The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-16 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE STEAM-SHIP
ARIEL.

SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14.

We have received advices to the 6th inst. from Leg-
horn relative to the unfortunate loss of the Peninsular
and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship Ariel.
These accounts are more explanatory of the disaster
than those previously published. It appears that on the
2d of June, at 6 30 in the morning, the Ariel, from
Malta and Civita Vecchia en route to Leghorn, struck
the dangerous rocky shoal of Mal di Vetro, four miles
distant, W. 4 S., from the seaport of Vado in Tuscany,
13 miles southward of Leghorn lighthouse. The ship
was going full speed, nearly ten knots, and from the
force with which she struck, the fore-hold and engine-
room immediately filled with water ; the fires of course
being extinguished, the engines were rendered unser-
viceable. Captain Caldbeck, therefore, hoisted out the
ship's boats, and sent them to Leghorn under com-
mand of Mr. Neill Cook, the first officer, with the
passengers, stewardess, and the youngest ship's boys,
where they all arrived in safety. A boat was also
dispatched to the company's agent at Leghorn for as-
sistance which was promptly rendered, and a steamer of
war and a merchant steamer sent to the wreck, with a
view, if possible, to get off the vessel, or to endeavour to
save the cargo, &c. Captain Caldbeck, with the crew
and officers, remained on board till 11 A.M. of the 3d,
when, in consequence of the weather being unfavourable,
and a gale of wind blowing, with very high sea, the
whole ship's company were obliged to leave the ship.
This they did with great difficulty, having to drop from
the bows of the Ariel into a large boat sent off by the
company's agent. Fortunately, the whole party suc-
ceeded in leaving the ship without accident, although the
danger was very great.
The Ariel is an iron vessel, and built in water-tight
compartments; this may account for her surviving the
gale of wind on the 3d. Although the fore-hold and
engine-room were full of water, the after-hold was
quite sound and dry.
Up to the 6th every exertion had been made by Cap-
tain Caldbeck, the officers, and crew, to save the mate-
rials of the ship. Two large boats and a bomb-vessel of
80 tons were employed in this service, and all the passen-
gers' baggage, specie, and that part of the cargo in the
after-hold, had been secured and landed at Vado. The
passengers were accommodated in the lazaretto at Leg-
horn. The Tuscan Government rendered all the assist-
ance in its power. On the 6th instant Captain Caldbeck
wrote to the company that he entertained some hopes of
floating the vessel, and was then actually engaged in
making preparations to effect that object; on that day
there were ten feet of water under the port paddle•box,
nine feet under the starboard one, nine feet two inches
under the forefoot, and nineteen feet under the rudder,
the main-hold being still perfectly tight, and the vessel
notm much injured by the breaking of the sea
movable article had been landed, inclUdingth Every
e plate,
furniture, &c., of the
beard the coals, iron ship, and there only remained on
which were under water ballast, and a few packages of cargo
of this water in the forehold. In conse-
quencewere entertained of favourable report as to the hopes that
saving the vessel, the Peninsular
Company yesterday
Bayly, their surveyor dispatched(long to Leghorn Mr. George
the
from his connexion
at Lloyd's), to superintend rue operations for floating
the ship.
A list of the passengers has not yet been received,
nor is there any account of the
board; the cargo was not a very largeo oneunt of specie on
principally of goods from Malta and it consisted
Civita Vecchia.
The value of the ship was about 30,0001.,
should a
total loss ensue (which is most probable, and
glad to
.I.fifre on
ecte
announce that, in consequence of insurances e
ext
the vessel, the company will not be losers to the d ent
of more than 14,000/. or 15,0001.
The cause of the Ariel's striking. the Mal di Veto
reef has yet to be satisfactorily explained. The reef ise
properly laid down in the Mediterranean charts, and it
position and bearings accurately described in the
directions. The accident occurred at broad daylight,
when the coast must have been discernible, in fine
weather, and the ship at full speed. It was evident that
the Ariel's course was too near the shore, or that the
officers in charge could not have been aware of the
ship's position at the time of the accident. The proper
course from Civita Vecchia to Leghorn would appear to
be northward from the island of Elba and to the east-
ward of Capraja and Gorgona, between which islands
and the mainland there are 50 to 80 fathoms of water.
The fault which has caused the Peninsular Company
the loss of one of their finest ships is a fault, unfortu-
nately, too common to commanders of packet steamers,
who are frequently too fond of hugging a dangerous
shore, when there exists a safe and wide sea way in
which to steer.

By letters of the 7th inst., received from Leghorn
since the above, we learn that every effort was to be
made to save the Ariel. The after-hold still remaining
water-tight, it was hoped and expected that by filling the
fore-hold with casks, and securing casks to the paddle-
boxes, the ship would float. To assist these opera-
tions, the boilers were to be pumped out, 50 tons of
ballast and 100 tons of coals discharged, the paddle-
wheels taken off, and the shaft and heavy portions of
the machinery removed; thus 200 tons dead weir.zht
would be removed from the vessel. The weather con.

