The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-20 00:00:00

LON DON,

THE WRECK OF THE LARPEA2:

The Antelope opium clipper had brought to Hong-
Kong
three men, the sole survivors cf the British
ship Larpent, which was wrecked on the south-east
end of Formosa on the 12'h of September last. The
narrative given by these three survivors is a very
melancholy one. It appears that the American barque
Antelope, on her passage to Shanghai, was lying, on
the night of the lst instant, nearly becalmed off the
south point of Formosa, when a boat was observed
coming from the shore, and those in the Antelope
heard the voices of Englishmen, requesting that they
might be taken on board. Captain Roundy accord-
ingly received three men, the sole survivors of the
crew of the Larpent, of Liverpool. It appears that
the Larpent, of 614 tons, only seven years old, be-
longing to Mr. T. Ripley, and commanded by Mr.
Gilson, left Liverpool cn the 18th of May, 1850, on a
voyage to Shanghai ; the crew, including Mr. Bland,
a passenger acting as third mate, numbering 31. The
Larpent passed Anjer on the 19:h of August. On
the 12th of September, in the forenoon, she passed
Betel Tobago lima, a lofty island, bearing east
half north from the south cape, Formosa, from
which it is distant 13 leagues. Tee weather is said
to have been thick and rainy. At 9.30 rem. all
bands were alarmed at the ship suddenly striking
on a rock. By backing the head sails, however,
the ship came off almost immediately, but on
sounding the pumps no less than seven feet of water
were found in the hold ; all hands were forthwith
busily kept at pumping until 2.15 A M. of the follow-
ing day, when, as there was no Prospect of gaining
on the leak, Captain Gilson ordered the quarter boats
to be lowered, and the launch to be hoisted out. In
the hurry the jolly-boat stove and became useless.
The captain, mate, and six men then got into the
starboad quarter-boat, the remaining members of the
crew taking the launch, in which some provisions
had been placed. On the weather clearing up a little
at day light, they found themselves close to the shore,
somewhere in the vicinity of the place designated on
the map of Formosa, Mat-faer. Here they all landed
for the purpose of getting fresh water, and with the
intention also of caulking the long boat; but in these
purposes they were prevented, the natives coming
down in, groat numbers and plundering them
of every moveable. So situated, Captain Gilson de-
termined to put to sea again, to endeavour to reach
Hong-Kong, a distance of 400 miles and upwards.
Both boats started together, but the launch, still
leaking considerably, was unable to keep up with
the lighter boat, and parting company was never more
seen, although it was afterwards heard that Captain
Gilson had landed near South Cape, and procured
water. (There, indeed, he might have been mur-
dered or taken captive, and may still be in slavery,
for aught we are required to believe to the contrary.)
At daylight on the 14tb, the launch having rounded
the extreme point, the crew landed on a shelving
beach, surrounded by bushes, intending, before pro-
ceeding any further, to do their best to repair the
boat. About 8 A.M., almost without any previous
warning, they found themselves in the midst of a
deadly fire of matchlocks. Young Mr. Bland was
observed to spring a great height into the air and fall
flat on his face dead ; those who could swim imme-
diately took to the water, whence the savages were
seen, with long knives, stabbing those who were
wounded, and immediately cutting off their heads,
which, to the number of nineteen, were then thrown
into a terrible heap. Blake, the joiner, says that,
although wounded by a shot when in the water, he
swam for several miles across a broad bight, and had
landed under a huge sugar-loaf rock thoroughly ex-
hausted, thinking he was the only one saved, when,
turning his eyes seaward, he observed the boy Hill,
pursued by an enormous shark. The lad appeared
nearly exhausted, and was about to sink, when,
cheered by his voice, he gave a few more strokes and
landed in shoal water, whence he dragged himself
over the coral to the place where Blake was
sitting. Here they had not remained long when
two natives with matchlocks were seen tra-
versing a beach at some distance, apparently in pur-
suit of them. But they succeeded in hiding them-
selves for the time, and afterwards escaped to the
mountains, where they remained until the 19th.
Exhausted nature could hold out no longer, and at a
time when Blake says the feelings of a cannibal had
arisen in his breast, and he insanely thought of par-
taking of his comrade's blood rather than remain
longer without food, they wandered into a field where
some villagers were at work. From them they ob-
tained a meal of rice and shelter, and were afterwards
made to work with the village labourers from daylight
till dark—sometimes in boats, diving for large shell
fish, at others with hoes about the paddy ground.
The man Beris and another had landed at a different
place, whence they tried to reach a junk, in which
one of them, Harrison, succeeded, but was almost
immediately shot and decapitated in sight of his com-
rade. Beris appears to have subsequently joined
Blake and Hill, the latter of whom, being unable to
do so much work as the others, was subjected to very
severe treatment, and has been left sick at Shanghai.
At the expiration of five months the kind-hearted
villagers sold them to some neighbours for six dol-
lars a piece, the purchasers proving to be of a more
friendly disposition than the original holders. On
arrival at Shanghai a voluminous narrative of the seven
months and 16 days captivity was taken by Mr. Con-
sul Alcock.—North China Herald.

