SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3972, 8 December 1873, Page 2

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

Kfrftß Wjltob it Port Nicholson To-Dat. Morning, 712; evening, 7.32 ARRIVED. December. 6, Maodwatu, 103 tons, Griffiths, from Wanganui. Passengers — Messrs Ma thews and Stephenson. 6, Unity, sohooner, 46 tons, Norgrore, from East Coast. 6, Stormbird, 67 tons, Doile, from W»ganui. 6, Omega, barque, from Newcastle, N.S. W. sailed. 6, Manawata, p.s., 103 tons, Griffiths, for Wanganni. IMPOSTS. In the Manawatu, Hartmann, agent — . 68 bales wool, Order ; 41 bales wool, Levin and Co. EXPECTED ABBIVAM. 10, Taranaki, from the North 10, Omeo, from Melbourne, via the South 12, Wellington, from Lyttelton and Otago PROJECTED DEPASTURES. 8, Stormbird, for Wanganui 10, Omeo, for Melbourne, via West Coast 11, Taranaki, for Lyttalton and Otago 18, Wellington, for Pioton, Nelson, Taraaaki, Manukau The p.s. Manawatu, Captain Griffiths, left Wangunui at 11 a.m. on the sth, and arrived in harbor at 2 a.m. on the 6th } experienced fine weather. She left again same morning for Wanganui. The Omega, from Newcastle, which arrived in port on Saturday afternoon, had a prolonged passage of 23 days, during which she encountered some very severe weather. In one gale a sea which broke on board washed one boat out of the duvits, and swept the cook's galley away. Fortunately the rush of water ' *<**• wash any of the crew overboard, «*•"«' TSe v '"Otßgo Guardian" of December Ist reports as-follows regarding the Zealandia : — " According to expectation, the ship Zelandia hove in sight off the heads on Saturday at 4 a.m. On boarding her there was something which met tb« eye very pleasant indeed to notice. -The first was the neatness of the passengers, who were all of a most respecta' le appearance, and well dressed. Everything ' " bespoke the utmost care and attention. The ' fitfcing«up of the ship has been finished with a ■liberal desire to make the passengers in every respect comfortable. There have been only two deaths, and these were very young chil- ": dren, from diarrhoea, a disease that is likely to " attack children, consequent upon the change of - ' 'diet and. mode of life. The Zealand ia's pas'senders ate classed as foHow: — English, 117 -malei, 95 females ; Scotch, 5 males, 9 females ; Irish. 9 males, 6 females ; foreign, 7 males, 8 females. Total, 138 males, and 118 females. . A trial of Cornish's patent life-preserving jnattresa .was made on the 20th nib at the Sandridga baths. It is proposed that ships should take these mattresses to sea, instead of those ordinarily used in the berths, so that in case of a wreck, or a ship foundering, or a ; ' " man going overboard, the bedding might be utilised as a life-preserving agent. The mattreises are stuffed with some material, the constitution of which is a patented seoret, and which renders them very buoyant, and unsinkable even when wet through. They are provided with bands, so that several may .. be tied together to form a raft. Several experiments were made, which showed that any . one of the mattresses would keep afloat with a man sitting or lying at full length upon it A number were tied together, two of them having battens lashed along them which kept them rigid in the water, and three heavy men floated about on them in perfect safety. A prospectus has been issued of a company for the manufacture and sale of these mattresses The ship Jessie Roadman, from Glasgow, arrived off Port Chalmers Heads early on fch» morning of the 30th ulfc, nnd being signalled, the tug Geelong went down and towed her in. There being disease oa board, she was moored in the quarantine ground, pending the investigation of the Health Officer, who went on board immediately on receiving the news, and finding that there had been 30 oases of measles ■ and 26 cases of whooping cough during the voyage, and 10 deaths ordered the ship into quarautine. The « Bydney Morning Herald" o* the 15ih nit reports tbe arrival on the previous day of H.M. schooner Renard, Lieutenant Bucbling, from an extended cruise amongst the varibuo groups in the Pacific. Her. voyage has occupied five months, during which time she has visited the following ports : — Aneiteuro, Fortuna, Hav*nnah Harbor, Erromanga, Malicolo, Mtti, Tonga, Apia, Cape Sistrom, Tasselmana. Wassi, Cape Cumberland ; also the various -islands of the Banks Group, and from the latter islands went to the Solomon Islands and Bant a Cruz, examining the latter group tlio roughly; afterwards Tories Inlands were visited, and also Tucopia, an outlying island situated far to the eastward. The Renard ■ebsequently touched at Aurora, Penteost, Ambrym, and Malicolo harbor, and again went to Havannah Harbor, where she refitted, and thence took her departure for Sydney. The cruise has been a most sucoe gful one, and the little oraft h« proved herself a credit to the builder. Lieutenant Suckling speaks in the highest terms of the sea-going qualities of his command. She has been well tested in fair weather and foal, and has measured speed With eotne fast clippers cruising 1 among the various groups, but proved herself more than a raatoh for the speediest. The Sangalie yaol>t wai sailed hull down in 6ve hours, and the Quickstep, a very smart colonial sohooner, was . ftlso tried, but found wanting. The Renard 'brings the account of a tearful massacre perpetrated at the Solomon group. The Renard picked up four of the micsing men of the ship Robert Towns, on the south part of of Mnli- • colo Island, where they had been about six weeks. The natives treated them well up to that time, hut they weie getting tired of the men, and it is not improbable they would have lulled them. . Captain Macdonald, of th ■chooner Success, went in the Renard to Mali Colo Island, and treated with the natives for their release, which was conceded on payment of nine tomahawks. The survivor frequently iaquired what had become of the bodies of his shipmates! but the natives were quite silent on the mutter. They brought him, however, a string of front teeth, which be believes belonged to the murdpred &:en. The owner of the Jessie (tent to Apia to obtain the remains of the wreok of the Active, and went ashore. He then sent the boat, back to the ship to obtain oaoks for watering, but, instead of sending them, the hai ds were taken on board, and tbe Jessie sailed, leaving her owner to his fate Fortunately he was discovered two day a after by the ketch W. S. Fox, or he would hav«* been killed.