The Press. — London, England, 1856-12-06 00:00:00

V S i 1166 TERNS OF SUBSCRIPTION FOR Cbc Vress: (STAMPED.) Per Annum .. Half-Yearly .. .. Quarterly .. .. Al 6 0 .. 0 la 0 .. 0 6 I Payable in advance. Subscrib rrrrr e requested to send their Orders through the News Agent; if direct to the Office. accompanied by a remit Sauce. Advertisements also must have a reference or remittance Money Orders to be wade payable to Mr. ALFRED 11/E, 110, Strand London. Vijt IP rola+ LONDON, SATURDAY, DEC. 6, 1856. POSTSCRIPT. THE SECOND CONGRESS. The period for the re•assembling of the Congress is not yet fired, but preparations are making for the immediate reunim of the Ministers. The Paris correspondent of the Post (thud edition) gives the following as the probable list of Ministers :—M. Walewski, President ; Lord Cowley, her Britanic Majesty's Representative ; M. Hubner, the Austrian Ambassador; M. Kisseleff, the Russian Ambassador; M. Hatzfeldt, the Prussian Minister; Djelmil Bey, the Turkish Ambassador; and the Marquis Vlllatna rine, the Piedmontese Minister. The Constitutionel of Thursday, in an article upon the approaching Congress, makes the following re marks : The question will not be to recommence the labours of the Congress, nor to change the text or the decisions of the treaty. But what remains for the conference to establish is the correct interpretation of certain points which have appeared dubious. The conference will this time be corn posed of the second plenipotentiaries, and will, in all pro bability, be of very short duration. Nevertheless, it does not appear certain that all the difficulties have been solved beforehand; it is to be believed that matters are less advanced on this point, and that each power maintains its particular views relative to the question at issue. But either the accord will be established by mutual conces sions, as we hope, or by the result of a vote and a majority. In either case, a satisfactory solution is without a doubt. The object of the conference is therefore to interpret cer tain contested points of the treaty of Paris, and to enforce its speedy execution. The Vienna correspondent of the Times (second edition), in a letter dated Dec. 1, says, with reference to Bolgrad The Bolgrad question is not likely to lead to a rupture between the allied powers, but it is not so certain as could be wished that the town at the north-east extremity of the Lake Yalpuck will eventually form part and parcel of Moldavia. The foregoing information is from an excellent source, and is probably correct. A letter from Constantinople received at Vienna states that the Porte has revoked the resolution which it bad come to of interdicting the national Divans of the Principalities to discuss the question of the union. "Tbe divans will now have the right to make known to the Congress of Paris the wishes of the provinces which they represent." Intelligence from New York to the 22nd ultimo arrived yesterday at Southampton. The election returns are not yet fully completed. No tidings had reached New York of the missing boats of the Lyonnais. Some recent storms on the lakes have been very disastrous to shipping. The New Orleans Delta alludes to a rumour that Mr. Buchanan is about to throw over the extension of-slavery question, and thus sketches the duty of the newly-elected President:-- lie ewes his election to the vote of the South, and to the defiant attitude of resistance which she was beginning to assume. He should bear that fact well In mind. He will be a traitor and insensible to every manly feeling of gratitude if he forget it and disregard the obligation it implies. Then let him live up to the letter and spirit of the Ostend letter; let him look to our interests in Cuba, which, by right of geography and of political necessity, should he ours. Let him fortify Walker in Nicaragua, and forestall Spanish and French designs upon Mexico ; let him place the Great Tehuantepec route beyond the hazard of being lost to us by securing the grant of a strip of terri tory across that isthmus. The acquisition of Cuba in defiance of England and France would not split the Union, it would strengthen it. The regeneration of Central America by Walker, in alliance with the United States, would lead to the gradual emancipation of the West Indies from the infamous free negroism established by the enemies of American republicanism. M. HAUSMANN, the Prefect of the Seine, has ac knowledged in the most handsome manner the mag nificent subscnption of 500/. towards the Inundation Fund, by that princely Parsee Sir Jamsetgee Jeeheeboy. Such generous proofs of sympathy, observes M Hausmann, in his letter to the Lord Mayor, " attract THE PRESS. the marked attention of the entire French nation, and, in addition to the political tie uniting the two Governments, create nearer ties of friendship be. the two peoples." THE APPEAL ON ARCHDEACON DENISON against the sentence of deprivation was rejected yesterday by the judgment of Sir John Dodson, Dean of the Court of Arches. The appeal will now be made to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. THE enthronisation of the Right Rev. C. T. Longley, D.D., Bishop of Durham, took place on Thursday. Archdeacon Bland acted as the Bishop's proxy. THE ROYAL BRITISH BANK list of contributories will be settled by Vice• Chancellor Kindersley, on the 17th