8

H.—24

August 25 : Fixing dues and rates and making regulations for Havelock Wharf. September 1: Fixing tolls and charges and making regulations for Opotiki Wharves. October 13 : Approving plans of ferry-steps and landing-stage, Westport. October 13 : Approving plans of bridge across Iwitaua Eiver. . November 3 : Licensing W. Gash to use foreshore, Lower Otago Harbour, for erection of smoke-house for fish-curing. November 10 : Approving plans of extension of inner north tee, Queen's Wharf, Wellington. November 26 : Approving plan of bath at Tauranga. November 26 : Licensing Tauranga Improvement Company to occupy foreshore for bath. December 5 : Approving plans of Wellington Bowing Club's boat-shed and landing-stage. December 15 : Approving plans of bridge across Wairoa Eiver at Clyde. December 15 : Approving plans of Auckland Tramway Company's Wharf at Birkenhead. December 15 : Licensing Auckland Tramway Company to use foreshore at Birkenhead. December 29 : Approving plans of breakwater, Gisborne. January 14 : Approving extension of wharves at Aratapu and Mount Wesley. January 14 : Approving plan of coal-bins at Westport coal-staiths. January 14 : Approving plan of goods-shed on wharf, Greymouth. February 8 : Approving plan of extension of Awhitu Wharf, Manukau. February 24 : Approving plans of two bridges across Tokatoka Eiver. February 24 : Approving plans of wharf near Point Jerningham, Wellington. March 2 : Approving plans of timber wharf and viaduct at Gisborne. March 16 : Approving plan of wharf at Kaiapoi. Notices to Mariners. —Forty-four Notices to Mariners were issued during the year, of which seventeen related to matters within the colony. The following is a list of them :— Poor Knight Islands.—Sunken rock reported off. Lyttelton Harbour. —Dredging operations. Auckland Harbour.—Area taken for defence purposes. Oamaru Harbour.—White light on staging for moorings. Akaroa Harbour.—Position of jetty light altered. Wellington Harbour. —Extension of Queen's Wharf. Golden Bay. —Ballast-ground at Tata Islands. Grey Eiver. —Dredging operations (two notices). Cape Palliser.—Eesult of survey of reported danger on which s.s. " lonic " struck. New Eiver. —Buoys placed at south ends of training-walls. East Cape.—Passage between East Cape Islet and mainland unsafe. Westporc Harbour.—Position of beacons altered. Manukau Harbour, Entrance. —Eesult of recent soundings. Picton Harbour.—Wharf extension. Grahamstown.—Light on Albert Street Wharf discontinued. Farewell Spit Lighthouse.—Telephone station established. With reference to the first notice, search for the change in question has been made on several occasions by the " Stella," but no trace of it could be found. The " Hydra " rock, which for many years has been marked " PD " on the chart near Cape Saunders, was discovered, and its position fixed by Captain Grey, of the Government steamer " Stella." It was just a cable's length north of the position assigned to it by the chart. Notices to Mariners are now sent to the hydrographers of the Imperial German, the Austrian, Dutch, and United States Navies, from whom also are received copies of all the notices published by them. Light-dues. —The sum of £7,433 6s. was collected as light-dues during the year, being £1,092 14s. Bd. less than was collected last year. As the San Francisco mail steamers, and all the direct steamers arriving from England with mails, are —in the case of the steamers belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company, by the terms of their contract with the Post Office, and in the case of those belonging to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company (Limited), by the special direction of the Hon. the Postmaster-General —exempted from payment of light-dues, this fully accounts for the falling-off in these dues. Nearly half of the tonnage now arriving from Great Britain is composed of steam-vessels. No amount has this year been paid to the credit of light-dues by the General Post Office on account of either the direct steamers or the San Francisco mail steamers. Government Vessels. —The " Hinemoa" has, as a rule, been empoyed on special service, and she has carried a considerable quantity of cargo at different times for various departments. She made a special trip to the Bounty and Antipodes Islands in March last, with huts and a supply of provisions and clothes, for the purpose of establishing a depot for the use of castaways on each of these groups. Appended hereto will be found a valuable and interesting report by Captain Fairchild respecting this trip. It is worthy of being mentioned that in the act of digging one of the holes for piles for the hut for stores placed on the Antipodes Islands a singular relic in the shape of a fragment of coarse pottery was turned up from about two feet below the surface. This curious discovery leads one to wonder how and whence came this piece of pottery, and it opens to the imagination the widest field for conjecture. The fragment in question has been sent to the Colonial Museum, together with specimens of the herbage growing on the island, and of the earth, rocks, &c. Eepairs of considerable magnitude were made to the " Hinemoa's " boilers early in the year, and on examination recently it was found that it would shortly be necessary to have new boilers made. Plans have accordingly been prepared, and a sum placed on the Estimates for defraying the necessary expenses for building and fitting them in position. The "Stella" has been continuously employed attending to lighthouses, buoys, &c. She also made a special trip in October last to the Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, and Bounty Islands in search of castaways, the Government of Victoria having requested a vessel to be sent to these islands (all of which, are within the statu-