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SYDNEY NEWS.
We have been so long accustomed to the
voice of complaint from the Van Diemen's
Land journals, and have so often been una-
ble to discover any sufficient grounds for the
reprehension of the powers that be with
which number after number have been laden,
that we have come at last to look with in-
difference upon any thing in that shape from
the sister colony; where unreasonable decla-
mation, and unsupported assertion appear
day after day in the place of that sober ex-
position of facts and that cool rational de-
monstration from which all of faction and
unfair argument is banished, we naturally
dismiss the subject from our minds with the
feeling that it has beeu attempted to impose
by a false statement, not to convince by truth.
We have therefore paid hitherto but little
attention--for they have not appeared to
deserve it--to the contents of the opposition
journals of V. D. Land; and even where
there seemed some reason to believe that they
were not all the outbreak of party feelings,
but were in some degree based in justice, the
nature of these compositions--their imtem
perate undignified character--their vulgar
profuseness of mere abuse, which even truth
could scarcely justify--destroyed all inclina-
tion to bestow upon them more than a passing
notice.--Australian Dec. 25.
The ship Sisters, Capt. Norris, returned to
port on Tuesday last, nearly a wreck, with
800 barrels of oil, eleven months from Syd-
ney. It appears from Capt. Norris, that he
was off Tongataboo in Nov. last, and for
about fire or six days previous to 26th of that
month, it had blown a steady gale from the
eastward. On the morning of the 26th, about
two o'clock, in latitude 22 ° 47' south, and
longitude 174° 40' west, the wind suddenly
chopped round to the S.S.W. and blew a
complete hurricane or typhoon. Such was
the violent convulsion of nature, that the
main mast went in three pieces, carrying
away at the same time the mizen top mast,
fore top gallant mast, the lee boats, try works,
&c. and the ship making considerable water.
During the hurricane the scud appeared to be
sweeping the ship's masts with frightful velo-
city--occasionally the stars could be observed
of a deep blood red colour, and noises were
heard like the repeated discharges of a vol-
cano or thunder claps. Capt. Norris suppos-
ed that the hurricane was accompanied with
an earthquake, from the unusual agitation of
the ship, the main mast having been actually
shaken to pieces, and the try works destroyed
in the same manner. The ship's bell was
ringing during the whole of the time although
no one touched it ; and the orders of the cap-
tain might as well have been given to the wind,
for none on board could be seen or heard, such
was the confusion, noise and darkness of the
scene, although every man was engaged cut-
ting and clearing away the wreck, expecting
the vessel to part asunder every moment.
This awful scene lasted from two o'clock in
the morning until daylight, and some of the
oldest of the sailors say they never witnessed
any thing like it before. For several days
after the accident, the faces of the seamen,
from the violence of the wind, were of a crim-
son colour, attended with impaired vision.
Capt. Norris was under the necessity of run-
ning on to Sydney, and notwithstanding the
loss of sails, made the passage in 28 days. A
few days before the catastrophe, the bark
Nereus was seen with 180 barrels of oil, and
several other vessels on the same ground who
must have fallen in with the hurricane. The
following vessels were at Vavaoo, one of the
Friendly islands, in October:--William,
Blaxland, of Sydney, 6 months out, 150 bar-
rels ; Juno, Banks, (Sydney) 9 months out,
600 barrels ; and the following American
vessels--Swift, 28 months out, 1750 barrels;
Briganza, 14 months out, 600 barrels; Levi
Starbuck, 23 months out, 1400 barrels; L.
C. Richmond, 22 months out, 1300 barrels ;
and William Wirt, 23 months out, 1400 bar-
rels ; also the Montreal, from London, 20
months out, 1200 barrels. Capt. Norris saw
the Levi Starbuck again on the passage up,
with two whales alongside, and the brig Bee,
off the coast, out 16 days from Sydney, clean.
The Anastalia had been heard of doing well
at the Navigators, at which place the Austra-
lian, Swindles, had been in to repair-success
unknown.--Herald.
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