Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-18 00:00:00

THE MISSING MAN-OF-WAR

From Australian letters and papers which have just
been, received at Chatham, by the friends of officers
belonging to her Majesty's missing ship Sappho, 12,
Commander Fairfax Moresby, some intelligence has been
obtained relative to the supposed loss of that vessel. A
few days previously to the departure of the mail for
England, a letter had been received. at Melbourne by
his Excellency the Governor, from Coiiiin6dore W.
Loring, C. 8., of her Majesty's Alp Iris, 26, dated
Sydney, October 16th, 1858, in which the Commodore
reports that he had just ' learnt from a merchant at
Sydney that Her Majesty's sloop Sappho, 12, was spoken
on the 18th of. February last, 20 miles south of Cape
Nelson. Further information was promised, but had
not been received at the date of the departure of
the mail. Commodore Loring states that he be-
lieved the inforination to be correct, and that the
inference xvas that the Sappho had either foundered
at sea, or that she had been wrecked in the vicinity
of King's Island, which lies immediately in her
track from the Cape of Good Hope to Bass's Straits.
The first supposition, that the vessel had foundered at
sea, was not entertained by nautical men inAustralia, as
none of her Majesty's ships are ever allowed to go to sea
in a sinking state, and from the fact that the missing
was spoken so near the Australi' -"qst, there is

co"
little donlit that she has been wrecked on one
of the islands, probably the one mentioned.
King's Island lies about ninety Miles from Port,
Phillip Head, off Cape Ottway ; it has no lighthouse
upon it, and is not believed to be inhabited. Hopes are
entertained that she might have gone ashore at the spot
indicated, and that some of her officers and crew, which
numbered 140, were saved. The Governor had given
directions for the despatch of a sloop-of-war from Mel-
bourne to search along the shore of King's Island and
the adjacent coast for.any fragments of the missing ship,
and also with the hope of rescuing any of the crew who
might be found alive.

THE BURNS CENTENARY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES

Sir, -An impression having gone abroad, that
the attendance at the Soiree, Concert, and Ball, at
St. George's Hall, is to be limited to Scotehmen,
and the sons of Scotchmen, I beg to draw the
attention of the public to the following paragraph
which has appeared in our programme from the
beginning :

The celebration of this event will not be con-
fined to the sons of Scotland, but be as universal
in its character as possible—the admirers of Burns
of all countries being invited to take part in it.—
I am, sir, yours, &c.

"FfiANcis MaxwELL,-Deputy-Chairman,"

"" ACCIDENT FROM FIRE-ARMS.—OII Saturday an aceirlent,
which it is feared will be attended by fatal cowet:winces/
occurred at the residence of a gentlemen in the Q.aeen's-
road, Bayswater. The son, a youth, was passian. through
the ball, and seeing his father's gun Irk -the corner,
and some percussion caps lying on the hall 'table, took up
the gun, thinking it unloaded, and, placing
a cap on the nipple, drew the trigger. His
sister, a young lady aged 17, was unfortunately
coming down stairs, and the gun, *being pointed in that
direction, received the charge of small shot iu her face
and neck. She fell to the ground bathed in blood: -On
the arriVal'of 'a surgeon, it vas found that some of the
shot had entered her eyes. Her sight is utterly destroyed,
and it is apprehended that from the shock to her system
she cannot survive.

Houmniig AND MYSTERIOUS CASE.-'-=A dreadful affair,
which is-at present shrouded in mystery, connected. with
the death of a woman at Radford (a village .ad_j*ing
Nottingham), is being investigated before sir. Loner
Swann. From the particulars which have already
transpired it appears that on Wednesday night last
a man and his wife, named Welch (both Irish), Were
heard by the neighbours to quawel the woman
shrieking out " Murder ! " • Shortly after this the
husband left the house and did, riot return home till about
four o'clock on the following morning, when he states
that he found the der',-c fastened. He then asked a
policeman to assist situ in effecting an entrance. The
door was forced ;,poll, and a horrible spectacle presented
itself. Hii 'wife lay upon the hearth quite dead, her
clothes Ithving been &dimmed by fire, and. she having
been to all apP.!.,arance burnt to death. The body was
irnmediats:y
removed, and an inquisition held the same
over.4:ag, but adjourned in order to allow time for a post
*mortem examination, and there being a doubt on the
minds of the jury as to how the deceased met Ilcr death
whether by violence or otherwise.