The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-18 00:00:00

Tvuz; SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 18, 1P65.

—This Day.

The Burning of the Ship William Nelson.
The Greenock correspondent of the North Briti,k
Mail writes :--The fine barque Meteor, belonging
to the well known firm of J. and W. Stewart, of
'Greenock, and commanded by Captain Hart, which
arrived here on Friday last from Porto Rico, reports
having picked up 30 passengers of the ill-fated ship
William Nelson, the destruction of which by fire
we narrated a few days ago. Captain Hart reports
that at 3 o'clock a.m. on June 28, weather calm,
when in latitude 41 58 N., longitude 51 48 W.,
he heard a noise to windward, as of people scream-
ing. Bore down towards it, and found and picked
up nine females and twenty nine males, forming
part of the passengers of the ship 'William Nelson.
They were floating upon spars, pieces of wood, hen-
coops, &c., up to the waist in water, and were
almost in a state of nakedness. Eight of the females
were seated astride the lost ship's mainmast. The
ninth was found floating on a spar about two miles
apart from the rest. At first this female was thought
to be dead, but efforts to restore her were success-
ful. These passengers were all Germans, and their
language could only be understood by some of the
seamen of the Meteor, who were foreigners.
After picking up these sufferers, who had been
knocking about in this condition for two days
and two nights without food or water, the
Meteor kept backing and filling about till
10 a.m., looking out for more of the
lost passengers, but could find none, though several
dead bodies were seen floating about. The rescued
passengers, who were all suffering more or less from
burns, reported that the William Nelson had. 482
adults and 70 children on board as passengers,
bound from Antwerp to New York. They believed
that the greater number of the passengers were
destroyed by the fire, and that a great many went
down with the ship. They said that on the fire
taking place the captain and his officers and crew
manned the boats and put off from the burn-
ing ship, leaving the passengers to perish. That
a number of the passengers jumped over the
ship's side into the sea, and endeavoured' to
get into the boats, seizing upon the gunwale with
this intention, but that the officers and crew
struck their heads and hands with the oars and billets of
wood, and left them to perish. They stated that on the
27th, while floating about on the fragments of wreck,
they sighted an American ship which evidently saw them,
but passed without giving them any aid. Captain Hart
and his officers and crew gave the most humane attention
to these poor rescued people, dressed their burns and
wounds, had the females accommodated in the cabin,
clothed them as best they could, and in doing so turning
some male attire to the best possible account. After
getting under weigh, the Meteor sighted a large ship
backing and filling, as if hovering about tho scene of
the disaster, but could not learn whether she had picked
up any of the William Nelson's people or not. Captain
Hatt, finding that he had not sufficient provisions on board
to supply his crew and the 30 people on the passage across
to Britain, and that he was 320 miles south of St. John's,
Newfoundland, made for that port, where he landed the
passengers in safety ; and on the night of the 30th pro-
ceeded on his voyage. One of the passengers picked up
had lost 2,700 francs, and another 1,500 francs. Another,
an elderly man, who seemed to be an artist, and spoke
of painting a view of the burning of the William
Nelson, had a good largo sum of money with him,
attached to a belt round his waist, and had managed
to save it intact. Tho rescued passengers expressed a
strong belief that the burning of the ship was intentional,
and said that two vessels of which the same mate had been
chief officer had been burned at sea. They said that some
of the officers and the carpenter went below, drove all the
passengers on deck, and after plundering the chests of the
passengers, set fire to the ship. Of course this statement
is not likely to pass uncontradicted. Captain Hart, his
officers, and crew, deserve great credit for their humane
efforts in saving so many lives, and we hope to seo their
efforts recognised in a way that may encourage others to
follow their example when placed in like circumstances.

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

--~ --

POLLING THIS DAY.

(BY TELEGRAPH.)
SURREY (EAST)-4.
Locke King... • •• ...
Buxton ... ... Oa.
Brodrick ... ... ...
Peek... ... ...

