The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-19 00:00:00

THE CONWAY NOI LOST.

The St. George's Chronicle (Grenada) of the 13th
ult., has the following relative to the troop ship
Conway, of the wreck of which vessel we have pre-
viously had accounts :

" Captain G. Rose, of the ship Home, which ar-
rived yesterday from England with coals for the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's depot, reports
having fallen in, on Sept. 11, with a derelict. Cap-
tain Rose states :—' I bore down upon and boarded
the British ship Conway in lat. 35 deg. 36 min. N,
long. 19 deg. 15 min. W, having her fore lower
mast standing, the main and mizen lower masts
lying fore and aft on the port side of the main
deck and quarter deck, they having gone by
the partners. I found the ship in possession of
French and Spanish captains and portions of their
crews, two barques, to which they belonged, lying
by and receiving the plunder carried by their boats
from the derelict. It is impossible to describe the
appearance of the main deck and between decks;
it fairly outstripped the incidents of the Crimean
war, the French and Spanish sailors on board the
Conway being dressed in women's apparel, a is
Bloomer, with plumes and artificial flowers waving
on their gracefully to the breeze, while busy
in breaking open chests, carpet bags, knapsacks,
bedding, &c. I found also the French crew
taking all the small sails, they being new, and,
as the captain said, suitable for his small vessel.
Ropes, canvas, compasses, signals, &c., were
all gone. The ship was so completely gutted
by the crews of the barques that I had to supply
her with a compass, a coil of rope, and other neces-
saries. Having intimated to the captain in charge
that the Conway being a British ship, it became
nay duty as a British subject to act for the benefit
of all concerned, and put a stop to further plunder;
that I did not wish to interfere with their claim
upon the ship, but should certainly remain by and
see that the ship was carried into port. One of
my boys giving the French captain rather a bull-
dog shake, they thought fit to leave us and the
Conway to ourselves, and take their departure.
On sounding the pumps I found five feet of
water in the hold, which proceeded front two
auger holes in the starboard lower bow post,
bored from the inside ; the water from the lower
hole running constantly, but from the upper hole
only when she dipped. I immediately plugged
the holes from the inside. At the said post we
found four augers, one gouge, a handsaw, a lantern,
and matches. I left four hands on hoard for the
night, and remained by her. Next morning sent
the chief mate and six men to get the spars up and
canvas set. At 6 p.m, on the Wednesday parted
from her, having left her in charge of my chief
mate and five seamen, with instructions to make
for the first port the wind and weather would per-
mit in England, and upon their arrival the chief
mate was to deliver my sealed report to Lloyd's
agent.'"

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The Queen's box
was occupied on Thursday evening by their Serene High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Holstein-Augustenbourg.
Among the fashionable company present during the
week have been the Marquis and Marchioness of N?r-
nianby, Viscount Barrington, Lord and Lady Frederick
Fitzroy, Lord Chief Justice Cockburn, General and the
Hon. Mrs. Grey, 1%1aj07 Du Plat, Miss Coutts, &c. The
exterior of the theatre was brilliantly illuminated in honour
of the return of the Prince of Wales.

THE GREAT OCEAN SURVEY.

(From the Athetkeum.)

