shoals off tho uorlh-east point of Hainan. The master (George Phillips) and two soamen were drowned ; tbf remainder of the crew got safely on shore. Eight stayed where they lauded ; tho othcis (seventeen) walked to a place called Now Chow, whence they left in June for Sui-Toug, where they found the British steamers Priuco Kung and^Sir J. Jeejcabhoy. ' The latter vessel brought these to this port.— Friend of China, Ootober 29. The steamer Tasmania, favorably known in the Melbourne and Sydney trado is under^offor to the Queensland Steam Navigation Company for £10,000, and the sale was expected to bn completed.