TELEGRAMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2482, 19 February 1867, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

a luff, £eoruary io. Arrived. — 5 a.m., Rangitoto, s.s., from Melbourne. Sailed. — 6.30 a.m., Rangitoto, s.s., forDtmedin. Tho s.s. Wellington, Captain Renner, arrived in harbor at 5 a.m. on tho 17th. She left Otngo at 4 p.m. on the 11th, and arrived at the Blufi' at 9.30 a.m. on tho 12th ; left same day at 11 a.m , and arrived off tho Haast at 4.30 p.m. on the 13th ; landed passengers and left for Hokitika at 5 p.m., arriving off tho bar at 4.30 a.m. on the 14th ; left same day at 5.30 p.m. and arrived at Nelson at 2.45 p.m. on the 15th ; left Nelson at G. 30 p.m. on the 16th, and arrived here as above. The Wellington brings the Nelson team of cricketers and 100 excursionists. Tbc brig Freak, Captain Suttons, arrived hero from Newcastle, N.S.W., at 3 p.m., on Saturday last, after a passage of 15 days. She brings 800 tons of coal for tins N.Z.S.N. Company. The brig Royal Exchange, Captain Hill, arrived in harbor at 3 p.m. on Saturday last, from Newcastle, N.S.W., after a protracted passage of four weeks. She is laden with 340 tons of coal, consigned to the P.N.Z. Company. The s.s. Lady Bird, Captain Holmes, arrived in | port at 9.30 a.m. yesterday. She left Dunedin at 6 p.m. on the 15fcii, arriving at Lyttelton at 3 p.m. ' on tho 16th ; left again at noon the following day, arriving at Wellington as above. Experienced fine weather during the passage. The ship Himalaya, 11-11 tons, amved at Lyttelton on the lOlh inst., 99 days out from the London docks. She brings 125 assisted emigrants, and has on board a number of pheasants and partridges. The ship Talbot sailed from Lyttelton, for London on tho 4th insfc., with a cargo of wool, &c, Tallied at £73,961. The ship Queen Bee, has sailed from Dunedin for London with 2882 bales of wool. The Alexandria will shortly leave Dunedin for London with upwards of 2,400 bales of wool. Tho barque Eleanor, which has lain at Port Chalmers for about, two rears, has been disposed of at auction for.CTOO. With n desire to nwo.l the wishes of the excursionists from Nelson, we are authorised to slate that the N.Z.S.X. Company hiiv« postponed the Wellington's dep;irturn for Nelson until nine o'clock this evening, in.-le.ad of six o'clock, ns previously announced. The stea .'tiers Egmont and Claud Hamilton left. Hokitika for Sydney on the 3 1th inst, the former vessel taking 15,188 ozs of gold, the latter nearly 4,500 OZB. Another successful trip is to be recorded m favor of that Bmart steamer the Bruce, she having returned from Haast River yesterday morning, after an absence of fifty-six hours from port. Tho Bruce left Hokitika on the Bth insfc, at 4 p.m.,

with tho ketch Cymracs in tow, and 100 passengers on board, of which number thirty -were to be transferred to the s.s. Claud Hamilton, then lying in the roadstead, and also bound to Haast River, The transhipment accomplished, both vessols stood away to the southward, with moderate S.W. winds, but against such a heavy head sea, that the Bruce having a tow behind her, made very slow headway. Observing the Cluud Hamilton ease steam, and at 5 p.m. very generously took both vessels in tow, and to use a phrase much in voguo amongst the coasting steamers, " gave them a pluck along" until 1.30 a.m. the next morning, when tho tow-line, unable to resist the heavy strain it was subjected to by tho increasing sea, parted, and the Bruce wus again reduced to her own powers of locomotion. The breeze now commenced to freshen in earnest, and by 8 a.m. was blowing a whole gale, with a tremendous sea, against which so little headway could be made, that it was resolved to run for tho shelter of tho Blue Hirer, where both vessels anchored in safety at noon. Remained there until 7 p.m., and then put to sea again, arriving off tho Haast River at 1 a.m. on tho 10th, and crossed tho bar at 12.30 p.m.> the tide being then at about three-quarters flood. She made but a short stay inside, for having landed her passengers, and shipped about thirty for tho return trip, she started at 2.45 p.m. and headed down the coast with lovely calm weather, that promised a pleasant and speedy run back. To render this narrative explicit, we may state that the Claud Hamilton had reached the Haast roadstead sixteen hours before the Bruce, but the sea being so heavy was unable to land passengers until the morning of the latter's arrival. In consequence of this both vessels were ready to start almost simultaneously for Hokitikn, but the Bruce obtained a slight advantage, and was nearly a mile in advance boforo tho Claud could be considered as fairly under weigh. From the superior power, size, and seagoing capabilities of Claud, it was very naturally expected that the position of the vessels would be speedily reversed, but, to the astonishment of all on board, the little Bruce held her own bravely for nearly two hours, and under 20 lbs of steam, dashed through the water at 10J knots an hour, such being the speed indicated by the patent log, and marked by the shipping reporter of the West Coast Times, who happened to be on board. Twenty pounds of steam, however, was a greater pressure than the Bruce was capable of continuously sustaining, and the amount having decreased to sixteen pounds, the Claud Hamilton ehot ahead and ranged alongside her tiny antagonist, whilst her good humored commander, Gordon Ponsonby, laughingly asked Capt Kerloy " Why he did not go on as ho commenced." Not the slightest taunt was contained in the remark, but the sturdy little skipper, to whom it was addressed, accepted it as a challenge, and defiantly declared he would " let him see what the Bruce could do," passed word below to the engineer, and in less than ten minutes the steam guage again marked the higher pressure, and the Westland yacht absolutely commenced to forgo ahead of her formidable opponent. And now commenced one of the most exciting contests we ever witnessed, both vessels doing their best — the Claud " blowing a feather," and her "stack" emitting dense volumes of smoke, sure evidences that her stokers were not idle — whilst Mr Campbell, the Bruco's engineer, was busy attending to the duties of his department, and hurried up the not unwilling firemen, who worked like tigers to uphold the honor of tho Bruce in so uncqunl a contest. For fully an hour the two steamers kept side by side, the Bruce sometimes shooting ahead, and again giving place to the Claud, which, by " putting on a spurt," took tho precedence, but soon subsided into her former position. At last the little Bruce was fain to cry ■peccavi, her boiler not being capable of keeping up so large a quantity of steam, and she accordingly dropped slowly astern when nearly abreast of Bruce Bay Bluff, having accomplished the distance of thirty-four miles from Haast River in three hours fifteen minutes, thus fully j maintaining, against one of the finest of tho Panama Co.'s boats, her well-earned reputation for speed. At the same time, in justification of the steaming power of the Claud Hamilton, we must say that she was in anything but racing trim, her bottom being exceedingly foul right up to the water line. At 9.30 p.m. tho Bruco passed Okarita, and Abut Head at 10.30 p.m., Hokitika Roadstead being reached at 3.30 a.m. yesterday morning, and tho bar crossed at 5 p.m. She brings back thirty passengers, who one and all speak most unfavorably of the southern rush. — West Coast Times, February 12.