High Water AT Port Nicholson To-DAY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3922, 9 October 1873, Page 2

High Water AT Port Nicholson To-DAY.

HxctH Watbe at Post Nicholson Morning, 5.11; evening, 5.28. ARRIVED. October 7, Blaokwall, 26 tons, Callow, from Rangitikei. i y Amateur, ketch, 25 tons, Hamilton, from Wairau. SAILED. 8, Nil. IMPOSTS. In the Napier, TnrnbuU and Co, agents— 1 trunk, Order; 2 lifting jacks, Bishop; 1 pel, 4 cases, 8 pkgs, Turnbull and Co ; 2 casks, Btapleß. In the Blaokwall, Master, agent —23 bales flax, Krull and Co; 16 hides, Hirst; 80 Bkins, Order.

In the Falcon, Turnbull and Co, agents — 46 bales, Johnston and Co ; K)0 bags, Duncan ; S bales, Levin and Co j 1 grate, Mills ; 1 bale, Order ; 1 pel, Marks ; 1 chest, Anderson ; 15 empty casks, Jackson and Graham. EXPECTED ABBIYAL3. 9, Paterßon, from the South 9, Taranaki, from Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau 10, Wellington, from Lyttelton and Port Chalmers

10, Kangatira, from Napier 10, Tararua, from Melbourne, via southern ports

PBOJECTED DEPASTURES. 9, Napier, fer Foxton 9, Lyttelton, for Blenheim 9, Taranaki, for Lyttelton and Port Ohal mere

9, Stormbird, for Wanganui 10, Manawatu, for Foxton 10, Tararua, for Melbourne, via the West Coast 11, Kangatira, for Napier and Poverty Bay 11, Wellington, for Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau . 11, Paterson, for Napier

The ship Celcena, 702 tons, sailed from Xondon on the 18th of July for this port.

The ship Duke of Edinburgh, 1073 tons, was loading at London on the sth August for Wellington.

The ship E. P. Bouverie, 997 tons, sailed from London on the 11th July for this port, with Government immigrants. She is now out 80 days, and being a clipper vessel, may therefore be shortly expected.

The ship Helen Denny, 723 tons, sailed from London on the 7th July for Wellington and Napier. The ship Queen Bee, 726 tons, sailed from London on the 26th July for Wellington. She arrived off Plymouth on the 31st July, and landed pilot.

The Zealandia, which arrived at Gravesend on the 10th July from Otago, reported having passed, in lat. 39 N., long. 37 W., a waterlogged brigantine (no name visible), with foremast, bowsprit, maintopmsbt, and mainmastbead gone, and all the hatches off. - Twenty guineas premium was being asked on the fine Liverpool ship Toftcombe, which Bailed from Liverpool on December 28 for Nelson. She is one of Mr. Joseph Steel's Teasel?.

The cutter Patea knocked a hole in her bottom yesterday on the reef at Chaffer's Passage. She went out in the morning with the object of loading up with timber from the stranded Rose of Eden, and now lies on the beach olose to the latter vessel with six feet of water in her. She is owned by Mr Hook, and is, we believe, insured in the South British for £100.

The following were the rates of freight ruling in London on the Bth August, for this port : — Rough measurement, 455 ; fine, 60s ; liquids, 65s ; weight, 355 ; cement, 6s ; bottled beer, Is 3d per doz in cases, Is 6A in casks.

We notice that there is a great discrepancy in the rates of freight to Wellington and the other ports of New Zealand. How is this ? The facilities of our port are certainly equal, if not superior to any other in New Zealand ; there are no hidden dangers or extra riskp that vessels have to ruu in coming here ; the harbor ia one of the-iineet in the world, and can be entered both day and night by vessels of the largest tonnage, with the utmost safety. Then why this extra charge for freight ? To Sydney the charges are not one half that they are to Wellington. The following are the quotations of freights: — To Sydney : fine measurement. 20s; rough measurement, 17a 6d ; liquids, 35b ; weight, 20s ; beer in cases, 9d, in caßks lid. To Port Philip: fine measurement, 255; rough measurement, 223 6d ; liquid?, 355 ; weight, 225. To Auckland : tough measurement, 40s ; fine, 45s to 50s ; liquids, 60s ; weight, 30s ; cement, 5s ; bottled beer, la 3d per dozen in cases, Is 4d in cask?. To Otago : rough measurement, 35s to 40s ; fine, 455 ; liquids, 60s ; cement, 5s 6d ; weight, 30a ; bottled beer, Is per dozea in cases, Is 6d in casks. To Canterbury : rough measurement, 40s to 455 ; fine, 455 ; liquids, 60s ; weight, 30b to 35b $ cement, 6s ; bottled beer Is 3d^ per dozen in cases, Is 6d in casks. It behoves oar merchants to see to this, if they wish to be placed on an equal footing with other places, and do not wish to be undersold in their own market.

A misunderstanding appears to have arisen between the officers of the s.s Napier and the Reporter of the " Wanganui Chronicle." Upon the arrival of the Napier at Wanganui, the ReporLer went on board and gathered the substance of the following paragraph, which appeared next morning:— The s.s Napier left Wellington on Saturday in company with the p.B Manawatu. When off Terawili met a heavy tide rip which threw the latter on her beam ends. At daylight no sign of the Manawatu could be seen, and the Napier came on alone, crossing the bar at 8.30 p.m yesterday. The maßter of the Napier (R. Pratt) then writes to the " Herald" that be is at a loss to know where ths reporter obtained his information, and regrets that he did not get it from Borne responsible person, as neither be nor his mate knew anything concerning the Manawatu. The "Chronicle" thereupon replies and maintains that it published nothing that was not gathered from the captain's own lips, and sarcastically adds : — He says it would be better for reporters to get their news' from responsible parties ; perhaps it would. Next time his vessel comes in we will instruct our reporter to get a report of the trip from the cook's mate, since the master does not hold himielf responsible for his words.

At the conclusion of the evidence in the inquiry into the wreck of the Ottawa, the Resident Magistrate said that he was of opinion that the loss of the Ottawa could not be attributable to any default., neglect, or misconduct of the master, officers, or crew. That proper watches and a good look-out appeared to have been kept, but owing to the extreme darkness of the night and the foggy state of (he atmosphere no sign of land could be distinguished until after the unfortunate vessel ■wltr stranded. On the night of the wreck there were frequent squalls, accompanied by heavy thunder Btorms, the air being charged with electricity to so great an amount that lights were seen at the mast head. The captain attributed the accident to the variation of the compass caused by tbe thunder storms, for whilst he was Bteering a course which should have taken him clear of the land some twenty-five miles, the vessel, notwithstanding, ran on shore. The Court bad no reason to doubt that this was the true cause of the loss. Captain Holdford, the Nautical Assessor, concurred in the opinion of the Resident Magistrate, and the certificates of tbe mae'ter and mate were then returned.

■ A Very dangerous reef about four mileß from Freetown, Sierra Leone, is called "the Carpenter" by the natives, in grim allusion to the quantity of carpenters' work it does in breaking np Vessels that get on it.

A Grey paper says :— lt appears extraordinary that, while the Olaud Hamilton reported, 03 her arrival here, that she had communicated with the Albion on tbe 10th instant for one hoar, and that Captain McLean had boarded the reseel, no report of Captain

Rouse's death was made in Melbourne on the arrival of the Albion on the 14th. No mention is made, of her having sighted the Claud Hamilton.