the Board of Trade surveyor at Greenock, on May 2, and was found completely equipped, with the exception of life buoys and lamps, then under repair. These were supplied on the 13th of May, when the vessel proceeded on her first trip, before the receipt of the certificate, which was delivered to the defendant the same day. The bench held that there was no reflection on the character of the master of the Sultan, and inflicted the mitigated penalty of £10 as owner, and £5 as master, with modified costs. (Glasgow Small Debt Court, June 11.)

NON-DELIVERY OF CARGO.-THE "SAN RONAN."-In a suit established in the Court of Admiralty, for losses caused by delay, by several English merchants, as owners and consignees of a cargo of spars, to a German ship, the San Konan, under an English charter-party, which contained the usual exception of "the Queen's enemies, the act of God, restraints of princes, rulers, etc." It appeared that the vessel, while proceeding on her voyage from Vancouver's Island to Queenstown, was, through the illness of her master, and damage sustained at sea, compelled to put into Valparaiso in August, 1870. The ship was ready for sea on Sept. 23, but in consequence of the war which had broken out between Germany and France, she remained at Valparaiso, which was watched by French cruisers, by the advice of the German Consul, but against the wishes of the owners of the cargo, until the 23rd December, when news arrived of the German victories and she proceeded on her voyage. The Court decided that the master of a belligerent ship is justified in exercising reasonable caution, and that as the master of the San Ronan had established his defence that he exercised his right of taking reasonable and prudent steps for the preservation of his ship, in refusing, under the advice of his Consul, and in all the circumstances of the case, to sail before December 23, the case must be dismissed with costs.

SHIPPING AND MERCANTILE GAZETTE CORRESPONDENCE. (Reprinted by special arrangement with Sir WILLIAM MITCHELL.) "AFLOAT" CLAUSE.-A vessel is chartered, under the usual form of grain charters, to call at Cork or Falmouth for orders, and to be discharged in a safe port in the United Kingdom, always afloat. Gets orders for Newry, and arrives in the Pool, Carlingford Lough, as she cannot get further, even on spring tides, until lightened. This the merchant does immediately, sufficient to come up to Newry on the next springs, and at the same time he informs the master that the days do not count unil she gets there, which would be about ten days lost to the vessel. The grounds he (the merchant) relies on are-first, the Pool is not the port of Newry, but merely at the port; and, secondly, all similar-sized vessels have hitherto conceded this point to the merchants

of Newry, and have thereby made it an established custom of this port. On the other hand, the master's case is, that when the vessel came as near Newry as she could safely get with the full cargo, and bulk was broken by the merchant, the lay-days commenced, and continued to count without intermission until the vessel was finally discharged. Which is the correct view ?-Lay-days commence, as a rule, from the time a vessel is at her discharging berth, or as near thereto as she can safely get. If, therefore, she enters a port, and there is not water enough to get to the berth until the top of spring tides, the lay-days do not begin until the vessel reaches that place. She may, therefore, be got safely to the customary discharging berth by taking out a part of the cargo, and then being moved to where she may lie afloat. Lord Chief Justice Tyndall held that demurrage began, not from the time a vessel entered a river, but when she got into the usual place of discharge. In the case of the Die Perle-" Wallis v. Burkett "-reported in this journal in 1869, and also in that of the Neva-" Humble v. Barber "published in the Shipping and Mercantile Gazette April, 1871, it was ruled that lay-days commenced from the time those vessels were at their places of discharge, after being lightened; but the detention in per forming this lightening must not be unreasonable. The merchant's views are, therefore, correct.

ALLOTMENT NOTE.-A correspondent states that a captain granted an allotment note to a seaman in favour of a minor, who was put into the union after the vessel sailed, and the parish authorities applied for payment of the note, and asks whether he is justified in paying it, and whether the signature of the relieving officer on the back of the note is sufficient?—If the allotment note was given to a seaman for the use of the minor, the signature of the relieving officer would not be a sufficient and legal discharge of the obligation. Parish authorities can claim onehalf of a seaman's wages from a shipowner for the support of such seaman's wife or children. The signature of the seaman in whose name the allotment note was made should be procured, or the correspondent should be guaranteed by the parish against any claimant entitled by law to recover.

