The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-30 00:00:00

(LICET SPEAKING.)

HOUSE OF OOMHONS—(THIS EVENING.)
The Speaker took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the following bills were
considered and agreed to : Great Grimsby Improve-
ment; Irwell Valley Waierworks ; Runcorn and Weston
Canal.
The following bilbi were read a third time and
passed :—Eastern Counties Railway (Woodford and
Loughton) ; London and South Western Railway
(Basingstoke and Saliribury Branch) ' • Midland Railway
(Leicester and Hitchin) ; Thames Haven Dock and
Railway ; London Docks.
The following bills were considered, and ordered to
be read a third time :—.Black Dog Road ; Sidney Sussex
College Estate ; Stafford Shire Hall.
PIiITMONS.
Mr. BROTHERTON presented a petition from the
:Law Association of Manchester, against the Registra-
tion of Assurances BilL
Mr. DUNCAN presented a petition from Dundee,
praying for the abolition of University Tests.
Mr. GREGSON presented a petition from Lancaster,
in favour of the Combination of Workmen's Bill.
LANCASTER ELECTION.
The SPEAKER acquainted the house that he had
-received a letter from the agent stating that it was not
:intended to proceed with the petition in the Lancaster
case.

.Mr. Sergeant SHEE presented a petition from
law
Union prayingmight, be
that
the medical ffi an
Irish
paid out of the consolidated fund.
Mr. T. BARNES o cers of poor
presented a petition from a Dis-
isenting body, praying for the abolition
of church rates.
Mr. HUME
pr
increase the distillers of
"Montrose against the proposed
a petition from te/spirits.
Lord GODERICH presented ase in the duties on
a Petition from
Klersfield in favour of the Combination of Wor k mileand' e
13ill.
Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition frora about 40 of
-the principal calico printers of Lancashire,
.of the establishment of a censorship of
u complainingt
borough House, and praying the house to take at
Mti'' art-
n of
'the matter. Also, a petition from the silk
smaell\eae
weavers of Manchester, in favour
number of petitions from
of the Combinationro
'Workmen's Bill ; and a large f
',building societies in IVlanchester, against the Registra-
lion of Assurances Bill.
Mr. CROSSLEY presented a Petition from Halifax,
favour of the Corabination of Workmen's Rill.
from
Mr. A. HASTIE presented several petitions
-various Scotch hanks, against the consolidation of the
,London and Edinburgh, Goatees.
' Mr. FOX presented a petition from the shoemakers

of Oldham, praying that the Combination of Workmen's
Bill may pass into law.
Several 1101 i. MEMBERS presented petitions in favour
of medical reform.
RIVER FERGUS.

Mr. J. FITZGERALD wished to ask the Chief
Secretary for Ireland whether it was the intention of
Government to take any step, by legislation or other-
wise, to ensure the completion of the drainage works of
the river Fergus, and thus protect -the town of Ennis
from periodical inundations?
Sir J: •YOUNG said the subject of the drainage of
this river had been referred to the Commission of Works
in Ireland, and he could not give an answer until he ob-
tained their report.
Mr. J. FITZGERALD wished to ask the Chief Secre-
tary for Ireland whether it was the intention of Govern-
ment* to place the medical officers for poor relief in Ire-•
land on' the same footing as in England, in re-
ference to the payment of half of their salaries
out of the Consolidated Fund ; and also, whether it was
the intention of Government to make any provision for
the relief of the Poor Law Unions in Ireland from the
payment of any part of the Poor Law Establishment
expenses with which they were at present charged ?
Sir J. YOUNG said the question must be put to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, as it came within his de•
partment.

MALLOW MAIL.
Mr. V. BROWNE wished to ask the Secretary of the
Treasury whether any cbntract has been, or is about to
be, entered into by the Post-office authorities, for the
conveyance of the mails, for one year, between' Mallow
and Killarney, by a one horse cart, although the railway
between those towns will be opened in the course of a

few days ?
Mr. WILSON replied in the affirmative, adding that
the hours at which the railway company ran their trains
did not suit the convenience of the public.

