The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-16 00:00:00

SHIP ON FIRE.

---~--

In the dense smoke that prevailed, excluding every ob-
ject from view, the glorious old Missis..4ppi went ashore
right opposite the centre and worst battery. She now be-
camos a standing target for the whole range of the batteries
of Port Hudson. Finding it impossible to escape, Captain
Smith gave orders to set the ship on fire, to prevent her
falling into the hands of the rebels. Accordingly her aft
part was fired, the rebels all the time continuing to pour in
their shot and shell as fast as they could bring their guns
to bear. The artillery practice would have been worthy of
a better cause The Mississippi was riddled through and
through. Four men were known to have been killed ere
the ship was abandoned. Several were known to have
jumped overboard soon after the ship was set on fire, and
there can be no doubt that some of them were drowned.
There was a favourite spaniel on board which succeeded in
swimming to the shore. This dog was greatly excited
during the heart of the engagement, and, as the shells ex-
ploded, he ran at them, barking furiously, even following as
near as possible those which exploded in the water. Soon
after the vessel had been fired two shells came crashing
through her, exploding, and setting fire to some turpentine
and oil which they upset. The ship was then at once
abandoned, and burned till she became lightened, to which
the removal of nearly 300 men contibuted, when she swung
off into deep water, presenting her head down the river.
Presently it was reported on board the Richmond that she
was coming down, and we all turned out on the poop deck
to see the sight. It was a magnificent spectacle. From the
midships to the stern the noble vessel was enveloped in a
sheet of flame, while fire wreaths ran up the shrouds, played
around the mainmast, twisted and writhed like fiery ser-
pents. Onward she came, keeping near to the right bank,
still bow foremost, as regularly as if she was steered by a
pilot. It was, indeed, a wonderful sight. Capt. Smith,
her recent commander, and several of her officers, who had
by this time arrived on board the Richmond, assembled on

the poop deck—their emotion almost too great for words.
Next to his wife, children, or sweetheart, there is nothing
that a sailor loves more than his ship—nothing that he re-
grets the loss of so much ; and in the absence of the above
mentioned domestic ties, his ship is to him wife, child, and
sweetheart. The feeling of regret at the loss of his ship is
enhanced when, as in the case of the Mississippi, the gallant
craft has achieved historical renown. No wonder, then,
that the officers of the Mississippi should feel a sinking at
the heart on witnessing the destruction of their floating
home, while they were powerless to save her. As she ar-
rived opposite the port side of the Richmond some appre-
hension was entertained that her port broadside might
give us a parting salute of not a very agreeable nature.
Captain Smith assured Captain Alden, however, that her
port guns had been all discharged. Just as she had cleared
us her starboard guns began to go off, This was accompa-
nied by the explosion of the shells she had on deck ready
for use. These exploded at short intervals. The flames
now began to increase in volume from amidships to the
stern, and the howitzer on the maintop was discharged
with the heat. Majestically the gallant craft—gallant
even in its last momenta—moved down the stream till,
turning the bend at the lower of Prophet Island, she
was hidden from our view, and nothing more was seen
but a bright glare shooting up skywards. Shell after shell
still exploded at intervals, and thus a couple of hours passed
away till the Mississippi was some eight or ten miles below
the Richmond. The shells now begin to explode more
rapidly, indicating that the fire has reached the shellroomy
and cannot be far from the powder magazine. This proves
to be the fact, for presently a sudden glare of bright flame
shoots upwards towards the zenith, spreading skyward in
the form of an inverted cone; an interval of a few seconds
elapse ; then comes a stunning roar, causing the Richmond
to tremble from truck to kelson, and the gallant Mississippi,
that so long has braved the battle and the breeze, is no more;
all that remains of her is sunk in the bosom of the mighty
river from which she derived her name.—Nem York Paper.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

►,

NEWARK-WEDNESDAY.

Wheat prices generally the same as last week. Barley
and oats as before. Barley scarce.

White wheat new, 50s to 58s i
Red do. 46s to 50s i
Old white sos to 51s
Red do. 43s to 48s
Barley, malting 38s to 42s
Peas, 0 • • •

1 ' Barley, grinding 30s to 32s
Oats, old, .. 3os to —s
New do 238 to 26s
Beans.. 42s to 450
I Beans, new 35s to 38s
33s to 38s.

HULL-TUESDAY.

A small supply of English wheat to-day, which met a
a steady sale, at fully last week's currency. Barley dull,
and declined is per qr. Linseed cakes steady.
Wheat.... Old white per qr. 4Bs Od to 50s Od
Old red tt
New white .. ~
New red ... ~
Barley.... English malting 32s Od to 38s Od
Grinding 27s 6d to 29s Od
Saal and Oderbruck
Holstein and Danish 2Bs Od to 29s Od
Grinding 2Bs Od to 31s Od
Oats English, old
Archangel and Riga, per st oBl2id to 13d
Friesland and Dutch
Swedish and Danish 0s1214:1 to osl3d
Beans ....English, old, per qr 4ss Od to 46s Oa,
New pigeon 42s Od to 44s Ca
New tick. 4os Od to 42s Od
Egyptian .. 33s Od to 34s ocl
Peas Foreign boilers .
Grinding ...... ,• ... —s Od tc 38s Od
Tares ....Spring —s Od to —s Od
Indian Corn
Linseed, feeding
crushing
Linseed cakes (Hull) £9 15 0 to £lO 0 0
Foreign Bl5 oto 9 0 0
Rape cakes 6 5 oto 610 0
Bones 5 5 oto 510 a

LYNN—T
A fair show of wheat to-da:
at about late rates.
White . 44s to 48s 1
Red . 416 to 44s
Beans .38s to 42s I
New. 36s to 38s I

.17ESDAY.

iy, with a moderate demand,

Barley. .....38s to 406
Grinding....., ..34s to 365
Oats .22s to 240
Peas —s to --0

COAL M
Prime of Coal per Ton at

ARKET.

the close of the market.

s. d.
Buddle'sWest Hartley 15 3
Byass's Bebside West

s. (1:
Elolywell 15 .1
North Pelton Gas 13 0
West Hartley ..15 3

-Hartley 3
Davison's West Hart-
ley 15 3
Carway and Duffryn
Malting • ....... 19 6
Tanfield Moor 12 3
Tanfield Moor Butes l2 0
Walker Primrose 11 0
Eden Main 14 9
Wylam l5 6

Walls End.
Ha5we11....... 17 6
Hartlepool.. l6 u
Kelloe. ..
South Kelloe .
Riddell..... l4 '„
Whitworth. l4
Heugh Hall 15 6
Trimdon Hartlepool l4 6
lt, 44 ; sold, 33.

Ships at market

Foreign Mail Packet List.

NAILS DUE.

Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton Apr. 18'
via Marseilles Apr. 12.
ira.zil and Cape Verds, by British packet. May 4'
Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena May 3-0
China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton Apr. I°„'
via Marseilles Apr. 14'
Falkland Islands ............... May 4.
Gibraltar, via Southampton
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton—Apr. 11'
India (Bombvia M arseilles Apr. 1,;"
ay), via Southampton Apr. I'''
via Marseilles Apr. 20.
Portugal..., May 4.
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Apr. 10.
via Marseilles
Newfoundland
..'
Oporto and Vigo
U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.... Apr. 16'
by U.S. packet....
0.
by Canadian packet. Apr. 10'
W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe .......... Apr. 10.
Bahamas, via New York May 7.a
Mexico..
.... .... Apr. 2,*
All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, 1 13,
California, and British Columbia.. Apr.