The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-19 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF TEE COLOMBO.

Yesterday Mr. Selfe, police magistrate, and Capt. Harris
and Capt. Baker nautical assessors, attended at the Green-
wich Police-court to express the opinion arrived at respect-
ing an inquiry conducted by them on Thursday and Friday
last, by direction of the Board of Trade, into the circum-
stances attending the loss of the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company's screw mail ste .mer Colombo,
commanded by Capt. Farquhar, on the Island ot Minicoy,
in the Arabian sea, on the 19th November last. The Court
was unanimous in its opinion. The principal point for its
consideration was the cause of the vessel being wrecked on
the island, which is thirty-two miles to the northward of
the supposed p.sition of the ship at the time she struck,
at 6 20 in the morning, and within seven or eight minutes
after land was first sighted. Agreeing with the allowance
made tor lateral currents by Captain Farquhar on leaving
Point de Galle on the afternoon of the 17th November, the
Court was of opinion that such an extraordinary deviation
as 32 miles to the northward of the supposed position of the
vessel could only be ascribed to the influence of an unu-
sually strong current. It had since been ascertained in this
country, from a pamphlet published by Professor Ferguson,
of the Indian navy, and in charge of the Observatory at
Bombay, that a cyclone, or rotary storm, was prevailing to
the north-west of Minicoy, and to it was to be attributed
this extraordinary current, which no amount of precaution
could have guarded against. This severe cyclone, which
had been traced in its course and limits by Professor Fer-
guson, seemed to have commenced in the Arabian Sea,
travelling at a rate of seven miles an hour in a N.N.E.
direction, and would have passed on the 19th of November
(the day of the wreck) anout 104 tulles to the westward of
Minicoy. From the loss of the Colombo it was known that
no cyclone had actually prevailed at that island, although,
after the ship struck, the wind, which had previously been
E.S.E. to S.E., shifted to S.S.W., blowing a fresh gale,
thus confirming Professor Ferguson's calculations, derived
from the lopbooks of 27 vessels which had been more or
less within the influence of the cyclone, that it passed to the
westward ot Minicoy, and was hen travelling to the north-
ward and eastward. Professor Ferguson, in his pamphlet,
made this remark :—" I am very much afraid that the re-
markably suspicious swell thai preceded and followed this
cyclone was, in some measure, connectr d with the loss of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Colombo on
Minicoy Island, at daylight on the 19th November." In
returning to Captain Farquhar his certificate, the Court ex-
pressed an opinion that the conduct of the engineer in charge
at the timwof the wreck had been neglectful in not throwing
off the expansion gearon receiving the order, just previous to
the vessel striking, to " turn astern full speed," by which
two or three minutes of precious time tiiere lost, although it
did not appearin evidence that the wreck would have been
avoided had the order been instantly obeyed. The Court
also expressed its approbation of the conduct of Capt. Far
qubar, and his officers and crew, in saving the lives of the
whole of the passengers, and recovering the mails and cargo
on board.

MISSING VESSEL-LONDON, March 18.—The
Cambria, from ()Jesup sailed from Falmouth on the 14th
January for Leith, and hoe not iinoo boos hoard of,