KAFIR WAR.
Mr. ADDERLEY wished to ask Lord John Russet
whether he would allow the postponement, if necessary,
of the vote in Supply for the Kafir war, until the pro
mired papers on that subject are presented.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the papers would be laid on
the table shortly, but the vote would not be taken till
they were before the house.
AFFAIRS OF TURKEY. •
Mr. DISRAELI said he wished to ask the noble
ford the member for the City of London a question re-
pecting the present state of the affairs of Turkey, and
perhaps the house would permit him, in doing so, to
preface his question with a brief statement, although his
doing so might contravene the regulations of the house.
To make the question intelligible, it was necessary that
he should draw the attention of the house to dates.
The house was aware, that since Friday last, when
he addressed a question to the Government on the sub-
ject of our relations with the Porte, the Russian am-
bassador, Prince Menschikoff, quitted Constantinople
because hie ultimatum had been refused. It appeared
that Prince Menschikoff left Constantinople on the 22nd
inst., and to communicate between Constantinople and
St. Petersburg would require seven days. Prince Men-
schikOff therefore would not reach St. Petersburg until
the 29th of this. month. - Now, assuming for a moment
that the Emperor of Russia might wish to act instantly
and with decision upon Constantinople, which he could
do, as he had a considerable fleet and military force at his
command, they must remember that it would take seven
days to pass from St. Petersburg to Sebastopol. This
would bring the dates down to the sth June, four days would
be required to effect the passage between Sebastopot
and the entrance to the Straits,' and that would bring
the dates down to the 9th June ; but it would be impos-
sible for a Russian fleet to obtain a complete entrance into
the Straits until the llth June. Assuming that there would
be no. considerable opposition to their entering the Straits
from the Black Sea, the Russian forces Would, by the
latter date, be enabled to pass the Dardanelles, and,
obtaining possession of the castles, prevent any other
fleet entering. Having stated these details to the house,
which were absolutely necessary to explain the point of
his question, he begged to observe that on Saturday last,
after the minister had thought proper to give directions for
our admiral at Malta to proceed with the British fleet to
the Dardanelles, he could have. done so vici Marseilles,
as there was a steamer waiting fee the purpose at the
moment, and our admiral would have received his in-
structions by the 2d of June. It would take seven days
for Admiral Dundas to proceed from Malta to the Dar-
danelles, and therefore he would arrive on the 9th, exactly
two days before the Russian armament could make its
appearance. Now, the question he wished to put was
this, whether, taking the contingencies to which he had
referred into consideration, the Government had issued
instructions to the Admiral at Malta to proceed with the
fleet to the Dardanelles.
Lord J. RUSSELL—Sir, in the present state of the
relations between Russia and Turkey, I must decline
answering the question which the right hon. gentleman
has put to me ; and I beg leave to add, that if he will
give notice of any motion that he may intend to make
on the subject, the Government will be ready to defend
he course which they have taken. (Loud cheers.)

AMERICA.

-
LIVERPOOL, MAY 28.
By the Royal mail steamship Asia, Lott com-
mander, we have advices from New York to the
18th inst. She has brought $615,450 in specie on

freight.
The Asia passed the following vessels :—On the
18th, the ship Meta, of Bremen, going into New
York ; on the 20th, the ship Union ; on the 21st,
at 4.45 a.m., the steamer Franklin, from Cowes,
for New York • on the 24th, at 3.50 p.m., the
screw steamer City of Manchester, from Liverpool,
for Philadelphia ; and, on the, 27th, the bark St.
Andrew, steering north-west.
The captain of a schooner, arrived at New York
from Florida, reported that, when about 100 miles
north of Matinilla Reef, Bahamas, he was spoken
by a British barque, from New Orleans, bound to
Liverpool with cotton, who reported having picked
up on the previous day 25 passengers of an Ame-
rican ship, and wished Captain Nickerson to take
them on board. Owing, however, to the latter's
vessel being of small tonnage, with a -very short
supply of water and provisions, and filled with a
large cargo of timber, he could not take them. The
barque also reported that she had previously spoken
a brig, which lad declined taking them off.
The owner of the clipper ship Sovereign of the
Seas, having challenged any other vessel to run her
between New York and San Francisco, the captain
and builder of a newly launched vessel, called the
Young Ameridan, had offered to back their vessel
_ _

for $lO,OOO.
The caloric ship Ericcson was undergoing eaten-
The
alterations in her machinery, and would not
be ready to sail for Europe for several months.
A contributionsa had arrived at New York
with for the Crystal Palace Exhibi-
.

