The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-01 00:00:00

OF THE COMET STEAM-PACKET.

(Front the Glasgow Courier of Saturday.]
public anxiety and sympathy still continue to be directed
to the sad accident which befel the Comet steam vessel, 5041
the fate of the unfortunate passenger* and crew, who were.
•
ea
hoar at the time of the fatal catastrophe, more rape-
ciaffy u there is the strongest grounds to believe that the
number of victims has keen underrated. Since our last,
the umlennentioned bodies have been found :--
IVEDNEBDAY Arrea:aono.
Pupae al'Kentie, fireman of the Comet, Immediately recog-
mod, and claimed by his wife and father.
A oa, apparently about 10 or II years of age, unknown. but
mpraed to be Urace 31•Kenair, nitre of the young woman Rose,
-gland es Saturday, and whom, it is believe!, she was accompanying
from tootNo
A't youag wotrar, unknown ; had on a brown bombasin
gos 1, :nitwit grey worsted stocking, and Allocs tied with white tape,
;:oposel to have cone in at Oban, and then to have had on a black
bang acd two black feathers. .
TIIVRID•Y, OCT. 27.
The body of a man with fustian jacket and trousers and '
g bbck rest,;was found ; he is supposed, from cad-
dates foural in a pocket-book on his person, to be either
Lewis or Donald M 'Kay, a son of George M'Kay, be-
lengieg to the parish of Duthil; Peter Sutherland, the
euputer of the Comet, says he is Donald M'Kay, by trade
asamb, will that lie was on his way from Invergoidon to
Glasgow to seek employment; and this account is by no
mars improbable, from the coincidence of a smith's
leather apron being among the articles washed ashore on
the day of the accident. A inau, named Munro.
An elegant *earl, which is, with much probability, sup-
mot to have belonged to the unfortunate Mrs. Suther-
, was brought up by the drag on 'Thursday, and from
the weilrht which continued for some time to be attached
w theda there is session to believe that her body was
$, ettaclu.l to it; but, getting disentangled from the
the corpse again sunk to the bottom. It is to be
hoped dm it will be immediately come at. Lord Fife,
much to !kis honour, has, we learn, expressed the utmost
aziety for the recovery of the body of this amiable lady ;
ual ceeet.enicated his wish that no expense tray be spared
o accomplish this object.
'lhe fate of Captain Sutherland and his lady (married
flte weeks, instead of five days, as we were at first
hiferuistl) has excised the utmost commiseration. Their
men marriage--the youth, the beauty, anti the ac-
rorplis:sasetit of the lady—and that her husband was a
bee, aed a —silent officer in the service of his eauntry—
these, all these things, as they !same more generally
known, Tailed and spread an interest and a sympathy for
their character and their fat; as deep and extensive as it is
honourable to the public mind. Every particular, there-
fore, concerning them will be received with deep attention.
We stated, in our paper ofSaturtlay last, that Mrs. Suther-
List for wane time clung round Mr. Alexander Anderson,
while he was struggling in the waves to save himself.
This account was contrunicated to us at a late hour ou
Frisby evening, by a gentleman of this city, the brother-
in-law of Mr. Andersen, who obligingly waited upon us
immuliately site the arival at his house of Mr. Anderson,
from Greenock, with all the particulars he could learn
from his relative, in his then enfeebled and agitated state.
The account we gave was, he : ..tes, the impression left on
his mind, from what Mr. Anderson said with regard to
Mrs. Sutherland. Upon more particular inquiry, made of
him on the subsequent tine, however, we leant that the
following is the correct account of what took place during
the hut n oments that Mr. Anderson saw the unfortunate
pit s—He heard :he enginetnan call out to steer towards
the shore. Almost at the same moment the engine was
stopped, from the water rushing in from the bow. The
bow of the Comet was sinking, the passengers were rushing
in a crowd to the boat astern. 'Mr. Anderson, who was
an excellent swimmer, and calculated upon that resource
is the last extremity, stood on deck, holding by a rope.
At Ibis moment he was seized round the arm, near the
shoulder, with a convulsive grasp, by a person bellied him,
lamenting their fate. In his perilous situation, he eudea-
roared to shake the individual off, cede:ming, " Let me
go"' when turning round to disentangle himself, lie
perceived that the person who hail seized hold of h:in was
I. q.‘chtrlantl. His heart emote him at the sigl.t and he
Jr a d to her In the kintlestmaunt r for Lae-