A SHIP DESTROYED AT SEA.
A serious loss at sea by fire was communicated on
Monday, at Lloyd's, the burning of the ship Jane,
700 tons burden, commanded by Captain Soule,
bound to Glasgow from New York, and the combus-
tible character of her cargo, consisting of 850 bar-
rels of tar, 900 barrels of rosin, besides 60 barrels of
spirits of turpentine, rendered her destruction fearful
in the extreme. The ship sailed for Glasgow on the
21st of July. Two days after an alarm was raised,
and on the crew taking off the main hatches, and
hoisting a few barrels of rosin out on to the deck, in
order to make rota for the men to get down, it was
evident that s fire had broken out in the hold. The
men finding the smoke increasing commenced throw-
ing water on the cargo, which was continued for many
hours without producing any visible effect. The master
then caused the hatches to be replaced and made air-
tight, as were also those for ward and aft, the only remedy
he had to check the fire. Tile ship was bore round,
and all sail clapped on to make for Long Island,
where there would be a chance of scuttling her near
the shore; but her destruction became inevitable.
About five o'clock her boats were got over the ships's
side, and everything got in readiness to enable the
crew to quit at a moment's notice. They stuck to
their duty till nine o'clock. All hands were then
withdrawn; the flames had broken through various
parts of the ship, and ere many minutes elapsed, one
mass of fire poured forth, and reaching the three
masts, all were speedily on fire from stem to stern,
throwing a bright lurid glare over the wide waters of
the Atlantic for miles. The fire that arose from the
immense quantity of combustibles in the hold, when
the decks were destroyed, was terrific. It continued
till three o'clock the following morning, by which
time the ship was burned down to the water's edge.
She went down soon afterwards. The boats then
pulled in the direction of the land, and they were
picked up in safety by an American vessel, the
Governor Briggs, on board of which they received
every kindness and hospitality. The unfortunate
crew lost everything they possessed. The ship and
her cargo, it is reported, were not insured.

THE CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY AND
CHEATING AT PLAY AT BRIGHTON.

On Mr. Carpenter, the magistrate, taking his seat
at the Town-hall, Brighton, yesterday morning,
Mr. Sill, the solicitor for the prosecution in this
case, made an application to the bench under these
circumstances :—Mr. Sill said that shortly after five
o'clock on the previous evening, whilst at dinner at
the Ship Hotel, he received a message by the waiter,
and on going out into the hall he found two persons
there, one of whom handed him a paper, saying it was
a notice of bail for Broome, and the same person then
handed another paper, saying it was a notice of bail
for Staden. Both papers simply contained the names
of certain parties, but did not mention either the time
or place when the bail was to be offered. He (Mr.
Sill) immediately had the party confronted with Mr.
Lewis, the solicitor for the defence, who happened to
be in the coffee room at the time, and on being
informed what had occurred, and being asked
whether he adopted or rejected the notices, that
gentleman answered that he couldn't say no, and he
wouldn't say yes. He (Mr. Sill) then asked the
person who had served the papers to favour him with
his name, when he answered that it was " George
William Thompson, of No. 1, York-road, Kenning-
ton-road, gentleman or lawyer's clerk ;" and on being
pressed to say which designation be adopted, he re-
plied, "
well, say lawyer's clerk," but he declined to
say in whose employment he was. Under these cir-
cumstances he (Mr. Sill) wished the bench would say
whether any attention should be paid to notices of the
character he had mentioned

Mr. Carpenter said that undoubtedly the notices so
served were, to all intents and purposes, a nullity,
and that the attorney for the prosecution need not take
any notice of them.
Mrs. Staden, who was in court, inquired of the
magistrate if it was necessary to give fresh notices ?
Mr. Carpenter said she had better consult with her
legal adviser.
Mrs. Staden then added that she wished to dis-
claim any knowledge or participation in the proceed-
' jogs in court the day before, and that Mr. Genesse
was an utter stranger to her. She then asked Mr.
Sill, the solicitor fur the prosecutor, if she could speak
with him.
Mr. Sill replied that he could not refuse a request
so made, but it must be in the presence of the magis-
trates, or of the magistrate's clerk.j