inst. A CHANCERY CASE, which has been before the Courts for about twenty years, and has consequently eaten up in costs a large portion, if not the whole of the amount of money disputed, was yesterday decided by the Lord Chancellor, who gave judgment in the case " Booth v. Allington," on an appeal upon the decision by Vice-Chancellor Stuart. The main question regarded the construction of a deed of ap pointment made by Mrs. Booth in favour of her husband, John Gillyatt Booth. Mrs. Booth, under the will of her father, Mr. Williamson, was entitled to a legacy of 120,000/. She had the power to ap point the whole or any part of this legacy during her life, or to bequeath it by will. In default of her doing so, it was to be divided equally among her children. Mrs. Booth had three children, and during her life she made a deed of appointment, giving 30,0001. good and lawful money of Great Britain, part of the 120,0001. legacy bequeathed by her father, to her husband. The legacy, however, did not real ise the full sum of 120,000/., but only about 80,0001., and the question was whether the appointed sum of 30,000/. should abate rateably or be paid in full. Vice-Chancellor Stuart held that as the sum of 30,0001. was described to be " part of" the larger sum of 120,0001., it must be held to be the fourth part as three was the fourth ot) twelve. The appeal from this decision was ably argued before the Chancellor by Mr. Bacon and Mr. Hardy for the appellants, and Mr. Melina and Mr. Sheddeare fur the respondents, the main argument for the former being that " part of " must be read in the sense of " out of," numerous cases being cited in support of this general view. The Lord Chancellor, in his judgment, held that the snm of 30,0001. must be allowed in full, and be paid before any part of the residue of the 120,000/. was distributed. His lordship also reversed the decision of Vice-Chancellor Stuart on two other points respect ing the interest to be allowed, and the manner in which the account should he taken. LOSS OF AN ATLANTIC STEAMER. ONE of those calamities happily rare in the annals of Atlantic navigation—the loss of a mail steamer— occurred on the night of the 2nd of November, just off New York, about sixty miles to the northward of the Nantucket lightship; and out of about 150 persons, passengers and crew, only sixteen were saved. This frightful accident occurred through a collision with an American barque, the Adriatic. The Lyonnais was one of six iron screw steam ships, built during the past and present years by Mr. John Laird, of Liverpool, for Messrs. Gauthier, Freres, and Co. Each ship is constructed with water tight compartments, and built in the strongest man ner, according to the regulations of the English Board of Trade, and each is well fitted and found in every respect. The Lyonnais was launched last spring, and had made two voyages to Rio Janeiro previous to her trip to New York. She had three compartments, and two of these seem to have been broken down in the collision, the Yankee barque striking her so as to cut her down to the water's edge. The statement of the second mate, one of the officers savod, so vividly depicts every incident that we give it entire : After quitting the pilot at five p.m. (on the Ist Nov.) we made good way, and at noon the following day (Sunday) were 195 miles from New York, with fine weather, good breeze, and averaging ten knots the hour. About eleven p.m., the night dark, the ship running eleven knots, under sail and steam, and displaying lights according to regula- tion, the man on the look out called " A ship to starboard, beating down on us under full sail !" The whistle which had been put on board at New York, and which can be heard ten miles off, was immediately sounded. The helm was put hard a•port on the instant; but, never.heless, a three-masted vessel struck the Lyonnais across the cum panion-way amidships. The bowsprit of the ship broke with the concussion, and stove in the side of our vessel from the companion -way, as far as the shrouds, seriously damaging the two starboard boats, one of them an English lifeboat. The collision broke away the iron plates of the coal-bunkers, letting in the water. We continued on our course during about ten minutes, but the water almost immediately extinguished the fires. The unknown vessel, in clearing away from us, left on the deck of the Lyonnais SATIIRDAt, part of her figurehead, representing a black dragon, with gilt mane, red eyes, open mouth, with gilt dart in it. At the moment of collision Captain de Vaix rushed to the wheel; the first lieutenant, Mr. Gustave Matthieu, was on his watch, and deponent was at his post on decl-. As soon as the engines stopped Mr. Gigneux, the chief engineer, came up from below and declared that the water was pour ing in at the coal•bunkers and the ship was sinking. The pumps were immediately set going, but floating cinders choked up the valves, and they became useless. We then had recourse to buckets, while part of the crew and some of the passengers went below to shift the cargo from starboard to port, but as the water continued to rise, the captain ordered the cargo to be thrown overboard. During this time some of the passengers—among them two old sea captains—a few of the officers, and a number of sailors were busy covering the side of the ship with a largo studding