ARRIVAL OF THE HARWOOD
The New
Zealander November 19th 1859
After
a brief a absence of eight months and twelve days, having sailed hence for London on 4
March last, the clipper Harwood under command of Captain FORSYTH, brought up at her
former anchorage on Wednesday afternoon, having made an excellent passage of 97 days from
Plymouth whence she sailed on 11 August, taking her departure from Scilly on 13th
and sighting Cape Ortegal on the 16th. Passed
outside Palma,
one of the Canaries; and had a very indifference North East Trade. On 13 September, being her 33 day out, crossed the
Equator in long. 17 deg 6’ West having had light winds on her progress thither. Had a moderate south east trade. On 1 October passed a large six topsail ship,
sterring to the southward and eastward, supposed to be the Shooting Star and on 3
October passed to the southward of the Tristan d’Acunha group. Ran down hear Easting in about the parallel of 50
deg S, although in a hard north easterly gale, the ship was driven as high as 52 deg south
latitude. On 16 October in lat. 17 deg 10’
S, long. 46 deg 47’ E, passed two very large icebergs, it then blowing hard with snow
and hail; the weather in this lower latitude was much more stormy and severe than in the
higher parallel of 50 deg South. Captain
Forsyth had intended to pass to the southward of Van
Diemen’s Land
but the wind hung so steadily in the southern board with a heavy sea, that he bore up and
ran through Bass Straits, a manoeuvre which was followed by another ship then in company. Round the Black Pyramid at midnight
on 6th, clearing the Straits at 3pm
of the 9th, making a splendid run across to the Three Kings which he fetched at
4pm
on the 14th inst, passing the North
Cape
the same night at 12
o’clock. On the 12th (Saturday last) Andrew
WEBSTER, a steerage passenger, died of consumption; otherwise the ship was remarkably
healthy and she comes into port in the like clean, creditable and comfortable condition
for which she was so deservedly noted on her previous voyage. She spoke no ships connected with the colonies. The Harwood brings a small addition of 48
souls (equal to 42 statute adults) to our population.
Among these there are 7 farmers, 10 labourers, 4 female servants, 1
shoemaker, 1 cooper, 1 butcher and 1
carpenter, exclusive of their wives and families. They
are a hale, hearty looking body and in all respects equal in appearance to the others that
have preceded them, a class of immigrants which any Colony may be proud to welcome and do
all in its power to further.