The Express.
London, England, 1861-04-09 00:00:00

1&il."

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE AND_ LOSS OF

SEVEN LIVES ON THE CLYDE.

One of the saddest occurrences which wo (North
British Dail, Mail) have been called upon to chronicle for
many years, in connexion with the River Clyde, took place
on Saturday afternoon at Govan, whereby at least seven
lives have been lost, and it is probable other bodies may yet
be found, although it is not known with certainty that
others are missing. The river steamer Lochgoil, from Loch-
goilbead, under the command of Capt. Archibald felntyre,
as usual called at Greenock, where *considerable number of
working men engaged in the Black Prince war frigate, lying
in the Victoria Harbour, Greenock, went on booed, with the
view of visiting their friends in Glasgow, Govan, Partick,
Sic., doubtless intending to return on Monday morning.
Things went all well until the steamer reached Govan
Ferry, where a number of the men wished to go ashore. By
this time many of them were much the worse for liquor :
whether !het was obtained before going on board or in the
vessel we are not in a position to say, but the fact remains
that many of them were much excited with drink. When
the ferry boat, in charge of Jrimee Docherty, ferryman, ap-
preached the steamer, there was a woman in it, named
Mary Murray, the wife of Bernard Fitzpatrick, residing at
67,Orchard.street, Particle. Here we may remark, in
passing, that the ferryman should have lauded the woman
before going to the steamer. No sooner had the ferry
boat got alongside the steamer, and connected with it
by • rope as usual, than a rush of the Black Prince
workmen was made into the boat, so that soon not less than
thirty, and probably more than that number of men got
I into tt. The consequence was that before the boat could
get away it upset, and threw the whole of the persons into
the water, including the woman above referred to, and a girl
of twelve years of age, both of whom were drowned. The
scene of the overloading of the bait—which is only registered
to carry twenty-four persons—the upsetting, and subsequent
fishing up of many of those in the water, are well described
below, in the words of an eye.vrithese, and therefore we
need rot dwell on it. Indeed, it is impossible to
give any precise idea of what then took place. The
captain and crew, and the ferrynuin, all did their best to
atop the rush into boat ; but their efforts were fruitless.
As the ferryman pushed off again and again, seine one drew
the boat back by the rope, which was still attached, until
the fearful catastrophe occurred. A smell boat was at ooce
lowered from the Lochgoil, and with the aid of the passen-
gers on baud that vessel many were ssved from a 'watery
grave. Two boats also soon arrived from tho shore, and
one from the Pearl steamer, which was at hamd at the time,
all of which picked up several persons. Wm. Macaulay,
another ferryman, picked up Bre. Fitzlettrick iu his boat;
but on taking her to the Pointhouse life was found to be
extinct. Docherty, the ferryman, was saved.
As no one knows exactly how many went into the boat,
nor how many were reseuel, it is difficult to say the num-
ber of those who have bees drowned. After grappling
about the teen of the dire calamity until nightfall on
Saturday no other body was found than that of Mrs. Fits-
patriek ; but by six o'clock yesterday (Sunday) morning
seven boats were on the spot, with grappling arms, Mr.
George Geddes, Humane Society's officer, 'mein furnished
several of them. About eight o'clock a.m. they discovered
the body of the little girl who was seen in the boat.
Her name is Mary Conic, living in Sliarp.atreet, Greenock,
and it is understood she was on a visit to some friends
in Govan. Although the persons in the boats were in-
defatigable in their exertions, no other bodies were found
until three o'clock ; but between that. hour and six p.m.
other five were found, all young men who bad been em-
ployed at the Black Prince.

THE IRISH CROWN SOLICITORSHIPS. —lt is cur-
rently reported that there are 200 Irish solicitors, be they
more or leas, is London just now in ►earcb of the six Crown
Solicitorship' vacant by the death of itiir Matthew Barring•
ton.

Lord Clarence Paget will move the Navy
Estimates, in Committee of Supply, on Thursday.

Admiral Walcott, on Friday, intends to call
attention to the incomplete state of the Nelson Monument
in Trafalgaroatuare, the vote to complete the same baying
been granted in the session of 18oS.

Mr. Henry Baillie will aek the Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs on Friday whether he has my
objection to lay on the table of the house the correspond.
011C0 with the governments of Prussia and of Denmark,
relative to the affairs of the Duchies of Schlmwig and of
Holstein.

A series of amendmentB to be movel by Mr.
Roebuck in committee on ?redo Marks Bill are printed us
separate paper with the parliamentary votes issued this
morning.

Sir Harry Verney, on Fri.lay, will ask the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, " whether the war
carried on by Holstein and Schleswig against Denmark was
terminated in January, ISM, by the armed intervention of
the German Bund, the duchies having given way on the
understanding that rights equal to those of Denmark Pr,ne,
should be secured to thorn and to Lauesiburg, that tech
duchy should have a representative assembly with a Mils-
rate vote, that their common institutions (non•politial)
should be maintained, that Schleswig should not be in-
corporated with Denmark, that the German language and
nationality should enjoy perfect equality with the Danidi ;
these rights to be guaranteed by a common constitution for
the general affair of the monarchy."

The Agricultural Society of France has just had
the different rivers of the Ruses-Alpes stocked with 70,000
egg of the Fen, one of the beet kinds of fivh in the r;wis.
lakes, and belonging to the same family as the salmon.

A letter from Path in the Lai/tem/a ore of Bras• •
sels says :—" I can announce to you a great piece of news—
the tribune in the Legislative Chamber is about to be elw
established! Yes, the tribune, that sort of Pandora's bew
from which so much good and evil have issued, it about to
reappear. Orators only will be wanting ; but the honour-
able deputies are young, at least most of them—and :with
time they may become eloquent. I hasten to add est
they will not be condemned to the tribune fore& Not
the timid, the hesitating, the trembling, those who Pau"
theee who have, as Royer-Collard said, ' a cold in the ill'
telligence,' may continue to speak from their places."
The Rumian journals speak of the bratking uP
of the frost which till nearly the end of March rendered*.
Neva and other rivers impassable by vessels.