The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-03 00:00:00

SHIPWRECK IN PEVENSEY-BAY.
HASTINGS, DEC. 31.—An inquest was held to-day at
the Star Inn, Pevensey, before Mr. John Phillips (who
acted as coroner in the absence of Mr. J. G. Shorter),
OR the body of a passenger of the Two Corneliuses,
named Gronwald, who, it was supposed, was drowned
in the above vessel. It appears that the Two Come-
liness, bound for Amsterdam, was. a Dutch vessel of 750
tons burden, and had come from Batavia laden with
a valuable cargo, consisting of indigo, sugar, coffee,
packages of blocked tin, and cane. On Sunday morning
last, about two o'clock, she was in Pevensey-bay, and
while the captain was below he heard a noise, and on
proceeding on deck he discovered she had struck. He
attempted to put her to sea, but to no purpose. The wind
at the time blew a perfect gale, and the sea ran moun-
tains high. Guns were fired off as signals of distress,
which being heard at one of the Martello Towers (55
station), a mounted coastguardsman was immediately
dispatched to Eastbourne (about seven miles distant) for
the life-boat, which was as soon as possible put off at
Langley-point to render the poor fellows assistance. The
crew who manned the boat acted with extraordinary
bravery and coolness; and, notwithstanding the violence
of the gale and the roughness of the sea, they succeeded
in reaching the vessel (about a mile distant from shore
and a short distance e istward of Beachey-head), and
landed ten in safety. Aboat seven o'clock twenty more
of the crew were landed in the ship's boat in a state
of great exhaustion, but through the kindness of
Lieutenant Nickoll they were plentifully supplied
with restoratives. They lost the whole of their
clothes, send were miserably clad. On a representation
being made to the agent at Eastbourne to the Ship-
wrecked Mariners' Society, they were supplied with
articles of clothing. The whole of the crew having
been landed, as was supposed, some of the brave coast-
guardsmen ascertained that there was one poor fellow (the
deceased) lashed in the rigging. One of them, named
Driscoll, desired to go off to render him assistance ; but
Lieut. Nickoll said that as it was thought the poor fellow
was dead, having been ill for two months previously, and
almost dead when the vessel struck, it was useless for
him to risk his and the others' lives. Driscoll then ex-
claimed, with great emotion, " Then, Sir, I'll swim out'
to him, for I can't bear to see a fellow creature there."
Lieutenant Nickoll then gave leave, and Driscoll, with
the Ashdown, John Yeates, Henry Veerhault, and Wm.
Henry Selley, put off in a boat, and after many narrow
escapes, the sea continuing very rough, they reached the
vessel, when they discovered the poor fellow suspended
in the rat-lines quite dead.
The jury, having heard the evidence, returned a ver-
dict, that Deceased died from natural causes, accelerated
by exposure to cold.
Deceased was formerly a soldier at Batavia, and having
been very lately pensioned off, he intended to have spent
the remainder of his days at Amsterdam, whither the
vessel was bound.
The weather has continued very boisterous, and since
Sunday the vessel has gone to pieces, and the major
portion of the cargo has been washed out and strewed
along the coast for some miles eastward. Several boxes
of indigo, however, have been secured at Hastings and
other places ; and it is supposed there are some boxes of'
coffee remaining in the small portion of the vessel left.
Her hull is visible, and preparations are making to se-
cure what little it contains.

The jury expressed their admiration of the bravery
of the men in rendering assistance ; and we would add,
that a more substantial proof of admiration should be
shown by the Humane Society, for a more deserving
case of reward could not possibly be brought under their
notice.

Since the above melancholy occurrence we have re-
ceived comntunications, stating that the weather has
continued with unabated violence along this coast, and
that two vessels, one a collier, and the other a small craft
from Sunderland, have been wrecked off Rye. The
whole of the crew in the collier perished, but the others
were saved.

