The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-27 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTQBE.R 27, 1854.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENUE.

The Eurydice, 26, Captaia Ommanney, will go into
Portsmouth harbour this day to refit.
The Palter, screw gunboat, arrived at Portsmouth
yesterday morning after her trial cruise in the Channel,
which has fully developed her seaworthy and gunnery
qualities to the satisfaction of the inspecting officers,
who have made their report to the Admiralty. She
wont into Portsmouth harbour to replenish coal.
The Cossack left Sheerness yesterday for Devonport.
There is a private leak from some of the through pipes,
by which she has lately been snaking 30 inches every 24
hours. She ie to be docked there, in order to make
good this defect ; she takes with her despatches for the
Black Sea fleet, to be transferred to another ship either
at Portsmouth or Devonport, her destination under her
former orders having been countermanded. It ie re-
ported that she is to proceed towards the North Pole
under sealed orders ; certain it is several of her officers
have given their orders for warm clothing to be sent to
them at Devonport.
The Curlew remains in harbour at Sheerness, wait-
ing orders.
Surgeon William T. Domville, M.D. (1852), recently
serving as surgeon of the Resolute discovery-ship in the
Arctic regions, has been appointed to the Royal Marine
Infirmary, Woolwich, vice Dr. Jenkins, appointed to
the Britannia, 120, flagship on the Mediterranean and
Black Sea station, for service with the seamen on shore
at Sebastopol.
Lieutenant-Colonel William jolliffe, of the Woolwich
division, has been the first officer promoted to the rank
of Colonel of the Royal Marines under the new regula-
tions, after serving three years S 9 Lieutenant-Colonel,
his promotion to that rank having taken place on the 6th
of October, 1851. • •

ral officers for five years during peace, or for any shOrtir
period during war, which may appear to the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, with the sanctioia of
your Maje Sty, to give a just claim to hare their telinpo-
rary rank made permanent.
" 11 That any.first lieutenant, captain, or lieutenant-
colonel of Marines may be rewarded by prometioii for
brilliant service in the field or afloat ; such promotion
to be by brevet, and to be converted into rank on the
strength of the Marine cox ps, at the earliest period, that
consideration for tho claims of other officers, whoimay
have been senior, will admit, at the discretion of the'
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.
" 'l2. That the command of divisions of Marines be
given, without reference to senioritoy, to officers holding
the rank of colonel, whose services and qualifications
may seem best to justify their selection.
" 13. That the Lords Commissioners of the A,dmi-
ralty, with the sanction of your Majesty, and with the
concurrence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Forces,
should exercise the power of selecting officers of Marines
for special services abroad, and to give such local rank
or promotion, by brevet, to such officers as their merits
may appear to require, without regard to seniority in
the corps.

" 'l4. That the command of a general officer or of a
division of Marines, and situations on the staff of the
corps, shall not be held for more than five years,
except by reappointment.
" 'l5. That the names of all officers who may quit
the Marine corps in the rank of field officers, or having
the Order of the Bath, may be retained on the list in

" ' 16. That the retired full-pay list be prospectively
fixed for the Marine corps at 35,000/., being 6,0001.
more than the actual expense now incarred, for the full.
pay retirement of officers of all ranks ka_tha.maps,. and
being only a reasonable compensation for the loss of an
annual retirement of two lieutenant-colonels and two
captains recently granted, but not as yet in practical
operation, though it may not be necessary to reach the
maximum amount for some years.
"' 17. Each officer to receive a stop of rank, together
with the full-pay of the rank from which he retires, and
the existing restrictions as to the number in each rank
on the full-pay retired list, and the numbers who may
annually retire, to be done away with.
" 'ln addition to the foregoing recommendations, by
which the general regulations for the army may be made
applicable to the Royal Marines, it is suggested that the
field officers of the marine corps in its present strength
should be established as follows, viz.:—Four colonels
commandants, four colonels second commandants, 18
lieutenant-colonels, with one deputy-adjutant general,
with rank not inferior to that of colonel ; one assistant-
adjutant-general, with rank not inferior to that of lieu-
tenant-colonel ; two officers of Marines to hold the ap-
pointment of aides-de-camp to your Majesty to be
selected from the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and pro-
moted to be full colonel.

" In conclusion, we beg leave humbly to present to
your Majesty that the Lords of your Majesty's Treasury
have signified their concurrence in the proposed arrange-
ment.'

"Her Majesty having taken the said memorial into
consideration, was pleased, and by the advice of her
Privy Council, to approve of the propositions therein
contained ; and the Right Honourable the Lords Com-
misAioners of the Admiralty are to give the necessary
directions herein accordingly. _

" C. GREVILLE."

peller, we pasied twice round her, and then saw between
two and three hundred people on her deck. By order of
Captain Luce, ono boat, containing the first officer, Mr.
Gem-lie, the boatswain, and four or five sailors, was ;sent
to her relief ; but before they returned he ascertained the
fearful extent of the damage to our own vessel. The pro-
peller had struck her with terrible force, making a large
hole in her starboard bow, through which the water was
pouring in a torrent. Soon after the collision, I, with
others, rushed upon deck, having no apprehensions, how-
ever, as to her safety; but in a very short time r►e were
made aware of the terrible reality. The boat arrived from
the propeller, but Captain Luce refused to take the men
on board, as he knew they could -be of no assistance, and
that it was better to keep them in readiness to receive the
passengers. The firemen and engineers, driven from their
post by the water, now came on deck, increasing the num-
ber of the terror-stricken crowd.

