West Coast Times.

West Coast Times, Issue 196, 4 April 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 1866.

Tke story of English -wrecks is appalling Four hundred vessels are reported to have been lost within or about tho opening month of the now year. The season appears to havo boon singularly inclement. Heavy gales had prevailed on tho coast, and on land, storms and inundations had destroyed an enormous amount of property. The wrecks, by which hundreds of ill-fated lives have been lost, occurcd partly at sea and partly on the dangerous coasts of tho British islands'. Where ships founder in tho open ocean, the severity of the weather, or the faulty construction of the vessels, or tho misconduct of those who have them under command, are the chief assignable causes of the disasters. In coastal navigation, far greater dangers have as a rule to bo encountered ; and of tho long catalogue of wrecks which our English files record, the vast majority took place either in' tho open hnvbors and roadsteads that abound on the English coasts, or in tho waters washing tho land. Vessels have foundered at anchor; they have been cast upon a lee shore ; they have struck against some headland or upon some sunken rock ; and they and their living freight have gone down. There is something astounding in all this history. England, for centuries the reputed mistress of tho seas, seems in those, the proudest days in her career as a great mercantile nation, to succumb helplessly to its forces. The same story that recounts the triumphs of her naval architecture, tells a hundred instances of tho inefficiency of her best constructed and most completely furnished ships to do successful battle with the winds and waves of ocean. It is not to be assumed that the laws of nature havo materially changed during the last hundred years. But oven in proportion to tho number and tonnage of tho, ships that now go to sea from British* ports, tho losses are enormously in cess of those which took place in the earlier days of English navigation. Tho seamen who braved the dangers of unknown seas in tho grand era of maritime adventure and discovery, were not more skilled navigators than tho trained masters of modern

merchant ships. Certainly the vessels in w hich they sailed on their daring voyages, would bo reckoned in these days unfit to be "classed" as sea going boats. In aiming at a maximum of speed and at the construction of ocean palaces, have the modern shipbuilders ignored in their models or their equipments any of tho essential conditions of safety at sea ? Wo are happy to say that the list of colonial wrecks is small in proportion to the tonnage of vessels employed in these waters, as compared with the losses of tho mercantile niarino of tho old country. Yct^ it cannot be alleged that the Australian coasts are less dangerous than those of Great Britain ; nor can it be affirmed that the class of vessels employed in our coastal trade have any special qualities that should guarautce their greater security. Some of the most tcrriblo incidents in tho colonial wreck register arc connected with crack English ships undor tho command of English officers. Tho Sehomherg, the Duncan Dunbnr, the Orpheus, m'fty be cited as instances. To whateve v cause it may bo assigned, it & a i'act, that accidents to Australian and Now Zealand coasting vessels are fewer than might under all tho circumstances have been expected. Wo except the stranding of steamers and othor vessels in attempting to cross bar harbours, such as those of Hokitika ami tho Grey, which can hardly bo said to comb within tho category of Wrecks in tho common acceptation of that term. Yet whilst congratulating ourselves on tho measure of immunity we have enjoyed and tho very littlo sacrifice of lifo that has taken place, it still remains a fact that more than one vessel has left New Zealand ports of whose fate no tidingtf havo been heard. The wholo community has justbeen horrified by the detailed story of tho loss of the London, as a year or two back it was horrified by tho news of the wreck of the Royal Charter. The magnitude of those disasters invested them with a preponderating importance. When hundreds of passengers go down , the circle over which tho dark shadow of grief rests is proportionately extended. But socially, one lifo is equal to another. Every shipwrecked man has his own 1 circle of friends who knew him, who loved liim, who mourn for him. Tho rescue of tho shipwrecked is surely ouc of the most solemn and imperative duties of a people to whom sea traffic is amongst their main sources of prosperity. Very littlo money has boon spent on this coast in the erection of lighthouses, or tho establishment of a Lifeboat service. So much the more call therefore is there upon tho community, to contributo to tho expenses of any expedition of search and succor that may bo demanded in the interests of humanity. It appears probable that some unfortunate castaways, arc at this moment waiting help and rescue on the West Coast of Now Zealand. The notice given by the agents of the Sangalier, and tho report mado by Captain Lowrio, of tho Barwon, are painfully suggestive of more than ono story of suffering, endurance, and long-deferred hope. Is it not proper that immediate steps should bo taken to search tho coast for tho recovery of unfortunates, who may bo incapable of making their way to any settled district, and equally incapable of attracting tho attention of passing steamers P It was obviovsly impossible for Captain Lowrio to send a bo&t to shoro at tho time when tho signals of distress ho reports were made to him. lie had the interests of his owners and of his passengers to attend to. But a searching vessel specially commissioned, would have waited oIF tho coast until communication with it could havo been effected. These mon arc still waiting rescue. Captain Lowrio' s signals amounted to a promise to them that help should bo sent. Shall that promise be unredeemed ? We havo a large fleet of coastal steamers. Wo have a lar o class of mercantile men who have reaped tho advantages of tho coastal trade. It would be a becoming aud a humane act for them to equip one of tho many steamboats available, on a voyage of search down tho coast. If they rescued a single lifo tho reward would bo sufficient ; if they failed to rescue one, the reward — in the consciousness of a duty done — would be sufficient still.

