Star. — London, England, 1825-10-26 00:00:00

OM OF THE COMET. Ai THE 121,111VIIGH EVENIrti COURANT Oi MONDAY. It falls to our lot this day to cummunicate to our of the most awful and calamitous events perhaps has ever taken place in this country. On • morning last, the Comet steam-packet, from v ia Fort William, to Glasgow, when off the , point of the village cf Gourock, about three below Greenock, was run on board by the Ayr luggage packet, outward bound, and in the ef two minutes afterwards the Comet went to the )1 , 1 ! There were, as nearly as can be ascertained, sixty persons on board, out of which number only have been saved. The variety of reports .h reached this city during the course of Saturday, us to proceed, on the evening of that day, to iurock, for the purpose of enabling us to lay before readers, in this publication, the latest and most .tic intelligence that could possibly be procured. We accordingly reached that place yesterday fore and found numerous boats engaged in dragging the bodies around the place where the steam boat id sunk—which was, as nearly as we can guess, about yards from the shore, in sixteen fathoms water. Ile Sieriff.Substitute of Renfrewshire, Claud Mar -11, Eq. assisted by Mr. Rankine of Gourock, and r.Leitch, one of the Magistrates of Greenock, had employed without intermission since Friday morn in the painful duty of examining the dead bodies -y were brought ashore—taking exact descripthns !ir dresses and appearance, and inventories of the 'y found on th ir persons. On our arrival, we mad these Gentlemen superintending the insp caul.' and al of the bodies of five persons which had just lagged up, to the church of Gourock, where the bodies that had been found on Friday and Sa f diy, were laid. The Lord Advocate, accompanied Mr. Dunlop, principal She: iff of Renfrewshire, ar ?ea about mid-day, and proeee.'ed to Mr. Rankine's, the purpose of assisting in the investigation. Nearly nine cart loads of luggage had been thrown ashore, and the duty &so of examining it devolved on the Sheriff•substitute. The greater part of it, however, seems to have belonged to Sir Joseph Radcliffe, the dohei of six of whose ser►ants have been found. The thole has been lodged in a place of security in Greenock. The following is a correct and authentic list of the ' 1 bodies that have been found, with the names, so far as known, and the best description of those unknown we could procure, up to yesterday at mid-day WOUND ON YIUDAY. Two women servants of Sir Joseph Radcliffe, one named Han ish Mitchell, the other having the initials S. It. marked on her shift. Mrs. Wright, of Glasgow. Two women, unknown; one with a blue, and the other with a brown stuff gown. Two children,one of them belonging to the female passenger saved; the other, a female child, unknown, well dressed, with lace cap. Mr. John Bell, butcher, Dumbarton. Anus Cameron, of or near Fort William. Mr. Arrli:hald Graham, of Corpach, near Fort William. James Grierson, steward of the Comet. In all eleven bodies found on Friday. FOUND ON SATURDAY. William servant to Mr.Dennietoun, claimed and taken to Conbunkin. Jar•.tes Miller, of Edinburgh. John livid, of Edinburgh. A girl about 17, unknown, poorly dressed. Duncan Mackenzie, a Highland trader. An old man front Crinan, name unknown. A woman unknown, supposed the mother of four children who were on board. James Dingwall, his left hand injured by a mill. George Murray, a Highland trader. Jas. Manderaon, engineer of the Comet, taken away by his widow. A young woman named Rose, claimed by her brother, and car. TA to Greenock. A sailor belonging to Limekiln, or Kincardine, name unknown. Ronald Mackenzie, piper to Sir Joseph Radcliffe. A youn g Gentleman, name unknown, green coat, silver watch, burn marked C.H.S. Surgical instruments found on him. Angus A. Kennedy, a young Gentleman about 14 or 15. A young man about 15, name unknown. An Irish Pedlar, name unknown. Eupban Riven, servant to Mrs. Wright. lu all eighteen bodies found on Saturday. vows on mnenay. A seaman, name unknown. John IPLacblan, one of the Comet's crew. Jars. Wincliffe, supposed to be the housekeeper of Sir J. Radcliffe. A yang man —linen marked J. M. P. The body of a woman—name unknown : initials or. linen I. M.; red Morocco baby shoes found in her pocket; supposed to be the nursery maid velars had the charge of one of the children found on Fritlay.