The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-12-04 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE STEAMER
" ONCLE JOSEPH."

- -
Further particulars as to the disastrous collision
which occurred off Spezia on the 2 all of Nov. have
been received at Lloyd's.
The Ortigia, it appears,' had left Genoa at 11.30
p.m. on the 23rd inst., with a crew of 44 men and 36
passengers. The Oncle Joseph had about 800 tons
merchandise and 305 persons, including emigrants and
crew, some of the former comprising whole families
going out to Buenos Ayres, via Marseilles, by the
Berlin steamer. The total number of lives saved is
said to be 55, of which 23 belonged to the ship, so that
the total loss of life may be put down at 250.
The survivors of the crew of the Oncle Joseph state
that about three a.m., when off Spezia, a tremendous
crash was heard, and it was found that a large
steamer had run into the Oncle Joseph, striking her
amidships and cutting her down to the water's edge.
The crew and passengers rushed On deck, and some of
them succeeded in climbing on. to the bows of the
Ortigia ; but tile latter backed astern, and as scr.m as
the vessels parted the water rushed in through the
open side of the Oncle Joseph, and she sank in less
than eight minutes. The sea was then covered with
a struggling mass of human beings.

A letter from Genoa gives some interesting details
of the collision near SE,ezia. The steamer Marie
Louise, Captain Para,nque, of the Fraissinet Company,
which left Marseilles on Thursday for Genoa, had
reached Cape Noli when the crew remarked floating on
the water debris which indicated- that a wreck had
taken place. Captain Paranque at once despatched
some of his men in boats to explore the vicinity.
They had not been searching long before they sud-
denly found a man clinging to a large table. He
was a survivor of the Oncle Joseph. At first the
unfortunate being (who appears to have lost his rea-
son) refused to loose his hold of the table, but he was
ultimately got on board the Marie Louise, and attended
to. It was high time, for he was within an ace of
death. For fifty-two hours the victim of the disaster
had been buffeted abo at by the waves, and the current
must have.been very rapid to have carried him such
a great distance from Spezia. That town lies east,
whereas Cape Noli lies west more than thirty miles
from Genoa. During the fifty-two hours the man had
had nothing to eat, and it is marvellous how he could
have survived the tortures he underwent.
The Oncle Joseph was on her way to Genoa from
Pionibino, whereas the Ortigia was going direct from
Genoa to Leghorn.

The following is taken from the Gazette Livornese of Nov.
27, whose reporter has interviewed the survivors of the
Onele Joseph and the Captain of the Ortigia :
Stefano Paratore, Captain of the Florio Line S.S.
Ortigia, says :—" I left Genoa at 10.30 p.m. for Leg-
horn. I remained on the bridge for some time with
my officers, keeping a look-out, and about two a.m.
retired to my cabin on deck, leaving the first officer in
charge. Shortly after a voice calling out roused me;
it was that of the first officer, who cried Captain,
there is a steamer running into us.' I at once
left the cabin, and saw a large steamer a short
distance off, on our port bow. I gave the order
Helm hard a-statrboad. Go astern, full speed.'
The man at the wheel sang out 'The . helm
is hard a- starboard.' The first officer had
already given these orders, and they were being car-
ried out. This was the affair of an instant. The other
steamer was already upon us. I felt a shock, and
what was then inevitable took place. I backed for
about fifty or sixty metres to save my vessel from
getting drawn into the whirlpool, caused by the sink-
ing ship, and at the same time gave the order to get
out the boats. No sooner had I got clear than I saw
the other steamer go down. Terrific cries were heard,
and I went with the crew to try and save life. Four
boats were got out. The two stern boats were first in
the water, and at puce set to work by the light of a
torch. The others were soon also .in readiness. The
wind was from the south, the sea slightly agitated,
and atmosphere hazy. We saved as many lives as we
could, and when about an hour had elapsed, and we
could hear no more cries, we continued to row about
to see if there were any more surVivors. I remained
on the spot for four hours.

