Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-11-18 00:00:00

THE CHINESE DIFFICULTY.

The Overland China Mail of the'; sth September says :
—" In Hongkong the great event of the fortnight has been
the re-arrival of Lord Elgin, and speculation tas been
rife as to his intended proceedings. Whatever course he
may deem it proper to pursue, one thing we beg earnestly
to protest against, vlz., the partial blockade of the river
now enforced by Admiral Seymour, and which is driving
away from this colony all the little trade it ever
possessed. The injuries it is doing becomes mere apparent
every day; and it would almost seem as if the Chinese
had entered into a combination to have no business
transactions whatever with Hongkong while the present
state of affairs continues." The Russian plenipotentiary
hed called at Shanghai, after having visited the Peiho,
and had returned thither to receive a reply to the
notification of his mission, which he had forwarded to
Pekin. -

TRIESTE, Nov. 15.
The French embassy has arrived at Siqnatcore.
The embassy from Russia ha 3 not been rec3ivad at

Pekin,

WRECK OF THE DUNBAR AT SYDNEY HEADS.

NARRATIVE BY THE ONLY SURVIVOR.

• Oa the 20th of August, says Johnson, the sole survivor,
the ship sighted Botany Bey. Up to that date the voyage
hal been prosperous. We carried the same sail throughout
until we made the land at Botany. All hands saw the
lard distinctly. Af er that. the captain ordered 113 to close
reef the topsails, and we were close hauled to • the wind.
.We were close to the wind, and lying about N.E. and by
N., and lying along the coast. At the time we made this
land, to the best of my opinion, we were about ten or
twelve miles off, and the ship had her starboard tacks
aboard. We had no topgallaatsails, and we had three
reefs in the main and four reefs in the foretopsail. The
mizentopsail was stowed, and the spanker was broiled up.
The innerjih, and the maintopmaet•staysail, were taken in.
The weither was equally, with thick rain. When we made
the land at Botany, we kept on our course. This was
between six and seven o'clock, and when night came on we
still kept. our course, and shortly afterwards we saw the
Sydney light. I saw it about seven o'clock, shortly after
getting supper. It, is my impression that she had not got
enough sail on. her to prevent her making leeway. Copt.'
Green was on the deck. Tney were not shaking the ship
up into the wind, but keeping her Blear fell. The chief
officer was on the poop likewise. The watch on deck went
below according to orders, and were relieved at 8 o'clock.
It was raining hard. The light was only seen at intervals,
but distinctly. It is a revolving light. I was on deck
at eight- o'clock. The captain remained on- deck when
the watch was relieved, and gave orders the same as
usual. Everything was attended to, and his orders were
punctually obeyed. Everything wrnt straightforward,
and there was no annoyance of any kind. We stood along
the course till we fetched the light up to the lee miZnt.
rigging. 'rite vessel was not labouring ; she came to her
helm willingly. One man only was at the wheel until.we
began, to square yards, when two men were sent there. The
lee m'zen rigging was on the port side of the ship. The
captain was on the weather side of the deck. He had no
nicht glass, but the second mete had a case of-what we
call opera glasses. When the light was hrouteht to bear
upon the lee mizen rigging all hands were piped up by the
boatswain. The hands turned up. The boatswain sung
out. for "all hands to wear ship." These were the words
that were passed along. The usual orders were given.
When we canoe on deck orders were given to square away
the yards. It was blowing very fresh in squalls, with
thick small rain. It was about 11 o'clock when the
hands were called up: There were two men on the fore-
castle, with the third mate, on the look-oat for the land.
The third mate was on the forecastle with t h . two men,
• and the second mate was afterwards sent there also.
The captain sang out, " Do you see anythintz of the North
Head?" and.the mate said "No ; I see nothing of it." I
was on the poop at the time standing by the braces. She
had the light a bit on her port bow when I saw it at this
time. Then the captain sung out to the man at the wheel
to keep his Ina.; tbe yards were about a point or so to
port. I heard these words ; it was done. The course of
! the ship was changed a small bit by this. • Shortly after
• this the second mate sung out, " Breakers ahead." - This
was a few minutes afterwards The captain sung out. to
the man at the wheel to port his helm. We were all at
the braces. He told us to hard in the port braces, and
brace the yards sharp up. It was done, and done quickly,
without delay. There were thirh-on able sramen iq each
watch. There was no want of hands. We were well
manned, and we could see the light; it appeared right
over us. I heard no further orders given. A few
minutes after we hauled the yards round—abont two
minutes after—she went side on to the rocks. She was
trying to stretch out to the eastward, For head lying
along the teed to the north ; then we struck.

