The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-22 00:00:00

the dreadful crime which she has committed.

The prisoner was, in the course of the afternoon, re-
moved to Salisbury gaol, where she will remain until the
sentence is carried out—that is, unless the Royal clemency
should spare her life.

Loss of the Ship Van Cappellan,

HORRIBLE DEATH AND SUFFERING OF THE
CREW.

The ship Naturalist, Captain Hyde, has arrived
in the Victoria-docks from Calcutta, having on
board five seamen, the only survivors out of the
crew of 16, of the iron-ship Van Cappellan, which
foundered in the Indian Ocean. The statement of
the survivors shows that the poor fellows underwent
the most horrible suffering, several of the unhappy
crew, who were drifting about in a boat for 15
days, dying from exhaustion and the want of food.
The Van Cappeilan, Captain Sewell, left Calcutta
in the early part of February for Hull, and the
voyage proceeded as usual, nothing particular oc-
curring until the morning of the 16th of March,
when the vessel was in lat. about 6 S., long.
58 E. At 5.30 a.m., all sail being set, ship on
the port tack, a heavy squall struck her, heeling
her over on her starboard beam ends. All the en-
deavours of the crew failed to right her, and the
ship being noticed to be settling down, the boats
were cut adrift and spare spars prepared to make a
raft in readiness for leaving the ship. At 7 a.m.
the ship disappeared, taking down with her Captain
Sewell and Mr. L. Price, chief officer, John Stone,
the cook, John Herman, seaman, H. French, A. 8.,
and George Allan, apprentice, leaving 16 hands
clinging to the bottom of a small boat, spars, hen-
coop, &c. Robert Hamilton, the carpenter, thus
describes what followed :—" With great exertion we
managed to get the boat turned over. We baled her
out, and picked up the survivors, who were clinging
to spars, &o. We succeeded in picking up three
pumpkins, a small pig, and four ducks. Seeing a ship,
we pulled after her, but the breeze springing up we
lost sight of her, leaving us to our fate. To each
man we then served out 1i inch of pumkin, a piece
of raw pork and a piece of duck. On the
17th sighted a ship with painted ports; pulled
for her, but the breeze increasing we wero
unable to get to her. The sun very hot, and
we had little or no clothing to protect our bodies,
having cast them off to save our lives. We suffered
very much from want of water, and the pork being
spoiled could not eat it. There were a number of
sharks alongside, and we tried to get one, but were
unsuccessful. On the 18th, cloudy, with a light
breeze, sun very hot, served out to each man some
pieces of pumpkin ; tried to entice a shark into a
running bow-line with a piece of the spoiled
pork, but was unsuccessful. 19th. Cloudy, but
no rain. Thinking the water was fresher be-
low the surface, I lashed an oar over the stern
of the boat, and went down and drank
freely, but without finding any relief. 20th. Cloudy
with a light breeze ; we bathed frequently to keep
ourselves cool. 21st. Cloudy. Caught a shark
and drank its blood, which relieved our thirst a
little, and partook of a small piece of the shark with
our daily allowance of pumpkin. Wm. Allan, A. 8.,
George Liberty, A. 8., Joseph Pask, and Hugh
Howard, steward, persisted in washing the meat of
the shark, but they became delirious, and died in the
evening. 22d. Cloudy, with a light breeze. Em-
ployed ourselves in cutting a gutter in the shafts
and gunwale of the boat, to catch fresh water should
it rain. 23d.Cloudy, with a few drops of rain. 24th.
Clear ; sun very hot ; no sail in sight. Bathing fre-
quently to keep ourselves cool, but the salt water was
making our skin very sore. 25th. Dark and cloudy
weather. Hawkins died. Caught about a bucket-
ful of fresh water off the shafts of the boat, drinking
sparingly. 26th. Light breeze and hot sultry wea-
ther. Served out one and a half of pumpkin. This
being the last morsel of food in the boat, and no
water left, things began to look very dismal. Thomas
Price, 2d officer, died. 27th. Cloudy. Bathing fre-
quently, and drinking our own urine. Hugh
Coonar, boatswain, Hugh Price, A. 8., and Smith
acting 2d officer, died. Drank the blood O

Coonar and Smith, and eat a piece of the body.
2Sth. Cloudy, eating sparingly of human flesh.
At sun dawn sighted a sail, Lbut night coming
on, lost sight of her ; pulled with all our

strength all night in the direction of the ship. 29th.
Light airs and cloudy ; 1 a.m. Andrew Brince died.
Drank his blood, and cut a piece of his flesh off, in
case we might lose the ship sighted the previous night.
At daylight we saw the vessel coming right for us,
at 7.30 a.m. came alongside the vessel, which proved
to be the ship Naturalist, from Calcutta, for Lon-
don, and the following men, all those remaining of
the 16 who first took to the boats were taken on

board :—Robert Hamilton, the carpenter, a cooper,
Chas. Eade, Alfred Ralph, and Antonio Nicholas ;
but the latter was so weak that he shortly expired."

Had the poor creatures been out twelve hour
longer they would doubtless have all perished. Mr.
James Muir, the chief officer, was on deck when the
boat, which was a mere speck on the water, was

first seen, and having reported the circumstance to
Captain Hyde, the ship at once bore down for the
boat. When they came alongside they were in

such an exhausted condition that a chair had to be

lowered in order to lift them on board. Captain
Hyde at once made every provision for their corn-

fort, but great care had to be taken in giving them
stimulant's, in consequence of their critical state,
arising from the horrible sufferings which they
had gone through during the fifteen days they had
been tossed about in the boat. They at length
were refreshed by sleep, and gradually recovered.
Nothing could exceed the kindness which they re-
ceived on beard the Naturalist. It seems that the
boat was seen by a passing vessel, since arrived in
London, on the day after their own ship foundered,
but it being thought or represented that they might
be pirates, the ship sailed away without rendering
them help. At that time the whole of the 16 men

were alive in the boat, but the want of food and

water and the intense heat soon began to tell upon
them, and they one by one perished, as before nar-
rated.

The Earl of Sandwich and Lady Emily Montagu
will leave town early in the ensuing week for a tour in