The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

MUSHAR PACHA. THE Turkish Commandant of Bucharest, known by the name of Mushar Paella, has more than oncelately attracted attention by the vigour and determination of his proceedings. Wher. the Austrians entered Wallachia they insisted on de reinstatement of Prince Stirbey, the ex-Hospodar, who was notorious for his Russian predilections. Mushar Pacha then inter posed boldly and effectually to prevent any public demonstration in his favour among the inhabitants of Bucharest. On other occasions the commandant has resisted the Austrian attempts at exercising domination in the principality and asserted the supremacy of the Sultan. A few days since he ad dressed a proclamation to the denizens of Bucharest, (hankiag them for their offer to supply Omer Paella's troops with fuel and other necessaries gratis, but saying that " his Imperial Highness cannot accept such a sacrifice from a people who have already suf fered so much, - and lodgings only are required for the Turkish soldiers. The paella's consequent un popularity with the AustWan party in Wallachia has led the Wanderer to publish a rumour that he is to be dismissed from his post As Commandant tf Bu chare-4. This, if true, will cause a new vicissitude in an existence already remarkab.e for changes of scene and fortune. The pacha is by tirth an Englishman, and has undergone some singular fluctuations of destiny in this and other countries in the course of his life. Some interestirq reminiscences of his career have been furnished to us by a correspondent who enjoyed opportunities for making personal ac quaintance with Colonel Laktman, alias Mushar Pacha : In the summer of 1846 I was residing at Hampstead. A friend of mine who with his family were in a state of convalescence, after an epidemic disorder, were staying with me to accelerate their cure. One Sunday morning I related to my guest a dream I had had dn. previous night,. I saw a cab come up the steep pitch of hill near the heath and stop there. A gentleman got out, called on my friend, stayed with him halt an hour, then left and re entered the cab. In descending the hill the cab overpowered the horse, the animal ran away, the occupant of the cab jumped out, and was flung on his head, and I seemed to see him senseless on the ground, bleeding at the neck. My expression in describing my dream was " that he had broken his neck." In the course of that same afternoon my friend rushed hurriedly into my room exclaiming, " For God's sake come with me, Lakeman is killed." We ran down the town, and in a surgeon's shop was Minim Pacha, ghastly pale, having several bones broken, and bleeding at the neck. I had never seen him before, but the accident happened in exact accordance with my dream. He had called on my friend, and received the injuries at the spot and in the manner I had dreamt. Mr. Lake man was then engaged in extensive transactions with the French Government chiefly relating to public works in France. i was au idle student, keeping my terms at the Temple, but with nothing definite to do, and was glad to beguile the tedium of the sick man's chamber by sitting with him, talking to him, and acting as his amanuensis. In this capacity I had distinguished corresponients. Amongst others I remember writing for him to M. Guizot and M. Teste, the Minister of Justice, who was soon after wards degraded and sentenced to imprisonment for cor ruption and accepting bribes. In three weeks Musher Pacha was able, a, he would have expressed it, for he spoke English like a foreigner, to locomote, i.e., decamp from the pretty spot that had been so unfortunate fur him ; and the next time we met was in France. I was wandering about the south of that pleasant land, and had, by Musher Pacha's permission, directed letters to be sent for me to his resi dence as a central depdt, where I should be sure to find them sometime, for I had reselved to call upon him. I went down the Rhone in a steamer and delimited at Mar• Bellies. The quays were covered by long lines of chain cables and anchors in rows. " Whose are these, and what are they for?" 1 inquired. " Milord Lakeman's ; and they are for the Cam Mer." The Caw Mer was a wonderful breakwater invented by Rear-Admiral J. N. Tayler, C.ll , which was tried off Brighton, where it signally failed, and of which patented invention the gallant admiral had sold the use either to the French Government or to Milord Lakeman. From Marseilles I went to La Ciotat, where Mr. Lakeman resided. La Ciotat is a little collection of houses on a landlocked bay, with an island in front, sheltering