Every one now prepared himself for the worst. The
life-preservers were brought into requisition, and a portion
of the crew set themselves to work in the construction of
rafts. The two fore-yard arms were cut down and lashed
together' making a raft about forty feet long and three or
four feet wide. I was engaged with the rest in making
this raft, and Mr. Dorian, the third mate, toqk a most ac-
tive part in the work. When it was finished, we launched
it on the larboard side, and in a few minutes after there
were about 70 persons clinging to it, four of whom were
women. Several ether nails were made, but none of them
so large as that on which I was engaged. Doors, barrels,
and, in fact, everything that floated was used. On some
of these there were two or throe, but the largest could not
support more than four or five.
I remained on the vessel till she sank, when I went down
with her. I had been employed a taw minutes before with
two others, one of whom was called " Tom the store-
keeper," in lashing some casks together, when I was driven
away by the water, which was now rushing in with fear-
ful impetuosity. Jumping upon the paddle-box, I sprang
on the saloon deck, and in an instant was engulphed in
the surging waters, which soon closed over our heads.
Down, down we sank with our noble vessel into the bosom
of the ocean, and the terrible thought toot: possession of
my mind that I was drowning ; that I should never see my
dear friends and my home again. I retained my conscious-
ness, however, all the time I was under the water, and it
was with a feeling of intense joy that I found, after about
half a minute, that I was rapidly rising towards the sur-
face. It was all darkness before, but now I could see a dim
light above me, and in a few seconds I was on the top of
the water struggling for life. Being a good swimmer, and
having besides the support of a life-preserver, I succeeded
in reaching a door, which was floating a few feet from
where I rose. I looked around me, but there was no trace
of the vessel except a few loose timbers and the rafts which
were floating about, some with and others without passen-
gers. Finding Icould not retain my hold of the door with
safety, I left it, and swam to a barrel which lay a few feet
from me : from this I again swam to the large raft, which
had, as I have said, about seventy persons clinging to it.
The sea, though not strong, was rough, and the waves, as
they dashed over it, washed away a portion of its living
freight. I shall never forget the awful scene. There we
were, in the midst of the ocean, without the slightest hope
of assistance, while every minute one or more of our unfor-
tunate fellow passengers were dropping into their watery
grave from sheer exaustion. Those who had life pre-
servers did not sink, but floated with their ghastly faces
upwards, reminding thoss who still remained alive of the
fate that awaited them.

In the midst of all this, thank'heiven, I never lost bops,
but retained my courage to the last. One by one I saw nay
unfortunate companions drop off ; some of them floated off,
and were eaten and gnawed by fishes, while others were
washed under the raft, and remained with me till I was
rescued. I could see their faces iu the openings as they
were swayed to and fro by the waves, which threatened
every moment to wash them off. The raft at one time was
so crowded that many had to hold on by ono hand. Very
few. words were spoken by any, and the only sound we
heard was the splash of the waters or the heavy breathing
of the poor sufferers, as they tried to recover their breath
after a wave had passed over them. Nearly all were sub-
merged to the arm-pits, while a fow could with great diffi-
culty keep their heads above the surface. The women were
the first to go. They were unable to stand the exposure
more than three or four hours. They all fell off the raft
without a word, except one poor girl, who cried out, in
intense agony, " Oh, my poor mother and sisters."
When I was about 18 hours on the raft there were not
more than three or four left. One of these gave me what
appeared to be a small map, but which I understood him
to.say was a sort of title-deed to his property. In a few
moments after I took it, he toe unloosed his hold and was
added to the number that floated about the raft.
I endeavoured to get the paper into my pocket, but
found this impossible on account of my cramped posi-
tion, so I placed it between my teeth, and held there till
I was overwhelmed by a wave, when I lost my hold of it,
and it was washed away. Another, who had an oiled
skin ceat on, called on me, for Heaven's sake, to assist
him, as his strength was rapidly failing, and he must fall
off if not relieved. As he was about four or five feet from
me it was difficult to reach him ; but, after considerable
exertions, I succeeded in doing so, and helped him with one
of my knees until I become quite faint, when I was
obliged to leave him to his fate. Poor follow, lie promised
me, if ho ever got to New York alive, he would reward me
well. He clung with terrible tenacity to life, but he, too,
dropped off in bia turn.
I was now left alone on the raft ; not a solitary
being was alive, out of seventy ; but still my hope con-
tinned strong. The night of the second day was
about closing on me, and during the whole time I
had been in the water I had not eaten a particle
of anything or drunk a chop. My strength I round
was beginning to give way, and my sight had become
so dim that I could not perceive objects a few feet off;
oven the ghastly faces of the dead, that looked up at ins
from under the raft, were hardly discernible. I determined
on making ono more effort for life; I raised mysel on
my knees upon the raft, and through the-dusk of the even-
ing I saw, or thought I saw, a vessel. My strength seemed
to revive, and in a few minutes I heard the voices of per-
sons in a boat approaching me. Ten minutes more and I
too would have gone, but Providence had mercy ou
and after twenty-six hours' exposure I wad by its mercy
preserved from a watery grave. The boat, I afterwards
learned, belonged to the Huron, and was manned by Mr.
Dorian, the third mate of the Arctic, Captain Green, one
of the passengers, and some sailors. One of the men
caught hold of me by the collar, and dragged me into the
bow of the boat, where I lay in the last stage of exhaustion
till I was transferred on board the Huron, from which
vessel I was placed on the Lebanon, and finally on the
pilot b oat Christian Berg, on board of which I arrived at
this port.