tinned very fine. Some very serious disagreements had
occurred with the Livornese boatmen employed on the
wreck. The captain and company's agent employed 50
of them to assist, as labourers, in saving the goods and
cargo. Ou the evening of the 6th the men so employed
made a demand of 3,3001. for salvage; and on the elp-
lain refusing to guarantee so enormous a claim, they
threatened his life, and made a demonstration to seize
all the property landed at Vado. The captain and
crew immediately armed themselves with the ship's mus-
kets, and remained under arms all night. The Tuscan
Government appeared quite powerless, and it is stated
•h-e, in the present revolutionary state of the country,
the class of men referred to are quite masters of it. The
life of the British Vice-Consul had also been threatened,
and a number of Maltese sailors, part of the crew of the
Ariel, had sided with the Livornese, and refused to
exert themselves in saving the ship. A British vessel-
of-war was much wanted, and letters had been sent to
every port in the vicinity in the hopes of getting assist-
ance. In the extremity to which the captain of the Ariel
was reduced he proceeded to Leghorn, to obtain a num-
ber of seamen from the British merchant-ships in that
port, and 30 volunteered to proceed to the wreck. The
Livornese, however, angry at being dismissed, announced
their intention of preventing the operations, and Captain
Caldbeck was accordingly about to go to Florence to
claim the intervention of Sir George Hamilton, the
British Minister at the Tuscan Court. To prevent dis-
turbances, the company's agent had offered 26,000 livres
(8601.) to the boatmen, which they agreed to receive, in
satisfaction of their claim for merely landing the bag-
gage, cargo, and stores.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
The Earl of Auckland, and the other members of the
board, have returned to the Admiralty. The [lon. Cap-
tain M. F. F. Berkeley, C. 8., M.P., arrived in town last
night.

'The Earl Auckland, G.C.8., was entertained last
night at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James's, by
the members of the Navy Club.
Reports have been circulated to the effect that Sir
William Parker had arrived at Trieste with the fleet
under his command, and had declared that a shot fired
at Trieste by the Neapolitan and Sardinian squadron
would be regarded as a declaration of war against Eng-
land. There is no truth in this statement, nor is there
the slightest foundation for these reports. Sir William
Parker and his line-of-battle ships were at Malta on the
3d instant, and was likely to remain there; and we be-
lieve that he has orders to remain in Malta Harbour
until he receives further instructions from home, and
that he is not on any account to cruise in the vicinity of
Naples.

The Admiralty have appointed the Rev. J. Wooley to
be head master of the Central Mathematical School at
Portsmouth.

It is reported that the Firefly, 3, steam-vessel, on the
coast of Africa, is to be commanded by a commander,
and that Lieutenant Ponsonby will be succeeded by Com-
mander Tudor (1842).

APPOINTMENTS.
Lieutenant—Robert M. Sandom (1843), to the Helena,
IG, at Portsmouth.
Assistant-Surgeon—Julian W. Slight, late of the
Styx, steam-sloop, confirmed seniority January, 1846.
Master's Assistants—William Hobbs, acting second
master, to the San Josef, flag-ship, at Devonport; W.
B. D
fiSutton, to the Penelope, steam-frigate,
es L. Waddilove, to the Tweed,
s
Devonport.
coastl I Ytottfihn Africa;glia. t j
C
Midshipmen—John C. James, to the Bellerophon, 78,
at Devonport.
Clerk's Assistant—F. M. Wright, to the Fisgard, flag-
ship, at Woolwich.
Chief Eugineer—J. Hetherington, third class, to the
Blenheim.

Assistants—M. Burres, second class, to the Medusa ;
B. T. Fector, first class, to the Fisgard; C. Icily, third
class, to the Ceylon.
Carpenters—Thomas Penfound, of the Vindictive, 50,
advanced to the first class ;
trious. S. Warn, to the Illus-

Boatswain—T. Harris, acting, to the Illustrious.
ROT AL M I RlNES.—Commissions have been received
at Portsmouth for Captain John 0. Travers and First
Lieutenant H. J. Tribe, Charles M'Arthur, F. B. Grit-
ton, and Edward M'Arthur.
The Trafalgar, 120, Captain C. Hope, on her way
from Spithead to Sheerness, to be paid off, has only a
crew of 700 officers and men on board.
The Bellerophon, 78, Captain Baynes, C. 8., in Ply-
mouth Sound, is daily tilling up her vacancies.
The Tweed, 18, Commander Lord Russell, will be
ready for sea, at Devonport, by the 20th of next month.
The Ranger, 8, Commander Newland, fitting at Chat-
ham, will be ready for sea on the 19th.
The Athol, troop-ship, Master Commander Pearn, is
ordered to have her defects made good, at Woolwich,
immediately.
The Vesuvius, 6, steam-sloop, Commander Austen,
arrived at Halifax, May 27th, from Bermuda.
The Onyx, iron Dover steam-packet, which has been
at 'Woolwich repairing machinery for the last three
weeks, will not be ready for six weeks longer. These
Dover packets, what with strengthening their weakly
built hulls, and the extensive repairs ot their machinery,
hare been very costly.
WOOLWICII, JUNE 15.—Several of the members of
the Committee appointed by the House ot Commons to
examine the Navy Estimates, arrived at Woolwich dock-
yard to-day, accompanied by Captain Ellice, comptroller
of steam machinery, and were joined by Mr. Lloyd, chief
engineer of the steam department at the Admiralty. The
Committee examined the storehouses and works of the
factory department.
The Flamer steam-vessel, Commander Lavie, arrived
at Woolwich on Tuesday evening from the Mediterra-
nean station, and will be paid off on Monday next.
The Arrogant, fourth-rate, built for a frigate of 46
guns, is hourly expected at Woolwich from Portsmouth,