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

STATIIMINT OF MR. FRANCIS DORIAN.

If the officers and men had remained by the ship, all
or nearly all of the passengers would have been saved.
They fled, and it was only until two hours after their
desertion that the main yard was lowered to enable
them to,form a raft. He says that with the masts, spars,
and the cutting off of the hurricane deck, a raft could
have been formed capable of carrying the whole of them.
He further states, that among the passengers on board
the Arctic he never saw men more coolly courageous,
and that their quiet resignation and implicit confidence
in the captain and officers of the ship were such as it is
impossible to surpass.
One incident particularly attracted his attention, and
that was the fidelity exhibited by a young gentleman
named Holland, of Washington, who was on board the
Arctic for the purpose of gaining instruction in engineer-
ing. He had been deputed by the captain to fire the
signal gun (when all others had fled), and amid the
melancholy wail he pursued his duty. When all hope
had fled, and the vessel nearly level with the sea, Hol-
land was seen busy at his gun. His last shot boomed
out as the Arctic sank, and he went down with her—
persevering in the strict performance of his duty.
To the wholesale desertion of the officers and men
Dorian attributes the great loss of life that followed.
Captain Luce, he says, behaved nobly throughout,
but towards the close his voice lost its power, and he
could scarcely find utterance for his words.
The last he saw of him he was standing on the star-
board paddle-box, and when the Arctic was engulphed
he looked long, but looked in vain, for the floating form
of his commander,
When, finally, they left the ship, with thirty-one in
one of Francis' metallic life-boats, it was necessary to use
despotic means to keep every man in the bottom of the
boat to prevent an upset. In this crouching position
they were kept, with the water within six inches of the
gunwale, for twenty-six hours, and the majority, when
rescued by the Huron, were unable to walk. On board
that ship they were treated with the greatest kindness,
the captain and sailors sharing everything they had with
the unfortunate men.

The New Yok Herald gives the following number :
Total number of passengers
.• officers and crew

Total 4Ol

Saved
Missing, supposed lost from the Arctic

The New York .Herald says :—When we announced
the terrible news, the metropolis assumed the appear-
ance of one great funeral. This feeling spread through
all classes of the community. The business streets,
usually so gay and bustling, were filled with little groups
of men whose solemn countenances showed that they
were fully impressed with the belief that no common
disaster had befallen the city. In the home circle the
matter was talked over in whispers, and everywhere was
expressed the deepest regret at the occurrence, and the
most profound sympathy for the relatives and friends
of those on hoard.
The ship Cambria arrived at Quebec (not Montreal).
She picked up the three following persons from the
Arctic :—Captain Luce. George F. Allan, of New York,
and James Smith, of Edinburgh.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ARCTIC.
The Arctic was the third built of the Collins line. She
was constructed in 1850 by Mr. Wm. H. Brown, at the
foot of Twelfth-street, East River, and bad been always
under the command of Capt. Luce. She was considered
one of the staunchest vessels ever built. Her hull was
encased with strong iron diagonal braces, in addition to
all the other modern improvements in shipbuilding that
could be applied to render her as strong as wood and
iron could possibly make her. Her tonnage was 2,856
75-95 the Government measurement, or about 3,500 car-
penters' measurement—the measurement usually em-
ployed in speaking of a vessel. Her dimensions were as
follows :—Length, 285 feet ; breadth of beam, 45 feet
(across the paddles 76), depth of hold, 32 feet Hi
inches. Her dining saloon was 75 feet long, and 20
wide, and the witliTirawing saloon 65 feet long by 40
wide; and by their rich and elegant style of furnishing
excited the surprise and admiration of everybody. The
machinery of the vessel was from the foundry 9f Mello,