•
tion.
Accounts from New Brunswick mention that the
Lieutenant-Governor had had three of his ribs
broken by a fall from his horse, which was attacked
by a dog. W. B. Taylor, of Liverpool, Upper
Canada, and formerly a member of the Provincial
Parliament, had committed suicide by shooting
himself with a pistol. The Countess of Elgin had
been safely delivered of a son.
The following communication was received at
New York, a short time previous to the Asia's sail-
ing, by telegraph from Canada
"Wonderful discovery of gold and other minerals by
Professor Logan. Gold has been found in large quanti-
ties all along the Magog river. Great excitement in
British American Land Shares, which, bring enormous
prices. Masses of the people are rushing to Sherbrooke,
the centre of the excitement."
The committee appointed by the House of As-
sembly at Quebec to investigate and report upon
the subject of the fisheries presented their report
on the ,11th inst. The document, which is lengthy,
sets forth the disadvantages under which persons
engaged in the fisheries in the Gulf of St. Law-
rence and on the coast of Labrador labour, pre-
scribes the best means of removing them, and ad-
vocates the expediency of legislative encourage-
ment for such fisheries. -
We have intelligence from Kingston, Jamaica,
to the 9th inst. On the 4th the Assembly passed
the following resolution :
" That in consequence of the rejection of the Revenue
Bill by the second branch of the Legislature, and the
recklessness and utter disregard of the interests of the
colony thereby displayed, this house feels that it cannot,
with any confidence, continue to originate legislative
measures for the benefit of its constituents ; and, in
self-respect, and in Vindication of the rights of the people,
'it declines to do further business with the Hon. Board
of Council."
This resolution brought things to a stand, and the
house asked the Governor for a recess, which he
refused, and the house adjourned to the 13th. The
above resolution called forth the following from the
Council :
"That the assertions contained in it (the Assembly's
resolution) are as unfounded in.fact as they are a gross
violation of the usages and customs of Parliament, and
a wanton insult to tie honour and dignity of the Council
as an independent branch of the Legislature."'
" The Governor," says a correspondent of the
New York Herald,
"Then finding this attitude assumed, prorogued
the house until the 17th. inst., until which it stands
prorogued. There is every probability that on the
17th the Assembly will pursue the same line of policy,
in which case the only thing left: to the Governor
will .be a dissolution. But .this will not alter
matters, for I am sure the next house will follow
the footsteps of the present one. In the interim,
of course, there is no revenue hill. The Rum Duty Bill,
levying a duty of about 30,0001. on rum consumed in the
island, has also been thrown out by the Council, because
of an appropriation clause similar to the one in the Im-
port Duty Bill. By this rejection an additional 30,0001.
has been sacrificed since the 30th of April, upon which
day the revenue bills expired. Speculations are of course
going on. One merchant has sent a small vessel to Cuba
to load with tobacco, while others, in anticipation of the
crisis, have written for large cargoes to the States. If
they arrive in time great loss to the coujitry will ensue."
The Illinois had arrived at New York, from As-
pinwall, with $2,265,248 in gold-dust on freight.
The weather was excessively warm, and the pub-
lic health good.
From Vera Cruz we have advices, vl4 Havannah.
The Avon arrived at the latter port on the 9th with
ex-President Arista on board, and advices to the
sth, which have been partially anticipated by tele-
groh. Many newspapers had been suppressed, and
the liberty of others restricted. A decree of General
Santa Anna dismissed from • the army all those
officers Who had voluntarily constituted themselves
prisoners to the North American army which
invaded the Republic in 1847. General Arista was
put on board the Avon at Vera Cruz under an
armed guard, who had instructions, in case the
stoarner had left, to hold him as prisoner in the
castle of San Juan de Ulloa, until an opportunity
offered to send him out of the Republic, to which
he is not to return until permitted to do so by the
Government. Santa Anna had been decorated with
the Grand Cross of Charles 111. of Spain, sent to
him by Queen Isabel through her Ambassador to
Mexico. Rumours of the intended annexation
of Mexico to the Spanish Crown were very prevalent.
The Common Council of Tampico having refused
to acknowledge Santa
.Anna as President,. the
whole body were made prisoners by General Woll,
the military Governor of that place, and sent to
Mexico. The smallpox and cholera had made their
appearance at Vera Cruz, and a considerable num-
ber of cases had occurred.
. The following is a list of the new Foreign Minis-
ters.:—General Almonte, Washington ; J. Ramon.
Pacheco, France ; General trrage, Prussia ; Cas-
tillo Y. Lanzas, England ; Manuel Larrainzar,
Rome ; Buenaventura Viro, Madrid.
A good business had been 'transacted in the
New York stock market, and at improving prices.
Money abundant at per cent. for loans on call,
and 6 to 61 for four to six months. Exchange
not quite so firm ; bills on London, 1091 to
10s1 ; Paris, 5.121 to 5.131 ; Amsterdam, 40
to 41± ; Bremen, 79i to 79i ; Frankfort, 40k
to 41. Cotton in good demand at very firm
prices, with sales for the three days of 7,200
bales. Flour had receded about 61, cents. per
barrel on the ordinary brands. Wheat in good de-
mand, the market being barely supplied. Indian
corn firm and in good demand for export. For
mess pork a good inquiry existed at improving
prices. Beef dull and heavy. Cut meats in mode-
rate request. Lard, butter, and cheese unaltered.
Scotch pig iron in limited demand at $32 to $33 per
ton, usual credit. Freights to London.--Tobacco,
30s. per hhd. ; flour, 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per barrel ;
turpentine, 2s. ; measurement goods, 28s. to 30s.
per ton.

