TELEGRAMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3275, 11 August 1871, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

Na?IEB, 10th— Noon, Rangatira, from Wellington. , WasG-akui, 10th— 4 p.m., Wanganui, irom "Wellington. The Huon Belle and tho Falcon left yesterday afternoon for coastal trips. Tho Eohooner Lady Bird left for Newcastle yesterday afternoon. Tho s.e. Phoabo left Porfc Chalmers yesterday afternoon for Lyttelton, with the Otago members of tho General Assembly. Sho will be duo at Lyttelton this morning, and will sail tho samo day for Wellington, bringing the Canterbury members with her. She will arrive here on Saturday morning, and leave again en Tuesday nexfc for Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau. The s.s. Lord Ashley, Captain Andrews, Bailed at 1.15 o'clock yesterday afternoon for Southern ports. She will sail again for Napier, Tauranga, and Auckland on the 21st, and this ■will be hor last trip for some time, as it is intended on her arrival at Auckland to lay her up for extensive repairs. Tho s.s. Claud Hamilton, Captain Clark, arrived off Hokitika yesterday morning, and ■was not tendered up to tho hour of our going to press in consequence of tho boisterous state of the weather. Tho s.s. Rangatira, Captain Renner, is due hero from Napier on Saturday, and is to leave on Monday, for Kaikoura, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. The ship Edinburgh Castle is loading rapidly. She has now on board 400 bales ■wool, 350 bales flax, 420 fcons tallow, 30 tons butter, and other produce It is expected thafc she will bo a full ship aboufc fcho 25th instant, and will sail at tho end of the monfch for London direct. The death of Captain Taylor _ has again drawn attention to a subject iv connection with merchant vessels, aboufc which a great amount of discussion has takon place, hut little action of a practical naturo has ever been attempted. All seamen agree that tho stowing of the jib is aboufc fcho mosfc dangerous part of a seaman's duties, and ifc is nofc too much to say that; if fcho Lady Denison had been provided with nettings we might have been saved the melancholy duty of chronicling the loss of life on thafc occasion. The accident that occurred on board the ship Turkish Empire, while on her passage from London to Melbourne, by which three seamen wero drowned, suggests the question why merchant vest-el's do nofc adopt the precaution in H. M. Navy, namely, haviug nettings affixed to tho jibboom guys ? It is generally allowed that taking in a jib is the most hazardous sail on board ship to furl, and times out of number have Beamen been lost; from fcho boom whilo carrying oufc the ordor, bufc in only isolated instances is the abovo precaution taken. It is thought by many to be unsightly and cumbersome, bufc there is at; present a crack trader in Sydney — fche Rifleman — provided with nettings, and her head gear is the reverse of unsightly ; bufc where valuable lives are afc stake appearaneeß ought to give way. The Golden Fleeco, a fine irou ship of 1300 tons, arrived from London yesterday, after a splendid passage of eighty days from the Downs and seventy-six from Portland. This vessel is now on her first voyage to fche colonies, her two provious ones having been mado to Calcntta ; but sho is evidently a remarkably fasfc ship, as fcho weather and wind from England to the Cape of Good Hopo were of the most discouraging character, but from the latter point she has made good use of the strong breezes prevailing, and averaged 250 miles for twenty-seven consecutive days. Ontho 12fch June, a seaman named W. Q.uinn, while furling tho fore-royal, foil from fche yard on deck, and, although nofc apparently seriously injured, died tho following day.—" Sydney Morning Herald," July 15. Accounts from Kingston (Jamaica) state that the Queensbury had been struck by a Bwordfieh, which penetrated to a depth of 30 inches, and caused a leak, necessitating the discharge of the cargo. The Detached Squadron, under Rear-Ad-miral Beauchamp Seymour, will arrive afc the Cape of Good Hope about the end of October, and await instructions as to its future cruising ground. — " European Mail." The Channel Squadron will shortly proceed to sea, and is expected to be absent from England during the whole of the summer. Lisbon is mentioned as tho rendezvous.— lbid.