—Five bodies found yesterday. From the foregoing melancholy list, it will be seen that thirty-four bedie%have already been found, which, with the eleven persons saved, makes the number ac counted for amount to forty-five. No traces had been found of the bodies of Captain Sutherland or his Lady, us of Mr. M , Alister or his nephew. We lament to say, that there is too much reason to fear that Mr. Hugh Rollo, writer to the signet, has also perished ; though there are some circumstances that afford a feeble ray of hope, which a day or two at the farthest must confirm Or destroy. It, is certain that a part of his luggage—a Portmanteau—has been found; but the under steward of the vessel reportscas far as we can understand, that a boy brought to the boat at Lochgilphead, Mr. Rollo's lu ggage, consisting of a portmanteau and a travelling bag, for the latter of which he soon after returned anal carried away. A Gentleman, however, came on boayd at that place, though the man can give no description of his appearance. Some other persons belonging to this City have been mentioned, but we abstain from Term.. ang their names, as we are perfectly satisfied they were not in the Comet. Such of the bodies as have not been claimed and car ried away by their relatives, have been laid out in the Church of Gourock, and decent coffins provided. There were yesterday about thirty corpses in that sanctuary, and a most heart-rending and agonising scene was these eshibited. Every hour arrivals were taking place—the paren t looking for his child—the friend for his friend— tbe wire for her husband. The uncertainty as to who sere passengers, a endered only the suspense of those 1 4 1, 0 expected friends or relatives by the vessel, more dreadful. The p'cure given by the survivors of the scene, it is impossible for us to describe. It appears that up to the Z_l____ .~~.. -. , s ot THE I It falls tc a d ee s one ,at pethal ridgy mot •nverness, t extern poi Iles beim team lugf • pace of t" ,cttom .ut sixty !even only which react induced us surock, f cur reader othentic it We ac co r .7on, and the bod lid stink— s,* yards Tue Sheril E , q, Mr. Le itch been empfi rog, in the as they we of their dri property fi foulid :hem removal 01 been lam mhet bod tutday, . 7 Mr. D ived abe for the pt Neatly ashore, an the Sherif seems to I bodies of whole has The for bodies tha known, an could pros Two woe mh Mitchel Mrs. Writ Two won brown .tuff Two child the ocher, a Mr. John Anus Ca Mr. Arch James Or William Cambusski; James M John Iltsi A girl ab Duncan An old n A wonso were on bu James E George Jas. Man A young Tied to Gre A sailor 1 Ronald A you ul • linen mark , Angus A ▪ A young An Iris/ F-upban A seam Join 11 JNrs W A rim The Los red Moroi nurser ? p Friday.— . From • that thir with the counted found of or of Mr that the ltollo I tl.ere at hope, w or dem, Pollnow of the v boy bre: • lu ggag Dag, fw carried at that his app 5 City h: M o re th e not in t Such L the sioyageinti been piesperous, ina now within so short a distance from their destination, every heart was full of happiness—dancing, pleasant stories and conversation were wearing away the night, when the awful mandate went forth, and fifty human beings. in the very midst of innocent gaiety, and fond antici pation, were in an instant hurried, unwarned and mi -1 prepared, into the presence of the ALMIGHTY. We have said that description of this scene, by us, was impossible ; but our immortal bard has furnished us with one, which we hope our readers will not consi der improperly introduced or misapplied. Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell, Then sbriek'd the timid, and stood still the brave; Then some leap'd overboard with dreadful yell, As eager to anticipate their grave ; And the sea yawn'd around her like a bell, And down she suck'd with her the whirling wave, Like one who grapples with his enemy, And strives to strangle him before he die ! And first one universal shriek there =slid, Louder than the loud ocean, like a crash Of echoing thunder; and then all was bush'd, Save the wild shriek, and the remorseless dub Of billows ; but at intervals there gushed, Accompanied with a convulsive splash, A solitary shriek, the bobbling cry Of some strong swimmer in his agony ! With regard to the cause of this dreadful affair— though, beyond all doubt, the principal blame lies with the Master of the Cornet, he not only having no light out, but his jib sail set—still the feeling is universal in Greenock, that the Master of the Ayr is in the highest degree culpable, in deserting, as he did, the scene where he had made such havoc. It is not true, as asserted in the authorised statement published in a Glasgow Paper of Stturday, that the Ayr did not leave the spot till all traces of the Carnet and her all.fated company were lost. The Ayr fled from the spot, while yet the shrieks of the drowning beings were chaining in the ears of her crew._ She fled and all but lost the only brave and hu mane individuals she had on board, the sailors of the Harmony, who made an attempt to get out the Ayr's boat to the rescue, but which was pulled under water by her precipitate flight, and these generous seamen were only able to s 'ye themselves with difficulty. She fled—while one of the crew of the Comet was swim ming to