The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-10 00:00:00

tht:. '__ .) brig would not leave US' until all were rescued 1
The raft's muster-roll was at once got out and twenty-
five names called over, commencing with the invalids;
all of whom were to go off in the canoe to the brig.
The writer's name was among the first called out, but,
for certain pressing reasons, which need not be here
mentioned, he preferred remaining on the raft till the
last. The canoe started with twenty-five passengers,
and was anxiously watched while the attempt was made to pull her through the breakers. After a
struggle this was aceumplistied, and their oars got out, -
and they were about to hoist the sail, when a sea struck
her and turned her broadside on the surf; into which
she was driven, and back on to the reef, narrowly:
oesvcearipoiandgpdb.esinog
twcaeplvseizetly
were sent in h
Her crew said sheer ;
ar
wtl
this time she got over in- safety, and made towards
aob on
ul
et: oefao they were placed. She
returned 3 theoa , bpi
which
h reegi bringingte
the
the h,
brig's
esroa n Vol .
_.
stopping outside, as they were afraid she would get stove'
if she struck the reef in the middle of the boiling
surf. The small boat took off seven • tigers to the
recdra
mi. , , , ,e. 3
th.
t: 0 h
canoe, and returned for seer is more, vsPirfisewhich she set
off; but, s hen in the leidsle of the surf, one wave.
seemed to lift her high iu the air, thee dash her round
broadside on, and capsizs her. 811, turned over and over
and was swept back on to the reef, Intl of wate
er, the
1 people who were in her being scattered about in
th surf.
Fortunately, all of them, ulcer a little, got a (*.wing
on
the reef, in four or five feet of wan r, and reached
the
raft in safety. 'The boat was baled clear of water, and a
few more seamen put into her, with tetra oars, and sal), -
four passengers allowed to go. This time she got safety.
through the surf,attd alongside the canoe, which went to
the brig, the small boot returning to the raft, It was
now getting late, and the brig sus,el out to sea for the
night. We dealt round the sugar and water and biscuit .
with some rashers of ham in sedition, a hieb we prepared - •
from our own stock. A lantere, sent from the brig on
purpose, was then hoisted en the ear signal•stsff ; and
we passed a pleasant night, compared with previous ones.
enjoying a secure sleep, with the little beat alongside, ,
and the brig net far off.
TUESDAY, FEB. 16.—AIL as.ir at 6 A.M., but no appears
ance of the brig. At 7 este each had two tattles
ot wine, an " Alacran cake," and a rasher of ham. At
eleven A.M. the brig hove insight comiWronjslaaWardt • and by two Pat. she_hove le, andateht og::Shectitineste s
us. We now ia#4l wiiiiiipeless to attempt: jetting the people conveyed through the surf. which appeared to
roar louder and rise with greater violence than before ;
and, should the boats strike the reef in trying to get
through the surf, they might get so much injured that
the brig might be compelled to lease the greater number
of us behind ; besides, it was dangerous for the brig to
be kept so near a lee shore, should a "norther " spring up. It was, therefore, proposed that the canoe should
come through the surf to us, to be employed with the
small boat in carrying us all at one time across the reef
to the southward, to the small island, where the brig
could go round and pick us up. This was agreed on
as our only chance of all reaching the brig in
safety. But there was no time to be lost ; there-
fore Captain Parsons gave orders to us to embark
forthwith, no one taking with him a single rag
more than was on his back. Some were disposed to
think this a severe order ; but when it was explained
that we numbered so many it might almost be im-
possible to get the boats to clear some of the sunken
rocks which studded the entire extent of the reef, and
that our lives depended on the boats drawing not one
inch more than our own weight would make them, all
set about embarking with cheerfulness ; before doing
which, however, every one knelt down on the raft, and
we offered up our united and fervent thanks to Almighty
God for his goodness. We took with us a few bottles of
wine, a little brandy to mix with the water in case
drinking too freely of the latter raw might be injurious,
and a ham ; bat with feelings of regret on the part of
all, we were compelled to leave the two poor black pigs,
the sole occupants of our raft. It was also with some
regret we were obliged to leave behind a case containing
some dozens of ready-made shirts and flannel vests, so
much needed by all. But there was no help for it, our
minds being made up so suddenly to cross the reef.
Captain Parsons was the last man to step from the raft
into the canoe. The arrangement was that the small
boat, iu charge of the chief officer and nine men, should
take the lead, with the canoe in tow, the small boat
steering by compass and guiding the canoe.
There were 42 people stowed in the canoe, and 10 in
the small boat. At five tem we shoved off in silence, all
basking back at the raft, which had stood our part so
long, with feelings mingled with regret, sorrow, and joy.
Our voyage, we knew, was attended with great danger ;
for, were our canoe to rums on a rock or reef, she might
turn over and drown perhups the whole of us, in fathoms
of water alongside. The second officer took his stand
in the bow ot the canoe, as she was obliged to take the
lead, and assisted by one of the natives of Sisal belong-
kg to the boat, with poles sounding, he kept a look out
fur reefs and danger. Sometimes we used the oars, and
at others the sail, the canoe often grating over the reefs, which made us shudder, till we had gone three or four
miles in the dark, when we thought it b at to come to an
anchor, about eight P.M. This was a trying night to all,
much worse than the raft, as we were all huddled to-
gether in a sitting posture, the wind blowing fresh, send-
ing the spray over us, and a heavy dew falling. It was
bitter cold, too, and it was with great delight all hailed
the first glimpse of returning live
WEDNESDAY, Fen. 17.—Sunrise brought us a lovely
morning. We offered up our thanks to God for his
pn.tection and goodness. and set sail towards the south.
After many times teuching on the rucks, at eleven
o'clock A.M. we reached a small island, on which there
was a hut, swarms. of girds, piisea..4..woo4, and -104,44,..e5,
our wreettrivhieti bed- floated attest ten miles, 'bailka,.. ->:,..
spars, clothes, and some dead bolies. The people in 4
small boat landed, thinking it was P. rez, but, as we
found it was not that island, the boats then were kept on
their course to the ssuth towards another small island,
which was seen about five miles ofl: We now had some
bread and cheese, with a little brandy and water, for
breakfast. About two P.M. we reached Perez, on
which we landed, observing the brig, at the same time,
about ten miles off, making towards us Perez is about
one mile long and one mil-. broad. Bird Island
is about the same size ; and another rather
longer island lies a few miles to the east-
ward of both. There are a few good huts
at Perez, built of the wreck of some ships, and
thatched with cane leaves. In one hut there are about a
dozen butts of fresh water, kept there by the fishermen
and turtlers, who resort thither from Campeachy and
Sisal. There are a few shrubs growing on the island,
which is all formed of sand, the highest part not being
more than 10 feet above the sea. We lighted a fire ii
one of the huts, broiled some bacon, and with some
bread and the fresh water we found in the casks we made
a good meal. The sun was very het all day. If we had
but had the luck to be cast away on an island like this,
' it would have been a perfect paradise compared with
our late quarters on the reef, where we had five slays and
five nights of much suffering.
The brig came round near to Perez, and the canoe
in two trips placed us all in safety on her deck by 5 P.M.,
when she set sail towards Sisal. On beard the brig there
was everything in the shape of kindness to us; and on
the following day we reached Sisal, where, having re-
ceived for a week the utmost kindness and hospitality,
we embarked on board the Emeliu for Ilavannah, where
we arrived on the 3d of March.

