TELEGRAMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3360, 1 December 1871, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

Napier : 30th— 1- p.m., Napier, for Wellington. The s.s. Alhambra, Captain Underwood, from Melbourne via Southern ports, arrived in this harbor yesterday evening. Sbo left the M. and H. B. Railway pin- on tho 18th ult., at 3 p.m. ; cleared Port Phillip Heads at G p.m. ; passed Swan Island on the following day, al 4 p.m. ; arrived off tho Bluff on the 23rd, afc 11 p m. ; waited for daylight, oncl entered tho harbor at 5 a.m. on the 2-lth ; discharged cargo, and left at -1 p.m. Experienced light winds and calms tho first part of the passage, and N.W. to S.W. winds the latter part. Left Port Chalmers ou the 27th at 430 p.m. ; arrived in Lyttelton on the 28th at 11.30 a.m. ; left Lyttelton on the 29 th at 5.30 p.m. ; arrived in Wellington on the 30th at 5.20 p.m. The Alhambra sails again for Melbourne via Nelson and West Coast at 11 a.m. to-day. The s.s. Rangatira is duo hero on Tuesday from the South, and will leave again on Wednesday for Napier. The s.s. Wellington, Captain Kennedy, arrived at Port Chalmers yesterday morning at 8 o'clock. She wa3 taken into the floating dock this morning, to have her hull cleaned and painted. She will leave Otago on the sth inst., arrive here on tho 7th, and sail for Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau on the Bth. Tho s.s. Taranaki is due at Nelson this morning from the Manukau. She will leave Nelson to-morrow, and arrive hero on Sunday morning, and will sail for Lyttelton and Otngo on Monday, as advertised. On arrival at Port Chalmers she will also bo placed in the floating dock, to have her hull cleaned and painted. The San Francisco mail is duo at Auckland on the sth inst., and will bo brought on here by the Phcebe, which vessel will leave Manukau immediately she receives the mails for Southern ports. She will be due hero late on the evening of the 7th inst, and will sail for Lyttelton and Otago shortly after arrival. The Thames Steam Navigation Company, Limited, have decided to wind up their affairs. Mr Carruthers, C.E., tho Colonial Engi-neer-in-Chief, has reported to the Chairman of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works regarding the best method of providing harbor accommodation at Timaru. Ho says : — " There are open to the Board three methods of improving the harbor accommodation. 1. By erecting a breakwater on a large scale, completely stopping the shinglo. 2. By endeavoring to give partial protection, and at the same time letting tho shingle pass. 3. By improving the boat service." Of tho two first methods, and especially of the second, Mr Carruthers disapproves. Regarding tho third, he says: — "It i 3 to tho improvement of tho boat service, that I think the Board Bhould look." The foundation-stone of a new Seaman's Institution was laid recently at Liverpool by Mr Ralph Brocklebank, president. The Molyncux river (Otngo) is navigable for a distance of fifty-nine miles from its mouth. It discharges into the sen n greater quantity of water than the Nile, six times more than tho Tay, and sixteen time 3 more than tho Thames. Tho American sloop-of-war, St. Mary is now visiting Sydney. The following is the report of Mr Carruthers, Engineer-in-Chief, on the Oamaru harbor works : — Sir, — The works which it is proposed to carry out consist of — Ist. A south concrete pier ; 2nd. A north concreto pier ; 3rd. A dock. It is proposed that tho south pier 'only shall be constructed at present", the others being left for future consideration. I made, accompanied by Mr M'Gregor, the engineer in charge of the harbor works, ft careful examination of the coast from the mouth of the Kakanui River to the North Cape of Oamaru Bay ; and again at the mouth of the Wuitaki River, with a \ievr of finding out where the shinglo which forms the beach at Oamaru comes from, and whether it is stationary or not. I feel pretty confident thnt the beach south of Cape Wanbrjw is permanent, and that no shingle to speak of comes from the south into the harbor. To the north the shore consists of shingle cliffs from twenty to fifty feet high, which are being rapidly cut down by tho sea, and there is littlo doubt, that this is the cause of the Oamaru beach. There is also, I think, no doubt that on tho whole the beach is stationary ; with northerly seas tho shinglo is heaped up opposite the town, and with southerly seas it is driven away again to the north. Tho heaviest seas are from the south-east, and the harbor is partially protected from them by Capo Wanbrow. It is found, however, that the waves curl round the end of the Capo into the harbor, and it is to prevent this that the south pier is to be constructed. The pier is to consist of a concrete well, 1000 feet long, and raised to high water level, and is estimated to cost £35,000. I have no doubt but it will much improve tho harbor, and it appears to me to be designed of sufficient strength to resist the heaviest seas. It is not unlikely that the shinglo will collect to a considerable extent inside tho harbor when tho pier is completed. At present the shingle brought in by the northerly winds is driven out again by the southerly ; tho pier will offer no hindrance to its coming in, but bj breaking the force of tho southerly waves will prevent its being driven out again. Ido not think this will cause serious trouble for many years ; and when it does, the erection of the proposed northern pier will stop it. The northern pier is to be of concreto, about 2000 feet long, and will cost about £70,000. As it is not intended to go on with its construction at present, detailed plans have not been made ; but there will bo no difficulty in building it, and thus completing the protection of the harbor from all seas. It ia not proposed to

build the dock until both piers shall bavo been completed, so neither plnns nor estimates have been made— l have, &c, John Caruuthers, Engineer-in-Chief.— The Hon tho Minister for Public Works, Wellington. The ship Aeteropo will be the first for this season to load in Port Underwood for London. Her cargo being now to hand, she will load rapidly, and doubtless bo despatched by her advertised date, the 20th December. Tho Astoropo will bo followed by tho Chilli and the Anne Gamble, which are both on their pa3Bages out from London, and now due.— " Marlborough Express," Nov. 25. The mosquitoes of Burrnah (says the ".Madras Muvl") have a terrible reputation, but wo never imagined that they were such formidable wretches that they could compel even a sailor to commit suicide. Yet that is the character a local paper gives them. It would appear that some years ago a sailor walking as sentry on the gangway of her Majesty's frigate Fox, when that vessel wus lying ab anchor on tho Irrawaddy, was dreadfully teased and excited by the swarms of mosquitoes which kept worrying him. "No amount of fighting had the least effoct on them. Finally he gave up in despair, and calling to his comrade Bob, ' I say, Bob,' he inquired, 'do you think hell is worse than this — — place' (using some dreadful expressions in reference to his tormentors). Ho said he did 1 not knew, but no doubt, quoth Bob, ' it is * pretty bad here, and unless wo get tho skin of an elephant, these burning stinging beasts will eat us up alive." The sufferer remarked, ' " Good-bye, Bob, I am going to see if it is not cooler than it is here." With that ho walked up tho eteps and gave ono jump, and away overboard he went, to sink to rise no more. Tho watch was roused with the cry, " a man overboard." Boats were lowered, and every search made to recover the infatuated man who wanted to get away from tho pestering worrying mosquitoes, and could not. He committed suicide in the frenzy produced by them. A court of iuquiry was held next day, and their verdict was " drowned himself when mad from the stings of swarms of mosquitoes." The Commodore sent ashore and bought bookrousliii enough in town to supply each man with a set of mosquito nets or curtains, when tho misery of these poor men was brought to a happy close.