The National Register.
London, England, 1823-03-31 00:00:00

THE NATII

ISTER

LOSS OP THE ALERT PACKET.
1-10LYHIAD, MARCH O.—This mo.-titiat 10 a.m.
the Alert, Morgan, Liverpool packet, limo Dublin in
Liverpool, struck on the 'Nest Mouse• Rock near the
Skerrie's Light House, and it► half an hour afterwards
went down ; the Captain and crew, excepting boy
and the steward were saved. Fruits 11l to 14 of the pas.
tenger, were also saved ; about 130 perished I Boats
from this place have picked up and lauded 26 of the
dead bodies.

(ANOSUCR ACCOUNT.)
Nile have received the following melancholy intelli-
gence by a gentleOlan *no arrived in the Holyhead mail.
He states he kft Dolslin on Wednesday morning, and
sailed with Captain Skinner from Howth, at about eight
o'clock, and reached the pier at Holyhead at about three
in the afternoon. On landing he learned that a vessel
had foundered about len miles from the Head, but no
vestige of the wreck was visible. Boats were sent not
in all directions ; when at about five o'clock, he was
sent for to Spencer's hotel, to never he would go down
to the beach to see if he could recognise the remains of
any of the tinfortimaie sufferers whose bodies had beets
picked tip. The bodies or about twenty.fiNle persons,
principally females, were landed from the several boats,
and were stretched out in dilTerent parla of a field near
the water side- . . . .

The 'mist awful and melancholy spectacle here pre-
sented itself tithe view. Mother. with their infants at
their heart*. exhibited the last dying efforts to cling to
life ; but, alas, they clasped nothing but) the itotoceut
infant, who, with its frantic mother, so suddenly, and
•n soon were immerged in a watery grave. Citilthen of
the ages of two, three, and four years were found near
females of between twenty and thirty years of age, pre-
sumed to be their mothers.
The countenances oldie men whom he saw exhibited
a strong contrast to the placidity which pervaded those
of the laces of the infants, who, of course,.were uncon-
scious of the anticipated deaths which the adults mo-
mentarily expected.
The only body which had the appearance of a gentle-
man, and which had been picked up protons to the de-
p inure or the mail-coach from Holyhead, was that of a
Major Kelly, at-least so the papers which were fumed in
his pocket led the custom-house officers to conclude was
the gentleman's ?tame ; but although our informant was
acquainted with a Major Kelly, who had been on the
stalf,of Gen. Egerton. he could nos lake upon- himself to
identify the corpse of the figure he saw, which certaisly,
in point of- personal• appeararice, bore ait g resem-
blance tea that gentleman. Colonel a gentleman
who knew him well, and who cause over in the same
packet with our informant, expressed his opinion very
strongly as to the identity of Major Kelly; but the fact
is, the countenance was so completely distorted, that it
was impossible to trace the resemblance of the features.
There can be tio doubt that the body picked up was
that of a gentleman, for that part of the drens he had
on (heing.all but his hat, boots, stud coat) ascertained
that point. Upwards of two hundred pounds was found
in his pockets, which is safe, it isbeheved, in the hands
of the Custom-house officer, together with the letters
and documentsthat were found on his person. Our in-
formant, immediately after viewing as much of the ap-
palling scene, just described, as he could bear to look
111)016, endeavoured to find out some of the survivors,
who It appeats were onlyeweaty-sinous of one hundred
and sixty 11.
He saw one, who described •hinnelf to be the only
cabin passenger who-hail been saved.. He hail scarcely
recovered front tile effects of having being in the wales
nearly two hours.. and his answers to the few questions
put did not give such NH information as could be de—
sired.
He stated his name to be M'Kenzie—that he had
lately arrived (coin souse port of Scotland, and. sly
beeit a few days in Dublin. Ile appeared lobe co ted
with some mercantile house, and it is believed hid been
accustomed to a seafaring life. He sarikliai he bad been
in his birth at about 10 o'clock on the mooing of Wed-
nesday, when it being a dead calm, with • strong current
tide fluwittg, the vessel drifted on • rock called Mount
Rock, near the Skerries, about ten mtless from Holy.
head. As far as he could learn the monient the vessel
struck the Captain ordetednut the boat to endeavour to
tow her off. A sufficient number of the erew, with, it is
believed; a few passengers wholot IMO the boat, entleat
roared to tow her out to sea, and all hands were• ap-
plied to the I p. Although at so early an boor as ten
o'clock tio signals of distress were observed; at least no
relief was afforded. The steam-packet which left Holy-
head at eight.o'elock in hie nurtning, unfortunately for
the unhappy sufferers, roust have pasted her by upwards
of an hour before the accident occurred ;.and certainly
no kind ofanistattee was afforded until it walk tau late.
About an hour titer. the vessel struck the sunk. The
death-deallog confusion which ensit.al may easily be
imagined by tione who witnessed the spectacle, which
our informatit —an eye-witness of the tragic scene, has
attempted to delineate.
The Captain, it seems, reached the boat, which was,
however, too full to take min ; and he clouts to lice side
and reached the nearest land. The cabin passenger, of
whom every enquiry was made, could only answer for
liiinself, that he had been nearly two hours in the
water, having clung to a crate, which our informant
saw. It is believed that three other persons endeavoured
to save themselves in the salute way; but the crate could
scarcely topport one, and that one was saved.
itiatl.coach horn having summoned the passen-
gers away, they could heart DU further pilniClll.lri Ulllll
it readied Bangor Ferry, when the boatman Mitigated
tnem that the Captain (Morgan). had collie round by
land, and had just crotsed the ferry on his way lo Liver-
pool ; he hail given little or no iliformation of the
accident.
Ol the wife/fol., the men appeared, fruin their dress,
to he of the lower order. The ICits.tirs and children
were all decetilly taut! comfortably clad. The former
are supposed to be the wives of soldiers and tradatr-si.