THE LATE DREADFUL GALES.
Never, perhaps, has there been known by the oldest
mariner such a continuance of tempestuous weather as
has prevailed during the whole of the past month. The
accounts from all quarters detail the most heartrending
casualties at sei. Onr columns have already announced
the loss of more than 40 vessels ; upwards of 50 have
since been utterly lost ; while, at a moderate calculation,
the number of human beings who have perished cannot
be less than 100.
Amongst those of the most distressing character are
the losses of the St. David steamer, trading with passen-
gers and goods between Havre, Plymouth and Liver-
pool ; and the Tom Bowling steam-vessel, with the loss
of nearly 40 lives. The St. David steamer, it appears,
was the joint property of the master, Captain Evans,
and Mr. .Davidson, a merchant, residing at Havre, and
was manned by a crew of about 20 hands. She was
schooner-rigged, of 110 tons burden, with engines of
70-horse power, and was built at Liverpool, in 1824.
Her principal trade was in the conveyance of goods,
her accommodation for passengers being somewhat
limited. From all that could be obtained respecting her
fate, it seems she left Havre in the early part of last
week, having on board several passengers, the number
of whom could not be ascertained, and deeply laden,
her decks being, according to reports received, loaded
with casks of wine ; she was seen by a vessel the after-
noon of the day following her departure, and nothing
was heard of her afterwards until a few days since, when
several casks of wine were picked up by a fisherman,
about 25 miles east of Havre, which were identified as
having formed a portion of the cargo of the ill-fated
steamer. The gale having sprung up within 12 hours
after she left Havre, it was at first supposed that the
casks had been thrown overboard to lighten her ; since
then, however, from circumstances that have transpired,
it is almost certain that she foundered during the gales,
and that every soul on board perished with her ; for by
the transit steamer, which arrived at Southampton a few
days since, letters have been received, announcing that a
large quantity of her cargo had been found off the coast
of Fecamp, where a body has also been washed ashore,
together with part of a ship's wheel much ornamented
with copper. The body has been recognised as that of
the engineer of the St. David A trunk has alsa been
picked up containing women's apparel, which is known
to have belonged to one of the passengers. By these
discoveries not a doubt is entertained of her loss. The
catastrophe has produced considerable sensation at Havre.
The St. David is stated to have been insured for 7,0001.
The other steamer, the Tom Bowling, is supposed to
have foundered during the gales of the 16th and 17th
ult., with all hands, off the Dutch coast. She was a per-
fectly new vessel, being only built at North Shields last
summer, and was the property of the master, Mr. Murray,
and engineer, Mr. Stewart, both of whom were on board
of her, and of course perished. In the course of last
autumn she was employed on the Thames in towing
Indiamen from and to the Downs, and on several occa-
sions was employed in the Gravesend passenger traffic.
She was of fifty-horse power, and a powerful tug-boat.
According to the information furnished us, she left the
river for Bremen, on the 11th ult., where she was to
remain for a few months on a trial cruise, and, if found to.
be successful, it was understood that she was to have
been purchased. On leaving Gravesend her crew com-
prised Mr. Murray, master ; John Reed, chief mate ; the
second mate (name not known) ; Mr. Stuart, engineer ;
Payne, Tees, and Stephens, stokers ; two seamen, an
apprentice, and a pilot. How far she proceeded is a mere
matter of conjecture, nothing having been seen of her
sine, although the passage is not more than three or
four days. The probability is that she encountered the
storm off the Dutch coast, as a boat bearing her name
and the captain's has been washed ashore at Nerden,
where so many frightful shipwrecks have occurred.
The Dutch Indianian, Twe Cornelisens, wrecked in
Pevensey Bay, near Eastbourne, on Sunday morning
last, had a cargo valued at 30,000/., which was totally
lost with the ship. Two other Indiamen were lost more
to the westward: one called the Kate Nickleby, belong-
ing to Glasgow, laden with rum, sugar, and other West
Indian Produce; and the other, named the Ness, from
Demerara to Bristol.
ship, the only particulars -
.of her
46 regards the loss of
.the former
disaster are
dated Westport, elitist received_d
_which reports that she
was totally wrecked on the night of the 23d, during a
tremendous storm off the
tof Erris, near
Belwullel. Nothing has been mentioned to the fate of
for several thou_
the crew. She is insured, we believe,
sands. The other wreck lAppened oa Tu
ing, on the coast near Pad' w. The vessel wasYnrn.
for, the bay for shelter, when a tremendous seasul%
her, and carried away her rudder; thus becoming un-
manageable, she was driven ashore. By the latest re-
port, although she still held together, bat little hopes
were entertained that she would be saved. Her shear
is very much broken, and it is expected that the
sea of the next few tides will effect her destruetion.
Part of her cargo has been saved, viz, about twenty
casks of rum, and the same number of hogsheads
of sugar, none of the latter seriously damaged. The
wreck is under the protection of the military, who were
called out by the Cuetom-house authorities, to prevent pil-
lage. The ship and cargo is valued at 40,0001. Within
a short distance of the spot where the Ness went ashore,
a vessel, which turned out to be the Albion schooner,
160 tons burden, belonging to Brixham, and laden with
iron rails, was totally lost with all hands, except one
man, and he was from Newport, bound to Ramsgate,
her cargo of rails being for the intended railway at that
town, now in course of formation. Being overtaken by
the storm, the captain determined to run into Padstow,
the nearest harbour, but was twice driven back, and being
embayed and disabled, she was forced by the height of
the storm on the Seaton Sands, situate to the north of
the bar. The sea at the time was running fearfully
high, and the moment the vessel struck the mainmast
fell overboard. The foremast remaining the crew took
to it, and lashed themselves to the rigging, where they
remained for four hours exposed to the full fury of the
storm, the surf sweeping completely over them. Every
exertion was made to
get the life-boat from the Apple-
dorie coast guard station, but without avail, and the poor
fellows were abandoned to their fate. The foremast,
however, was shortly afterwards noticed to give way,
when all the unfortunate men, save one, met with a
11J144TY grave. Their names have been ascertained to be
tasti.sbury Reynolds, master, a native of Ramsgate,
Knowle. Tit
'awn"' 147, Weilliam Bole, Thomas Bennett, and John
bowsprit, ins survivor was washed on shore on the
The body of the mate is the n is William Viseley.
To the westwolld °ne
that has been cast on the beach.
most: fatal wrecks hacl bangeness Bay, near Rye, two
the succeeding teghtfted during Christmas-day and
were the Elizabeth eosiqi.naeoes of the ill .fated vessels
Rouen, and ,the lea, of itirt.ufrar Sunderland and
of Mr. naming:Also maniple -"odds, the property
soul belongfng: to them lionfieur, and every
111110IIIIttilM
Were Ariresl):trailsr netaattoph-et° twent persons
a
Yarmouth Rohfuhood.s_ off Wis.!
Aktelotlya &stemmeport was thellsissad
ed 411.1rOUng Adam, of Skegress and go :f y, a_,b,rig
gt>ia
r, went down
(tfraw Feted. Off/Cromer, the Riclard, nee
and-illtion'board, nine in numbs, -f 'amour,
te,clolo er;":" rartOuth, some miles o
Vt-seeil tq ri*dei and as their out, two
vessel'
_ • • Crews have not been
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