Theiie arc occasionally printers' blunders that should immortalise their authors. Tho sentence in which we were mado to suggest yesterday, that the fact of Mr Moorhouse being a " Christian man" might under certain circumstances have jeopardised his chances of election for tho West Coast, may be ranked amongst them. Wo trust our amiable- critics on the othor side of the rango will not infer from this compositor's error, that in Westland estimation a " Christchurch man" and a " Christian man" arc convertible terms.

It will bo soon by roforonco to om 1 shipping column, that 23,100 ozb of gold wore shipped by tho Bnrwon for Sydnoy, roprcßonting a vuluo of upwards of £80,000. Tho Sitting of tlio Resident Magistrate's Court yostorday was unusually protracted. Soveral important cases wore heard, during ouo o£ which tho Court sat with closed doors, owing to tho nature of tho ovidenco to |be given. Tho grst salo of Government land on [tho Wost Coast commenced yesterday at tho Sup erne Court Houso, and will bo resumed this moi ling at ton o'clock. Wo givo a dotailed repo fc in another column, . A toa mooting was held on Good Fi'iduy in tho Wosloyau Ohuroh at Ross, in aid of ilho funds of tho Eosg Hospital. A corrosponijont informs ua that Mr R, Clark presided, thatitho

tables wcro most libel-ally furnishod, and that upwards ol a hundred sat down td tho tfo'boi* ropast, consisting chiefly "of diggers. A considorablo mimbor of ladiet Yrore, howovcr, prosent. After tlio tables wore cloared and removed ft public mooting was hold, and Mr Samuel James was voted to tlio chair. By this iimo tho building had become very crowdod, and a largo numbor Tvero nnablo to gain admittanco. After fiitiging and prayov by Mv R. "OJoA> local preacher, tlie chairman 'made some appropriate remarks, and was followed by Mr W. Bradshaw. The choir, led by Mr AY. Powoll, then sang a picco of sacred music, after which tho chairinah called upon Mi 1 Clark to adflVcUs the mooting. That gcntloman deferred to tho solemn associations of the day, and proceeded to impross upon tho audionco the importance of establishing a local hospital, which ho rominded them could not bo oftoctocl without pi'oper funcls. Ho urged tho noccssity of individual and unitod offort for raising (ho amount required. Ilia appeal was responded to by a collection of £12 14s. The Scerolary of tho Hospital Committee thanked their Wosloyan friends for their oxortions in favor ot tho caiiso. After another hymn had been' sung by tlio ohoir votos of thanks woro accordod by acclamation to tho ladies for their assistance, a!nd to tlio Chairmnn. Tho monoy subscribed by tho Wosloyans of Ross towards tho establishment of lino hospital was thon handod ovor to tho Secretary. It amounted to tho handsome sum of £32. Tho New Zealand Herald of tho 28th, has tho followiug on gold discoveries at tho Thames: — "In our issuo of -yesterday wo noticed tho report which Was provalon't in town on Monday, that 'k party of prospootors had returrrod U'6m tlio Thames^with nows of the diocovory of payable gold. Rumor also connected tho party with tho name of a wellknown individual, who spends much of his timo, at tho public oxponso, on tho skirts of tho Thames district, and who occasionally onlivons tho good,, pcoplo of Auckland, through tho columns of ourcotompornry, with accounts of his wondovful discoveries and oxortions. Honco wo were disposod to rcceivo tho report of anothor discovory of gold in the Thames district as a ropotition of tho numerous hoaxes which havo boon played upon the public Tho party which arrived in town oh Saturday night, however, havo no connection whatever with that of tlio • Thames correspondent.' Thoy aro men of well-known respectability, and of moans also, — prospecting at thoir own oxponso, — and proparod, if allowod to do so, to purchase from tho nativo ownors tho right to work tho land. Indood, when wo say that tho party is that of Mr W. Brighton and Mr Rawdon, their statement will bo rccoived with intorost. It appears that after a visit to tho West Coast goldficlds, tho parly rcturnod to Auckland fov the purpose of prospecting the Thamos, and proceeded about eight weeks ago to tho East Coast, from whonco thoy struck westward, but did not find payablo gold until Mioy had passed Kairaka, at tho west sido of tho rivor Thamos, at a phco called Kauranga. Tho Kauranga natives, howovev, drovo thorn from tlio spot almost as soon ns thoy had fully mado tho discovory of tho payablo nature of tho ground. From what thoy saw of it, howovor, thoy conoludo that tlio flold is suffloiout in extent to afford work for something liko 500 diggers, and they describo it as boing essentially a poor man's, or wages diggings, on which a man could earn from £3 to £5 per wook. In tlio neighborhood and through many parts of tho district, quartz reefs aro to be scon, but thoy had no moans of tosting thoii' auriferous qualities. It is a great pity that sorno arrangomonts cannot bo mado with thoso natives for tho working of this, and porhaps similar goldfiolds. Tho natives, as it is, will noithor work theso mines (homsolvos nor suffor thorn to bo workocl by othors ; and yet tbia land lies within tho fi'onlior lino stretching from Tauranga to tho West Coast, and is in all probability owned by rebols who havo assislocl in murdoving our settlors, and in shooting down our troops!" The sentence of *leath passed upon Riohar d Farrol for tlio murder of Mr Foan at Hawko's Bay, has been commuted to ponal servitude for lifo.