Fat;al Accident at Auckland. — Thomas Stanley, who was captain of the cutter c Uphe mia,' (says the Southern Cross) belonging to Mr. J. Lamb, Riverhead, was drowned at Port Albert on tho 18th August. The dingy had got loose from the cutter, and be stripped and jumped into the river to overtake it, and as he reached it he had not strength to get in, and sank never to rise. Mr. Bradbury and. Mr. Plummer, Port Albert, launched a boat at once, but all was of no avail, as he never came to the surface. Mr. Stanley was well known and much respeoted in the Kaipara District, fie leaves a wife and family iv Auckland to mourn their loss. Another ' Alabuia' Cask in Prospective. — With reference to the position of Victoria in respect to the S,m Francisco mail service con tract, the Melbourne correspondent ofthe Sydney Morning Herald writes — " Mr. Webb left Mel bourne with the conviction tbat the contract would be ratified, and it would not be possible to advise him of the contrary in time to prevent his sending his first ship to commence the service. This is so far true, for although Mr. Webb must have been warned ofthe probable nullification of the contract, the letter of Mr. Ft-aaois communi cating the refusal of the preseut Government to recommend its ratification, was dated only tho 17th July, while oa the third of the same month a telegram had been forwarded from New York, announcing the intended despatch of the ' Dacota,' on the 10th August, for Melbourne. The oud of it all will probably be a claim on the part of Mr. Wwbb for compensation ou account ofthe fruitless voyago of the ' Dacota' and other expenses in preparing for the service, and we may see another Board of arbitrators sitting with functions dis tantly resembling those of the ' Alabama' arbi trators, upon whom the eyes of Europe aud America have been so lojg fixed. It will be seen that Mr. Webb endeavours to counteract the effect ofthe debate in the American Parliament by telegraphing receipt of an important and favourable lettor from Postmaster-General and Secrntary of Navy of United States regarding the future payment of the subsidy for the Australian Mail Service."

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