GRAIN CARGO.-A shipmaster who chartered his vessel in New York to load a cargo of wheat or Indian corn at Baltimore, in which charter the clause, "vessel to ceil and load under United States Lloyds' inspection," was erased by mutual consent, states that when he arrived at Baltimore the merchant refused to give him cargo unless the vessel was ceiled and loaded under inspection, which he was afterwards compelled to do in order to get cargo. He asks, can he claim for expense incurred, as he was not bound by charter to ceil or load under any inspection, and served the merchant with protest after the vessel was loaded?—The ceiling

clause having been struck out, the charter-party was left open in that respect; and, as it is the custom at Baltimore to ceil, the shipmaster would be compelled to do so. If, therefore, it was understood that the ceiling should be dispensed with, as between the charterer and shipowner, the expense should fall on the charterer.

SEA APPRENTICE.-What redress has a smackowner against the master of a schooner which put into Dover Roads short of a seaman, and, after shipping one of the smackowner's apprentices without consent, proceeded on his voyage?—The smackowner has no redress against the shipmaster who engaged the services of his apprentice, unless he can prove that he induced the apprentice to desert his ship. He can, however, proceed against the apprentice on the return of the vessel to England.

SQUARE RIG. Is a brigantine-schooner counted a square-rigged vessel ? -A brigantine is a schooner, brig-rigged forward, and, therefore, is a square-rigged vessel; but for the purposes of certificates, the Board of Trade have held that such hermaphrodites should be placed in the class of fore-and-aft vessels, under given circumst inces.

SALVAGE SERVICE.-A ship in tow, bound to Cardiff with runners, picks up a vessel dismasted and disabled, which is towed, at the request of the captain, into a safe port. Can the crew claim a share of the salvage awarded ?-The seamen engaged by the run, and forming the crew of the salving vessel, would be entitled to share in the salvage award.

MATE'S LIABILITIES.-A mate, after perusing the foregoing question and reply, asks if he would be liable for the cargo under the following circumstances: On the vessel arriving at the port of discharge he was ordered to remove his bedding, give up his keys, provide himself with lodgings, and live on shore about a mile and a half from the ship. He was to be paid so much per week until the discharge was completed, but his wages due were refused. To have kept tally, therefore, he must have gone entirely without provisions, at the same time be responsible for the contents of a ship in which he was not allowed to remain; and is informed that, under the circumstances stated, it is improbable that any Court would order the payment of the deficiency in timber cargo.

HYDROGRAPHIC.

COAST OF PERU.

Information has been received that the captains of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's vessels Inka and Quito report the sea as breaking over a sunken danger, lying to the northward of Salinas point, not marked on the charts, and named the Misteriosa rock.

Misteriosa Rock lies midway between Salinas and Baja points, nearly

one mile off shore, and on the following bearings: mount Salinas N.E. by E., point Baja N. E., and point Salinas S.S.E.

E.

These bearings place the rock in lat. 11° 16' S. and long. 78° 40′ W. As the Misteriosa rock lies nearly in the track of vessels bound from Callao to Huacho, care should be taken when passing its neighbourhood to preserve a proper offing.

COAST OF BOLIVIA.

Port Antifogasta, hitherto unknown, but now used as a place of export for nitrate as also silver ore from the Bolivian mines, and therefore likely to become of some importance, lies between mount Moreno and Jara head, about 3 miles to the southward of Chimba bay; its approximate position being in lat. 23° 36' S., long. 70° 27′ N.

Antifogasta should be approached with caution on account of the detached rocks off the port, on one of which the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's vessel Payta struck in 1872.

Captain Hammill of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company's vessel Lusitania remarks that there is anchorage for large vessels about 1 miles from the mole of this port, while small vessels may anchor and load to 18 feet within a creek entered by a contracted passage. Three vessels were loading in this creek at the time of the Lusitania's visit.