The Boatswain of the Oncle JA)seph, who was on duty at
the time, said
"We were in sight of the Island of Tino, when
Captain Lacombe said to me, 'Here is your course, I
am going to turn in. Call me as soon as you sight
Genoa Lights. I went up on to the bridge, and we
met a sailing vessel. I steered so as to pass astern of
her. Some time after I made out a steamer ahead,
distant some miles off. With the glass I could see
her white light and the green and red lights. I
ported to avoid a collision. When, however, I saw
the other steamer getting nearer and nearer, I put the
helm hard a-port, but .seeing she still came nearer, I
said to the man at the wheel, 'What is that steamer
up to to-night ?' and I rang the engine-room bell to
signal the engineer faites attention. At this mo-
ment the other steamer came so close on my star-
board side that I saw a collision was almost in-
evitable. Then I rang the bell violently to warn
every one on board; that was about six minutes before
the collision. The shock was not a very violent one,
because it was not end on, but at an obtuse angle,
against our starboard side. [N.B. The Orttgia 'struck
the °mete Joseph right abaft.' the starboard coal
bunkers, which were filled with coal at the time.] I
' at once gave the order to 4et out all 0w.b0.ga3,,. jtfqlt
our steamer was going down, and that it was neces-
sary to abandOn her at once, and to try and save as
many as we could. A sailor took me by the should zs
and said, 'Boatswain, what are you doing here? Save

yourself.' I jumped on b.oard the Ortigia, and assisted
eight or ten other men to clamber up after me. The
backing of the latter steamer was the cause of several
being unable to save theurl and she did very
serious injury to our steani, . ,
which was hanging over the bow, tearing away the
main shrouds, and causing the main mast to fall. One
of our sailors who was hanging on to the anchor was
killed, being torn in pieces.,
'

Perruchi, the first officer' the moment. after the
collision, went on deck and saw Captain Lacombe
there. It was too late to get out the boats. The
deck was crowded with people, screaming and rushing
in all directions. He then threw himself into the sea.
Captain Lacombe also jumped overboard, and was
seen swimming by some of the survivors. Perruchi
heard him say to a sailor with only one arm, who was
trying to keep himself afloat, "Courage, inon enfant,
courage." This sailor is now in the hospital at Leg-
horn, and Captain Lacombe is no more. Perruchi
swam abou.t for twenty minutes or more, and was
beginning to get exhausted, when one of the boats of
the Ortigia came near him. One of the crew of the
0 ncle Joseph, was in her, and he directed the boat to-
wards him.

THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY ON
THE STATE OF IRELAND.
The Marquis of Salisbury attended a dinner at
Woodstock on Tuesday, in celebration of the forma-
tion of a Conservative Association. In his speech
upon Foreign Affairs he described the Concert of
Europe as an arrangement under which England
would do the work of Russia, so far as the more prudent
Governments of Germany, Austria, and France
would permit. He trusted that the Government
would not enter into a crusade and light up the flames
of war on behalf of the shadowy and unsubstantial
claims of Greece. The latter part of his speech was
devoted to the state of Ireland, in the course of which
the most noble Marquis said .-
1 think that since the condition of affairs in Ireland assumed
its present aspect there has been a marked inclination on
the part of Liberal statesmen to abandon the 'duty of
preachers of good-government abroad. (A laugh.) The
retort of " Physician, heal thyself "falls too aptly and too
readily to justify or encourage any such attitude on their
part. Now the Government have come to the conclusion
that they do not intend to make any special provision for
the good government of Ireland or for the abatement of
the terrible anarchy which now prevails there for at
least six or eight weeks to come, and they do it on
the ground that remedial measures of seine kind are
necessary at the same time that any coercive measures are
introduced. Now we are told that the land system of Ire-
land has broken down. , Well, the land system of Ireland
was entirely revolutionized and put on a wholly new basis
by Mr. Gladstone ten years ago (laughter) ; so that if any-
thing has broken down it is the experiment which he began
in 1870. Before that date the object of every statesman who
had to deal with Ireland was to encourage the Irish people
to the utmost to emigrate and leave room in a land, that
was no longer adequate to support so large a population,
and in that way to bring to•lreland, as had been brought
to many other countries, a renewal of prosperity and pro-
gress. In 1870 Mr. Gladstone deliberately reversed that
policy. Ten years have passed away, and we see that Ire-
land is in a far worse state now than when he began. (Hear,
hear.) But these remedies which are to precede the re
establishment of good government in Ireland are no light
and easy matter which will be settled in one dis-
cussion. I earnestly hope that they may be settled quickly,
because neither the interests of the landlords nor the inte-
rests of the tenants in Ireland can brook any long delay.
Still, it is impossible to close our eyes to the fact that they
involve questions of a most difficult and complicate d character,
and that much discussion may be necessary before an issue
from those difficulties can be found. We hear all kinds of
proposals for cutting a bit here and a bit there out of the
landowners' rights. Lam not going to discuss them now. I
hold that it is the business.of an Opposition to consider fairly
all measures that are placed before it, and, after consideration,
to make those criticisms which their principles and their
views of public policy may suggest; but when I am asked to
wait for the restoration of good government in Ireland until
certain remedies are applied. I must ask in return how
far it is probable that at any early period those sufficient
remedies can be devised. (Hear, hear.) Now, with refer-
ence to those schemes for diminishing the landlord's rights
I will only make this observation. If you take money's
worth from a man by Act of Parliament without giving
him money in return, you are guilty of that species of rob-
bery which in Statirs is called confiscation; and if you are
guilty of confiscation you not only frustrate and break that
moral law upon which the prosperity of all States reposes,
but you repel and drive away those owners of capital by
whose action alone it is possible that any sufficient suc-
cour can be brought to the suffering Irish people. (Hear.)
I conclude, therefore, that any measure of confiscation, be
it in a small degree or be it in a large degree, will not pass
Parliament and will not be sanctioned by the English
people. (Cheers.) Well, if you must pay money for
'money's worth you will have to consider the amount of
! money you will have to pay. Int is little, will it satisfy
, the vast elements of disorder which have reduced the west
of Ireland to a state of anarchy? If it is large, what will
, the taxpayers of this country think? (Hear, hear.) We are
told that peasant proprietorships are the things to be esta-
blished in Ireland. Far be it from me to say a word
against the class of peasant proprietors, or, as I should
rather prefer to use an old English word, the class of yeo-
men. (Cheers.) No one who values the traditions of
this country—no one who prizes the glories she has won or
! the liberties she has secured, will speak lightly of that
class, by whose co-operation mainly those great things were
done (Cheers.) I will express now, as I have always
expressed, my deep regret, that in the action of economic
causes that class of yeomen possessing each his own
small -property, has become smaller in number than it,
used to be in thiAe brilliant periods .of our history. (Hear,
hear.) But regret that it has been so is separated by an
enotmous distance from measures which assume that it is in
the power of Governments or of Legislature to restore .them.
You can no more act against the operation of great econo-
