The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-21 00:00:00

THE TRADE WITH PORTO NOVO.

Earl Russell, her Majesty's principal Secretary
of Btats for Foreign Affairs, has received a despatch from
Mr. McCoskry, acting British consul at Lagos, dated July 2,
1861, of which the following is an extract:—
" I have the honour to inform your lordship that, not-
withstanding the signature of the treaty by the King of
Porto Novo, I found so noisy obstacles to trade, arising
chiefly from old native custom, as to deter most merchants
from aettlingthere. I therefore thought necessary to go to
Porto Novo in her Majesty's ..ship Brune, in order to have
them removed, where we arrived et 4 p.m. on the 14th.
The next day I went on shore to the king, and after a
lecgthened interview of four hours, occupied in pointing
out that our measures for opening up and carrying
on a legitimate trade would result as beneficially
to him as to us, I left him, he having promised to lay
the matter before his chiefs and head men next day.
Accordingly next day they met, and consented to the
terms I bad up. Ou the lith, accompanied by several
Europeans as witnesses, I again visited the king, when the
treaty, of which the enclosed is a copy, was signed, the
king himself pointedly asking his chiefs if they had well
considered the matter before signing. On my return I
called a meeting of the chiefs of Badagry, and explained
the terms of a mercantile treaty I drew up for their signs.
tore. They, with two exceptions, consented at one,e, and
subsequently the whole of them Wind the treaty, of which
a copy is herewith transmitted.*

[The texts of both these treatise are published in yexter-
day's Gaxite.]

EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA.—The government
of New South Wales baa appointed commissioners to visit
England in order to promote the emigration of mechanics,
agricultural Labourers, and other persons to the coloay.
The commissioners, Mr. Henry Parkes and Mr. Dailey,
formerly members of the Legislative Assembly of New
South Wales, are now on a visit to Birmingham, and Mr.
Parkes will in the course of a few days deliver an address on
" the advantages of the colony of New South Wales as a
field for emigration." The object of the commissioners is
to diffuse information in reference to the colony by public
addresses, by the circulation of official publi.mtiona, and by
Personal intercourse with gentlemen of influence in various
parted the country, especially in the agricultural districts
and the great centres of manufacturing industry.
SHIP-BUILDING ON rue MERSEY.—Yesterday
Memos. John Laird and Sons launched from their ship-
building yard at Birkenhead a magnificent new steamer,
built for Marrs Jardine, .Matheson' and Co., the well. '
known China merchants. This steamer, the Rive, built
with the utmost care, is intended to carry light but valuable
cargoes of tea, silk, &a. She is of 2,000 tons burthen and
400 horse power, sod it is confidently anticipated that her
speed will average from 16 to 17 knots per hour. The
Lunch, which was in every way • success, was witnessed by
an immense concourse of spectators. It is rumoured that
an iron plated war steamer will be shortly commenced by
Mr. laird. _ _

—•---
DMITRI:WT[ON OT TH2 SHIT TAM O'SHANTER By
FlAL—lotelligeoee reached Liverpool yesterday of the
total destruction of the ship Tam O'Shanter by fire. The
vessel was bound from the Humber to Demerara with a
cargo of oral, nod on the 11th iust. she took fire, and IP=
ahandoued the rams day, the vessel going down shortly Mar
the crew left her. The crew were afterwards waked up by the
American ship Wisp of the Monies, bound to Alessadria,
which vessel neat awning transferred them to the Mer-
cator, and on the 13th, when off Cape Pthisterre, they were
again transferred to the screw steamer Waterwitch, from
whence they were landed wifely at Glasgow.

FATAL BOAT ACCIDEN7' AT SCARBuItOINII.

--.-

TEN LIVES LOST.
SCARBOROUGH, TUESDAY MORNING.