it from the sirocco and the storms that come hurtling from the African coast. A small Government yard is here for repairing ships, and when I was there two Neapolitan war-steamers were in the harbour. They looked just as good as our own—per haps they were English built. Here, in a convenient chateau, detached from the meaner dwellings, Musher Pacha had metaphorically pitched hls tent. He was in the service of the Government. Hi; duty was to build and test the capabilities of Admiral Tayler'n useful invention. The former he did to perfection : the cables I had seen at Marseilles would have sufficed to moor the Baltic and Black Sea fleets in a West Indian hurricane, and all the other requisites to bring the breakwater to perfection were provided on a similar scale of mionificence : but he tested its powers more moderately ; perhaps he was afraid of pull ing it to too severe a strain at first. However, three sec tions of it were moored close to shore in the landlocked bay, and there they answered to a miracle. They he'd quite fast to their moorings, and no one found the anchor age insecure. Meanwhile, Milord Lakeman drew a large salary for superintending this work, so necessary to the maritime greatness of France, and had 40/. allowed him for travelling expenses whenever his presence was neces sary in Peris, whither, of course, lie had frevent occasions to go. I year or two afterwa rds, some m ed dling Minister iih, THE PRESS. of Marine suggested the advisability of mooring the break water outside the promontory that formed one side of the harbour ;—it was done, and so was the breakwater. That work of genius on which Mushar Pacha had so often gazed delighted, as from the windows of his chateau he watched it reposing on its shadow in the mill-pool bay, was quickly dashed to pieces by the lively sea outside. The revolution of 1848 came, and " Mr. Smith" landed with his carpet bag in England. A few months afterwards, a large shop was opened in Moorgate-street for the sale of lamps, ornaments, &c. &c. The shopkeeper was Mushar Paella, the owner of the goods" Mr. Smith." But, finding business thrive, they went to work on a larger scale. The " great prince, the great king, and the great gentleman" raised 400,0001. (he tried to raise SWAM., but Baring would not bite). Some of it went to Paris "to pay trades mens' bills," but most of it was devoted to more profitable uses. Louis Philippe's heart bled for his ungrateful coun trymen, he wept when he saw the commercial distress. the panic, and the ruin that followed, and half avenged his fall. But, though no longer king, he resolved as simple citizen to alleviate the woes of France. When a man is in dis tress, there is no cure for grief more efficacious than offer ing to discount his bill at six months. This Louis Phi lippe did. He took warehouses in St. Mildred's-court, and, though he was only a sleeping partner in the concern, the " Co " which followed the name of Lakeman over the door might have been filled up by the name of Louis Philippe of Orleans. The plan pursued was this. Agents in France extensively circulated the pleasing intelligence that, whereas advances could scarcely be obtained in their own country, there was an obliging gentleman named Lakeman, in London, whose place of business was in St. Mildred's court, who would make unlimited advances on the deposit of French goods. They were not long in coming ; silks and velvets in bales soon piled the shelves and counters of the warehouse in St. Mildred's-court, and Lakeman and Co. drove a roaring trade. Meanwhile the happy borrowers were marshalled in gangs and introduced to the " Co." at Claremont, to offer their homage to that benevo lent prince who even in exile made it his paternal care to save his trading subjects from bankruptcy. But " Mr. Smith," like many other successful capitalists, over-traded, and so received a check. " That choice assortment of wines from the cellars of the Tuilleries, the property of his Majesty King Louis Philippe," had been sold for high prices half a dozen times over, when attention began to be attracted to the subject. By comparing the terms of the advertisements and the Inantities specified, it was disco vered that the stock of wine Louis Philippe had originally professed to have must long since have been sold. So it had ; but the active King had imported more excellent yen ordinaire, and if he chose to call it " that choice assort ment, &c., from the cellars of the Tuilleries," why not? The quality of the wine was not changed by that. But significant hints began to appear in the city department of the newspapers, so the wine " dodge " was dropped, but the CLlSColynting mr .nt, on, ..