her, and whose cries for succour did teach her in her flight—but in vain. The futile pre tence that she was in a sinking state, is fully disproved by her having sailed in safety to Greenock—a distance of about three miles—while the master must have known, that, had she been in that state, his greater chance of safety was, after rendering the assistance he was bound to render to the sufferers perishing under his eye, to run his vessel on shore, from which lie was not 300 yards distant, and which he could have done in comparative safety, and almost without damage. We can make al lowances for the agitation and confusion such a scene would occasion ; but we can find not a shadow of ex cuse for the selfish and dastardly conduct of the Master of the Ayr. In the judicial investigation that is pro ceeding, if he is not so deeply to blame as we appre hend, he will have a fair opportunity of exculpating himself, though we confess, in the face of the facts we have stated, we do not see how this can be done. We intended to have made some remarks on the al most fiendish levity with which a Glasgow Journal* has alluded to a Noble Lord and a highly respectable Memberof Parliament, who were reported to have been on board the Comet ; but the general feeling of loath ing and disgust which these allusions have created wherever they have been seen, are sufficient, without our assistance, to mark them with public scorn and Indignation. FROM 71r= CALM:IONIAN MUMMY Or silvans'.. The heart-rending accident of the loss of the Comet steam-packs with its numerous passengers, has excited the deepest agitation in this place. Those who have friends in the west country, or at Inverness, are in the greatest distress, being quite uncertain as to their fate. On Sunday night the Post Office was beset by an an lions crowd, eagerly inquiring if there was any farther intelligence as to the sufferers? We have endeavoured to collect from indivi duals connected with Glasgow and Greenock such farther in formation as may have arrived. Lord Mc Donald and family were to have embarked in the Comet, but were fortunately prevented. One letter received here states, char the Lady mentioned in the Glasgow Paper, with seven children, is Mrs. M'Leod, of KintaiL The same letter also mentions a Mr. Miller, son of Mr. Miller, fish curer, in Leith, as one of the sufferers. Mrs. Captain Sutherland, daughter of H. R. Duff,Esq. of Muirtovrn. near Inverness, had been five weeks married, and not Ave days, as stated in some accounts. Captain WINTSS ERSICINZ SUTHERLAND, of the 33d Foot, who was unhappily lost, with his bride, in the Comet steam packet, off Gourock, en the west coast of Scotland, was the third son of Captain SOTHSILLAND, Sciberscross, in North Britain, and only remaining bro ther of Lieutenant-Colonel SUTHERLAND, of the sth Foot ; and a finer young man' whether in personal ap pearance or sweetness of disposition, was seldom to be found in any rank or station in life; he was in his 28th year. On the 31st of last August he had married, after a long and singular mutual attachment, Miss Doer, the eldest daughter of Mr. Dorn, of Muirtowa, and niece of Mr. Fonaas, of Culloden, an elegantly ac complished and amiable young Lady, in her 23d year. He was onhis way to join the Depot of his Regiment at Glascow. The affliction of the families of this young couple, on so melancholy a catastrophe, will be more easily conceived than described; but to those who know and can appreciate the ardent attachment that bound them to each other, it will be some consolation, under the mysterious dispensations of PROVLEIZNCI4 that they met their destiny together. His Royal Highness the CoMJANDeR•IIKIIIEU had been pleased to promote this young man to a company, in October, 1824, in compliment to his elder brother's services on the west coast of Africa. On the 10th of December last, he embarked from Barbadoes (where he was sta tioned with the 93d) on leave of absence for Europe, in the Boroding transport, which vessel, soon after leav nig Antigua, encountered a dreadful gale, during which she struck on a sunken rock, where she fixed for the whole of that night, all on board having long given up every hope of saving their lives; but at day-light, as if by miracle, she floated off the rock, and drifted into Bermuda harbour, whence he wrote to the afflicted writer of this notice, that 14 to whatever period his life might extend, he would probably never be so perfectly reconciled to die as he had been the previous night." • It is due to the respectable Journals published in Glasgow, to state that the.paper hers alluded to, is the Glasgow Few Prerl— Ea. STAB. • NEW FLEET Martstar.