EXPECTED ARRIVALS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XX, Issue 2221, 20 June 1865, Page 2

EXPECTED ARRIVALS.

Auckland, s.s., from Melbourne via Auckland, about the 23rd Wellington, s.s., from Picton, Nolson, Taranaki, and Manukau, 23rd Tiirarua, s.s., from Nelson and Sydney, 23rd Egmont, s.s., from Napier and Auckland, 23rd Prince Alfred, s.s., from Lyttelton and Dunedin, 23rd Lady Bird, s.s., from Napier and Auckland, 27th Storm Bird, s.s., from Wanganui and Northern Porls AVanganui, s.s., from Wanganui Mary aud Edith, barque, from Valparaiso Martin Luther, ship, from London projected departures. Wellington, s.s., for Lyttelton, Dunedin, and the Bluff, 2 ith Tarnrua, s.s., for Lyttelton and Dunedin, 21th Auckland, s.s., for' Pieton, Nelson, and Melbourne, 24th Egmont , s.s., for Pieton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau, 21th vessels in" roRT. Queen, s.s., from Lyttelton Chapman, ship, from London Berar, ship, from London Rangoon, barque, from Napier Lubra, brigantine, from Sydney Ravenscraig, ship, from Port Underwood A. AY. Stevens, barque, from Newcastle Manukau, from Newcastle Wonga Wonga, s.s., from North Heather Bell, brig, from Sydney Ellon, brig, from Newcastle Sarah, brig, from Otago Esther, brigantine Sarah, schooner Shepherdess, schooner Kate, schooner Mary Louisa, ketch, from Havelock Forsyth, cutter Flying Buck, schooner The schooner Plying Buck, 143 tons, Captain Brown, from the River Mersey, Tasmania, arrived in this harbor on Saturday last, after a passago of ten days. Sho left the Mersey on the Gth instant, experienced S.S.W. and southerly winds during the most of the passage, and made the run from land to land in six days ; and if she had not encountered a S.E. gale in tho Straits, which compelled Capt. Brown to put into Port Gore, •she would have made the pussnge from port to port in seven days. She is a clipper fore-an-aft schooner, and sails remarkably fast, having run 10 and 12 knots occasionally during tbe voyage. Captnin Brown reports hnving spoken the schooner Tona, Capt. Smith, from Porirua, bound to Hokitika, on tbe 15th iust. The Flying Buck's cargo consists of 5,000 bushels oats, 0,000 palings, and 32 tons potatoes, and she is consigned to Messrs. Levin k Co. Capt. Brown, on his last visit to Wellington, was master of the barque Tomatin, which brought v cargo of coals for the P.N.Z. and A.R.M. Company in June last. Tho P.N.Z. & A.R.M. Company's s.s. Otago, Capt. Sniith, left the Bluff on tho 12th instant, at 2.45 p.m, and arrived at Port Chalmers afc 3.45 a.m. the following morning, making the run in thirteen hours. Left Port Chalmers at 3.45 p.m. on the 15th, and arrived at Lyttelton at 10.45 on the 16th, making the passage in 18 hours. At one o'clock, a.m., during a strong gale from tho S.E., the steering apparatus gavo way, the vessol broached to and shipped a little water, but experienced no further inconvenience, the relieving | tackles having been immediately brought to the duty of the usual steering gcer. The Otago arrived in this port on Sunday morning, and left again yesterday forenoon for Northern Provinces. Storm: and Loss oe Life. — A severe gale blew n the Northumberland coast on tho 19th. everal hundreds of vcssols in tho course of the ay ran for shelter to the mouth of the Tyne, but number of them wero wrecked in their attempts to enter. The Quickstep, of Extoi\ while runnin

for the bar lost her mate and a seamau, who were washed overboard. About the same time a cop-per-bottomed schooner, belonging to Yarmouth, was struck by an immense w'aTe; and her mate was washed overboard and drowned. About four o'clock in the afternoon a coal-laden brig, the Burton, hailing from Colchester, which had sailed from Shields on Wednesday for London,was seen putt ing back to the port for shelter. As she came to the bar a brig and a barque got to windward of hei-, and sent her too far to the northward. While she was in this predicament a tremendous sea caught her. She ran upon it, and in a moment she was hurled upon the seaward end of the rubble slone of the north pier. The crew immediately took to the rigging, four of the hands upon tbe foremast and the boy to the maintop. With grout alacrity tlie coastguards had their apparatus in position and fired, the line going right between the masts. A lad on board the ship scrambled up the foremast and twice clutched the line, and twice it evaded his grasp. During fhe time that the poor fellows were trying to catch the line the vessel had bumped her bottom out, and tke coals washed from her, like coal dust giving the sea around her an inky appearance. In less than five minutes after she struck, the vessel was "like an empty hat box, and within seven minutes she was entirely crumpled up by the sea, and her wreck floating about in fi agmeuts Three of the hands, viz., the master, Mr. Henry Turner, and the two lads appear to have got fastened with the rigging, and were not seen after th» vessel broke up ; but the mate George Hazell, and the able-bodied seaman, Henry Pullen, were thrown clear of the wreck. Pullen was a swimmer, and made a desperate 'struggle for his life. He got well into the haven, but the life-boat while making to his assistance, was impeded by the wreck thnt was floating in, and before the crew could reach him he sank. Ilazell laid hold ofthe ship's boat bottom, and managed to shift himself nnd catch hold of the deck plank, which floated him until the men of the lifeboat caught hold of and pulled him into the boat. Weekly News. Wreck of the San Jacinto. — The United States steam sloop-of-war San Jacinto, rendered famous as being the vessel which in November, 1861, under command of Captain Wilkes, took from on board the British steamer Trent the Commissioners Slidol and Mason, when on their way ns Ministers ofthe Southern Confederacy to France and England, was wrecked on a reef of No Name Lvey, on tho Bahama banks, on tho morning of New Year's day. Chasing ablockade-l-unnei- into neutral waters, and hoping to prevent her getting out into the night, Captain Meade got too close in