A very sightly and serviceable steam launch, built and engined by Messrs Mort and Co, at the Waterview Bay Works, mado her trial trip yesterday. Tho boafc has been builfc to fche order of fche French Government, for service afc Now Caledonia, and will provo as useful to the Government as sho is a credit to the contractors. Tho launch is 42 feet overall, 8 feet beam, and 4 feet deep, and is fitted with a five-horse power engine, which propels her 9£ knots per hour, carrying somo forty passengers. The boiler has been tested to 100 pounds, and any amount of steam can be obtained. Tlie launch has been named the Buluri.— "S. M. Herald," July 26.

It will, no doubt, be remarked that the s.b. City of Melbourne was tho first of the new line of mail steamers that arrived hero, and that her captain (Grainger) was "huffed" at something when he entered the port, refused to come ashore, would nofc remain the time allotted to coal, but went away threo hours after arrival, leaving an impression of himself anything but favorable. Before ho left, however, the gallant captain took ifc into his head to do our port all the injury he could. We find thafc there haß been published in tho Sydney and Melbourne papers a letter from him, in which he strongly advises that no more steamers be sent here, but that; Kadavu be tho future place of call. Whilst we are awaro that no representations Capt. Grainger can make would damage Levuka, since the A.S.N. Company aro too much alive to their own interests to allow their steamers to remove from the centre of trade and population to an isolated calling placo, ifc is pleasant to know that tho captains of the two succeeding steamers—Capfc. Stewart, of the Wonga Wonga, and Captain Moore, of tho City of Adelaideare highly pleased with tho place, and declaro themselves well satisfied with all they havo Eecn and heard. And tho childish silliness of Captain Grainger in reporting the approaches to a harbour long known— as well as navigation safely undertaken by sailing ships many years, to be dangerous— needs no argument to refute it.—" Fiji Gazette." The qualities of vessels of war of the Cerberus stamp have lately been mado the subject pf a report to the British Parliament, nofc

exactly in respect to fcbe Cerberus, bufc to j ships of war of fcho Cyclops and Devastation classes, to which, in effect, our main harbour defence belongs. The report in most respects applies to her as well as to ofcher liko vessels except in one thing, which fche agent-goneral iv London has been careful to point oufc in a despatch just received by tho mail. The report recommends a greater strength of bottom in such vessels, and lesfc that should influence our opinion of fcho Cerberus, Mr Verdon has sent to us a few remarks from Colonel Pasley —who is not only a well-known Victorian but also a high Imperial authority— on fcho subject. The gallant colonel declares thafc no uneasiness need be felfc about the structural strength of tho bottom of the Cerberus, for tho observations of tho Select Committee of tho Houae of Commons which reported on the matter have reference only to the exigencies of English seas, where, owing fco the groat rise and fall of the tide, coast defence ships may possibly bo left high and dry, a contingency which cannot; possibly occur in tho comparatively tideless waters of Porfc Phillip. — " Argus." The Golden Fleece, from London, has arrived at Sydney wifch a geueral cargo valued at £500,300. Some practical experiments of great value havo recently been tried at sea with Holmes's storm and danger signal light, with a viow of testing its powers as applied to Bhip's signals. On the sth of May fcho steamship Sfc. Magnus, when two miles off Aberdeen harbor upon her voyage north, cast overboard at 11.15 p.m. ono of fcho lights to illustrato tbo life-buoy service; tho effect of the light being viewed from Aberdeen pier. The intensity and steady burning of fcho flame produced upon contact wifch tho water was mosfc romarkable, illuminating tho sea for a considerable distance around, and burning upon tho surface of tho wafcer with a brilliancy scarcely inferior to that of a lighthouse, as viewed from the deck of a steamer afc somo five or six miles distant. The light continued to burn for over an hour. Afc 11.20 p.m. a second signal was exhibited from tho after-peak of tho St. Magnus, and such was fche power of the light thrown off that fcho captain of tho Queen, steamer, reports on passing tho Sfc. Magnus afc a distance of two miles, fche ship was almost invisible from the glare of light which surrounded her, and, being unaware of fcho nature of the experiment, at first feared sho was on firo. Tho light from fche peak of the St. Magnus was distinctly visible ab a distance of over thirteen nautical miles, and it continued burning until 3.50 a.m., more than threo hours. Other experiments made with this now Bignal light during very stormy weather at Kirkwall have been equally satisfactory, and go far fco establish fche valuo of fcho light for marine and signal purposes. Tho now steamer Maitland mado nearly 15 knots on her trial trip afc Sydney.