The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-05 00:00:00

NEW S PAPER
rTc4inat
WRECK OF THE B.ABQII.E VAIL 47 P/Li:
(6-i'&R.
The Governor of the Cape of Good slistiwt
directed the publication of the following rePit
the court appointed to inquire into the circunr,-
stances attending the wreck of the barque Valley--
field on the night of the 15th June :
Port-office, Cape Town, June 21, 1862.
The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, &c.
Sir,—We, the undersigned, have the honour to
acquaint you, for the Governor's information, that,
in accordance with instructions attending the loss
of the barque Valleyfield, which was wrecked upon
the reef near the lighthouse at Green Point, on the
night of the 15th inst. We examined the second
mate (the only surviving officer), the carpenter, and
cook. Their evidence is herewith enclosed. Upon
consideration of this evidence, we are of opinion
that the vessel musi have sighted land on the 14th
(Saturday) to the northward, and inside of Robben
Island, when it is stated she stood off at 4 o'clock.
At that time she was under douNe-reefed topsails,
and continued so until 4 o'clock next morning.
when they wore chip and made sail, steCcing
south-
east. She then carried her courses, in
topsails and topgallantsaiis. The winsddgu-tlei:tfhede
day was from the N.N.E., and on her port quayter.
At noon land was again sighted, and the sun's ai!i-
tude taken for latitude by the captain. The wit,-
nesses do not, however, recollect what this was.
The course was then altered to S.S.E., the wind
freshening towards evening, and the vessel going
about eight knots. About 6 p.m. the light at
Green Point was seen on the starboard bow, and
estimated by the witness Hodges at about 15 miles
off. At six o'clock it appears that the first officer
and Hodges went forward to see the anchorsthefore-
castle, clearr
e.
;
a man was stationed to look out on
castle, and another was heaving the lead in the
port chains. Whilst so engaged the man on the
look-out called out " Breakers on the lee-bow," and
the crew received orders to back the mainyard, but
.4,
before anything could be done the reel strut
and immediately went t 9 pieces. le-would a ,
from the fact of the vesserremaining under such a
press of sail, from the time the light was first seen
until she struck (which was only about half an
hour), that the commander must have entertained
the same opinion as the witness as to the distance
of the light, and they were only preparing to shorten
sail when she took the ground. Captain Wilson
closely questioned the witnesses as to the Mouille
Light, and none of them seemed to have known of
its existence, and none of them heard the captain
give directions to keep a look-out for it. We are
informed that the captain was a stranger to Table
Bay, and it is not known whether he possessed the
printed instructions for entering it. With the im-
perfect information before us, and the unfortunate
absence of the captain and chief mate (who were
lost), we cannot venture to offer more than a sur-
mise as to thecause of the wreck, and it is this :
That, owing to the haziness of the weather, and the
variableness of the strength of the wind, some mis-
calculation must have occurred as to the distance the
vessel was from the light. It was observed by per-
sons on shore that the lights in the Green Point
Lighthouse on the night of the wreck were extremely
dull, and consequently appeared more distant
than they really were. We avail ourselves of this
opportunity to state, that had a light existed on
Robben Island, and been visible, the officers in
charge could not have remained in ignorance of
their real position. We are nevertheless of opinion
that, with the addition of such a light, no captain
should venture to enter Table Bay at night in such
weather as we had on Sunday night. It seems im-
probable that the barque, seen from the signal
station on the Saturday evening, was the ill-fated
barque Valleyfield.—We have, &c.,
CHAS. PIERS, Acting Resident Magistrate.
H. WILSON, Port Captain.
Port-office, Cape Town, June 21, 1862.
Proceedings taken in an inquiry into the circum-
stances attending the wreck of the barque Valley-
field, 400 tons burthen, of Liverpool, Captain Wm.
Burton, on the evening of the 15th of June, near
the Green Point Lighthouse.
John Hodges, sworn, states—l was the second
officer of the late barque Valleyfield. We sighted
land on Saturday last, and not being certain what
land it was, we stood off till Sunday morning. At
4 o'clock we wore ship, and stood in and saw at 12
o'clock Robben Island. The master took the sun,
and altered his course S.S.E. We imagined it to be
Robben Island; it was low. We were running with
the wind on the port quarter, and with courses,
single-reefed topsails and topgallant sails and jib.