shore, and struck the reef. The crew Avcre saved, and also the guns and most of the stores, the wreckers being probably driven off by Iho English and Amercan war steamers that came to the assistance of (he San Jacinto. The wreckers of the Bahama banks are a peculiar class of men. Nearly all negroes or Creoles, strong, daring, and imireel to hardships, good seamen, and well acquainted with every reef and current in the Gulf Stream and the adjacent waters ; they will put to sea in the darkest night, and in the most threatening weather lured by the hopes of picking up a few boxes or bales Irom some stranding ship, or perhaps, only a few masts and spars. Their vessels are usually small sloops, light, swift, and of but little d.aught. Theo are frequently the property of small capitalists of Nassau, Abaco, or Key West, and are manned by a captain, mate, nnd tlu-ce or four hands. Instances have been known of a wrecking-master making a fortune in a single trip by coming up with a vessel abandoned by its crew. By the laAv be can then claim the whole vessel and cargo as his own As a general thing, however, all that a wrecker can hope to get from a stranded ship arc a few boxes and bales of damaged goods, and a few masts, spars and planks. With the results of his night's work ho proceeds usually fo Nassau, and there disposes of tho articles. The frightful storms which rage in these waters at this season of the 3 T enr, the blind reefs and perplexing currents, give the wreckers ample employment, and render this portion of the coast a terror to the mariner. More wrecks take place here than in any otber portion of the world ; and it. is affirmed that the inhabi* tants of Nassau aye, in a great measure, dependent for their support on fhe wrecking trade. It is certain that an enormous quantity of wrecked goods are annually sold here at merely nominal prices, money being scarce on the island- New York Herald Bth March. We havo boen placed in possession, by a reliable authority, of the following pnrtieulars relative to the supposed wreck at Mason's Bay, Stewart's Island. In the course of the month of March last, a party of Maoris, who had been muttonhireling on some of the small rocky islets off the coast, chanced to land in the locality abovenamed, and there discovered strewn along the beach, a quantity of wreck, together with articles of clothing, a cask of tar, two empty casks, a boat — stove in — and a ship's mast charred by fire. The things were' almost embedded in the sand, and from the fact of tho clothing being rotten, it would appear that the disaster of which these traces were visible, must have taken place some time since. In addition to the above vestiges, a box containing some womens' and childrens' clothing, a small wooden box, and a cash-box was found. Tbe small boxes contained six pairs of enr-i-ings, a woman's finger-ring, a watch and chain, and some papers. The latter were thrown away by the finders, who divided the other articles amongst them. They do not appear to have been aware of am' more correct procedure to adopt until some one had informed them. As a consequence, the Maoris have handed over to Sergeant-Major Chapman, at the Constabulary station, Riverton, the following portion of the armies in (heir possession, comprising : — One black lace shawl, one silk skirt, puce and white striped, one bluish chequered linsey polka, oue cotton tidy, one pair wristbands, brown silk, overlaid with leather, one pair plated ear-rings, stone in centre, nnd one calico sheet, one corner not hemmed, no marks or nnme visible. Captain Howell, wbo possesses considerable influence wilh the Maoris, is understood to have sent word to the holders of the ofher articles, who reside at Colacs Bay, Stewart's Island, to bring them to Riverton. A wide field for conjecture is opened ns lo the fate of the crews of the ship or ships which have mall human probability been lost. We have no doubt that every exertion will bo used by tho proper authorities to obtain the most reliable information on the spot. Mason's Bay is situated on tho south-western side of Stewart's Island, and it is stated by persons experienced in the navigation of the Southern Ocean that a kind of indraught sets in upon its shore, upheaving tho fragments of wrecks occurring at great distances. In connection with the subject it will be remembered that some time since tho Otago Times mentioned tho departure of a three-masted American schooner, coupling tho fact with a report in circulation that a suspicious looking steamer, supposed to be the Shenandoah, had been observed by several vessels. In the samo paragraph it was stated that glare of light as of a ship on fire had been secii by the pilots, who were inclined to believe that ths merchant vessel had fallen into the hands of the cruizer, and shared the usual fato of prizes. It remains to be seen whether the schooner reached I hor destination in snfety. The Jack Frost, which I cleared out from the Bluff some months ago, has never since been heard of. It is possible, judging by the finding of the boat that tho crew or passengers of a ship on|fivc may have succeeded in effecting a landing, and have wandered inland in quest of inhabitants, whom they might have expected to find, and there perished. We look forward with much interest to the result of further investigation. — Daily Times. A Voyage amongst the Icebergs. — The JEssex Chronicle, a manuscript journal kept by the passengers of the ship Essex, during her recent voyage from Melbourne, New South Wales, via Cape Horn, to England, and which has recently been printed and published, contains the following interesting particulars of her wanderings amongst the icebergs : — " Ifc appears that there Avas a look-out man on the forecastle, and that the captain had quitted the poop for a few minutes — a very unusual thing, as we all know. On his return, he walked to the break of the poop, and looked forward ; intending, we understand, to give the order for shortening sail immediately. He, however, saw breakers right a-head, with email ico, and ordered the helm 'hard-up.'

