The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-21 00:00:00

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r PRICE SD.

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES.

THE DURHAM ELECTION PETITIONS WITHDRAWAL.
—The select committee, of which Sir Frankland Lewis
was the chairman, appointed to inquire into the circum-
stances under which the petitions against the return of
Mr. Atherton and Mr. Granger, have reported that the
prayer of the petition under consideration was palpably
illusory, and presented .the remarkable anomaly of the
opponents of a candidate praying that he might be
duly elected. That Mr. Coppock, who adopted the
responsibility of this form of petition, stated it to be,
in his opinion, the only means of putting an end to a
petition which ho believed to be frivolous and vexatious,
and which means he considered to be rendered necessary
in consequence of the course adopted by Mr. Brown
that the committee regard with much disapprobation
an attempt made on the one side to get rid of opposition
to a candidate by the threat of a petition, and on the
other the defeat of that petition by presenting another,
the prayer of which was avowedly fictitious and illusory,
and calculated to interfere with the rights of the consti-
tuency by inducing Parliament to delay the issue of the
writ. The committee are of opinion that the state of
the law, which permits the valuable right of petitioning
to be perverted from a remedy for public wrong into a
weapon of electioneering warfare, deserves the serious
consideration of the house.
THE DOCKYARD COM3IITTEE.—The members of this
committee met yesterday to consider their report to the
house on the case of Lieut. Engledue.
DECIMAL COINAGE.—This committee have concluded
their inquiry, and recommend, it is understood, in their
report, the adoption of a system of decimal coinage.
WORCESTER 'AND HEREFORD RAlLWAY.—Yesterday
the committee, of which Lord Overstone was chairman,
passed the preamble of this bill, promoted by the London
and North-Western.

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By the ship WoolloomoL which arrived in the
river yesterday from Sydney, after a rapid voyage of 87
days, we here of the loss of three English ships—the "
Duke of Wellington, bound to Port Philip ; the Emma,
last from San Francisco for Sydney, with 72 passengers
on board ; and the barque Caldew, bound from Sydney
to San Francisco. The wreck of the first-mentioned
ship—the Duke of Wellington—took place on Cape Lip-
trop (Australia), on the night of the sth of last April,
during a gale of wind ; and, by the aid of the life-boats,
all hands were saved. That of the Emma occurred at
Tongataboo, where she had put in to procure provisions
and water, and while at anchor a heavy gale of wind
drove the ship ashore on some reefs where she became a
total loss. The crew and passengers were saved by the
natives without loss of life, who throughout acted with
good feeling. The passengers still remained on the island
when the last accounts were sent off, the master, Capt.
Cresswell, being unable to charter a vessel for their con-
veyance to Sydney. The loss of the other vessel—the Cal-
clew—Captain Snow, master, was accompanied with
melancholy circumstances, a number of the crew
having, it is feared, perished in the boats from
starvation. The ship was lost on a sunken reef
in the Pacific, in latitude, by observation, 6.21
N., by chronometer 161 43 W: (the chart showing no
dangers in that locality). It occurred on the afternoon
of the 20th of last January, the weather extremely fine,
scarcely a ripple being perceptible to indicate the exist-
ence of the reef. All hopes of getting- the vessel off
being dispelled, preparations were mode for abandoning
her, and the crew commenced to fit and provision the
boats ; this was done, so as to be in readiness for leaving
at any moment, as it was not their intention to leave the
wreck so soon, hut seeing how rapidly she was breakine-
up, the threatening appearance of the weather—the
';
heavy swell rendering it difficult to keep the boats from
being knocked to pieces alongside—the immediate aban-
donment was ultimately thought the wisest plan, the
long-boat having already been driven by the rollers in
contact with the wreck, thereby seriously damaging her.
At 5.30 p.m. (Jan. 21) the two small boats were cast
off ahead, to tow the long boat clear of the reef, and at
6 all three made sail, and their perilous voyage com-
menced. It soon became dark and cloudy, with heavy
swells—the two smaller boats, from the darkness of the
night, were soon lost sight of. Fanning's Islands, being
the nearest inhabited place, distant 247 miles, in a south-
easterly direction, it was their intention to steer thither,
but from the boisterous state of the weather, the violent
squalls and heavy sea breaking on board, rendered it
extremely difficult to keep the boat free; that idea was
obliged to be given up. At 10 p.m. the squalls became
terrific, the boat so nearly filling with water thatpart of the
provisions and spare clothing had to be thrown over-
board. They were not able to carry sail, through the
tempestuous weather. They exerted themselves to the
utmost to reach the nearest land, though uninhabited,
which was the Palmyras Island, about 50 miles distant.
They were in hopes of falling in with the other two boats,
but at daylight, on the following morning, Jan. 22, not
a vestige of them could be seen. They then steered
direct for Palmyras, hoping to reach it before dark,
being then at noon, in lat. by calculation 5 49 N., long.
162 S.W. A west course was steered for several hours,
but they failed in sighting the island: passing it, as the
master imagines, to the southward. The master then
attempted to make Prospect Islands, in lat. 450 N.,
long 161 40 W. ; Samarang Islands, in lat. 4 56 N.,
long. 162 18 W., which both ended in disappointment.
Up to this time the incessant rain, the chilling feeling
during the night, the heavy seas constantly breaking on
board, and the sufferings they thereby endured,
were dreadful. The next trial was to fetch the
Enderby group, hoping, if successful, to procure
some cocoa nuts, and repair the long boat, which
was daily becoming more frail. After sailing for some
days in lat. 2 48 S. long. 169 37 W., they succeeded in
catching a shark, and the weather having moderated,
with some difficulty it was cooked, this being the first
warm meal they had partaken since leaving the wreck.
By this time, from the want of proper nourishment, and
constant exposure to intense heat and cold, &c., the
bodies of the men were completely covered with sores.
They then bore away, sanguine of making the Enderbys
and Farmer's Island ; both trips, however, were fruit-
less, -they were unable to stgbt them. The men were
almost exhausted, and despaired of ever reaching the
shore alive. All that remained of their provisions were
a feci tins of preserved meats, about two gallons of lamp
oil, and about klolbs. of saturated bread, resembling
&nigh. With starvation staring them in the face, but
with hope of speedy relief from their sufferine.s, they di-
rected their course towards the Duke of Yorkb and Cla-
' rum.° Islands, and encountered further disappointment,
and sufferings too horrible to describe. Happily, how-
ever, on the twenty-third day a vessel hove in sight, and
bore down upon them. It proved to be the brig Eclipse,
from San Francisco. It is needless to say that the poor
fellows were taken on board, where they received the
greatest kindness, but several days transpired ere they
recovered their senses. The Eclipse conveyed them to
Sydney.
Of the remaining poor fellows, in the two smaller boats,
eighteen in number, nothing has since been heard, leaving
little doubt as to their horrible fate by starvation.

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