+A was in full operation when the head of the firm died at Claremont. Of course the transactions between Louis Philippe and Mr. Lakeman were in a great measure confidential ; the gallant Nemours, &c., took advantage of this, and refused to pay Lakeman the balance he alleged was due to him. He became bank rupt, obtained a second-class certificate, was complimented by the commissioner—in fact, every one saw that the princes of Orleans had treated him shabbily. Lakeman is a man of energy and resolute will, ready to be up and doing after every reverse to retrieve his fortunes. He embarked in business at the Cape ; the Caffre war broke out; and at its termination the gallant Stephen Lakeman became Sir Stephen for distinguished services performed at the head of the Waterkloof Rangers. Presently afterwards the Turkish war broke out, and very soon we read in the Paris letter of the Tinier," That gallant officer, Sir Stephen Lakeman, is here with his seven-barrelled rifle, trying experiments with the Chasseurs of Vincennes." In Omer Paella's advance from the Danube we catch glimpses of him occasionally, now in the van disturbing a party of Cos sacks at dinner, again marshalling stragglers on the march, and lastly, as now, preserving the tranquillity of the capital of Wallachia, and controlling the exuberance of Austrian "occupation " in Bucharest. In early life he had specu lated on the Stock Exchange, and won 60,0001. in a few weeks. " I felt I was going mad," he said, " 1 won what ever bargain I made ; all 1 touched seem to turn to gold." A combination was formed against him. and he lost his money as rapidly as lie had acquired it; hut, nothing daunted by a stroke which savours more of Stock Ex change than ordinary notions of morality, lie in a measure recovered his losses. Such is his history so far, and now he has become a Pasha we may say what the gallant Colonel Sibthorp said of the late Sir Robert Peel, that, after his numerous and surprising changes, we should not be astonished to see him sitting cross-legged, a Mahometan avowed! THE MANAOERS OF THE PATRIOTIC FUND estab lished at Lloyd's during the last war have continued their duties down to the present time, annuities to the amount of 1,6001. per annum being still paid from the fund to the connections of those who suffered at that period. The total amount dis bursed by the charity has been nearly 000,0001., and it appears that, subject to the annual charge of the remaining annuities, the committee hold property consisting of 77,5001. Reduced Three per Cents. and 3,500/. Long Annuities (the total value of which, at present prices, is about 88,0001.), besides certain rights of nomination to the Royal Naval Asylum and schools, which they purchased by contributions of 12,000/. These advantages they have preserved, and held applicable to any future war. THE PERRY DEFENCE ►ND TESTIMONIAL FUND now amounts to 2,4251. SATURDA' WRECK OF THE "ARCTIC." THE last-arrived journals from the United States not only confirm the report that Captain Luce, with several companions in misfortune, had been saved from the wreck of the Arctic, but they publish a detailed account of the catastrophe as related by the commander himself in a letter addressed to the New York agent of the Collins line of packets. The following extracts present the most important passages in this narrative : CAPTAIN LUCE TO E. K. COLLINS, ESQ. Dear Sir,—lt has become my most painful duty to inform you of the loss of the steam-ship Arctic under my command, with many valuable lives, I fear among ..vh,oi must be included your own wife, daughter, and 11011, with whom I took a last leave the moment the ship was going down, without myself expecting to see the light of another day to give you an account of the heartrending scene. The Arctic sailed from Liverpool on Wednesday, September 20, at eleven a.m., with 233 passengers, and about 150 in the crew. Nothing of especial note occurred dunng the passage until Wednesday the 27th, when at noon we were on the banks, iu lat. 45 45, and lung. 52 W, steer ing west per compass. The weather had been foggy during the day, and generally a distance of half to three-quarters of a mile could lie seen, but at intervals of a few minutes a very dense fog followed by sufficiently clear weather to see one or two miles. At noon I left the deck for the purpose of working out the position of the ship. In fifteen minutes I heard a cr y o f " hard-a-starboard " from the officer of the deck. I rushed on deck, and had just got out when I felt a crash