The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-14 00:00:00

A PRIZE AT SEA,

The annexed communication has been received at the
Board of Trade respecting a valuable prize picked up at
sea and brought safe to this country :—" Mr John Gibbs,
chief officer of the ship Beetson Castle, of Liverpool, 1,005
tons register, with a crew of 26 hands, sailed from Bombay
for Liverpool on the 21st November, 1863, and reached lat.
45 24 N. On the 29th March, at 2 p.m., under all plain
sail, and steering E. by N., observed a ship to windward,
steered towards her, lowered a. boat manned by the second
officer and 4 hands, who went on board, and found her to
be the Agamemnon, of Liverpool, 1,640 tons, deeply laden,
and abandoned by her crew. The second officer returned
to the Beetson Castle about 6 p.m., and reported the Aga-
memnon waterlogged and abandoned. About 8 p.m. he,
with a volunteer crew, went on board the abandoned ship,
taking with him charts, a chronometer, and other requisite
instruments for the navigation of the ship. The boat returned
to the Beetson Castle for further supplies, and again reached
the Agamemnon at 11 p.m. As the wheel was broken, and
the ship had been stripped of nearly all the running rigging
blocks, &c., the volunteer crew at once commenced to secure
the yards, reeve braces, and rig a temporary wheel, the
Beetson Castle keeping close to during the night. On the
morning of the 30th the master sent on board ropes, sails,
provisions, and such other supplies as were found necessary.
The Beetson Castle remained in company until noon, then
proceeded on her voyage, leaving her second officer in
charge of the Agamemnon, with a crow of nine hands.
They made all possible sail and steered towards the Channel,
having thrown overboard all loose spars and a quantity of
deals. The topgallant and royal yards were sent down
from aloft and thrown overboard to ease the ship. On the
31st of March they fell in with heavy weather from the
north-east, and the ship laboured and shipped large quan-
tities of water. On the Ist of April, at midnight, a heavy
sea set in from the north, swept everything movable off the
poop, and compelled the crew to seek refuge in the rigging.
The decks were lifting to such an extent that they found it
necessary to cut 12 holes to allow the water a passage up-
wards. The weather continued bad through the 2d April,
and then moderated. They arrived at Crookehaven on the
10th April, and were towed thence to Liverpool on the 15th,
arriving on the 17th.

