The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-19 00:00:00

WRECK OF THE BRIG GAZELLE AND
HORRIBLE MASSACRE.

On the 21st of August last year the brig Gazelle, Cap-
tain W. T. Parkin, sailed from Sydney, bound to Wood-
lark Island, having on board a quantity of stores for the
missionary station there, and, as a passenger, the Rev.
Mr. Murreceni, an Italian clergyman, whose intention
it was to assist in the objects of the mission at that
island. Considerably anxiety having been manifested as
to the safety of the brig aid these on board, and several
letters having appeared referring to the subject, in April
last the schooner Favourite was chartered for the pur-
pose of going in search of the missing vessel. The Fa-
vourite has returned to Sydney, having discovered that
the Gazelle was a total wreck on the Woodlark Island,
and that every soul on board had been Murdered by the
natives. It will be seen by the sequel that the intelli-
gence gleaned from some of the boys belonging to the
island is in several cases contradictory, bat this may be
accounted for in some measure by the difficulty which
it is natural to suppose must have existed in either party
making himself clearly understood. On the 4th of
May last, at noon, in latitude 9 degrees 14 minutes
south, and longitude 153 degrees 27 minutes east, Cap-
tain Barrack, of the Favourite, discovered a wreak,
apparently a brig, lying on her starboard beam ends,
on Woodlark Island, lowermasts and bowsprit stands
ing, lower rigging swinging about, and bearing W.N.
W., distant five miles. At two p.m. the schooner got
abreast of and within two miles of her, and found her to
be a brig with the stern knocked away, the planks In
her bottom gone, and in every respect a total wreck.
At 4.30 p.m. Captain Barrack stood in for the barbour,
and shortly afterwards hove to for a canoe, which came
alongside of her with six native boys. The information
obtained from them, and subsequently front other of the
natives, was noted at length in the Favourite's log-book,
from which the following extracts are taken :—" One of
the boys in the canoe came on board, and on being ques-
tioned by Mr. Ramondi (a missionary acquainted with
the language of some of the South Sea Islands) delivered
car3s to him, having on one side the name W. T.
Parkin,' and on the other • Gazelle,' written in pencil.
The boys'answers to Mr. Ramondi were for the most
part vague and unsatisfactory, so we thought it advisable
not to go up the harbour that night, but brought to'
near the entrance, set a double anceor-watch, and loaded
our guns and muskets. The night passed quietly afloat,
but large fires were burning on shore, which the native
boy said indicated that the natives were alarmed :est we
were going to destroy the village for plundering the brig.
Mr. Ramondi's interpretation of this boy's story is, in
substance, as follows :—The brig got on the reef some
time in last September. The crew did not land there,
but afterwards went away in boats to Cape Deneis ;
that two white men lead been killed at an island called
Madden, an] ho believed the rest were murdered at the
island of Javonsee. Tnis story excited our suspicions,
and we kept the boy on bceird. The next morning, at
7 o'clock, a canoe came alongside, having in it four
boy., most of whom had been to Sydney, with the
mi.sionaries, and whose versions of the loss of the brig
and murder of those on board, agreeing as they cl,d, in
all the material points, with each other, appear to be as
Dear the real facts of tl-e case as can be outained. The
old men of the village told the boys to ask the captain
if he was angry, and that they wished to trade with
him, as they had plenty of ywes and figs, and wished us
to come near the village with the schooner.' Being
under the impression that this was a scheme to entice us
amongst them, as no other canoe and no old men (as is
generally the case) came off, we decined to do so. The
boy we have brought to Sydney confirmed these suspi-
cions, as, when I mentioned my intention to visit the
wreck, and explained that I could discover if the crew
were murdered, he, under the influence of a reward,
stated that the brig was close to the reef, missed stays,
and went ashore ; that shortly after wards, by a plan
devised by a chief, eight canoes went elf, six men in each,
without spears, but the tomahawks concealed, their in-
tention being to murder the whole crew. The natives
pretended to be very friendly, and a number of them
went on board the brig ; in a few minutes one of the
natives tomahawked Mr. Mum raconi, another immediately
afterwards murdered the captain, and killed every soul
on board with their tomahawks ; they then plundered
the vessel of everything that excited their cupidity,
leaving the dead bodies on board. The boys belonging
to the mission (but who had no part in this horrible act)
went on board and threw the corpses into the water.
These statements were corroborated by other natives
questioned by Mr. Ramondi. Under these circum-
stances I did not send a boat from the schooner to the
wreck, not thinking it would be safe to leave so few
hands on board. I then shaped my course off the
island."

THE WESTMINSTER CLOCK BELL—WEST He
root, Wednesday, Sept. 17.—After the unfortunate
mishap which occurred in connexion with the shipping
of this monster bell on Saturday last, an examination
was made to ascertain whether the bell had sustained
any damage by the fall. The result of the examination
was perfectly satisfactory, not the least injury could be
perceived. Two timbers had been placed at the bottom
of tke schooner's hold, for the mouth of the bell to rest
upon. At the time of the accident the bell was sus.
pended at about a height of 12 feet from the bold, and
inclining over towarda the larboard side of the vessel'
owing to the shears not being swung far enough over the
deck. This caused the bell, when it descended; to fall
with ono side of the mouth upon the keelson, and the
other upon one of the timbers laid for its bed, at the
same tine striking the side of the vessel, and starting
her timbers. The vessel was surveyed by Lloyd's agent
on Monday, when it was found that the damage to the
hull was only of a trifling nature, and it was determined
to allow the bell to remain in the vessel, which, after
undergoing the necessary repairs, would be able,to carry
her freight. She was brought out of the basin yesterday,
after being temporarily caulked; and place& in the
Sv:ainson Dock, from which she will proceed to-morrow
into Mr. Pile's graving dock, to be thoroughly repaired
and fitted with new mast, 85c. In order to do this the
bell will have to be removed from her. It is expected
that she will be able to proceed on her voyage in about
a fortnight from this date.