mic laws than you can act vainst the laws of the weather
(laughter); and much as I should rejoice if it were possible
to establish such a class, gladly as I should co-operate in
any measures which should have a reasonable tendency to
that end, I do not believe that any action which the Govern-
ment can take here or in Ireland will produce the result
which I hold to be desirable. sow, it is said that there should
be more land available for peasant proprietors. I have
heard various suggestions whirls have been made for the
purpose of encouraging this state of things. Some people
speak largely. Mr. Bright, I think, spoke of 10 or 20 mil-
lions which he told us had been expended by England on
the Afghan war--a point on which he made a slight
mistake, because England did not pay any of it (laughter
and cheers) ; and that he would like to expend that sum
upon the purchase of properties for the peasantry in Ireland.
The only question I haVe to ask upon that point is. What
is there in the Irish labouring man or small farmer that
makes him differ from the English labouring man or small
farmer? (A laugh.) It would be most desirable, most
delightful, if there was money enoug,h in the Imperial
treasury, to buy a bit of land for every man, woman, and
child in the United Kingdom ; but if that be impossible, I
cannot see the, principle upon which taxes raised from the
whole country are to be applied to buy land for the benefit
of the Irish peasant, and not of the English peasant
The most noble Marquis then proceeded to speak of
the law of settlement and entail, and said—
Some people will tell you, "Get rid of settlement and
entail, and you will get peasant proprietary at once." lam
sure there must be some magic in those words, because,
whenever there is a bad harvest you hear persons say, "Agri-
culture is very.bad, only abolish settlemefit and entail ; " and
whenever there is uproar in Ireland, it is said, "It is very
desirable that these uproars should be put down—abolish
settlement and entail." I can only account for the strange
use of these talismanic words by supposing there are a great
many people who agree with a learned friend I once met,
who believed that settlement is a contrivance by which
people are prevented from selling their land. This is a very
common and general delusion. It might have been true 50
years ago ; according to all modern settlements it is not
true now. (Hear, hear.) If any man tells you that by the
abolition of settlement and entail people who now cannot
sell their land will in any considerable numbers be able to
sell it in future, do not believe him—he is ill-informed on
the subject on which he speaks. I speak as one holding
land in strict settlement. ' But if I were in the con-
dition—in which lam happy to say lam not—of having a pro- !
perty of Irish land, I could, under my settlement, sell every
acre of it; of course, on the improbable assumption that I
found a purchaser. (Laughter.) The only thing that settle-
ment does is this : it allows a man to sell his land
or the securities just as he likes ; but he must re-
invest the capital either in land mortgages or Consols, or
some safe security. The only thing that settlement does is to
prevent a man spending the capital on himself. It is a very
simple matter. When two people marry, if they have any fixed
property at all, be it land or money, their friends generally
insist that it shall be so settled that the husband shall not be
able to get rid of it in his lifetime nor his son during his
minority, and that in that way a security shall be provided
against the possibility of either the wife or the children being
thrown penniless upon the world. (Hear, hear. It is a mere
arrangement for securing wives and children who may
heroine widows and orphans against the possible' effects of
the husband's extravagance. If you abolish it, I do not
believe as a fact that any considerable amount of land
would be thrown upon the market, because, happily, people
who waste their money in riotous living are not very com-
mon among us. But it would introduce an amount of in-
security in marriage and family relations which would in- !
finitely outweigh any advantages. I have pointed this out '
because these talismanic words are used again and again, as ,
if by abolishing settlement and entail you could provide
peasant proprietors for all the disturbed districts mu Ire-
land. Do not believe such folly.- The difficulty in pro-
viding peasant proprietors is to be found not in the land,
but in the persons who are to buy it. In order to buy land
two persons are required, the person who is to buy and the
person who is to sell. (Hear, hear.) There is plenty of
land in the market, both in England and in Ireland. Sellers
are without prejudice, and would sell as readily to small
proprietors as to large. (Hear, hear.) But the purchaser is
the person wante lin Ireland. He has seldom the money to
purchage, and in England, if he has- got it, he is far too sen-
sible to invest in land. (A laugh.) I have dwelt a little
upon this point, but it is because I wish to impress upon
you that in respect of this matter and in respect of all
other remedies which are offered to you for the solution of
the Irish question, whatever their value, they are extremely
complicated, and there is great danger that time may be
taken up in their solution, and time in this matter is the one
thing essential. . . .
The remainder of the Marquis's §peech was devoted
to the consideration of the Irish policy of the present
Government.