NORTH-WEST COAST OF BORNEO.

The following account of some outlying shoals on the north-west coast of Borneo has been received from Captain W. Arthur, R.N., of H.M.S. Iron Duke, 1872.

During the passage of H.M.S. Iron Duke from Singapore to Labuan, soundings were obtained in 5 fathoms in lat. 5° 5' N., and long. 114° 40′ E, about 4 miles N N.W. of the Bruni patches with the eastern extreme of the Bruni cliffs, bearing S.E. E.

Information was also received from the captain of a vessel trading between Labuan and Singapore, of a similar patch about 16 miles to the north-east of that found by the Iron Duke, reported to be in latitude 5° 13′ N., and long. 114° 53′ E. This position was determined from cross bearings of Ruraman Island and Mount Pisang.

Commander George Robinson, of H.M.S. Rinaldo also reports, that during the passage from Labuan to Manilla, when about 21 miles from the coast of Borneo, the leadsman suddenly got soundings in 7 fathoms decreasing to 5 fathoms, the bottom being distinctly visible, and discoloured water seen from the masthead to the northward.

From this shoal water the west extreme of Gaya island bore S. E., and the mountain of Kini Balu S.E. by E. E., the depth of 5 fathoms being in lat. 6° 26' N., and long. 115° 56′ E.

GULF OF SIAM.-BANGKOK RIVER.

The following information relating to the rivers Bangkok and Tachir,

at the head of the Gulf of Siam, has been received from Navigating Sub-Lieutenant James S. Barrett, of H.M.S. Teazer, Commander Richard M. Blomfield, R.N.

Variation 2° 10' Easterly.

Me-Nam Chau-Phya or Bankok River.-The look-out house on the west point. and red house in the river, given as leading marks, have disappeared. The course given from the fishing stakes on Admiralty chart, No. 999, is stated by the pilots to be one which would now lead a vessel on shore, the course steered by the pilots is about N.EN., instead of N.E. by E., hauling gradually to the northward, as soon as the west point bears N.W.

Tachin River.-The mouth of this river lies about 20 miles to the westward of the Bangkok river; it was navigated for about 35 miles by H.M.S. Teazer, in November, 1871; this river has a similar bar to that of the Bankok river, but the entrance is more difficult to distinguish, the land in the neighbourhood being low, and covered with trees.

In clear weather the high land of Bang-pasoi brought to bear E. by S., will lead to a position off the bar, which may be crossed on a N.N.W. course. Tachin river has about the same general depth, and is of the same general width as Bangkok river.

The Teazer anchored off Maconchisi in lat. 13° 39′ N., and long. 100° 11′ E., nearly 35 miles from the mouth of the Tachin. At Maconchisi are the new mills of the Indo-Chinese Sugar Company; the sugar is at present sent in barges by canal to Bangkok, but it is expected that vessels. will shortly navigate the Tachin river as easily as they now do the river Bangkok, whereby an expensive freight will be saved.

JAMAICA.-PORT ROYAL AND KINGSTON HARBOURS.

The following additions to the Sailing Directious for proceeding from Port Royal to the anchorage off Kingston have been received from Staff Commander Joseph G. Dathan, R.N., of H.M.S. Royal Alfred, 1872.

The Narrows.-The northern side of the narrow channel near Fort Augusta separating Port Royal and Kingston harbours is marked by black piles, and the southern side by white piles; it has, however, been remarked that the pelicans frequenting the neighbourhood soon colour the piles alike.

Directions from Port Royel to Kingston.-In proceding from Port Royal to Kingston the mark to run into the channel is Helshire point just open of Small point bearing S.S.W. W., or Fort Augusta beacon bearing N.E., until the centre of Lindo's House-standing in the interior on the northern shore-comes in one with the centre of the lower red-topped house, called Old Greenwich Hospital, bearing N.E. E., which mark will lead into the Narrows. Upon nearing the elbow or No. 13 pile, the upper house must be opened entirely to the left of the