The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-09 00:00:00

Dreadful Sufferings of a Ship's Crew.

The transport-vessel Favourite Lass arrived at
the Royal Arsenal yesterday, with a cargo of re-
turned war stores from St. John's, Newfoundland,
and having on board as a passenger Capt. Thomas
Croft, the commander of the sailing vessel Thomas,
which left Woolwich on the 3d April last, laden
with guns, shot, shell, &c., for Quebec. This vessel,
with its valuable cargo of Government stores, was
completely lost off the coast of Newfoundland, and the
following extracts from the log-book show the dread-
ful sufferings of the crew, many of whom lost
their lives in consequence of the privations they
enduied " May 10.—Ice thick and strong; took
in topgallant sails and courses; turned the ship's
head W.S.W. to get clear of the ice. The pumps
were attended to. At 2.30 p.m. a tremendous large
piece of blue ice, which could not be cleared, struck
the ship on her port bow with such force that the
bow was stove in. All hands were called to work
the pumps. May 13—The pumps have been con-
stantly at work, but the ship is LOW filling fast, and
the time has arrived to clear away the boats to save
our lives. On sounding the pumps 7 feet of water
was found in the hold. The pumps were worked
until 8.30 p.m., and the boats were then put
out as the water increased in the hold, and
every piece of ice that struck the ship made
her condition worse. At 9 p.m. all hands got into
the boats, and we found the latitude 49.50 N., and
the longitude 47.60 W. We pulled round the ship
until she went down at 2 a.m,, in a squall of sleet.
At 4 a.m. we turned our boats' heads to W.N.W , to
endeavour to make the land, which we did on the 20th
at 11 p.m., all of us being helpless and miserable,
after being eight days and two hours drifting
amongst ice in the open sea, four days being very
severe weather, almost famished, the water being
out and the biscuit wet with the sea water. We
entered Bird's Island cove, where the mate managed
to climb up a rook and called out to the inhabitants
of a house for assistance, which was immediately
rendered. The men were got out of the boats, and
attended to in a most humane manner, but it was
evident that some were too far gone, and on the
24th, William Moore, and on the 30th, Charles
Stevens, died, On the 3d of June four of the crew
were taken to Bonavista, and the surgeons ampu-
putated some of their feet, after which John Dixon
died on the 6th, and William Brown on the 7th.
The captain, mate, and three hands left Bonavista
on the Bth for St. John's, where we arrived on the
10th, leaving two men at Bonavista, one dying and
the other very ill.—Signed, WILLIAM GASK, mate."

THE TRIAL FOR LAND STEAM FIRE ENGINES.—
At a meeting of the committee for the encouragement of
improvements in land steam fire engines, held yesterday,
his Grace the Duke of Sutherland in the chair, the follow-
ing prizes were awarded to the successful competitors at the
late trial of engines at the Crystal Palace :—For large class
engines, first prise of £250 to Messrs- Merryweather and
Sons ; second prize of £lOO to Messrs. Shand and Mason ;
small class engine, first prize of £250 to Messrs. Shand and
Mason ; second prize of £lOO to Messrs. Lee and Co. (Ame-
rican builders). The committee highly commended the
class of engine of Mr. W. Roberts, of Millwall.
PRESENTATION OF A VICTORIA CROSS.—This
honourable decoration has been awarded to George
Hinckley, a quartermaster of the Sphinx, 6, paddle-sloop,
for gallant conduct in an attack the city of Fung-wha,
China, on October 9, 1862. Hinckley carried off, while ex-
po.ed to a heavy fire from the enemy in going and coming,
two officers on his shoulders, one after the other, The
Sphinx being about to be paid off at Devonport on Thurs-
day, the ceremony of the presentation of the cross took
place there at the Government Parade, Mount Wise, on
Tuesdey. About 1,000 seamen and marines were landed
from the various men-of-war in commission there to vs itncss
the presentation. Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, K.C.8,,
presented the cross in the name of her Majesty.
INSIDE VICKSBURG.—A correspondent of the
New York 7intes relates the substance of a conver-
sation he had had with a Federal officer who had been
released on parole by the Confederates at Vicksburg. The
writer says : "He (the calcer) was slightly wounded, and
possessed more than ordinary opportunities for conver-
sation with those well informed, and making his own ob-
servations. Our wounded are as well cared for, and at-
tended as those of their own army. The surgeons, how-
ever, had very limited supplies of food and medicines.
Two meals each day were all that were furnished. These
consisted of a species of bread and a small allowance of
fresh beef. The bread was made of beans, boiled, and then
mashed, enough cornmeal added to make it of the consist-
ency of dough, then baked. No tea, coffee, or delicacies of
any kiLd were seen by him in the hospitals. The hospital
attendants of himselt and several other Union prisoners
were two ladies, who gave them every care in their rower,
remaining at their post although our shells were at times
bursting all around the building, one of them killing, by its
explosion, two wounded Union soldiers."
The offices of Surveyor-General of Prisons and
Chairman of the Directors of Convict Prisons, ren.
dered vacant by the decease of Major-General Sir Joshua
Jebb, K.C.8., have been conferred by the Secretary of
State for the Home Department upon Lieut.-Col. Edmund
Y. W. Henderson, of the Royal Engineers, who La" for
many years been Controller of the Convict Department iu
Western Australia,
FIRE AT THE TZARSKO-ZELO PALACE.--.A few
days since a fire broke out at the Emperor of
Russia's palace at Tzarsko-Zelo, near St. Petersburg,
through the carelessness of a servant, who forgot to extin-
guish his light on going to bed. The servant's room was
situated in the fourth story, on the left side of the front of
the palace, and the fire extended through two stories above.
The church is not destroyed, though much damaged,tac
but
the cupola fell in. The pictures and valuable objec i.
n
many of the principal apartments were preaerved, but niu n
material damage was done to the building.