On Friday, August 21, at half-past seven in the morn-
ing, a pilot first discovered that a vessel had been wrecked
near the lighthouse. Captain Wisem In, of the steamship
Grafton. entered the Heads at half-past nine o'clock, and
from the floating fragments about the Headi, saw that a
vessel had gone ashore, and brought to Sydney the alarm-
ing tidings at ten a.m. Without delay many persons
proweied to the wreck. Vehicles were engaged, and
hundreds, notwithstanding the state of the weather, went
on foot to the scene of the disaster, six miles from Sydney.
An awfal spntacle presented itself before their eyes.
The waves, agitated by the fury of the storm, threw the
mutilated bodies of the dead upon the rocks—now bearing
them back into the deep, and now hurling them back
again on the crest of the wave.

Johnson has given a clear account of his own preserva-
tion. He states that the tnizenmast went first, and then
the mainmast ; that he was on the poop when the vessel
struck, and was thrown down. He th ,a caught hold of a
stanchion ; Wien that give way he made for the cabin,
but the rushing in of the water prevented his passing
through, as he intenied. He then went below, and got
out of the skylight to leeward, and up the side of the
chain plates of the fore rig.gh:g. These being broken, ho
was thrown over, holding by the chain plates which hell
some of the fore p'anks together. Johnson remembers
that several seainPu were near him; one (the old
boatswain), will said to him, " We shall have a watery
grave."

V
Iv
aJso
eh
nnas
bo
lne
ah at%o•l no
bg t
afioriu nsclo
mh lemsslel
el fl t
(crn
bae
hsihnedl f
ao fp
it.ohje,
croi
ocku:
and there ho slept. When the morning broke he saw the
wreck and the bodies of his late companions. Pe
endeavoured to make signals. but was unXscovered• He
uttered cries, but the belling ocean prevented them being
heard. A careful search was, however, making. Every
projection
spot was occupied by sp-ctators where there was a chance
of seeing any object below. At last a cry was heard—
" There is a man upon the rocks I'' . A rope was lowered
without delay. After some failures it was brought
uopf,tlsmoirnoecktsv‘iolnihtuhnadvriendg efnetewt,inaenddthwearsopreeene•lityle;
dseabmyatnh'se
skid around him, he gave the signal, and he was drawn
ipaonsds
ei br I, eto
Antoine approachw oii
oilier,
awbiAot ht:.ittne3rho ihhsios
crowd with cries of gratulation and joy. He had passed
oceJuorhrnesdosnucish aasnaatlinv.eayosf
Drogheda, in Ireland ; is about 23 years of ace.
excites the enthusiasm of an Eaglish people. it was irli-
manb:ra'
S7dney, offered to descend. He was lowered by a rope
from that dreadful height, and continued more than half
an hour in his search. Nothing was discovered, and
psperae. n t
iAc
en adventuroust
o a
je
well
jeweller
len-
Woll'er was drawn up in rarety amidst the shonts of the
crowd. The Mayor of Sydney. at the suggestion of
Captain Loring, of Her Majesty's ship Iris, opened. a
subscription on the spot, and presented him with .elO as
an acknowledgment of his intrepidity. In answer to the
congratulations of the mayor, he said, "he did not go
down for money, but for the feelings of his heart." A.
considerable sum has been added by the merchants to this
subscription. a
reach.tir
ress
cupeo
nalthheieleci. wasl e rocks.n t . danger
from

The Paris letters mention two mercantile failures, the
firms being Bourdom du Baat and Co. and Ponson-
philippe and Vibert. Liabilities, especially of the latter,
are rather extensive.