TELEGRAMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3343, 11 November 1871, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

Napieb: 9th— 10.30 p.m., Keera, from Auckland. The schooner Maid ot Erin, Captain Cairns, has arrived at Wesfcporfc. She left Port Phillip Heads on September 25, and experienced Btrong westerly winds until the night of the 28th, when the wind freshened to a strong south-west gale, which necessitated heaving to. At 8 p.m. the vessel shipped a tremendous sea, which laid her on beam ends, carried away the starboard bulwarks and stanchion, from the fore rigging right affc, and burst the deck over the cabin, smashing in the latter, and filling it with water, burst the mainsail, and carried the compass and binnacle. Those in the cabin narrowly escaped drowning, and the mate who was standing near to the steps leading on deck, was carried upwards with the sea, but received several wounds from fl oating debris about the head and body, A boy passenger named Grant, Bon of Mr Grant, of the Star Hotel, Westport, very narrowly escaped drowning, t?q he remained in the cabin until the water had subsided. Singular to say, he received no injury. The vessel bore up for Sydney, and after receiving repairs, resumed her voyage. A curious discovery has just been made in Chatham Dockyard. Some extensive alterations are being made in the river wall opposite No 1 iron ship-ehed ; the workmen, in order to ensure a good foundation, excavated to a considerable depth. When they had reached a depth of about 30 feet they came upon the complete hull of a large vessel embedded in the ground. It is supposed lo be the remains of the Sea Horae, a war vessel that sunk in the Medway more than a century ago, and was afterwards towed in to form a pnrfc of the retaining dockyard wall. The most curious part is that a large number of the timbers are in a perfectly sound condition, and the oak of which the keel is formed is as sound aa when it was laid upon the slip blocks. Only one iron bolt has been found , the timbers having been fastened together by means of wooden " coaka," and a large n amber of these are in a perfect state. THE STRANDING- OF THE LADY BIRD. We have great pleasure in publishing the copy of a letter addressed to Mr Lancelot Holmes, the pilot, by Messrs Bethune and Hunter, agents for the New Zealand Inouranee Company, and agents for Lloyd's at this port, by which it will be seen that the directors of the company have directed Messrs Bethune & Hunter to present Mr Holmes and his crew with a gratuity of £50, in order to mark in a substantial manner their appreciation of the value of the services rendered by him and his boat's crew on the occasion of the stranding of the Lady Bird on Barrett's Reef on the night of the 20th September. It may not be out of place to mention at the aame time that we understand the Now Zealand Insurance Compnny, acting on the recommendations of their representatives here, settled promptly and liberally the claim preferred by the owner of the Lady Bird. The following is the letter addressed to Mr Holmes : — Exchange Buildings, Wellington, 21st October, 1871. SIE, — We have been instructed by the Board of Directors of the New Zealand Insurance Company to tender their best thanks to yourself and the men who formed your boat' 6 crew at the time you went off to the schooner Lady Bird when she struck on Barrett's Reef on the night of the 20th September. In order to mark their appreciation of the value of the services then rendered, we have teen directed to hand you the enclosed cheque for £50, to be apportioned in the following manner: — £25 to be retained bp yourself; £10 to be paid to Frederick Rison, cox wain of the boat ; and £5 each to Nicolia Sciacia, Robert Robertson, and John Rueeell. It affords us peculiar satisfaction to be the medium through which this communication passes, and we gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity of expressing the high sense we entertain of the value of the services you rendered, and the benefit which must result from the good example you set. — We are, &c, Bbthtjne'& Hunteb, Agents New Zealand Insurance Co. Mr Lancelot Holmes, P'lofc, Harbor of Port Nicholson, Wellington.