The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 9, 1863.

THE LATE GALES,

Telegrams received yesterday afternoon in the city from
Lloyd's agents at Nieuw Diep, on the Dutch coast, com-
municate the particulars of one of the most dreadful ship-
wrecks that have happened on that range of coast for many
years past. The ill-fated ship was the Wilhelmsborg, Capt.
Kress commander, built in 1853, and of upwards of 1,200
tons burden. She left Hamburg in the early part of last
week for Australia, and is reported to have had nearly 400
German emigrants on board, men, women, and children.
She had also a cargo of general merchandise. It would
seem that she had scarcely cleared the Elbe before the
awful gale of Thursday was encountered, and the wind
blowing directly upon the shore the ship evidently was un-
abie to get an offing clear of the long line of low shoals which
abound on this part of the coast. The ship was brought
up at her anchor, but the high gale and the heavy waves
which kept tumbling in from the North Sea no doubt quite
overwhelmed the vessel, and she was driven on the Ter-
schelling sandbank, a dangerous shoal near the entrance to
the Zuyder Zee, where she speedily began to break up,
and of 400 lives on board only 41 are reported to have been
saved. On this line of coast upwards of 100 coasting
vessels aro stated by tho agents to have been wrecked or
stranded, and many of the crows were drowned. Several
were bound for England.
Intelligence continues to be received at Great Yarmouth
of frightful destruction of property and life by the late
gales. It appears that when the storm burst in its fury on
Thursday there were from 80 to 100 fishing-boats off Win-
terton, and that in the course of a few hours the whole fleet
was scattered, some foundering, others being completely
disabled, while not a few lost several of their crew. On
Monday evening there were still about fifty fishing-boats
unaccounted for at Great Yarmouth, and the scenes pre-
sented on the quay in consequence of the assemblage of
relatives and friends anxious to obtain tidings of missing
boats and fishermen have been very affecting. A telegram
was received on Monday afternoon to the effect that the
fishing-boat Francis, belonging to Mr. Shuckford, of Yar-
mouth, had been driven ashore on the coast of Holland, and
it is believed that the whole of the crew had perished. The
Whim fishing boat lost two hands, who were washed over-
board—the Swallow, two—the Star, one—the Fortitude,
one—the Velocity, three—the Catherine, three—Harriett
Todd, tour—the Rosa, two—the Pelican, me—the Olive
Branch, three—and the Dido, one, the mate. The following
boats have been lost, although the crews are stated to have
been saved—The Twilight, Indefatigable, North Star, Fear
Not, Seven Brothers, Fortitude, Agenoria, Miriam (one
hand lost). Napier, &c. The loss in fishing gear, nets, &c.,
has been very considerable, At the Sailors' Home since
Thursday upwards of 60 sailors from various wrecked vessels
have been received and comfortable housed. Two of the poor
fellows were in such a prostrate condition that they had
to be nursed with the utmost care ; but with the attention
of the superintendent, Mr. Watson, and medical aid, they
gradually recovered.

