ARRIVAL OF THE CALYPSO
Otago Witness October 18th 1879

The clipper ship Calypso, which arrived off the Heads at 5.30 on October 14th, which was towed across the bar at 0.30 a.m. on the 15th, and anchored in the Powder-ground at 1.30 a.m. She was boarded early in the morning by the Health Officer and Customs Boarding Officer, and the Health of all on board being good, the vessel was at once cleared in. The Calypso comes into port in excellent condition, and has again made a first-class run out,  the passage from port to port only having occupied 84, and from land to land 79 days. She is under the command of Captain Hird, her former chief officer, whom we congratulate on his well-merited promotion. He brings Mr Gordon (formerly second officer) as chief officer, Mr Hopkins as second, and Mr Botelier as third. Dr Young comes as surgeon, while Mr and Mrs Pollock are still in their old positions as steward and stewardess. She brings 1200 tons of cargo, of which 700 tons are light goods and the remainder dead weight. She has 19 saloon, 36 second cabin, and 96 steerage, who one and all express their satisfaction both with the ship and her commander, and have presented Captain Hird with a testimonial to that effect. We thank him for the following abstract from his journal of the vessel's passage out:- She left London on July 22nd; had light westerly winds down the Channel, and put into Falmouth on the 26th. After embarking passengers, she left again on the same day, and took her departure from the Lizard on July 27th; experienced light south-westerly winds across the Bay of Biscay, and took the north-east trades on August 7th, in latitude 30 N.; the trades were light, and gave out in latitude 11 N., on August 16th; they were succeed by light southerly winds and squally weather, and on August 23rd, in latitude 5 N., she picked up the south -east trades, and crossed the equator in longitude 25 W., on August 25th; the trades were well to the southward, and were carried to latitude 25 S., longitude 36 W., on September 4th she took a light easterly breeze, which held for four days, and thence hauled to north to north-east, settling into the westward on the 11th August; she crossed the meridian of Greenwich three days later, in latitude 41 S., and rounded the Cape of Good Hope on August 18th, in latitude 43 S.; the passage winds were steady, and attended with pleasant weather all across the Southern Ocean, the meridian of Cape Leuwin being crossed on October 5th; thence she had fresh breezes from S.W. to N.W., passed the Island of Tasmania on October 9th, and still keeping favourable winds, made her first landfall off the Snares at 5.30 p.m. on the 13th October, had light S.E. winds along the coast, and made Otago Heads on the 14th at 5.30 p.m., took Pilot Kelly on board, and crossed the bar as above. The Calypso will discharge at the Railway Pier.