WRECK OF THE
LOSS L
A vessel had arrived at New York with the
captain, first and second mates, and six of the crew
of the barque William and Mary, which foundered
on the 3d inst. at Storrey's Key, Bahamas Islands,
with 170 passengers on board, nearly all of whom
perished. The William and Mary (a Baltimore
vessel) left Liverpool in March last for New Or-
leans, with 208 passengers, principally Irish, Scotch,
and German emigrants. On the 3d inst. they
entered the dangerous channels of the Bahamas
with the most unfavourable weather ; the sky was
clouded, the wind blowing strong from the south-
east, with a heavy sea. bout 7 o'clock in the
morning the bark passed " the Hole in the Wall,"
the most southern point of the Island of Abaco, so
called from one of the most prominent rocks on
the
coast being perforated with a large hole, which is
visible from a considerable distance at sea. Passing
this in safety Captain Stinson steered for Stirrup Key,
which at 12 m. was 10 miles distant, the weather
becoming more clouded and the wind increasing.
Till the afternoon the vessel kept on her course
without accident of any kind, but at half-past 8
o'clock she.struck on a sunken rock, on which she
remained for about 15 minutes, during which time
she received extensive damage. The captain, it
appears, had at sunset lost sight of the Key, and
supposed that it lay to the south, as he had steered
north-west from 12 o'clock. A few minutes before
the accident, however, he changed his course, steer-
ing west by south, and did not discover his mistake
until the moment the barque struck. The scene
presented on board the doomed vessel at this mo-
ment was terrible in the extreme. About 15
minutes elapsed before she wore off ; but she had
scarcely got clear of this rock wiien she struck on
another; and began to fill with water so rapidly as
to render all labour at the pumps utterly useless.
At midnight the water had gained so rapidly on
the sinking vessel that it was four feet in the hold,
and at 4 a.m. eight feet. Scarcely had the day
dawned when it was announced that there were 10

feet of water in the hold, and the pumps were '
abandoned in despair. The boats—the last resort
of the terror-stricken passengers—were unshipped
from the davits, but of four or five all except two
were swamped. The captain and his crew, and
about 30 passengers got into these ; the remainder,
numbering little less than 200 souls, being left,
from terrible necessity, to their fate. There they
stood on the deck, vainly calling for that assistance
which it was impossible to render without risking
the lives of the few who had got into the boats. In
a few minutes after they left the vessel went down,
and all on board, numbering about 170 human
beings, perished. It would appear that one of the
boats was manned entirely by the crew, all the
passengers being crowded into the other. This,
however, is uncertain, it being supposed that there
were three or four of the crew in the boat contain-
ing passengers. After beating about for some
hours the captain, first and second mates, and crew,
were taken up by Captain Edward Cobb, of the
brig Reuben Carver, bound from Sagua La Grande
to this port. The haste in which they were com-
pelled to leave the vessel rendered it impossible for
them to save any property, and some were glad to
escape only half dressed. Captain Cobb reported
that he saw the passengers taken up by a vessel
which he supposed to be English, so that no appre-
hension need be entertained for the passengers who