The following letter from Sir Leopold M'Clintock
to Capt. Collinson has been courteously placed in our
hands for publication :
" Bulldog, near Rockall, Nov. 6.
" Closed at ICilly begs, Nov. 11.
"My dear Collinson,—We have nearly brought
to a close about as tough a job as usually falls
to the lot of the most hardworking—even of
surveying ships. I have been up (in the ship) to
the head of Hamilton Inlet, but South Greenland
we found enveloped in an unusual amount of pack,
so much so that I had to go up to Godthaab (64
deg. North) before I could get into any harbour.
On the 29th September I succeeded in getting into
Julianshaab, where I expected to find the Fox, but
could obtain no intelligence whatever respecting
her. Our vessel was the earliest to arrive there
this season ; the ice having been impene-
trable. The Fox (with Capt. Allan Young, Col,
Shafner, and Dr. Rae on board) had not arrived
at Hamilton Inlet on the 17th September, and I
fear she has been detained by ice on the east coast
of Greenland, although in a letter Young left for
me at Reikiavik he says he intended going first
to Julianshaab, to obtain an interpreter for the
east coast. We have bad desperate weather since
the beginning of October. A gale on the Bth of
October almost crippled us ; we lost two boats,
had our bowsprit snapped off by a sea, but as
the gammoning held it fast he has since been
' righted,' and at least looks shipshape. The
iron tiller was also broken, and a vast deal of
damage done to the sponsons, paddle-wheels,
bulwarks, &c., lying-to under bare pole for thirty
hours, sleet aloft, and seas coming over us
below, unable to cook, &c., disagreeable enough
even for a Polar.' To accomplish a line of sound-
ings from Cape Farewell to Rockall, has proved
rather beyond our powers at this late season, and
with such continued severe weather ; yet we have
sounded at intervals the whole way, and I think
sufficiently for ordinary purposes. South-west of
Iceland, where we expected 2,000 fathoms, we only
found 748 fathoms, and in 1,260 fathoms we
brought up a living si ar-fish ! I tried in July,
August, September, and October, yet could not
approach Cape Farewell from the south-west,
within forty-five miles, the intermediate space
being close pack; but at the same time the
present is such a bad year that the Danes
in Greenland say they have not had one like it for
nearly 30 years. It has been very favourable in La-
brador, and very little iee seen there. In Iceland also
the summer has been very fine. We have had much
more ice work than I expected, and the ship has suf-
fered accordingly ; paddle-arms bent, cetwater
chafed away, and copper bolts standing out; the ship
rolls very heavily, and is now quite eager for a good
caulking. I think we have done our work well, at
least we have done all we can. Instead of a deep chan-
nel leading into Hamilton Inlet, I doubt if forty-five
fathoms can be carried insidelthe outer islands,
and would reduce the width of the main channel
to about five miles, and there is an exterior bank
along that part of the coast, having between 100 and
200 fathoms water on it. . I have completed the
soundings across to Rockall, but they are at long
intervals, and not as straight in line as they would
have been under more favourable circumstances of
weather. I obtained deep water again inside of the
Rockall Bank, 1,310 fathoms about midway. .
The same south-east wind is still blowing which
has scarcely ceased since the 18th of October.
" Most sincerely yours,
" F. L. M'CLINTOCK, R.N."

FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE

CITY.