sail, while the carpenters from the inside were endeavouring to stop the leak with mattresses, quilts, &o. The opening in the side of the ship was at the water line, and appeared to be two feet square. Our exertions were all of no avail, as the sea was growing rough and we were unable to careen the steamer. Although over a dozen mattresses and similar articles were propped against the hole, it became impossible to withstand the pressure of water. We commenced sheathing the ship outside with large awning, which seemed to stop the leak for a time. During all this the baling never ceased, but, as we found the water increased rapidly, the conviction was forced upon us that a second hole existed beneath the water line. Notwithstanding throwing overboard the cargo, and the continued baling out, the ship was sinking rapidly by the stern. Two large casks were then used to bale the water, the captain and officers lending a helping hand with the tackle. For a moment we thought the water was decreasing, but it soon overpowered us. The baling had lasted from eight EL , 11. to three p.m., and the men were exhausted with fatigue. The captain then lowered the boats and embarked the passengers and crew. In order to be prepared for the worst a raft had been built during the day of topmasts, spars, cabin doors, boards, chicken coops, dec., and on it were placed two barrels of wine, two puncheons of water, and the various kinds of eatables, sufficient to last the fifty persons placed upon it at least a month. In the first cutter were some twenty-five persons, among whom were the first and second engineers, the steward, his nephew, all the cabin servants (ten in number); this boat was under the command of the chief officer, Mr. Roussel!. This boat had on board compass, charts, chronometers, a sextant, and provisions for two weeks, with complete set of new sails. A second boat, same size as the former, took off twenty-five persons ; she had the same amount of food, nautical instruments, and new mails as the first cutter, and was under the command of the two sea cap tains. A lifeboat, containing about twenty persons, and having, like the other, a complete set of sails, provisions, and instruments, was placed under the orders of Mr. Dublot, third lieutenant. Another lifeboat, containing eighteen persons, with provisions for two weeks, was placed under the command of deponent. The various boats, once equipped, were kept during the night in the neighbour. hood of the wreck, the captain remaining on board the latter with the first lieutenant, four petty officers, stewardess, and Messrs. Clairin and Bonestac, the doctor and purser. Two yawls, which might each hold six per sons, were moored to the wreck. During the night the lifeboat commanded by Mr. Dublot, which had been damaged at the moment of the collision, was carried by the wave against the raft, and immediately sunk; those iu her were rescued by the rift. At seven o'clock a.m. on Tuesday, the 4th inst., the captain, perceiving that the ship could no longer float, and was likely to sink every moment, ordered those on board to embark in the yawls ; he himself was the last to quit the ship. Before the officers took to tlit. boats under their respective commands, the captain called them into the deckhouse of the steamer, and pointed out to them on the chart the spot in which they were, and explained to them the direction they must follow, in order to reach the nearest land. At eight o'clock a.m, the three boats made headway towards north-west in company. On quitting the wreck the captain was seen with his men in one yawl, and first officer with purser in the other near the raft. The captain declared his intention of remaining by the wreck until the Lyonnais sunk. The raft was moored to the hull with a ten-fathom hawser, and a man stood ready with an axe to cut loose when she sank. The three boats kept company until five p.m., when a thick fog set in, and deponent, being to leeward of the other two, lost sight of them. He put about to rejoin them, but, not finding them, he continued his course to wards the north-west, without compass or instruments. At nine p.m. wind commenced blowing from north, and during three following days he ran before the wind, it blowing a gale. Passing over the banks two men were frozen to death ; one a fireman, the other a passenger, about sixty years of age, name unknown. Threw the bodies overboard. The survivors, deponent included, suffered horribly from cold, snow and hail falling inces santly, while the sea breaking over them had spoiled nearly all their bread and provisions. 9th.—Sunday :—About eight a.m. saw a sail near horizon. Rowed towards her, but, a breeze springing up, and the ship going in the same direction as ourselves, we could not reach her. It was at this time that deponent saw another sail on the port aide bearing down towards them. After three hours' fatigue and hard rowing we reached her, and found her to be the bark Elise, of Bremen, Captain Nordenbolott, bound from Baltimore to Bremen. The captain took us all on board, and seemed happy in giving all the care and attention required under the circum stances. Immediately on intelligence of the loss arriving at New York, a steamer was started to cruise in the neighbourhood of the wreck, but nothing was known by the latest dates (17th Nov.) of the result.