Tliis was at once done, and immediately afterwards the same eye saw an immense iceberg looming through the haze, close on the port bowThe helm was put hard-up, the hands called, and everything let go, and in three minutes from the time when tho captain first discovered the iceberg the gallant vessel had swung round, to all appearance, on her own length, fairly clear of it. The escape was nothing short, of miraculous, and the captain's ref urn to the deck at the precise moment is fairly considered to have been a special interposition of Providence in our favor. The vessel was clearly going with great velocity right on to tho ice; two iiiiiiutcslateraiidsheimnt have gone down with every soul oa board, and the agony suffered by the non-maritime portion of those who saw the danger was too intense for description. Nobody believed that the vessel could clear the berg, and so close was it that Borne of thoso who looked up at it from the forecastle declare that it appeared absolutely to overhang them. Wlien all was clear the sails were taken in ; and shortly afterwards ' more ice' was j reported on the port bow. The sharpest possible look-out was kept, but nothing beyond small floating pieces were seen. The haze cleared off almost directly, and the vessel proceeded safely on her way. ' Thanksgivings were returned, by the passengers in the respective cabins, to Almighty God for our wonderful escape, and never were they uttered with more earnest fervor. On Tuesday it came on to blow so heavily, and . about two p.m. the snow-squalls were m heavy that sail was reduced, and the vessel afterwards hove-to, under bare poles. On Wednesday she ! was put before the wind, and soon after midnight the passengers were again alarmed by the shock of her broaching-to. This difficulty having been overcome with the loss of certain sails, the nightpassed ; and when morning broke (lie vessel was found to be hove-to in a gale of wind, with a tremendous sea running, about two miles to windward of an iceberg. Of this dreadful danger the passengers were happily ignorant until it was overcome: but we believe it to have been the greatest of all, and avoided only by the mercy of Providence, and the great presence of mind, skill, and courage of those to whom our safety is entrusted.' The following aro the entries in the log : — " Oct. 21, 6.20 p.m. — Broken water was visible close to the ship. Eirst seen by Captain Atwood (apparently drift ico but which afterwards proved to be fhe back wator from a large iceberg.) The helm was immediately put hard aport and tho ship payed off. When clear of the bow the helm was righted, and not. (ill then did the iceberg become visible, towering up above the masts like a fog-bank. The helm was again put hard aport, and the ship's head brought to S.S.E. Tbo yards wero promptly brueed round, and the jib-shcefc hauled over, thereby helping the ship's way, and, after thrashing along for about five minutes, within not more than twenty yards of the berg, succeeded in weathering the southern extremity. God be praised. — G-. F. G-ibbs, C. Off." " October 27. — Daylight. Violent gale, with continued fall of snow and sleet, which froze on the decks. Discovered through the mist a large iceberg five points on the lee bow, only a short distance from the ship ; turned hands out, and endeavored to get way on the ship. Braced all the yards up, and put helm amidships. Set maintopniust stayBail reefed, which immediately blew away. Loosed and set foretopsail, which held on for a few minutes — a sufficient time to get a little headway on the ship, and, therefore, to clear tho berg by a short distance. After being set five minutes, it blew away. Forefcopmast s'aysail was bent and set. The ship lying in the trough of the sea, wbicb was running very high, took in a very largo quantity of water, which, luckily, did no further damage than drown some of the stock. Lee foremast davit washed out of its socket, but held by topper lift." — Liverpool Albion. Safety of Her Majesty's Ship Galatea. — Tho Rev. Frederick Ross Laurence, of Little Warley, Essex, writes as follows to the Times : — I have received a letter from my son, a Midshipman on board her Majesty's ship Galatea, bearing date February 20, Bermuda, which enables me distinctly to disprove the truth of the reported loss of the frigate on the 12th of February, oif Cape Henry. She left Fort Monro on the 16th of February, and after a very quick passage of three days (700 miles) reached Bermuda on the 19th of Febrnary. The only storm she encountered which my son deems worthy of mention was during the passage from Halifax to Bermuda, in the earlypart of January, during which the frigate lost her quarterboat, or cutter, and a spare mainyard and some spars, were carried away, but no loss of lifo or injury of any of the crew, was sustained.