The gay and fashionable watering-place of Scar.
borough has this morning been thrown into gloom and
sorrow by a melancholy catastrophe that occurred yesterday
evening, whereby the lives of ten gentlemen, all visitors to
Scarborough, were unfortunately lost. Yesterday morning
a miscellaneous party assembled on the sands, determined
to take a boat to Flamborough for a shooting excursion.
The party in the boat comprised 13 persona—viz., the mar
ter and a boy and 11 gentlemen. The wind at the time
they embarked (about half-past 10 in the morning) was
blowing very strongly from the west, in fitful squalls or
gusts. The boatman, however, did not think be was over
• or overweighting his boat, which was one of ig
feet keel ; and the party accordingly set off. All went well
in the voyage up, and though the wind blew smartly the
boatman saw no danger. Having arrived at Flamborough,
the party landed and proceeded to the Stir luu, where
they stayed some time. They re-embarked for Scarborough
at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and the boatman (who
is one of the three survivors) was of opinion that some of the
party were rather unduly excited after leaving Flamborough,
partly in consequence of which, and partly owing to the
increasing strength of the wind, ho determined when about
three-quarters of a mile from Flamborough to stand in more
under the cliffs. About this time they were passed by
two Flamborough fishing vessels, the master of one
of which states that he saw nothing particularly dan.
gerous in the condition or appearance of the boat,
while the other says he thought she was overcrowded, but
did not seem to be in any danger. We should have said
that on the return voyage there were only 12 people in the
boat—Mr. George Wilco, of Barnsley, having purposely re.
mained at Flamborough, in order to return to Scarborough
by rail. His motives were partly a nervous dislike to the
strong weather, and partly a slight indisposition under
which he was labouring, which he thought might
be increased if he took cold by getting wet in
the boat—the water occasionally having splashed
over her in spray. About five minutes after the fish.
log vessels passed the boat the attention of the men
on board one of them was casually directed to it. and to
their horror they saw her lying with her sail half under
water, and in as instant she filled and went down. The
fishermen hastened to the spot, where they arrived in time
lowly to save the master and the boy, who were both expert
swimmers. They beckoned the other fishing vessel to their
aid, audits crew picked up two bodies, which proved to be
Mr. John Bradshaw and Mr. James Street, both of Ashton.
wader-Lyn,. They waited about for a considerable time,
but nothing came to the surface but a few walking-sticks,
The bodies of the drowned men were quite lifeless when
picked up, and the master and boy were much exhausted.
They were brought to Scarborough by the fishermen. The
boatman states that when he determined to come nearer
the shore it was necessary to turn the boat, previously to
doing which he gave notice to his passenger. A strong squall
took her while the foresail was yet hauled to windward, the
boat not being sufficiently turned, and the slight lurch she
then gave was fatally increased by several of the party,who,
utterly regardless of the boatman's previous request to be
careful and to stand on the high side of the boat, actually
in their extremity seized the gunwale over which the
water was naming, and thus by their weight added to the
danger. The boat immediately filled, mid ten of the party,
comprising all the visitors, except Mr. Wike, were drowned.
' A coroner's inquest on the bodies that were recovered bee
been held at the Old Town-ball this morniog. The bodies
were at once identified by a gentleman who had been ac-
quainted with the deceased. Mr. Wike stated that he was
one of the party ; that they had a little shooting while off
Flamborough ; that they landed and went to the Star
Inn ; that while there be feared some of them had drank
rather too freely, so as to be a little excited, but not
intoxicated ; that, observing this, seeing the increasing
strength of the wind, and feeling rather unwell, be
decided on returning by rail ; that he endeavoured to per-
suade a friend (Mr. John Asquith) to remain with him,
but failed ; that he did not see the boatman take more
than a glass of ale, and that he appeared a very competent
parson in the management of the boat ; that in his opi.
nion the boat was rather crowded, but while they were
shooting, and sitting in an orderly manner on the voyage
up, there appeared to be room enough, and that the boat
shipped very little water while he was in her. Robert Major
and Moses Smith deposed to seeing the boat (u above
stated), and to picking up the bodies, together with the
boatman and boy. Smith stated that as they passed the
boat no signal was made to them (the fishermen), and
nothing appeared wrong, further than that in his opinion
there were too many in the boat. They brought the bodies
to Scarborough. Edward Heeeltoo, the boy argil, said that
when About three-quarters of a mile from Flamborough,
and out at sea, he heard the noisier say he was going about.
Witness was then in the forecastle, when a sudden squall
caught the boat, and he felt the passengers rush to the
wrong side, and she instantly swamped. The boy says that
he went down to the bottom of the boat, as he thought he
felt her touch the rocks before be could float out of the
bole in which he was at the time. This was thought to be
improbable, as the water was very deep. He described the
scene as a very fearful one when he came to the surface.
He saw the drowning men convulsively clutching at each
other, and beard them screaming for help. He pulled off
part of his clothes while lie floated on his back. Witness is
12 years of age. The evidenceof the boatman, George
i Hewitson, s embodied above. He stated that shortly
after embarking to return, he ordered all the guns to be
discharged, and requested everybody to keep still, seeing
they were rather unruly, and the weather was becoming
more squally. When the squall took the boat he did his
best to recover her, but failed. The jury returned a ver-
dict of "Accidental death." They acquitted the boatmen of
blame, but remonstrated with him for overcrowding his

boat. The names of the gentlemen lost are—John 'Brad •
shim, James Street, of Ashton-under-Lune ; Jobs Asquith,
Barnsley ; James Ogden and Aaiun Ogden, jun., Dewanop,
Dukinfield, Manchester ; Joseph Hobson, Hyde, Cheshire ;
James Batty, Ashton-under-Igoe ; James Galloway, Brad-
ford ; Isaac Cook, Bradford ; Samuel Price, Ashton. It is
rumoured that two other bodies bare been found.