forward. At the same moment saw a steamer under the starboard bow, ?nd the next moment she struck against our guards and passed astern of us. The bows of the strange vessel seemed to be literally cut or crushed off for about ten feet, and seeing that she must instantly sink in a few minutes, and taking a hasty glance at our own ship, and believing we were comparatively uninjured, my first impulse was to endeavour to save the lives of those onboard the sinking vessel. The boats were cleared, and the first officer and six men left with one boat, when it was found our ship was leaking fearfully. The engines were set to work, bilge injections put on, steam pumps and the four deck pumps worked by the passengers and crew, and the ship headed for land, which I judged to be about fifty miles distant. being com pelled to leave my boat with the first officer and crew to take care of themselves, several ineffectual attempts were made to check the leak by getting sails over the bow, and, finding the leak gaining on us very fast, notwithstanding all our powerful means of keeping her free, 1 resolved to get the boats ready, and as many ladies and children placed in them as possible, but no sooner had the attempt been made than the firemen and others rushed into them in spite of all opposition. Seeing this state of things I ordered the. boats to be veered astern by ropes, to be kept in readiness until order could be somewhat restored, when to my dismay I saw them cut the rope in the bust, and soon disappear astern in the fog. Another boat was broken down by persons rushing into her while hanging at the davits, and many were precipitated into the sea and drowned. This occurred while I had been engaged in getting the starboard guard boats ready, and placed the second officer in charge of her, when the same fearful scene as with the first boat was being enacted, men leaping from the top of the rail down twenty feet, crushing and maiming those who were in the boat. I then gave orders to the second officer to let go and row after the ship, keeping under or near the stern to be ready to take on board women and children as soon as the fires were out and the engines stopped. My attention was ' then directed to the other quarter-boat, which I found broken down but hanging by one tackle ; a rush was made for her also, and some dozen or fifteen got in and cut the tackle, and were soon out of sight. In the meantime I found that not a seamen or carpenter was left on board, and we were without any tools to assist in building a raft, as our only hope, and the only officer left was Mr. Dorm', the third officer, who aided me with the for assistance of the passengers , who deserve great praise their coolness and energy in doing all in their power up to the very last moment before the ship sunk from under us. The chief engineer, with a part of lds assistants, taken ours mallest deck-boat, and before the ship went down pulled away with about fifteen persons. I was then fully convinced that the ship must go down in a very short time, and not a moment was to be lost in getting the spars lashed together to form a raft. To do this it became necessary to get the life-boat into the water. I gave Mr. Doran charge of the boat, taking care to keep the oars on hoard, to prevent them from leaving the ship, hoping still to get the most of the women and children into this boat at last. They had made considerable progress th in securing the spars together when an alarm was given at the ship was sinking, and the boat shoved off without oars or anything to help themselves with, and when the ship sank the boat had got clear, probably the eighth of a mile to leeward. In an instant, about a quarter to five p.m., the ship went down, carrying every soul on board with her. I soon found myself on the surface, atter a brief strug gling, with my own helpless child in my arms, depth , I a andgain f o und myself impelled down wards to a great before I reached the surface a second time had nearly pe rished and lost the hold of my child. As I struggled to the surface of the water a most awful and heartrending scene presented itself to my view—over 9.00 men, women, an children struggling together amidst pieces of wreck of ever/ kind, calling on each other for help, and imploring may mighty God to help them. Such an appalling scenehem„,t God preserve me from witnessing again. 1 was n 1 , ...e. of trying to save my child, when a portion of the i d add l d box came rushing up edgewise, just grazing my head, whole weight n b p eh on sid the hini head ly o in f f l g n li an ng o i th ts er w ginividdealesarlinginc, child.