HOW THE 66TH FOUGHT AT
MAIWAND.

The followinz, which we take from the Oivil and Nilitary
.•, • • 7 nf n mentary despatch I ,
‘-4 4.1•40..0 Ci. 1•1,14140:, .
In forwarding the accompanying 'documents, I
would most respectfully. wish to bring to his Excel-
lency the Commander-In-Chief's notice the gallant
and determined stand made by the officers and men of
the 66th Regiment at :111aiwand.
The disposition of the regiment was as follows :
fighting line.-15 officers, 364 men—all ranks. Bag-
gage guard in rear-4 officers, 63 men—all ranks.
With smooth-bore battery-4 cfficE•rs, 43 men—all
•ranks. Sick-32 men, and of this number 10 officers
and 215 non commissioned officers and men were killed,
and 2 officers and 30 non-commissioned officers and men.
wounded. These officers and men nearly all fell fight-
ing desperately for the honour of their Queen and
country. I have it on the authority of a Colonel of
Artillery of Ayoob Khan's army, who was present at
the time, that a party of the 66th Regiment; which he
estimated at one hundred officers and men' made a
most determined stand in the garden marked " A " in
the accompanying plan. They were surrounded by the
whole Afghana,rm3l, and fought on until only elevenmen
were left, inflicting enormous loss upon the enemy.
These eleven charged out of the garden and died with
their faces to the foe, fighting to the death. Such was
the nature of theincharge and the grandeur of their
bearing that, although the whole of the Ghazis were
az.,embled around them, not one dared approach to cut
them down. • Thus standing' in the open, back to back,
firing steadily and truly, every shot telling, surrounded
, by thousands, these eleven officers and men died; and
! it was not until the last man had been shot down that
the ghazis dared advance upon them. He further adds
that the conduct of these men was the admiration; of.
all who witnessed it. This is the testimony of a Maxi
who witnessed the scene, and who gave the informa-
tion before Brigadier-General Daubeny proceeded to
Maiwand. From an examination of the ground, from
corroborative evidence, and from the position in which
the bodies were found. I have not the least hesitation
in stating that this account is true and I think his
Excellency will agree with me when I say that history
does not afford any grander or finer instance of gal-
lantry and devotion to Queen and country than that
displayed by the 66th Regiment on the 27th July,
1880. A nominal roll of the officers and men who
fought and died thus nobly has been already for-
warded to you; and enquiries from survivors elicit
tke following facts :
Lieutenant-Colonel James Galbraith was last seen
on the wallah, bank, kneeling on one knee, with a
colour in his hand, officers and men rallying round
him ; and onthisspot his body wasfound. Here, too, fell
Captain William Hamilton M'Math, a gallant soldier,
and one who would, had his life been spared, have
risen to distinction in Her Majesty's service. Close !
by, , Second-Lieutenant Harry James Outram Barr
was shot dead over one of the colours. Captains. ,
Ernest Stephen Garrett and Francis James Cullen
were both killed on the field in front of
the nullah, up to the last moment command-
ing their companies and giving orders with
as much coolness as If on an ordinary regimental
parade. Captain Walter Roberts was mortally
wounded in the garden, where the last stand was
made ; and here also fell Lieutenant Maurice Edward
Rayner, Lieutenant Richard Trevor Chute, Second-
Lieutenant Walter Rice Olivey, ana Second-Lieu-
tenant Arthur Honywood. The two latter officers
were seen holding up the colours, the pole of one of
which was shattered to pieces as rallying points; and
Lieutenant Honywood was shot down whilst holding
a colour high above his head, shouting, "Men, what
shall we do to save this ? " Sergeant-Major Alexander
Cuppage was shot dead outside the garden whilst
carrying a colour; and many other non-commissioned
officers and men laid down their lives in the attempt
to save the colours of their regiment on that day.
With the gallant band who made this last grand
effort, fought and died Major George Frederick
Blackwood, Royal Horse Artillery; Lieutenant
Thomas Rice Henn, Royal Engineers; and Lieu-
tenant Charles William Hin de, let Bombay
Grenadiers, Native Infantry, with some of his men.
The men of the 66th on baggage guard, under the com-
• mand of Captain J. Quarry, did excellent service
during the retreat. The party told off to man the
smooth-bore battery under Lieutenant G. De la M.
' Faunce worked their guns steadily and well during
the fight.

With reference to the battle of Maiwand a correspondent
of the Globe writes
On reading the para,gragh headed "How the 66th
fought at Maiwand," I was at once struck with the
idea that a grand historical 'picture might be made of
"The fast stand of the gallant eleven." The subject
is one eminently suited to Mrs. Butler's style. The
eleven standing in an open plain, under the full
glare of an Indian sun, back to back, and surrounded
at a safe distance by a surging crowd of Afghans.
Here a tall, fair officei• grasping the colours
with a revolver in hand ; there on one knee a
wounded officer of the ,Norman type; beside hiln
Bombay Grenadier taking deadly aim at the foe. His
comrade a private of the 66th with ammunition ex-
hausteA, and his blood-stained bayonet at the charge,
and so forth. My object in writing to you is to
suggest through the mediums of your columns that a
subscription -should be started for the purpose of
raising a sum of money sufficient to enable a commis-
sion to be given to Mrs. Butler, or some other great
artist, to paint such a picture as a "National
Memorial. The picture when painted might be
exhibited in London at some small sum per head, and
the amount so realised might be paid to the relief
fund which is being formed for the widows and
orphans of those who fell in Afghanistan ; after which
the picture might be placed in the National Gallery.