.Y .
~~' ~
Zt
,~ ,

When the inhabitants of the Havannah learned how
nobly Captain Camp and Mr. Villaverde, his chief mate,
had behaved in our rescue, a subscription, headed by the
Governor-General, was commenced for their benefit, as
a mark of hovi much their conduct was esteemed by all.
In a short time it had amounted to 4,000 dollars. When
the two noble officers for whom it was intended heard
about it, they at first refined to accept any part of it, in the
most kind and generous manner offering it for the benefit
of the widows and families of the poor men lost in the
Tweed; The Consul and all concerned said this should
not be, observing that the subscription made by the
people of Havannah was for their two noble-minded
countrymen ; and that surely " at home," the country-
men of the poor sufferers, on hearing of the sad catas-
trophe, which would bring destitution to many a poor
family, would as handsomely "do their duty."
It is to be hoped that the Government, and the Royal
Humane Societies, will not overlook the noble and
humane conduct of the captain and chief officer of the
Spanish brig Emilio. Her owners would not accept
any return for the four days employed in rescuing the
shipwrecked people off the reef.
The Tweed steamer .as launched in 1241, having
been built by Mr. Charles Wood, at Greenock. The en-
gines were made by Messrs. Caird and Co. She com-
menced running in January, 1842, and at the time of
her loss was almost as good as at the first, day of starting.
Captain Parsons is a master of 22 years' stend.ng in the
Royal Navy. lie joined the Royal Mail Steam-packet
Company's service in 1842, as chief officer of the Dee,
for one voyage. He then commanded the Medway for
one voyage ; after which he exchanged into the Tweed,
in which he had made five complete voyages to and from
the West Indies, three of which were to the Gulf of
Mexien. Many of the Tweed's men had been in her
since she first started running, and almost all had been
several voyages in her, some or the men having followed
Captain Parsons from ship to ship for ten years.

UcßocliSkPbAuTmlis..--patrh7onnitre
PARTICULARS.—The
the 27th.ult., was the scene of
THE MURDER
AvTici?itcyzoll
woosrtninugnnoafiuSraar murder.da3 The particulars are these :
Ain party of Irish ♦agrants, consisting of a mother, named
Mary Genie or Morran, and her sons and daughters,
James, Patrick, Mary, Helen, and Michael Morran, and
Francis Connel, no relation to them, but going along
with them—all of them in appearance in a most desti-
tute condition—made their appearance in Cockburnspath
on Friday, and during that day solicited charity in the
village. They lodged there all night, leaving early on
Saturday morning for the south. The boy Michael was
weakly, and apparently newly recovered from the small-
pox, and about the age of twelve years. He was along
with them when they left. They had not been long
on their way, when a man going along the road, at
a v. ry short distance from Cockburnspath, heard a
groan, and looking into a drain that passes under-
neath the road, found the boy, with a stone which
weighed einety-two pounds placed upon his cheat, and his
head tied up in a bag. When he was taken out, life
was fast ebbing, but he lingered on for two hours, when
death put a period to his sufferings. He was soon recog-
nised as one of the party who were seen in the place the
previous day. A search after them was immediately
made, and they were overtaken at Reston, and brought
to Dunse for examination, which continued until late
that evening, and was resumed on Tuesday, when they
were committed, and sent to Greenlaw gaol. The parts•
culars of the examination have not been made public.
But we learn that the mother, in her declaration, con-
fesses to the child being hers, stating that it died, and
she having no burial place here, put the body into the
drain. They were not in that destitute condition their
I appearance indicated, as on the person of the mother
was found money amounting to above 31.—Bore "
Warder.