The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-21 00:00:00

LITRAORDINARY DESERTION OF A BURNING

SHIP.

The fine ship Leguan, of Glasgow Buchanan
master, left the West Indies in the early part of August,
with •carga of rum, sugar, and molasses. dhe was about
800 tons burthen, and was bound for Greenock. On Wed-
nesday last she was overtaken by the late fearful gale off
the west omit of Ireland, and bad to ran before it, the wind
at best blowing a hurricane. She passed Achill Head, and
ran under l.'lare Island at ten o'clock on Thursday night,
when the captain let go both anchors. After a struggle of
some hours she dragged both anchor and drifted towards
the shore of Lecanvy. When within half a mile of the
shore, one chain snapped, and, to hold by the remaining
anchor, the captain cut away his three masts, which so far
eased the strain that she rode out the pie on a single
anchor. On Saturday morning, about ten o'clock, when the
captain had left the ship for Westport to purchase a new
anchor and chain, the mate rushed from the cabin forward to
where the pilots who had conic on board were, shouting that
the ship was on fire, but he was laughed at, as there was no
reason why she should be, and as the pilots had been just
before in the cable. As, however, he persisted in saying
she was on fire, the pilots went aft, and found smoke
ascending from the companion. The main hatches were
than raised by the ships carpeater, and a dense smoke
ascended from the hold, showing the presence of fire below.
the carpenter then said the ship was on fire, and that the
sooner they sit quitted the ship the better. The crew im-
mediately west forward and got one of their men who was ill
in his hammock, threw their things into the boats, and in
their haste nearly swamped them getting in. They rowed
away for Westport. Not the least attempt was made by the
crew to erne{ the progress of the games—not a bucket of
water was raised or thrown into the hold. In a short
time after the departure of the crew the flames shot up
with fearful fury, and the after part was soon a sheet of
dame. It was a grand though a tearful spectacle, as the
casks of rum burst, to see the flames ascend, and at several
mike distancethe firecould be seen. She burned all day
with fearful fury, and at two o'clock on Sunday morning
she had burned to the water's edge. There is no allegation
that the file could have arisen from spontaneous combnetion,
and ay explanation is offered by the Orem, who are said to
have bees on bad terms with the captain. It is stated
that there has been an application to the Board of Tiede to
order a sworn iogniry. As soon as the vessel was on fire,
and had no chance of being saved, if the chain bad been
run out she would in half en hour have ran on shore, and
something might have been saved, perhaps part of the
cargo • but she was left at bra wscher where ao:/
could tie done to are any part of the property.—Li,:;
' Mercury.

A WOILAN SATIN iv Dooa.—A moat painful and
shocking discovery was made on Friday last at Moril, in thu
=lloif Moy. Oa the evening of that day, whilst Mr.
vray, farmer, was engaged in cettmg • field of
barley, one of his doge aprosehed, carrying something in
his mouth whieh • Wacted his master's attentko. At tint
sight it apeared to be a rat, but on examination it tumid
out to be-the mire of the left hand of a human being.
Information of this horrible discovery bevies bun made
to the district constable, he procured animism, and coin-
mooed a minute search of the plantation adjoin-
lag the field of barley. After searehteg about
for some time the party came upon the clothes of •
female, which were lying about six yards from the
toll road. These were identified as belonging to • hawker
woman who pared under the name of Tinker Mary, and
who was in the habit of travelling the country with needles
and pins and small wares. Shocking to relate, nothing of
the body remained with the exception of a few bones, and
the oily way of accounting for the disappearance of the
body is by supposing that it was eaten upby dop. It ep-
!lelfrom further inquiries that the deceased bad been in
two or three weeks preeteuidy, where she had
made some trifling purchases. She wee much addicted to
drink, and at the time she was last seen was the worse of
liquor. The poor women, in the course of her wanderings,
seems to have mitered the wood for the purpose of resting
herself, and, falling asleep, met her death by exposure to
the cold. The case is undergoing investigative by the
aatltorialsa--lasermis Advertiser.