—The RECORDER, COMMON SERJEANT, and City Officers, held a Court of Com pensation, at Guildhall, yesterday, for the adjustment of the claims made by the owners of*houses that must come down for the erection of the new market, in lieu 'of the present Fleet market, eAPT. PARRY'S ZAST VOYAGE: We have already steed, that it the tiiiie when ,the nafortunate accident happened to the not, in the last voyage of Captain Parry, the leaders of the expedition entertained strong hopes of succeeding in the object of it. They were separated from the open sea by a bar rier of ice of no very formidable width, and had ascer tained that the sea remainedopen to a veil Consider ahle distance. They were deterred from endeatiouring to enter upon it by a consideration that all the provi sions which could be stowed on board the Hacr.A would only last the united crews of the Hama and FURY twelve months, and that the voyageto Behrine's Straits would probably last twenty-four. They saved as much of the stores of the FURY as they could ; but a great part of them were left on the beach, where they were first landed, for the purpose of lightening her, along with the luggage and clothes of the different Officers. It is said that many Officers were obliged to abandon in this manner property which had cost them three or four hundred pound, at their outset on the voyage. We trust that they will not ultimately lose it, but that the Admiralty will indemnify them for it, even though such a proceeding be contrary to the general prac•ice of the service. At the time when the FURY struck, the HECLA was aground, and consequently the situation of both ships was most distressing. In this condition, which was almost hopeless, not a murmur of disconte,,t was heard among the men, but every order WAS performed with cheerfulness and alactity. The cold was intense, and yet during the night, men and Officers were obliged to sleep on tile slime, with no miter vro• tection fr.)m it than mere tents. Thep., on their departure, were left standing, for the benefit of any vray Esquimaux, who may happen to pass that way. During this voyage the expedition did not see any of these wandering tribes; and of course was deprived of the amthernent which it derived on its last horn their trickery and gluttony. The men resorted, however, to all their old and also to some new modes of whiling away the tedium of their nine months night of winter, and upon Cie whole succeeded in it to admit ation. An , observatory was erected on shore, in which the Officers spent much of their time in making and recording observations. The garden was at ended to as before; but the herbs reared in it did not at all compensate for the trouble bestowed upon them. Some cucumbers were grown in glasses, in the summer, but not of a very large description. The winter was milder than any which the expedition previously experienced ; and one proof of it is, that the ships were not laid up in their winter.quarters till the Bth of October this time, though in their former voyages they had been laid up about the 22d or 23d of September. Them have been no new discoveries made in any branch of natural history. Ifleveral collections of insects, &c. have been made, but few which were not known b fore their last voyage. The ptarmagans were plentiful, apd some fine speci mens of them have been brought home.—Grouse were also shot occasionally, and formed a delightful change in the messes of the ships companies. Great attention was paid to their diet, and the good effects of it were visible in the healthy state of the crew.—Only two men wete lost in the course of the voyage.—One died of disease, and the other was drowned whilst on a shooting party. It appeared, that in the twilight a party of three had gone to a narrow channel of water which ran between the ship and the shore, to shoot certain birds which came to drink there. Two of the party made a circuit to get round it, and iu doing so separated from their companion. They then amused themselves with shooting for some time, and thought that their comrade was doing so too. On their return to the ship, they had to get across this channel again, when to their grief and surprise, they found their com panion's corpse floating on the surface of it. The men in general seem uninjured by the harsh climates they have left, and are confident that they shall succeed, if another attempt be made for that purpose. The Hama may be expected hourly at Deptford, as the Comet steam packet was ordered to proceed from Chatham yesterday morning, and tow her up the river. Capt. PARRY is on board of her.--Capt. Horemas left Sheerness in a post-chaise soon after the breaking up of the Court-Martial. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, OCTOBER as. ROBINSON V. WARD. This action was brought by the plaintiff, a Clergy man, to recover 5,0001. which he had paid into the hands of the defendant, his attorney, to be vested in the funds. The money in question was the proceeds of an estate sold in Hampshire, and after it was received by Mr. Ward, he paid it into the banking-house of Marsh, Stracey, and Co. That house soon afterwards became insolvent. The question was, whether the mosey so deposited with the banker, in the name of the de fendant, was to be considered the money of the plaintiff? The ATTORN&Y.GENRRAL contended, upon the cas olKnight v. Lord Portsmouth, that a man dealing with money in that way made it his own. The LORD Cuiar JD/MICR—I am of the same opinion. There are three modes of keeping the money of ano ther ; a person may keep it in his own house; another mode is to pay it into the hands of a banker in the name of the owner; the third mode is to pay it as • ' separate and distinct account to the banker, and that ought to be in the name of the person who paid it. Supposing this money to have been paid in by Ward in his own name, it ought to have been kept separate from his general account. If a person mixes the money of another with his own, he makes himself debtor to the estate from whence that money came. I am sorry for it, but in this case the defendant has made himself liable. Mr. Sommer: said, whatever might be the decision, no imputa tion could attach to the conduct of the defendant. The Loan Cisme Jounce—No, that is out of the question. The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 5,0001. BROWN V. LILL The plaintiff, who is a Gentleman belonging to the Custom-house, s .ught to recover a sum of money he had paid as co-security in a matter of annuity. After some investigation, a verdict was found for the plain* subject to a special case. MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, OCTOBER 25. Sir Paul Bigot, Mr. Barrd, and Mr. Sims, were in dicted for assaulting a man of the name of Hill, who, at the time of the assault, was in the service of Mr. New man, the post-master, in Regent-street. Mr. ANDRIWS, for the prosecution, opened the case to the Jury, as one in which he was sure of obtaining their verdict, although the whole of the defendants were in a much higher sphere of life than the prosecutor, who came to complain of being ill-treated by them. Their rank, however, formed no excuse for their conduct,, neither would it, in the present case, exculpate them from the honest verdict of. the Jury. As be was in. 6 strutted; he should be able to show that the attack that ..latr,l.-** MO% hitt trikris his client had been a ;vat- WM:* vated and a Most unjustifiable one: the complainant had been for some time in the Service of Mr. fqewintn,,Whd had very extensive premises in Regent-street, and there= fore thotight it necessary ensploj a prieate watch= Man, for the better security of his property ; owing 'to the temporary absence of the regular private vVitchmin, Hill was offitiating in his place on the night when the assault took place: among other insfractioni which the prosecutor had received front hiS master; . he had orders to prevent any one stopping under the gateway that led to the premises, for the purpose of committing ant nuisance. About eleven o'clock in the evening, while the complainant was standing at his post under the gate way, he observed the defendant, garret, tutu into the yard for a necessary purpose, on which he immediately went up to him, and Civilly told him that no such thing was permitted on that spot, but if he wished he might go down lower into the yard. Barret scooted this idea, and swore that he would do 'what he wanted there, and nowhere else, in which resolution he was supported by his friend. Sir Paul Bagot, who at that instant joined him. The prosecutor still continued resolute in preventing any such nuisance being com mitted, on which Barret commenced an assault upon Hill, in which Sir Paul Begot and Mr. Sims joined him ; in the struggle Hill caught hold of the handle of an umbrella with which he was attacked, and it turned 'but to be a sword stick : to prevent any mischief arising from such a dangerous weapon, he threw it behind a carriage that-stood in the yard. On hearing the uproar, two or three more servants of Newman came up, and the whole were joined in the fray. The cad of it was, that the whole party adjourned to the watch-house, where Mr. Barret and Sir Paul Bigot were held to bail, but no charge was at that time preferred against Mr. Sims ; the next morning, however, when that Gen tleman appeared at the Public-office, for the purpose of bailing the other two defendants, a charge was also preferred against him, and the decision of the Magis trate was, that they must all three answer the pro secution of Hill at the Middlesex Sessions. This evidence was supported by the testimony of Hill, the prosecutor, a pou•hoy from Dartford, who had just driven up Colonel Palmer', carriage to town, two post•boys in the service of Newman, and a helper in the same service; it appeared, however, to be uni• versally admitted, that the only persons