The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-01 00:00:00

A Whirlwind at Sea.

The bark Giengarnock, belonging to Messrs. Fattens and
Co., and commanded by Captain Matthew Fleming, en-
countered a fearful whirlwind on the 16th of July when in
the Gulf Stream, in the neighbourhood of Bermuda. Cap-
tain Fleming observed the barometer falling so rapidly that
it descended one inch and seven-tenths in two hours. Pre-
fiting by this warning, Captain Fleming ordered ad the sails
to be securely furled. At the time there were several water
spouts in the vicinity of the 'vessel, but none sufficiently
near to be dangerous. It was well that Captain Fleming
had taken the precaution of furling sail, because about one
o'clock in the afternoon, as the men were descending the
rigging from securing the foretopsail, a terrific whirlwind
from notth west, and revolving in an easterly direction,
struck the ship and threw her on her beam-ends on the star-
board side, the boats and the midship-house being under
water. The chests and bedding of the petty officers who
lived in the midship-house were washed away, as also the
galley, water-casks, and live stock. A passenger in the after
cabin was up to the waist in water. The officers and men
crouched under the weather bulwarks, preparing to cut the
masts away if necessary, but the strength of the hurricane
was so great that they could not hear each other's voices.
About 2 o'clock the vessel righted a little, but shortly after-
wards was submerged again by a violent increaeo of the
whirlwind, which; snapped the foretopmast at the cap, and
that spar in its fall carried away the maintopgallantmast
mizentopmast, and jibboom. The mainmast head was
sprung. The crew began to clear away the wreck, which
was accomplished with great difficulty, the violence of the
wind being such that a hatchet was whisked out of the cap-
tain's hand as he was about to cut away one of the topmast
backstays. About half-past 3, the wind having moderated
and the vessel being relieved of the wreck, she righted. The
pumps were instantly sounded, but it was ascertained that
she had not made a drop of water, nor was strained in the
least. The starboard mainrail and part of the bulwarks
were found to be carried away. A strong gale then set in
from the northwest, but in a few hours fell away to a dead
calm. A striking peculiarity of the whirlwind was that at
times, while it was blowing with the utmost fury across the
main and fore parts of the ship, a light flaw from the lee
quarter was only felt at the wheel. During its continuance
a high and most confused sea, "like a pot boiling," was
running.—Grcenoele Advertiser.

SHIPPING-THIS DAY,

ThUTthiy,

Her Majesty's iron screw steamship Warrior, 40, Captain
the Hun. .Arthur A. Cochrane, from Torbay, arrived in the
Sound early this morning. She is now receiving coal, and,
being detached from the Channel squadron, is appointed to
sail at noon for Gibraltar, where it is probable she will
continue for the remainder of her time. She was commis-
sioned in August, 1861.
Last night the second officer of the Spanish schooner
Sirena, Captain Arranda, nrrivrd here from Tor Point.
He reports that tho schooner was of and from Tarragona,
in ballast, bound to Norway- On Monday night, between
10 and 11 o'clock, she was run down and sunk by a steam-
ship, name unknown. Three of the crew got on board the
steamer. The other four escaped in the longboat, landed
in whitesand Bar, and walked to Tor Point.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPII,)
GRAVESEND, Thursday Morning.
Arrived, Aug. 31—Ulysses, and Pembroke Castle. both
from Calcutta—Young Nova Scotia, from J amaica—Ar-
butes, from Barb3does—Celestial, from Nicherie.

FIJI ISLANDS.—Among the consular reports of
the year transmitted to the Foreign-cffice is one from
Levuka, Fiji. Mr Owcn, the British acting consul, arrived
there in January last year, and has to state that in the first
six months of the year the exports amounted in value to
£11,967, and the imports to X 9,275. The imports in this in-
fant trade consisted of wearing apparel and soft goods of
the value of £4,825 ; hardware, £950 ; groceries, £2,000 ; and
the inevitable item, spirits, about £1,500. The chief export is
cocoa-nut oil. The quantity exported was about 450 tons, and
its price, delivered at the water's edge in Fiji, was steady at
£22 a ton. Two Australian companies, composed of mer-
chants of wealth and position, have founded extensive esta-
blishments in these islands, one company alone having
erected machinery for making oil from the nut at an ex-
pense of more than £7,000. The nut is ground, sweated,
pressed, and caked by steam machinery. The progress of
this oranch of industry had been somewhat checked by a
feeling of insecurity with regard to a threatened invasion by
King George of Tonga; but still the oil trade continued to
respond to the increasing demand. In the half-year 7i tons
of cotton left the islands, two tons cleaned and the rest in
the seed, the former realizing is 6d per lb in Sydney and
the latter 7d. The climate and soil are admirably adapted
for the production of cotton, and the native chiefs were
taking an interest in it. The principal difficulty was in get-
ting the native population to gather it in, but the interest
was taking root in the country. The tobacco plant grows
luxuriantly there; half a ton had been exported to Sydney.
Attention was being given by a few enterprising men to the
growth of coffee; 12,000 trees were under cultivation. Up-
wards of 1,000 sheep had been landed from
dale Austria in the
half year by men of capital, and generally were g well.
The rate of freights was 80s per ton from and 70s per ton,
to Sydney. English weights and measures are used.
WOMEN IN VIE CONFEDERATE ARMY,—The
To; Leader says :—" Among the wounded Confederate
priooners taken by Sherman at Atlanta were two women-.
The sea of one was discovered during the amputation of
her leg. The other was mortally wounded through the
breast by a grape shot."
A story is told of a large black wig with long
flowing curls, which had been worn by King
Charles 11., coming into possession of Suett the comedian,
it great collector of wigs. This particular wig was put up
for auction at a sale of the effects of Mr. Rawle, Royal Ae•
coutrement maker, who died late in the last century. The
wig, handed round to the company, was put on by Suett,
who facetiously continued his biddinge with the royal
peruke on his head. The other bidders, greatly amused,
declared the lot ought to be knocked down to the actor be-
fore he took it off. This was thine in a moment. The wig
was Suett's before he could remove it from his head. lie
played in it for some years in "Tom Thumb," and other
plays, until it was burnt in a fire which destroyed the
theatre at Birmingham. Suett was met the morning after
the fire, exclaiming disconsolately, " My wiz's File 1 toY
wiz;'s gone I—Virce a if