The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVEND G, A (JOUST 16, 1865.

South Australia.

We take the following from the South Australian
Register of the 27th June :
" The April mail did not arrive till the 23d June,
14 days after it was due. The delay was occasioned
by the want of a steamer at Galle to bring on the
Australian portion.
" The steamer which should have been at' Galle
was the Bombay, with the April mails from Aus-
tralia. She had not arrived when the Salsette left
Galle with the English mail on June 2, and it is
feared that she may have met with some accident.
" The weather has been exceedingly dry for the
season during the whole. of the month. Rain is
much needed. The northern sheep runs are suffer-
ing to a dreadful extent, and great fears are ex-
pressed for the grain crops.
" The New South Wales and Victoria Governments
have failed to agree respecting the collection of the
Murray River duties, and the former Government
have applied to that ofSouth Australia again to
undertake their collection, which the latter have
consented to do.
" A Convicts Prevention Bill, similar to that
from which her Majesty withheld her assent, has
been introduced into the House of Assembly, and
will probably be passed. It is intended to exclude
from the colony all persons who have been cdnvicts
who cannot prove their having been free for three
years previous to their arrival here. It was stated
that as her Majesty did not disallow' the former
bill, his Excellency will assent to this in her name.
" The Government have intimated their intention
to grant some measure of relief to the squatters in
the Far. North who have suffered so seriously by the
long-continued drought. Extended leases will pro-
bably be conceded.
" The House of Assembly, in answer to a petition
numerously signed by Sir R. Murchison and other
gentlemen both in England and in this colony, have
made a further grant of £l,OOO to Mr. J. M'Douall
Stuart, the explorer.
" The Government have agreed to vote £5OO in
aid of the search for Leichardt, the explorer.
"At the sale of runs held under the annual

eases, Mr. Way, solicitor, on the part of the pre.

sent lessees, who claim a right of renewal for five
years, protested in writing and verbally against the
sale, which, nevertheless, went on by order of the

Commissioner of Crown Lands, who was present,
The total sales were 900 square miles, at an average
price 0f.16 14s. sid. per mile. The right of the Go-
vernment to sell the leases is likely to be tried in

the Supreme Court, and some of the present holders
will probably refuse to give up possession.
" A new local Bank, to be called the Bank of
Adelaide, is about to be started. The projectors
are men of high commercial character and influence.
The capital is to be £250,000, to be raised by 50,000
shares of £5 each. Considerably more than the
whole number were applied for the first day. The
list was kept open a fortnight, at the end of which
it was found that applications had been made for
181,676 shares.

" A fine lode of copper ore has been cut in the
Yelta Mine. Shares ;went up in 24 hours from £9
10s. to £25. The present price is £2O ss.
" The first post for the new line of telegraph to
New South Wales has been placed by Mr. W. Duf-

field, M.P.
" Exchange.—The Banks sell draughts on Lon-
don at 60 days' sight at 1 to 1i per cent. premium,

and purchase same at f per cenil discount to per
cent premium. The rates are in a very unsettled
state.

" Shares.—Burra, £66 ; Moonta, £166 ; National
Bank, £6 ; South Australian Insurance, £2 3s. 6d. ;
Adelaide Marine, £1 6s. ; Adelaide Gas, £9 5s .
" Copper.—Burra and Wallaroo, £BB per ton.
" Flour, silk-dressed, per ton of 2,0001 b., at the
port, £lB 10s. Wheat, per bushel of 601 b., at the
port, Bs. 6d."

The Steamboat Collision at Shoerness.

--0.

The inquest relative to the death of Mrs. A.
Turner, of 11, Delamere-crescent,, Upper West-
bourne-terrace, Bayswater, which was adjourned
from Tuesday the Bth inst., was resumed yesterday
by Mr. Thomas Hills, coroner for East Kent. It
will be recollected that the deceased was a passenger
on board the Oread steamboat, belonging to the
Woolwich Steampacket Company, and that she was
drowned in consequence of a collision between that
vessel and the Government steamer Wildfire, tender
to Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Talbot, K.C.8., Com-
mander-in-Chief at Sheerness. On the Bth inst. the
inquest was formally opened and evidence taken re-
lative to the finding of the body and for identifica-
tion. Charles Hall, R.A., coxswain of the garrison
boat at Sheerness, stated that on the day in ques-
tion he was on the river in the garrison boat coming
from the martello tower, on the Isle of Grain,
towards Sheerness. His boat was about 200 yards
from the Wildfire when the vessels ran into each
other. The Oread appeared to be going at her
usual speed, and the engines of the Wildfire were
completely stopped. He did not see any reversing
of the engines in either vessel. There was nothing
intercepting to take off the sight of one vessel from
the other, and they might have seen each other for
a considerable distance. The Wildfire's moorings are
about 100 yards from the flagship Formidable, and
she was making for them when the accident oc-
curred. Captain Edward M'Laughlin, R.A., de-
posed that he was in the boat with the last wit-
ness on the day in question, and it was his opinion
that it was impossible for the Wildfire to have
avoided the collision, because she was describing
part of a circle, and had hardly any way on ;
whereas the Oread had great way on, and if her
course had been altered she could have got clear
off. Lieutenant Thomas Walker Brydges, R.A., was
in the boat with the previous witnesses, and said that
two women, who were thrown overboard, had been,
picked up by the boat of the Wildfire, which was
lowered for that purpose. The boat could not have
been lowered if the Wildfire had any considerable
way on her. From the time witness first saw the
boats till the collision the Oread had plenty of time
and opportunity to alter her course. Mr. John B.
Ross; surgeon, and captain of the Ist Tower Hamlets
Volunteer Engineers, living at 12, Albert-square,
Stepney, London, said he was on board the Oread.
When the collision occurred he threw himself on his
left side on tire deck and saw the head of the Wild-
fire break away the bulwarks of the Oread and drag
three women overboard. Just before the collision
witness heard the captain of the Oread say something,
but could not distinguish what it was ; after a mo-
mentary cheek the boats went on as before. Richard
Wheeler, master mariner and captain of the Oread,
said he had commanded the Oread 11 years, during
the summer months. He was well acquainted with
the passage from Gravesend to Sheerness. On the
day in question he was in command of the Oread

and shaped his course direct from Southend to Sher-
ness. When within 100 yards of the flagship he per-
ceived nothing in the shape of a small boat or other
craft on his starboard bow. .He was standing on the
bridge of his boat and casting his eye to the starboard
paddle-box when he saw the Wildfire approaching.
Ile was steering in the usual course, and could not see
that he had it in his power to avoid the collision. The
reason of his not seeing the Wildfire before was that
as she came down the west shore of the river she
would not be in a line with his vessel. Michael

Burr, chief quartermaster of the Wildfire, deposed
that he was in charge of that vessel when the
collision took place ; the Wildfire had been up the
river Medway and was returning to her moorings.
He had stopped the engines at such a distance as
would spend her way at the time of reaching her
moorings. The witness found, however, that the
_ _

speed.of the vessel was so much diminished that he
should have to start the engines again to reach the
moorings. Ile had seen the Oread 600 yards off,
but expected that she would go to the stern of the
Wildfire. Ile did not sea the Oread afterwards

until she was under the bow of the Wildfire. At that
time the Wildfire.wa.s standing quite still. In his
opinion the Oread damaged the Wildfire instead of
the reverse. He did not back the engines, because
he did not think it necessary to do so. The jury
found that there was not such culpable negligence
on the part of any one concerned as would justify
them in returning a verdict other than "Accidental