A GALLANT FELLOW.—The following is an ex-
tract of a letter from the agent of the Peninsular
and Oriental Company at King George's Sound, Australia
to the directors, dated April 1, 1864:—" An accident occur-
red on the 9Lh ult to one of the company's boats, which was
capsized in a sudden squall, placing Mr. Toll and the crew
in the utmost danger, as they were only rescued after five
hours' exposure on the bottom of the boat. In reporting
this I would beg to call your especial notice to the very
courageous conduct of Mr. Albert Williams, nephew of the
boatswain of the storeship Larkins, who firmed one of the
boat's crew, he having volunteered to swim a distance of not
less than two miles to the nearest beach•in order to obtain
assistance. After accomplishing this feat in a sea swarming
with sharks, one of which followed the boat and took away
Mr Toll's coat, Williams ran a further distance of two and
a half miles over a rugged mountain covered with thick scrub
before he could obtain any help, and though much exhausted
and torn he persisted in joining the first boat which set out
to seek for Mr Toll and his crew." We are happy to add
to this record of courage and endurance that the board of
the Peninsular and Oriental Company yesterday voted £2O
to be expended on an appropriate testimonial to MrWilliams.
DISBANDMENT OF A VOLUNTEER CORPS.—The
18th Hants (Basingstoke) Company has been dis-
banded under the following circumstances :—at the review
held at Guildford on Easter Monday the Ist Hants Adminis-
trative Battalion formed on Shalford-groen, and in conse-
quence of the inequality of numbers in the corps compris-
ing the battalion it was deemed necessary that one company
should be broken up to equalise the remainder. The com-
pany selected was the 18th Hants (Basingstoke), in conse-
quence of their commanding officer (Lieut. Brooks) being
the junior commanding officer of the battalion. Lieut.
Brooks accordingly called on his men to fall out and join the
other corps, when several members of the corps, who, it
appears, constituted themselves spokesmen for the rest, flatly,
refused to obey his orders. Lieut. Brooks reported the con-
duct of the corps to the officer commanding the battalion,
Lieut.-Col. Humphery, who has since sent a report of the
affair to the 'War-office, the result of which appears in the
subjoined letter. It is due to Lieut, Brooks to state that on
his return to Basingstoke he instantly resigned his commis-
sion. " War-office, May 9—My lord,—Having perused the
correspondence which has been submitted to me on the sub-
ject of the insubordinate conduct of the members of the 13th
Hants Rifle Volunteer Corps, in having, while under arms
at Guildford on March 28 last, refused to obey the legitimate
commands of their superior officer, I regret to have to inform
your lordship that, after mature consideration of the cir-
cumstances thus brought to my notice, I have deemed it my
duty to advise the Queen to order the disbandonment of a
corps which has been guilty of so serious a military offence,
and her Majesty has been pleased to signify her pleasure
that the corps should be disbanded accordingly. I have,
the:efore, to request that your lordship will be so good as
to direct the commanding officer to return at once to the
Government Small-arms : Establishment at Pimlico the
arms, &c., now in possession of the corps, which are the
property of the public. When this has been done, it will
be necessary that Ensign May should send in the resigna-
tion of his commission, which her Majesty will then be
graciously pleased to accept. In thus communicating to
your lordship her Majesty's pleasure with regard to the 18th
Hants Rifle Volunteer Corps, I think it due to the officers
and non-commissioned officers of this corps to express at the
same time the gratification with which I have learnt from
the report of the field officer commanding the Administrative
Battalion that they had taken no part in the insubordinate
conduct of the rest of the members, and I request also that
your lordship will be good enough to communicate to the
commanding officer of the 13th Hants Rifle Volunteer Corps
my great satisfaction at the marked example of obedience
which that corps exhibited on the occasion referred to. I
have the honour to be, to,, DE GREY AND RIPON.—The
Marquis of Winchester, Amport St. Mary's, Andover,
Han

THE RUSSIAN COURT.—On the Ist of May the
Court, the military household of the Emperor, the
chief officials, the officers of the guard, of the army, and of
the navy, were assembled at the Winter Palace to hear the
midnight mass usually celebrated at Easter, and, as usual,
the city went not to bed; the cannon thundered, proces-
sions marched round the churches, and an immense crowd,
with innumerable carriages, filled the streets. After the
mass—that is to say, at three in the morning—the Emperor
received the congratulations of the court and officials, not
only on account of the religious fete, but also on occasion
of the anniversary of his birth, which occurred two days
previously, when his Majesty entered on his 47th year
Extraordinary marks of the imperial favour were conferred
on the occasion, and Count de Berg, lieutenant of the
Emperor' in Poland, and Prince Gortschakoff, Vice-
Chancellor of the Emperor, received his Majesty's portrait
vet in brilliants, a distinction which is only accorded on
rare occasions, as only three or four high dignitaries are
now in possession of this much-valued prize. The Minister
of War received the insignia, in diamonds, of the Order of
Sir Alexander Newsky, and in the receipt which accom.
panies the distinction the Emperor thanks General Milutine
for the important ref, rms which he has effected, and for the
promptitude with which the army was placed on a war
footing. The Grand Duke Miohael, brother of the Em-
peror, lieutenant of his Majesty in the Caucasus, and com-
mandant of the troops stationed there, will for the future
bear the title of commander-in-chief (glavnokomandeuzou-
stchy). Various other distinctions have been conferred
and promotions made.
MISSING SHlP.—London, May 13.—The Mary
Montague, which sailed from Jamaica on the 13th January
for London, has not since been heard of.