-
made their escape in it.
One of the sailors was of opinion that some of
the passengers might have formed a raft and saved
themselves upon it, or by floating on some frag-
ments of the vessel. This he considered not at all
improbable, as there were two or three sailors left
behind on the vessel, and these he believed would
have devised some such means of saving themselves
and. some of the passengers. Should they have
done so, they would not be long floating about
before they would be picked up by. some vessel, as
the place where the William and Mary foundered
is a general highway to vessels bound south. Of
the rescued passengers not more than three or
four were woinen, and these flung themselves
precipitately over the side of the sinking vessel
into the boat. Several were severely hurt in
jumping into the boat, and some leaped into the
water in their efforts to escape. One of the
sailors, named John Best, says that the boat
was so crowded that they were seriously debating
the propriety of drawing lots to see who should
go overboard, as it was feared that the boat
would be swamped. The poor fellow was stand-
ing on the side of the vessel just as the rope
which held the boat was, about to be cut, and asked
the mate if he should jump ; but receiving no en-
couragement from him, he was about giving himself
up for lost, when he thought that by rendering
some service he might be allowed to get into the
boat. Knowing that they were in Want of a sail,
he took one of the ship's skysails and handed•it to
those in the boat, who, although the boat was
already overcrowded; could not refuse him a chance
for his life. The rope was cut by another sailor,
named Ridley, who then jumped into the water
and was taken on board.
The following is a detailed account of the catas-
trophe, written by the captain of the unfortunate
vessel, addressed to the New York Herald :
" The William and Mary sailed from Liverpool for
New Orleans on the 24th of March, with an assorted
cargo and 208 passengers, including the cook and stew-
ard. Nothing of particular moment occurred during
the passage, save the deaths of 14 persons and one
birth, until after passing the Hole-in-the-Wall, on the
morning of the 3d of May. The wind was blowing fresh
from east-south-east, and the weather partially cloudy.
I found it necessary to carry a heat'y press of sail in
order to make the Isaacs before dark. Up to 12 m.
Stirrup Key bore south 10 miles. I then shaped my
course west by north, for the point of Soundings, north
of the Great Isaacs, when the 'weather became still
more cloudy and unfavourable, with a heavy sea.
Owing to these circumstances it was impossible to
get the sun's altitude, that we might determine how
far we were to the westward. 'At sunset, , about
seven o'clock, the weather became very thick, and
the wind increased in squalls, changing to ;the south-
east. At eight p.m., judging ourselves to the north-
ward and westward of Great Isaacs, kept the ship
west by south, and commenced heaving the lead ; at
8 found no bottom in 20 fathoms ; at 8.15 the same ; at
8.30 struck on a sunken rock and hung about midships,
with 10 fathoms water all around. After pounding
heavily about 'l5 minutes she went off and struck on
another rock within a few rods of the first, when she
pounded a -few times and went off. We then let go the
anchors and commenced getting out the boats, the pas-
sengers at the. pumps, but could not keep her free. At
12, midnight, found four feet of water in the hold 4
a.m.,, weather black and squally, with a heavy sea, eight
feet water in die hold,. both pumps going ; 7 a.m., 10
feet water and the ship going down ; mates and crew in
the boats, together' with as many passengers as could be
stowed in the longboat and lifeboat, the other two boats
having been stove after launching. At that time the
passengers abandoned the pumps in despair, and finding
it utterly impossible to save the whole of -them it was•
'with the greatest difficulty that could induce them to
launch the longboat, so great was their fear of being
swamped. I should state at this time (7 a.m. 4th of
May), the Great Isaacs bore east-south-east six or seven
miles, the wind blowing heavy from the south-east in
squalls, so that it was impossible for us to have reached
them against the wind and sea unless we ran the risk of
losing the lives of those we had been so fortunate in
saving from the sinking vessel. The only resort now
left us was to keep our boats before the wind and the
sea, in the hope of reaching the Florida coast. Half an
hour after we left the ship she disappeared, and we sup-
posed that she had gone down, together with, probably,
170 passengers and one or two of the crew and the ship's
steward. At,l2m. a barque hove in sight, bound up the
Gulf, which proved to be an English vessel. The lifeboat .
in which I was too far to leeward to be seenby the
bark, but she fortunately fell in with the longboat, con-
taining the passengers and some of the crew, and picked
them up. The number of passengers and crew in the
longboat was, as near as I could judge, about 20. At
