The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-30 00:00:00

BETTING AT MANCHESTER.-YESTERDAY.

There was a thin attendance to-day, and business
showed very little improvement on our last, the only new
feature observable being a disposition to lay against
Dervish and to back Ruby and Metcora for the Derby.
Latest prices :

CHESTER CUP.
1000 to 12 agst Indian Warrior (taken).
1000 to 12 agst Joe Miller (taken).
1000 to 12 agst Julia (taken).
500 to 5 agst Robin Hood (taken).
500 to 5 agst Crusader (taken).
500 to 5 agst Tom (taken).
1000 to 10 agst Black Doctor (taken).

DERBY.
61 to 1 agst Autocrat (taken to 251.)
14 to 1 agst Dervish (taken and offered).
25 to 1 agst Ruby (taken to 701.)
33 to 1 agst Meteora, (taken to 501.)
55 to 1 agst Old Noll (taken).
400 to 14 agst Old Noll and Papageno (taken).

SHIPWRECK OF A BRITISH SHIP, AND LOSS
OF TWO .HUNDRED AND FIFTY LIVES.

Yesterday the wreck of the British ship Lady Evelyn,
Captain M'Clellan commander, while on a voyage from
Hong Kong to San Francisco, was made known at
Lloyd's. No fewer than two hundred and fifty lives
were lost. The previous mail furnishes some brief intel-
ligence of a serious loss having occurred on one of the
Madjiscosema group of islands, and through the repre-
sentations of Lloyd's agents her Majesty's steamers,
Hermes, Capt. Fishbourne, and Salamander, Captain
Ellman, were despatched to the scene of the reported
catastrophe. It was then ascertained that the ill-fated
ship had gone upon a reef known as Richard Rocks, off
the south-east end of Typuisan, one of the group pre-
viously named, situate in lat. 24 42 N., long. 125 26 E.,
and of the number of souls who were on board only 30
had escaped, who were taken off the island by the
steamers, after being there upwards of two months.
The Lady Evelyn was the property of Messrs. Her-
ring, of Liverpool. She was a fine vessel of 875 tons,
built at Quebec in 1851, and was registered at Lloyd's as
Al, for four years. Towards the latter end of last year
she left London for Melbourne, and on her arrival at
that colony proceeded to Hong Kong, where she was
taken for the conveyance of a number of Chinese la-
bourers to San Francisco. She left that port on the
29th of June with a cargo consisting of granite slabs,
450 tons of rice, sugar, and other merhandise. In addi-
tion to 220 emigrants, of whom 40 were females, who
were shipped in her, she had several passengers, amongst
whom was an English gentleman, named Sutton, Major
Poore, of the American service, and two Portuguese
merchants ; her crew, comprising 22 European sailors
and two mates, Messrs. Mackay and AVltae. It was
observed on her leaving that she was down pretty deep
in the water, although not so much as some that had
quitted the port. For about a fortnight after leaving
she encountered contrary and baffling winds, in the
course of which she carried away her mainmast. Cap-
tain M‘Clellan bore up for Amoy, and having re-
plenished his stock of provisions and water, and mak-
ing good the damage which the ship had sustained,
he resumed the voyage on the 16th of July, tak-
ins, on board at Amoy another and a third officer,
Mr. Livingstone. On the night of the 17th the ship
cleared the north end of Fermosa. At daylight on the
19th the mercury in the barometer began to descend,
indicating the approach of bad weather, and shortly
afterwards a breeze set in from the S.S.E., with squalls.
At ten o'clock the wind increased to a gale, carry-
ing away the jibboom and maintop-gallant mast. At
four o'clock the next day (the 20th), an island was sighted
which was supposed to be Taysura, about 60 miles to
the eastward of the North Cape of Formosa. The gale
chopping round to the north-east, the crew wore ship,
and later in the day Captain AVClellan, finding the storm
gaining fearfully, shortened sail, bearing away under
furled mainsail and close-reefed fore and mizen topsails.
The wind again veered round to the northward, and the
ship's course was shaped E. by N. for 17 hours. The
storm continued to rage tremendously, splitting the sails
to threads, and causing the vessel to labour heavily.
She was then hove to with her head up to E.S.E. There
was no abatement in the violence of the weather on the
following day, and the mercury had so far dropped as
to be scarcely visible in the tube. The ship rolled away
the main and mizen mastheads, spanker, and main
spencer gaf. At one o'clock p.m. a reef of rocks was
noticed on the lea beam. They wore the ship and
cleared it, still no land was visible, the weather being
thick and hazy. About an hour afterwards land was
sighted on her lee beam, two miles distant. Its close
proximity immediately created the greatest alarm.
All hands were instantly employed to clew up fore-
sail and fore-topsail, together with a spare fore-top-
mast staysail on the stump of the mainmast; a tre-
mendous sea, however, prevented the possibility of their
weathering another reef, which they observed close in
on shore. As a last resource, both anchors were let go,
one took out 30 fathoms of chain, and the other 75
fathoms, but such was the force she was driving as to
cause the cables to drag on her bows. The ship held on
notwithstanding, although at times lying completely on
her broadside, until about 4 o'clock, when her stern
struck on to the ridge of the reef with such terrific
force as to break the vessel right in two. She parted
just abaft the mainmast. Long before this the helpless
Chinamen crowded the decks. Their whole energies
were devoted to filling the air with toss papers, and
shrieking frightfully. The moment after she struck the
stern and after-part of the ship drifted away, loaded
with human beings, not one of whom escaped, each suc-
ceeding sea sweeping them off into deep water. The
long boat remained on deck, and some 20 or 30 were
collected round, hoping to preserve themselves by it,
and in their effort to get the craft clear the mainmast
came down lengthways upon them, crushing the boat
and every one almost who was near it, to death. The
second mate, Mr. AVRae, one or two of the cabin pas-
sengers, and about 30 others, took to the fore-rigging,
which happily for them continued in an upright position,
no doubt kept so by the granite slabs which were in
that portion of the vessel which rested on the reef.
They had scarcely taken up their position, before the
fore part of the ship opened out in two parts, one
chain cable dragging the windlass through the bows.
The chief mate, Mr. Mackay, and three or four seamen,
were swept away on the bowsprit ; they were seen cling-
ing to it for some time afterwards, aid then disappear,
Those who had taken refuge in the foriPrigging continued
holding on till twelve o'clock the next day, when they
determined upon attempting to reach the shore. Whe-
ther they all succeeded has not been correctly ascertained;
but amongst those who were fortunate were Mr. M`Rae,
the steward, Mr. Gee, three able seamen named Purdy,
for two
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