On Monday morning the fishing smack Uncle Tom, of
Hull, arrived at that port from sea, having on board Capt.
Vetch and 12 of the crew of the bark Frederick Franz, of
Mecklenburg. The vessel was bound from that port for
London in ballast. She became disabled in the gale of
Thursday last, and on the following day was fallen in with
by the Uncle Tom in a sinking state. The crew had been
pumping for about 30 hours, and were exhausted. The
smack bore up alongside, and a rope was thrown out to the
crew of the disabled vessel. One of them passed this rope
round his body, but, instead of tying it, he merely held it
with his hands. He jumped overboard, and was hauled
towards the smack, but when near her he was carried
away by a heavy wave and drowned. At the same mo-
ment a man on board the smack had one of his arms broken
After a time the captain of the smack ordered his small
boat to be launched. This done, he got into her, but
the other seamen refused to go in her, saying that
it would be certain death, The captain, therefore,
determined to go alone, when one of the boys volun-
teered to go with him. These two rowed the boat to
the bark, and at much peril succeeded in saving the lives of
the remainder of her crew. The bark went down about two
hours after being abandoned. On Sunday the smack Secret
arrived at Hull with the crew of a Grimsby smack which
went down on Friday. She also had on board the captain
and nine of the crew of the bark Orlanda, of Shields, whom
she picked up on Friday in the North Sea. The Orlanda
sank almost immediately after her crew had been taken off.
The smack Dasher also arrived on Sunday, having on board
the captain and four hands belonging to a Welsh schooner.
On Thursday night the Foam, of Grangemouth, and the
Plover, Captain Hudson, of Ipswich, went ashore inside
Spurn Point, and the whole of their crews, with the excep-
tion of one man, were drowned. On Monday afternoon the
smack Standard arrived at Hull, having on board the crew
of the emsck Rival, Captain Cross, of Grimsby. 'These ves-
sels were blown towards the Dutch coast on Thursday, and
during the night a tremendous sea struck the Rival, filling
her with water. The crew began to pump her, and remained
so engaged until Friday afternoon, when, as she appeared
to be settling down, a signal of distress was hoisted. The
Standard bore down towards them and took them off in
safety. The crew of the standard had only just taken their
unfortunate brethren on board when they were again called
upon to put forth their exertions to save life. At a short
distance from them they saw a steamer, the Lord Cardigan,
Captain Wharton, of Grimsby, from Hamburg, come into
collision with a fishing smack. The smack appeared to be
cut nearly in two, and she went down almost immediately.
The crew managed to cling to spars and pieces of wreck
until assistance came. The smack turned out to be the
Test, of Hull. One of her crew was picked up by the
Standen], and the remainder were taken on board a Barking
smack. On Monday the screw steamer Excelsior, Captain
J. Toogood, arrived at Hull from Hamburg. She was nearly
a week overdue. The Excelsior left Hamburg on Wednes-
day evening, was overtaken by the gale on Thursday, but
put back again for Cuxhaven. She lay in the roadstead
at this place on Thursday night, with two anchors
down, and the engine moving ahead. On Friday sho again
started for Hull, On Sunday the Excelsior passed several
wrecks about half-way across the North Sea. Among them
were two vessels, bottom upwards ; one a vessel of about
1,000 tons burden, and the other a large brig. They also
passed the stern of some large vessel, but could not see any
name upon it. The eaptain states that off the Humber the
sea was covered with masts, spars, deals, timber, and other
wreckage. Fears are entertained for the safety of the screw
steamers Panther, Captain Ruther, and Leopard, Captain
Fowler. These are first-class vessels, and belong to Messrs.
Brownlow, Lumsden, and Co. ; one was bound to Copen
hagen and the other to Dantsic, and nothing has been heard
of them, although they have been gone nearly a week. A
telegram arrived yesterday, which states that the steamer
Alert, Captain Dawson, from Hull for Hamburg, has been
abandoned, waterlogged ; her crew had landed in Holland,
and the vessel has since been picked up and taken into
Nieuw Diep.