At half-past 5 I saw the light. I had previously seen
a heavy bank, and which I thought was Table Moun-
tain, having been here once before. The master was
on deck all the time. At the commencement of my
watch at six o'clock I was desired by the master to
see the anchors clear, and the rest of the crew were
ready to run the mainsail up. The man on the
look-out cried out "Breakers on the lee bow!". The
master gave orders to put the helm down, and she
immediately struck, and the sea took charge of the
ship after the mainmast had gone. At the time
when I first saw the light before six o'clock it ap-
peared to me that we were about 15 miles off. We
mate, andsay whaten
sev
were going about eight knots an hour. There was
a man in the port mainchain, but
i I ca
soundings he gave. He was killed when the ship
struck. Immediately sheafteri hadi
eight
f
astruck others she
went to pieces. The master, chie fmi
e
of the crew were lost, and rare
were saved.—J. Hoposs.
C
ResilidAeßntLEMS Magistrate.
Taken before me,
James Hunter, asrojtrne:isiltgates :—I was carpenter
of the late Valleyfield.
We saw the land on
toed off at 4o'clock
Saturday, but s
o'clock e in the
morning,. I did not see
after-
noon till
u4OO I went forward to assist in clear-
ingthe land
the
rin
ochor r w
th
oe starboard gh
cathead. and
I heard
lights
hen I saw hi land, two
vote soon after call " Breakers on the lee
the Wg
and ran aft when she struck; and as I was
o,,ardeer.! d iTnhge Shet
sheea cantedmP oaoapes e
boo
alaawd ad
cleanre
dr
breach
eeda
ehfellaover
nvomevrea mistr
her,o
nw
ahenne
drt
the second officer and cook and an ordinary sea-
man got in the forepart of the vessel, where we
remained till the ship broke up. I was one voyage
at sea before.—JAMES HUNTER. .
Taken before me, CHARLES PIERS,
Acting Reaident Magistrate.
Duncan Campbell,
sworn, states :—I was cook
of the late Vatleyfield, and have heard the state-
mentsX made, and corroborate the same ; and have
nothing to add.
Mark of
DUNCAN CAMPBELL.
Taken before me, CHARLES PIERS,
Acting Resident Magistrate.
Names
of crew saved :—John T. B. Hodges,
second mate; Jam esHunter, carpenter ; Richard
Hamilton!steward Duncan
,' Campbell, cook ; John
Burton,_ U.S., captain's son • John Smith, A.B. ;
Michael Vichstitch, A. 8.; James O'Donnel, boy ;
William Elliott, A.B.
Names of the crew lost :—William Burton, masl
ter ; William Fair, mate ; John Williams, A. 8..;
A.B. ; Samuel Lloyd, A.B. ; Smith, O.S. ; Wil-
liams, O.S. ; Cams, apprentice ; M'Carey,
0.5.; George Morris, O.S.
THOS. TINLEY, Shipping-Master.

CELESTINA SOMMER, THE MURDERESS.—A pale-
faced, fair-haired woman, of spare form, and below the
middle-height, Celestina Sommer was a quiet, well-ordered
prisoner, with a horror of the other women, and partial to
her own cell and her work therein. Cool and self-possessed,
possibly to a certain extent crafty, Celestina Sommer soon
passed from one stage to another without a report against
her general behaviour, and was drafted, after eight or ten
ntonths,with other well-behaved women, to Brixton Prison,
where the first signs of an affected mind began to develop
themselves. Throughout the whole term of her incarcera-
tion at Milbank and Brixton prisons, this quiet, grave-
faced woman never betrayed any symptoms of remorse at
the awful character of a crime which has stamped it as one
of the causes celebrer of this country. A thoughtful though
regard herself as
not a sullen woman, I do not believe that the reminiscence
of her crime ever deeply affected her—it was the peculiar
method of her madness to forget, or, if not to forget it, at
approach to seriousness
least to regard it as an event of no iruportance to her future
welfare. The writer tells several strange stories of this
unhappy woman, released by death from her imprisonment
mercifully soon. She never appeared to
you know. Very
a great criminal, and the nearest
when he asked
is to be found in her answer to the
~ chaplain,oh
prFayeters,a day,
her if she were not penitent• ,of course lam very
j sorry, very sorry, intleed''
sorry. I say a great many,
r/Ct° Lite an Prison.