DIEU ET MON DROIT
NEW ZEALAND
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

Published by Authority

All Public Notifications which appear in this Gazette, with any Official Signature thereunto
annexed, are to be considered as Official Communications made to those Persons to whom they may
relate.

By His Excellency's Command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR, Colonial Secretary.

VOL. VII. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1847. No. 6.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Auckland, 30th March, 1847.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been
pleased to direct the publication of the
following Letters, for general information.

By His Excellency's command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

Her Majesty's Ship "Castor,"
Auckland, N. Z., 27th March, 1847.

SIR, In accordance with the wish conveyed
in your Excellency's letter of the 24th inst.,
I directed Commander Hoseason to report on
the nature and quality of the New Zealand
Coal, put on board Her Majesty's Steam Sloop
-Inflexible, for trial, on that vessel's recent
visit to Nelson, and I have the honor to en-
close a Copy of that Officer's letter to me on
the subject.

I have the honor to be,
Sir,

Your most obedient servant,
C. GRAHAM,
Captain, and Senior Naval Officer at
New Zealand.

His Excellency Governor Grey.

H. M. Steam Sloop "Inflexible,"
-At Auckland, N. Z., 27th March, 1847.

SIR—In compliance with your request,
I should report on the nature and quality of
the Coal put on board Her Majesty's Steam
Sloop under my command, (at the Colonial
expense by His Excellency Governor Grey,) at
Port Nelson, with a view to try its fitness for
the use of steam vessels, I have the honor to
inform you, that I have taken the opinion of
Mr. Tucker, the First Engineer, on the sub-
ject, and have received a most favorable report
on the same.

I am enabled, moreover, to prove this by
the duty done by the Coal; for we find by
a comparison with the best Newcastle (Aus-
tralia) Coal, obtained at Sydney, the following
to be the result:—

Newcastle (Australia) Coal.
14 1/4 revolutions on 3rd step of expansion,
24 cwt. per hour.

Nelson Coal.
15 1/2 revolutions on 3rd step of expansion,
25 cwt. per hour.

Thus it will be seen that from about equal
quantities of fuel, equal work has been ob-
tained; but there is one peculiarity in the
Nelson Coal, which is being much slower in
combustion than the Newcastle Coal, and,
therefore, would not furnish steam for the
cylinders with equal rapidity to enable the
vessel to go at her greatest speed in smooth
water, but it is far more economical when all
weathers are considered: this would make it
highly advantageous when mixed with the
Newcastle (Australia) Coal, as the bad qual-
ities of both would then be counteracted.

In justice, however, to the Nelson Coal, I
ought to observe, that it is mere surface coal,
and not obtained from a pit, like the coal of
Newcastle, and has been for more than six
months lying on the open beach, where it was
placed for the use of the Driver, had she
touched at Nelson.

As only 35 tons were received for trial,
(that being all on the spot), I am not able to
make as full a report as I could wish; should
you, therefore, be pleased to order a larger
quantity to be placed at the depot at Welling-
ton, (I would advise not less than 100 tons),
obtained, if possible, from a little below the
surface, and subject to rejection if, on inspec-
tion, it be deemed not equal to that already