The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-10-24 00:00:00

On
O the 20th of August, the mails and passengers being
embarked, and everything ready for sea, the anchor was
hove up, and the Lightning was taken in tow by the
steamer Washington as far as the Heads, which she passed
at 4, p.m., a smart north-west breero blowing at the time,
and by noon of the 21st, 1168 miles were logged, Swan
Island Light, Banks' Straits, having been passed at 11,
a.m. On the 24th, a.m., passed a large ship, supposed to
be the Mermaid, which sailed two days previously for
Liverpool ; and at 10, p.m., same day, passed the Auck-
land Islands. From thence to the 28th, when the ship
was in lat. 57.20 south, long. 164 W., fresh westerly and
southwesterly breezes were experienced, and the ship
went nobly along, seldom logging less than 14, and fre-
quently 18i and 19 knots per hour.
At 11, p.m., on the 28th, whilst under a heavy press of
canvas, a violent squall from S.W. caught the ship,
and carried away the foretopmast studdingsail boom,
the foretop, foretopgallant, and foreroyal yards, and
blowing all the sails to pieces, and the ship was obliged
to go under easy canvas for the succeeding four days,
until the yards and sails bad been replaced. From the
Ist to the Bth September, fine westerly winds were expe-
rienced, and the ship averaged close Ppon 300 miles per
day, as per log. On the Bth, at 3 a.m., Cape Horn bore
N.W. distant 50 miles, being a run of only 19 days mean
time from Port Philip Heads, by far the fastest ever re-
corded either under canvas or steam. On the 10th, 11th,
and 12th, N.E., E., and S.E. winds were experienced,
and but moderate distances were logged, the ship having
to be frequently tacked, to make a fairway course. On
the 13th and 14th, strong S. and S.W. winds were expe-
rienced, and she ran 351 and 354 miles per day respec-
tively. From the 15th to the 20th light and head winds
were met with, and only from six to seven knots per hour
were averaged. On the 20th she was in lat. 29.13 S., long.
31.40 W., and from thence to Pernambuco, which port
was passed at a distance of six miles on the morning of
the 28th, nothing but light and N.N.E. windstwere
experienced.
The Equator was crossed at 9, a.m., on the 30th, in lon.
-34 30 W., the ship. at the time being only out a little
over forty days, mean time, from Port Philip. An extra-
ordinary achievement, considering the adverse winds
encountered after rounding Cape Horn. For the first
fire days after crossing the Equator, light winds and
calms were met with, accompanied by heavy torrents of
rain, and the ship made little or no progress. On the sth,
hi lat. 10 N., lon. 34 W., gentle N.E. trade winds were
experienced, which continued until the 10th, in lat. 30 N.,
lon. 37 W. On the 11th and 12th she had moderate S.E.
winds, and at noon of the latter day was in the latitude of
St. Michael's, and lon. 30 W., being only 4 months and 29
days out from the time of leaving Liverpool. From the
12th to the 19th the winds were E.N.E. and N.E., very
light; and during the intervening- seven days the ship
reached lat. 46 15 N., lon. 28 W., and at 10 p.m. on the
19th, a strong northerly breeze sprang up, which con-
tinued until her arrival off the Old Head of Kinsale,
at 4. a.m. on Sundy. At 10 a.m., off Mine Head, signals
were exchanged with the royal mail steam-ship Arabia,
hence for New. York ; at 3 30, p.m. Tuskar Light was
passed ; at 8 30 p. in. Holyhead Light was passed ; and at
10 30 p.m., the ship was abreast Point Lynas, where she
received a pilot. The ship was kept under easy sail
during the night, waiting a sufficiency of water to cross
the bar, and arrived in the river at 9 30, yesterday
morning.

The Lightning has brought upwards of 80 passengers,
and 40,000 ounces of gold dust on freight, besides a large
amount in the hands of passengers.
The Lightning has brought answers to the letters of
the 13th June, per Great Britain, nuking a course of post
of only 132 days.
During the stay of the Lightning in Hobson's Bay she
created quite an excitement, and was visited by hundreds
of people. On the 13th of August a dejeuner was given
on board, which was attended by upwards of one hundred
of the principal ladies and gentlemen at Melbourne.
The ship John Banks sailed from Melbourne for. Lon-
don on the 15th August, with a large amount of gold
dust on freight. _ _ _ _ _

The screw-steamer Lady Jocelyn with the mails of the
4th June, from Southampton, arrived in Hobson's Bay on
the 12th August.

The screw-steamer Great Britain, which sailed from,
this port on the 13th June, arrived in Hobson's Bay, at
2, p.m. on the 18th August, and came to anchor, but
was afterwards compelled to proceed to Ticonderoga Bay
to perform a rigid quarantine, several cases of small-pox
having occurred on board.
The ship Ballarat was to sail for London from Mel-
bourne, on the 22d August.
The ship Ocean Chief, Captain Tobin, belonging to the
Black Ball line, arrived at Port Philip on the 7th August,
after a fine passage of 74 days.
The ship Francis Henty sailed from Melbourne for
London, on the 17th August, with 38,876 ounces of gold,
(value £136,504,) and 4,400 sovereigns on freight. The
Mermaid sailed for Liverpool on the 17th, with 10,000
ounces (value £40,000,) in gold dust, on freight.
During the previous week the gold escorts brought the
following amounts :—namely, from Mount Alexander and
Bendigo 23,426 ounces, and from Ballarat 4,206 ounces.
The Melbourne labour market was very dull, there
being little demand for the country.

The Portland Bay Guirelian' s" tates that new gold-
diggins had been discovered about twelve miles from that
town.

Our advices from Hobart Town are to the 15th August.
The Gazette, of the 11th, announces that Sir John Lewis
Pedder had resigned his office as Chief-Justice of the Su-
preme Court of Van Diemen's Land, on account of im-
paired health. The appointment of Valentine Fleming,
Esq., to the vacancy, and of Francis Smith, Esq., to the
Attorney-Generalship, was also gazetted.
A Geelong paper, of the 18th, says, "The digging gene-
rally are reported at present as rather inactive. The un-
usually dry winter is evidently telling in a very great
degree against the general yield of gold.