who had carried away with them any marks of having been in the quarrel were the three defendants. Mr. AnoLenus spoke for the defence. The CHAIRMAN then summed up the evidence, and after about five minutes' deliberation, the Jury found them all Guilty, oa which the Court sentenced Mr. Barret to pay a Ant of si. to the King; as, from the evidence it appeared, that be was the origin of the assault, and imposed on the other two defendants a line of 401. each to the King. THE FUSTIAN MANUFACTURERS OF MAN CHESTER, AA'D . HEIR WORKMEN: A Meeting of the Fustian Manufacturers, and ;Vier., chants dealing in fustians, in Manchester, was held on Wednesday last, at the Bridgewater Arms, Mr. G. R. CHAPPILL, in the Chair, to consider certain proposals tended to them by the Fustian Cutters, with regard to the prices to be paid for cutting. After some discussion, from which it appeared to be the unanimous opinion of the Meeting, that they ought to treat with the Fustian Cutters on the most amicable terms, it WAS unanimously resolved, that the wages paid for fustian cutting re quired an equitable and unicorns regulation ; and it was expedient that the manufacturers should unite for the purpote of effecting such regulation, so as to secure to the workmen an adequate remuneration for their labour, and at the same time to restra n any attempts whicl might be made to raise or reduce the rate of wages, except when the state of trade required, and upon slut investigation and inquiry. A Committee of twe ye Gentlemen was then appointed to carry these Resolu tions into effect, and to draw up a list of the prices, to be submitted to a future Meeting. The following Intel, from a Deputation of the Fustian Cutters, was laid be fore the Meeting Garrurstras—We, the Fustian Cutters of Manchester, being informed that you are now assembled for the purpose of taking into consideration our present uniform list of prices, must respect fully solicit permission to be admitted, for the purpose of stating our present and future intentions. We are, Gentkmen, your's, respectfully, " ROUST MIDDLETON, W. HAIM " G Rae FELTON, WILLLIMI iiAMPOOS• " To the Fustian Manufacturers of Manchester." After the letter had been read, it was unanimously resolved, that a Deputation should be admitted; when they entered the room, after some observations on the rate of wages for futtian-cutting, at vatious periods up to the present time, they stated, on behalf of the Union of Fustian -cutters, that there existed in that body a disposition to meet their employers upon fair and equi table terms; and that their desire was not to obtain ears' bitant wages, but a just, equitable, and equal re ward for their labour. To this the Chairman of the Meeting replied, that the communication was perfectly consonant with the a ibhes of the employers ; and that the Committee appointed by the latter would, as soon as possible, request their attendance, in order that their demands might be stated and investigated. The De putation having withdrawn, it was resolved that the Meeting should be adjourned to Monday. Pursuant to this resolution, a second Meeting was held on Monday ; Mr. G. R. CHAPPELL in the Chair. Mr. CHAPPELL stated that nothing had been done since the last Meeting, in consequence of the Committee not having been filled up, one or two members being still wanting. The Committee having been made up, a letter was given to the Chairman, from a Deputation of the Fustian-cutters' Union, requesting to be again admitted before them. It was unanimously resolved that no communication be received from the workmen, except in writing, and signed by the Deputation, and an answer was sent to that effect. A subsequent letter was received from the Deputation, stating, that unless they were permitted to give some explanation as to the quan tity of work that they were able to do, they, the Masters, would not be able to make just and equitable lists of prices. An answer was again sent,inviting the workmen to send in their statement to the Committee, in writing, and it should have due attention. It was then resolved,that the Committee should meet onWednesday morning next,and the Masters present, and all others, were requested to send a statement of the pikes they were willing to give, and from these the Cammittee would frame a ipiustr,poase of ndthenive submitting notice Lhe meeting,o ll f st a to da t y he o b f odyof the for the Man ufacturers. The Meeting then adjourned. CORN EXCHANGE, MARK-LANE, OCT. 24. Our supplies since Monday have been very' to the demand, few or no sales having been t prices are fully supported for fine samples of ley is somewhat heavy, although 454. per qr. Osts fully maintain our last currency. In amities, there is us alteration. ry limited, still adequate affected, but Monday's Wheat. Malting Bar- r. is demanded for it.— Beaus, Peas; and other