3359
3309
3139
3215

ANGLESEA

Bulkeley returned

BRECKNOCKSHIRE.
Morgan returned.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
Manners, Royston, and Young returned,

CUMBERLAND (EAST).
Howard and Marshall returned.

CAITHNESS-SHIRE
Traill returned.

CLARE (COUNTY).
O'Loghlen and Vandeleur returned.
DOWN (COUNTY).
Hill-Trevor and Forde returned.

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY-1.
Whiteside ... ~,
Lefroy
~.
Ball

1183
1028
528

GLOUCESTERSHIRE (EAST).
Holford and Beach returned.

GALWAY COUNTY.
Dunkellin and Gregory returned.

KENT (EAST)-12.

Dering
Bridges ...
Knatchbull
LINCOLNSHIRE (SOUTH)
Trollope and Packe returned.

1612
1503
1386

MONMOUTHSHIRE.
Somerset and Morgan returned.
NORFOLK (EAST).

Howes
Coke
Beauchamp
Reed

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE (NORTH).
Denison and Clinton returned.
NORTHUMBERLAND (SOUTH).
Beaumont and Liddell returned.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY-1.

Hardy
Gladstone

... 1875
... 1667

RENFREWS HIRE-3.
Spiers 80 a head.

RUTLANDSHIRE.
Noel and lleathcote returned.
SOMERSETSIIIRE (EAST).
Grenville and Paget returned.
STAFFORDSHIRE (NORTH)—CLosE.
Buller ... 4633
Adderley ... ... ... ... 4418
Ingestre 4050
STIRLINGSHIRE-2 o'CLocx.
Erskine 40 a-head, and increasing.

TYRONE COUNTY.
Corry and Hamilton returned.

- WATERFORD (COUNTY).
Tyrone and Esmonde returned.
WILTS (SOUTH).
(Corrected statement of close of poll.)
Thynne 1563
Grove ... ... 1420
Bathurst ... 1261
WILTSHIRE (NORTH).
Bruce, Long, and Jenkinson nominated. Po
demanded.

MR. BUC K STONE'S BENEFIT.—To-morrow (Wed-
nesday) closes the season at " the little theatre in
the Haymarket," and Mr. J. B. Buckstone, the lessee,
announces it also as his annual benefit. It will also be the
occasion of other "last words," namely, the last and 49th
night of Brother Sam,' and of Mr. Sothorn's performances ;
also of " The Miller's daughter," and of " Our Mary Anne."
And last, not least, Mr. Buckstone himself will bid fare-
well to the public and his patrons, in ono of those addresses
which are always looked for as an event of the close of the

