The clipper ship Water Witch, of Boston, Captain Plummer, from Callao, arrived at this port yesterday morning, via Hampton Roads; she made the passage in 64 days to the latter place. Captain T. reports being in field ice from the latitude of 52° to 46°, on the 31st of August.
The clipper ship Typhoon, Captain Samule Goodhue, at Calcutta, from London, is said to have made the run from Lizards in 80 days.
The ship Spark of the Ocean, Captain Comerly, arrived at New-Orelans bar in ten days from this city.
The clipper ship Red Jacket arrived in the Mersey on the morning of Sunday the 15th, with advices from Melbourne of August 1st, having accomplished the return trip in 78½ days, notwithstanding having lost some time in the ice.
The Red Jacket made the run out, from the Mersey to the achorage at Melbourne, in 69½ days, thus completing the voyage from Liverpool to Australia and back in 5 months and 11 days, being the most rapid voyage ever made.
On their voyage out, the average day's work was 205½ miles -- the smallest progress 50 miles, and her greatest 400 miles in 24 hours. On her return, average speed was 253 -- smalles day's run 31 miles -- greatest, 376 days.
The steamship Arabia spoke on the 22d ult, off Minehead, on her second day out, the clipper ship Lightning, Captain Forbes, from Melbourne, reported sixty-two days out. As she probably got into Liverpool on the 24th, she will have made the passage in sixty-four days, five days shorter than the trip of the clipper Red Jacket, lately arrived there. The Lightning, we believe, was one of the clippers built at Boston by Donald McKay, for Messrs. Baine's line of Liverpool and Australian packets.
The clipper ship Nightingale, Captain Mather, of the Pioneer line, and carrying the United States mails, has made a very quick trip to Melbourne from this city. She sailed hence at 7 o'clock on the morning of the 19th of May, with a fair but light wind, and on the morning of the 4th of August delivered her mails and files of the New-York Herald of the 19th of May, at Melbourne thus making the voyage from city to city in 77 days, or 75 days from pilot to pilot. The celebrated English clipper ship Marco Polo made the passage from Liverpool in 68 days, which we believe is the shortest made by any sailing vessel from Europe. Lieutenant Maury, as well as some experienced shipmasters, assert that Liverpool is at least ten days nearer than New-York, owing to the prevalence of more favorable winds, thus making the Nightingale's passage the shortest ever accomplished by a sailing vessel from either America or Europe.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.
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Copyright © 1996 Lars Bruzelius.