The westerly gale continued to blow at Shields all Monday
night, and during the whole of yesterday forenoon the
weather continued very stormy. The large fleet of colliers
which sailed from the Tyne on Friday passed Whitby on
Sunday, but it is thought that many of them will be blown
off the land with the prevailing gale. The greatest appre-
hension prevails, however, with regard to the 20 sail of ships
which left Shields on Wednesday night last, despite of the
storm warnings. It is feared some of them would not be able
to withstand the fury of the tempest of Thursday. Infor-
mation has reached Shields that the Thomas Kennion, be-
longing to that port, from Cronstadt for London, has been
abandoned in the North Sea, and that another collier brig,
the Orlando, has been lost. The number of disabled
ships, mostly from the north, taken into the Norfolk and
Suffolk ports is something extraordinary ; and there is
every reason to fear that when all is counted up it will
be found that there is a sad loss of life through
ill• found and leaky laden ships foundering at sea. Several
ships have been seen to founder the names of which are un-
known. The gale of Monday did some mischief inland and
upon the river, but nothing to a very serious extent. It
blew in the gable ends of several new houses.
At Newcastle the gale of Monday blew in the end of a
house in the Shield-field. Four men were seated at dinner.
Two escaped, but the other two, John Long and Robert
Simms, were so severely injured that they had to be removed
to the infirmary.
The Scotsman of yesterday states that the gale during the
last few days blew at intervals with considerable violence
over Edinburgh, accompanied occasionally with heavy
showers of rain. Early on Tuesday morning the wind rose
to a hurricane, and continued to blow for about two hours
with unabated fury. The two London steamers, one for
Granton and the other for Leith, which left the Thames in
the middle of last week, had to run into ports for shelter.
The Hull and Newcastle steamers had been running with-
out much interruption. Several steamers left Leith, but
none of the sailing vessels would venture out. So high is
the wind and rough the water that no boat can go out. The
oyster and deep sea fishing has been suspended for some
days. On Monday forenoon the ferry passenger steamer
Thane of Fife, which left Granton about 10 o'clock, failed
to make the shore on account of a break-down in her ma-
chinery. When about three-fourths of the way over a sud-
den lurch in the vessel caused the main shaft of the engine
to give way, and brought her at once to a stand-still, the
sudden'quietness of her machinery causing considerable
alarm among the passengers till the nature of the accident
was ascertained. The main or intermediate shaft was found
to be completely broken, and the boat being thereby reduced
to a helpless condition, the captain resolved to bring her to
anchor and signal for assistance. This was obtained as
speedily as possible. The company's steamer Forth, pro-
ceeding from Granton, took the Thane in tow, fully an
hour and a half after the accident occurred, and brought
her into Burntisland harbour, when, having transferred the
passengers and goods, the Forth landed them at the rail-
twthhaeye
northi,p iivered.r
with specialh i)a strain g
ewi
sa.s thereupon despatched for
o_o. On Sunday night and on Monday there was a recurrence
so.tff,,
them
de
lv e.brae
dragging gales at
considerably. Greenock,
It theia reported
ovesselsrted it
that
a the road-
ree o f
pgroselasitiaddi in
Clyde on the 29th Glasgow
alt, traderskeeping tandepgi ro
gone
anchorage, cahaohroargee
nmany
e
with loss of sails and bulwarks. ufoir St.
channel. The brig Agnes, of Port Glasgow, which left the
Belfast, which lefte Thomas, has put back leaky,
arks. The brig Flying Cloud, of
With
loss
of
for Santos on the 28th ult. has
toward
:81st,haen
John Bull,
Betulabltef,rearand
Liver-
rs
also put back,
The hip ashore at

pool for Boston. She sprung a leak on the 30th ult., 250
miles west of land, and turned back. She tried to make
Liverpool, but could not; she then ran for Belfast, but
could not go in, when she run up the Clyde, and made for
Rothesay. She was driven on the Toward shore, near the
Castle. Attempts have been made twice to get her off, but
these failed. She is loaded with pig-iron.

judge. The laws of the State of Indiana go a step further,
for by them one eighth part of negro blood vitiates a mar-
riage and bastardises the children, The State of Massa-
chusetts adds -Indians to negroes in their proscription, and
that of Oregon wholly exclud,,s negroes and even Chinese
from its territory. Mr. Crawiurd concluded by saying that
it is the presence of the African race, too prone to live and
labour in slavery or in social degradation, and utterly in-
capable of rising to an equality with the higher race among
whom it has been unhappily planted. that has caused the
present distracted state of the North American continent.
The paper gave rise to an animated discussion, in which
Professor Busk, Sir Charles Nicholson, Professor Tyndall,
Mr. Dickenson, Mr. Carter Blake, Mr. Pope, and the pre-
sident took part. Professor Busk expressed the opinion
that a commixture of two distinct races could not be perpe-
tuated unless there were addition from the original stock,
and that in the course of time one or the other race would
be eliminated. Supposing. for example, a community of
mulattoes were settled in an island situated like Fernando
Po, without any communication with whites or blacks, the
white element would in a few generations be eliminated,
and the black race would be restored, such a climate being
more favourable to the existence of the negro than of the
white man. Sir Charles Nicholson altogether dissented
from the hypothesis of original distinction of race, and
considered that the philological researches of Pro-
fessor Max Muller and others had proved that all
the inhabitants of the world derived their origin
from the East. . Mr. Dickenson defended the negro's
claim to equality of race with the white man, and attri-
buted his inferior state merely to deficient development,
Mr. Lubbock mentioned that Mr. Mason, the Confederate
commissioner, had affirmed, as evidence that the negro is a
distinct and inferior species of mankind, that mixed breeds
are with difficulty reared beyond a Quadroon, those persons
being generally so delicate that they die early in life. Mr.
Crawfurd replied to the various speakers, and the meeting
then adjourned.