In our last impression we announced the arrival in this port of the splendid clipper-ship Marco Polo, from Australia, after the most extraordinary voyage ever recorded. On account of the vessel arriving in the river on Sunday, and the means of obtaining all the necessary information so late on the eve of publication being very scanty, we were unable to present our readers with a full account of the voyage.

Since that time, however, we have been kindly furnished with all the necessary particulars by the commander and owners of the vessel, and have also had the use of the ship's log book placed at our disposal, from which we extract a great part of the following account of he voyage.

The Marco Polo sailed from the Mersey under the command of Captain J. N. Forbes, at an early hour on the morning of the 4th July, with 930 government passengers on board ; and, at 11 A.M., on the 18th of September, she cast anchor inside the Port Phillip Heads, thus having made the outward passage in the remarkably brief space of 68 days, a passage never even approached, excepting by the ship Statesman, which made the run from Plymouth in 76 days. Her arrival at Melbourne caused great excitement, which was increased when it became known that she had made the passage from Liverpool in seven days less time than the screw-steamer Australian, from Plymouth.

On the 10th of October, every thing being ready, and the passengers and specie embarked, the anchor was hove up, and the ship proceeded slowly down the bay. A strong head wind, however, shortly afterwards sprang up, and, the night coming on, it was deemed prudent to bring her to anchor, which was accordingly done, and she lay inside Pert Phillip Heads until 5 a.m., next day, when she finally departed. She passed Banks' straits on the 12th October ; to the 17th sighted the Falkland isles ; on the 3rd November made Cape Horn, and had fine weather; and on the 5th passed Staten Land. On several occasions during the passage she made nearly 17 knots per hour ; and she ran 316, 318, and 306 miles on three successive days. On the 3rd November she ran, by log, the extraordinary distance of 353 knots. She arrived off Holyhead, at 3 p.m , on the 25th ult., and in the Mersey at noon yesterday week, having been absent from Liverpool only five months and twenty one days, a voyage which has never had any equal. The sailing qualities even of the celebrated clipper-ship Flying Cloud, recorded in our columns some time ago, sink into insignificance when compared with those of the Marco Polo. The qualities of the vessel will, however, be better appreciated when it is understood that the screw-steamer Australian sailed from Melbourne eleven days before the Marco Polo with the mails, &c., for England, and that we have not, up to the hour of our going to press, received any intelligence of her arrival. As an illustration of the opinion the commander of the Marco Polo entertained of her sailing qualities, we may state the following. At a luncheon given on board to a select party previous to the ship leaving the Mersey, Captain Forbes' health was drunk, after a very high eulogium had been passed on the ship. In replying to the toast he said he felt confident she would be at anchor again in the Mersey within six months from that time. Captain Forbes is a native of Aberdeen, and lately commanded the ships Maria and Cleopatra, belonging to the same firm. His passages in the Cleopatra were little less surprising than the present voyage. Though comparatively a young man, Captain Forbes' abilities as a navigator are of the first order. His voyage to the Antipodes was made on the great circle system. Liverpool Albion, January 3

SG & SGTL Vol 10 ; p 138.

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