MA114M64440•4 44.1. ••••••• 4
*IS that had addressetlisitillsit moment lee per-
ceived Captain Sutherland at a little distance, in the net of
throwing off his cloak or coat, to trepare himself, as he
eroactived, for swimming. In the meantime, without
letting go 1,,s hold of the rope, and wishing to render Mrs.
Sutherland all the auietance in leis power, he gave her a
strong shove forward in the direction of the boat astern,
as the only place of safety. Mr. Sutherland must have'
tutmediate ly joined her, as Mr. Rankine assures us one of
die crew told him that he saw them leap together into the
sea from the starhoard quarter, as the Comet finally sunk.
%neat teak place afterwards, however, Mr. Anderson
rennet tell, as he was almost immediately compelled to
turn his attention to think of his own sect), by finding
the water adore the deck where his feet stood. He, how.
over, kept Ills hold till the water reached his middle,
when a wave rolling over the Comet carried him off' his
ism Ile then betook himself to swimniirg, when a se-
cad wave threw Iris great coat, which he had retained,
sPer his head and almost suffocated him. Ile, however,
metaled in getting it thrown hack, when he perceived
thst he was swimming from the shore instead of towards
it. In the latter direction he turned, when he was soon
afterwards laid hold of by the enginetnan of .the Comet,
soN reached the shore as we formerly mentioned.
Captain Sutherland's hotly remains here still unin-
trend. Upon reconsideration it was judged proper to de-
lay the funeral, in the hcpe that the body of his lady
wain he formed, so that as both bad perished together,
loth might be luried together. Lord Fyfe, also, anti
sett fri.nds from the North have, we bear, signified
their wish to be present on the melancholy occasion. An
'legato coffin stands ready at Greenock to restive the
rem ait.s of Mrs. Sutherland the moment that the same mac
he famed

As the last bodies found err rapidly approaching to a
state of putrefrcticn—so rapidly that it is difficult for their
triads to recognise them, it is highly desirable that the
(.irnet should be raised. This Is likely to be carried
Int) effect without delay, as our river Superintendent, with
s!: tbs necessary apparatus and assistance, left this at an
'io hour yesterday morning for the purpose. During
Le whole of yesterday the weather was exceedingly mild
an't favourable, and by this time the Comet has pr trebly
bean raised, awl the extent of the lon, by this melancholy
oval, been ueertaised.

Courier Office, Friday Evenirg.
No mate of the bodies of th? unfortunate sufferers in rite
beew found at a late hour this afternom. Alen
were still actively employed dragging. The most active
apaattans were going forward in order to raise the vessel ;
ant! our infarniant nays, he is confident that she is by this
ire ut chains, and h expected to be got up by Sunday.
hart of the pump or the engine was brought up by the drag
ii.a nursing, which !hews that the machinery must have
I..tn lruLat, and also how dreadful the fatal stroke front
the .117 natht bare been.
Courier Office, Fr:dsv Evening, 9 p.m.
, The body of Mn.s Sutherland was. found, about two
o dock taus aft, moon.

IF:ozn the Glasgow Free Pressor Thurotliy.l
GREZNOCE, MONDAY MiII:SING.
The following arc particulars we have gatitsred from
of the crew. who was gavel. lie says that the pilot
6( the Comet wislril a light to be exhibited in the lantern,
bett he was told " there was no li;tlit to spare till such
ltmc u they should arrive at (irecnock, as there were bat
feu candles oar board. This denial was snide by the captain
f 4 o.w of the stewards, but lie cannot now say which of
gallon After the concussion the Ayr swung in on
toor-t's larboard paddle-box, Sutherland, the carpent.r
of the I ~n.et, shoved off the .teen-boat of the Ayr ; and,
oig so he heard one of the pc rums on board of h-r
" set on the ci‘ine," which was done on the
instaat, Fed she bore off. The Camel stopped their
togine s laneser they thouelit the two vessels would cJnie
cont.ot with each other ; and if they hail not done so,
sang the tinmen:e power of tine two boats, she would have
nnie.lown in a moment. Sutherland says, the cries of the

..sys,
'l't limn.' him, wh, It they found the vessel sinking.
1 the Ayr making oT, were dreatlfal. They imploreil
Ih' "en, of the Arr to render them aSiatauce, as they
si.:ll. alibe lust; bitt, alu ! that c:1:1 were in rain, for