ARRIVAL OF THE VISCOUNT SANDON
The New
Zealander February 14th 1857
The ship Viscount
Sandon, Capt HUGHES – one of Messrs Baines Black Ball packets – arrived from
Liverpool yesterday at 1 p.m. after an ordinary passage of 118 days.
She sailed from the Mersey on
18 October with light winds and pleasant weather, taking an exceedingly agreeable
departure from St George’s Channel.
To the northward of the equator her progress was very dull, having had to contend
against light and adverse winds almost the entire way to the line. She had no NE
trade. On 13 November, signalled the Dutch barque Castor from Amsterdam to Arracan. On 17 November a
melancholy event took place in the loss of George WHITE, one of the ship’s
apprentices, a fine lad of about 15 years of age; the poor boy unfortunately fell
overboard, the ship then going 4 or 5 knots, she was quickly rounded to and a boat was
speedily afloat; just however as his comrades hoped to rescue him, he went down and was
seen no more. On 27 November signalled the barque Hindostan from Southampton bound for Sydney, 30 days out. On the following day signalled the barque Holyrood
from London to Lima, 33 days out. At midnight of 30 November, being the 43rd
day, crossed the equator. On 14 December signalled the ship William from Plymouth to Port Curtis, 39 days out. On 18
December signalled the far-famed clipper ship Kent from London to Melbourne, 36 days out. On that day at noon, the weather being clear and beautiful, 14
vessels were in sight; indeed, Capt HUGHES says that in the course of many voyages to India and other places, he never encountered so
many vessels as during his recent passage. On the morning of 20 December the Sandon
passed in sight of Tristan d’Acunha; she steered to the southward of Tasmania. From 21 – 25 January the
experienced a succession of bad weather, the barometer falling to a little above 28 deg.
During
that time it blew very hard . On the 22nd the ship was struck heavily in
the waist on the port side by a tremendous sea which might have told a tale on a ship of
less substantial build; as it was, considerable ingenuity was manifested in the manner of
repairing damage. She made the Three Kings at 8 am on 10th inst. sighting a whaler and another abreast the North Cape on the following day. Made her way
down the coast with light airs from E to SE until Thursday on which day at 6 pm she was abreast of Cape Brett, when the wind
shifted to NW, bringing her to the North Head shortly after noon yesterday. She has a large cargo and is very deep. We were
gratified at seeing a copy of Drury’s “New Zealand Pilot” just published,
on Captain Hughes’ table.