I season.
AN ODD SCENE AND AN ODD LAW.—A curious
scene took place two evenings back on the Boule-
vard Beaumarchais. Monsieur B—, an advocate, walking
out accompanied by his dog, an Italian greyhound of great
beauty, suddenly missed the animal, and retracing his steps
overtook a man of decent appearance with the dog in his
arms. The thief had already removed the collar with the
owner's name and address, and was endeavouring to stifle
its cries. Being a man of great muscular power, M. B—
soon mastered the delinquent, and then offered him the
choice either of being consigned to the police or of kneeling
down in the street and kissing the dog. The thief, after
some little hesitation, chose the latter alternative, and per-
formed the ceremony in the midst of the laughter and jeers
of the bystanders. Satisfaction being thus given given,
M. B— was willing to allow the defendant to depart in
peace, but some sergents de ville coming up insisted on
taking him before the commissary of police of the quar-
ter. M. B— accompanied the party to the office, and
when there explained to the commissary that ho had
acted in virtue of an old law of the Burgun-
dian Parliament never yet abrogated, containing
(Title x. cap. 8, art. 9) a disposition thus worded
If any man has stolen a greyhound (voltrahum), or a
segusiays (seguteum),
a particular sort of hound used by
the Gauls for hunting the boar, or a lurcher (petrunculum),
we ordain that the guilty party be obliged either to kiss
the animal before the' hole people or to pay five eels of
gold to the master of the dog and two sole as fine." The
advocate concluded by interceding for the culprit, on the
ground that he had satisfied the conditions of the law, but
the commissary, recognising the man as an old offender,
sent him to the Prefecture.—Galignani.
UNINTENTIONAL INFANTICIDE.—Mr. John Simon,
medical officer of the Privy Council, in his evidence
before the Select Committee on the Chemists and Druggists'
Bills, mentioned some startling facts as to the unintentional
destruction of infant life by opium. " There are some
country districts of England," he said, "where child
killing by opium is monstrous. Every one knows that in
some of the manufacturing districts, where mothers are
employed and children are neglected, the mortality of
infants is twice or thrice what one would call the
nominal rate of dying, and that a considerable share of
this undue mortality is caused by dosing with prepara-
tions of opium.. But it is not equally well known that in
certain country districts the same amount of mortality
of infants is to be observed ; and when the particulars
of this are inquired into, it appears that the conditions
aro very similar to those which operate in the manufac-
turing districts, and that even a greater proportion of the
mortality is caused by the domestic administration of opium."
" I should not like you," Mr. Simon continued, " to suppose
that I think much of it is intentional. Ido not think that,
but there is a carelessness as to the result that is hideous.
On this subject the committee would find the facts given
in my last annual report, and especially with reference to
the marsh districts of England. The women work in
gangs, and travel about the country, leading often a very
reckless and rollicking life, leaving their children a great
deal to chance as they travel about. The children fare
very badly, as the children do in manufacturing towns.
To be kept quiet they are drugged with opium. The pea-
santry have a tradition that oiiium is useful in their ague,
and have got so familiar with it that many of the adults
are opium-eaters. Having this local knowledge of opium,
they use it to children very largely, the children dying
monstrously. Tho mothers (namely, the agricultural
gang_women) appear often to be, very reckless whether the
children live or die. The children are an encumbrance
to them."

ATTEMPTED MURDER AT WARWICK.--Yesterday,
at the Warwick Borough police
Court, George
London was charged with attempting to murder William
Coates, by shooting at him with a gun. Between twelve
and ono o'clock on Sunday morning, the prisoner, who does
not bear a very good character, went to a house in Mount-
street, where he knew Coates was, and said that ho would
shoot him if ho came out. Coates went out, and the pri-
soner instantly discharged a loaded gun at him. Provi-
dentially Coates turned sideways, and the greater portion
of the charge entered the door and walls, but several of the
shots lodged in the man's shoulder, inflicting a serious
wound. The prisoner then decamped, but was appre-
hended shortly afterwards in bed. A quantity of porous-
sion caps, powder, and shot were found upon him and an
open knife was laid on the bed by his side. He did not
make any defence, and was remanded for the attendance
of the injured man. Jealousy of a woman with whom he
has for years cohabited, and who has recently shown a
preference for Coates, is assumed to be the cause of the ill

feeling.
RAILWAY DISASTER.—THREE MEN KILLED.—
On Saturday afternoon a fatal accident happened
on the now railway from Sudbury to Bury St. Edmunds,
Clare, Haverhill, &c. Some of the workmen from Clare
who had been employed at the station were returning to
their homes when, on reaching a part of the line about two
miles from Sudbury, the engine and trucks ran off the line,
and three of the men were killed on the spot, and a fourth
so much injured that his life is despaired of. The accident
is said to have arisen from an incompetent person laying
the points. The lino has not yet been opened for traffic.

THIRD EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, 7 O'CLOCK

DUMBARTONSHIRE.
Sterling twelve ahead.
DURHAM (SOUTH).
Pease, Beaumont, and Surtees naminated. Poll
demanded.

ESSEX (NORTH).
Western, Du Cane, and Reresford nominated
Poll demanded.
FERMANAGH COUNTY.
Archdale and Cole returned.

HAMPSHIRE (SOUTH).
Jervoise and Fane returned.
HANTS (SOUTH)
Sir J. C. Jervoise and Colonel Hamlyn Fane
elected without opposition.