1 o'clock a brig hove in sight, which proved to be the
Reuben Carver, of Rockland, Maine, Captain Cobb,
bound from Sagua la Grande to New York. She was,
at the time we boarded her, under close-reefed foretop-
sail and two-reefed mainsail. As Captain Cobb's con-
duct in not looking after the sinking vessel has been
censured in some quarters, I desire to state here that it
wculd have been perfectly impossible to have beat his
vessel against the wind, sea, and Gulf stream, to reach
the William and Mary, even if she had been afloat,
which it would have been foolish to suppose."
One of the surviving seamen gives' the following
account :
"We weighed anchor on the 24th of March, and set
sail on the same day from Liverpool, bound for New
Orleans ; the wind was favourable, and the passengers
seem happy in anticipation of a pleasant and prosperous
voyage. The wind continued favourable for us two or
three days, until we were safely out from the channel,
which is most dreaded by seamen. Nothing transpired
after this worthy of note for some days, when we expe-
rienced a very heavy gale from the south-west, which
lasted nearly two weeks; the ship being loaded very
deep with iron, and that being all in the lower hold,
caused her to roll very badly ; indeed, sometimes it was
impossible to get about the deck with safety. • After
this we were highly favoured, not haiing occasion to
reef topsails again. The passengers were all in good
health and spirits, except the Germans, 13 of whom
died, during the passage.. Of these the most were chil-
dren—all, I think, except three or four. There were
15 deaths during the passage in all, the other two being
Irish. On the 3d inst. we made-land about 2 a.m., and
ran down and passed the lighthoute on the Hole-in-the-
Wall about 7 a.m., with a strong breeze from the south-
east. This we passed safely, and made Stump Key to
the leeward at half-past 10. At 12 they were still visible.
Everything passed on as usual during the rest of the
afternoon, and at 5, as was our usual custom, we got
supper. This night, however, the starboard watch were
engaged in shortening sail. It was my watch below from
6 to 8, though I spent most of it en deck. I don't remember
seeing the passengers more cheerful than they were this
evening. I conversed with a number relative to their
intentions on their arrival, the friends they expected to
meet, and their prospects. At 8 p.m. I bade them good
night, and in obedience to the command of the mate
went aloft and helped to furl the mainsail. After exe-
cuting a few other orders, it being my lookout, I went
forward and relieved it, as near as I can remember,
about half-past 8. When I stepped on the forecastle I
heard the mate order the lead to be carried forward.
The man had just picked it up and got forward with it
-when she struck. Orders were given immediately to
brace the yards round, which was done as soon as possi-
ble, but without effect. By this time the passengers
were all on deck, running and screeching, We are lost,
we are lost and crowding the deck so that it was
almost impossible to get from one part of the ship
to the other. The captain ordered the boats to be
cleared and launched. The two lifeboats were launched
first, and four men got into the starboard boat, taking
with them two cans of water, a compass and some bread.
They remained in the boat all night, and with the
greatest difficulty kept her from being stove. The lar-
board boat was safely launched, and but about half-an-
hour after was stove under the quarter. This was
caused by the decks being so crowded aft that the boat
could not be dropped astern. The boat at the cranes
was so filled.by the passengers that they bent the cranes
down to the water. This boat was stove also. The long-
boat was still remaining on the after house, unfit to be
launched without caulking. Part of the crew were or-
dered, however, to get that ready, and the remainder to
lay forward and get ready to cut away the mast. The
ship was now rolling very heavily, the sea breaking over
her every few minutes during the squalls. Some of the
head stays were cut, and everything got ready to let
the foremast go over board, but the captain gave orders
not to cut it, as the sails kept the ship from rolling. We
were'then ordered to lay aft, and do what we could to
get the longboat ready to launch, after which we com-
menced caulking, tearing up our quilts, for the cotton,
to caulk with. We had been there but a few minutes
when' she west off the rock ; all expected she would sink
immediately. Her anchors were let go as soon as pos-
sible, and after drifting a few rods she struck again so
heavily that it prostrated many on the deck, and it was
evident to all that the ship could not possibly stand
many more such shocks. The scene was now dreadful
beyond description. Some were upon their knees, pray-
ing for the Lord to have mercy upon them—some were
crying, others were running catching hold of the officers
and crew, begging them to save them, telling them that
they were unfit to die, that they were unprepared to