The question of establishing a free public library
and reading room is being mooted in the city in a
manner to command public attention. It has been
taken up in some of the city parishes, especially in
that of St. Botolph, Aldersgate, by Mr. Besley,
common councilman for the ward, and on Friday
last the subject was canvassed in the Court of
Common Council, on a motion propounded by Mr.
Hartridge, affirming the necessity for a free library
for the whole city, and suggesting a preliminary
inquiry by a committee. That motion was nega-
tived on a division by two, and an amendment was
carried at the instance of Mr Besley, to the effect
that the Lord Mayor be requested to convene a
public meeting of the persons assessed to the con-
solidated rate to consider and determine whether
the Free Libraries Act shall be adopted in the city
of London. In St. Botolph the original idea was
to establish a free library for that particular
parish only, but the result of a reference to Mr.
Tidd Pratt, who drew the Public Libraries Act,
carried in the House of Commons by Mr. Ewart,
is rather calculated to discourage the parochial
movement, inasmuch as he states that if a parish
in the city of London were to adopt the Act,
and the city in the aggregate were to do the same,
the effect would be that the parishioners would be-
side their own rate for that particular purpose, hayo
to pay an increased consolidated rate. The question
then, in that view of it, is rather more for the rate-
payers of the whole city to determine than for those
of any individual parish. Mr. Alderman Sidney,
M.P., -took a conspicuous part in the Common
Council in opposing the establishment of a free
library. He reminded the Court that six years ago
the subject was elaborately discussed in a public
meeting of ratepayers at the Mansion-house, and
that a resolution was passed by a large majority
that no such institution was wanted in the city.
He still contended that there was no need for one,
and that the mechanics' institutes and similar insti-
tutions in the metropolis had dwindled down to
mere lounging places for novel readers. He sub-
mitted the corporation had something better to do
than to provide light literature for the rising
generation. Of late the tendency of street archi-
tecture, he said, had been to disperse the poorest
part of the population, and princely buildings had
been erected by merchants in most of which a
library for the use of the persons in their service
was an usual adjunct of the establishment. He
thought the age was too much given to do every-
thing for everybody. For his part, as an employer,
he would leave young men alone, and teach them
the value of self-dependence. He added that he
knew a ward school so little appreciated that
children not resident in the ward were invited to
attend it. Mr. Lowman Taylor deprecated any
unnecessary interference' in this matter by the
council, and substituted that it was one for the
ratepayers to decide. Dr. Abraham complained
that Mr. Ewart was not heard with common re-
spect when he attended the Mansion-house meet-
ing six years ago to advocate the establishment
of a free library. He (Dr. Abraham) argued, as
against Alderman Sidney, that it was not the work-
ing classes who were being dispersed from the city;
that, on the contrary, a third of the civic popula-
tion belonged to that class, and that it would be a
disgrace to the corporation if it did not take the
initiative in this matter. Mr. Alderman Rose sup-
ported the motion for inquiry, contending that it
would be a reproach to the corporation of London
if they did not establish an institution such as had
already been founded in several of our provincial
cities and towns, and that not so much for the use of
people who could afford to buy books, as for the
accommodation of the working classes. Mr.. Hart
ridge's motion was also supported by Mr, R. N. H.
Phillipps, Mr. Pedler, Mr. Sheriff Lusk, and Mr.
Anderton, and opposed by Mr. Charles Young and
Mr. Cox. In support of his proposition Mr. Hart-
ridge stated incidentally, that the experiment com-
menced by the Common Council four years ago of
lending a portion of the corporation library to its
members had proved eminently successful ; the last
monthly return showing the number of volumes
lent to the members to be in the ratio of 3,000 per
annum, and that upwards of 10,000 volumes
had
been consulted by visitors to the library, int"Coun.
chiefly by members of the Court of Comm °li
was
cil. He added, that before that experimentahsoowne only
tried, the number of visitors to the limloroanrythws
and it remains
about 700, while the return for last
that they were now in the proapcotivir_itoirn7.B°weisileryeTrlailyst
12,000 a year. The amendment f .
stated, was affirmed ony a division,
public
opinion by the representa-
tive body of the citizens.

--- 18.----n._—The ship Northfleet Corn-
to Messrs. Dunbar and Son,
arrived h Channel vrth 1
in t e , I ,050,0001 b. of
maPndLeYr3BlO.UFTreirem,
of London, has
00,
0 from Canton River, July 30. She
tea, valued at £lOO,
of Good Hope Sept. 26, tottched at St.
rounded the Cape
Nano,vl;ol.o73ging
8 and crossed the Line Oct. 18. Spoke, Sept.
Helena Oct. , s long. 59 E., the Southern Cross, from
'don 64 days flora Macao; the 9th, in
Whampoa 1 43 30 E., the barque Chance, 37 days
lat. 28 10 S,, °ng. • h
4th, in lat. VOLon ,
from Kurrachee, with seeds, for Marseilles ; the 22d, in
5 s. long. 21 E., the ship Gloriana, and the French
lat. 3u_ iirmah, both homeward bound ; Oct. Bth, off ,t.
barq .
oo.c ow- 00, • 9 •
Helena, the Robinlsr Hood, fro
m F h f • 19th lat
long. 24 ~ the Alice Walton, from Liverpool
1 30 N.,
for Melbourne; wind, south-east; 21st, lat. 5 N., long.
25 30 W, the barque Chili' for
70 days from Valparaiso
Liverpool ; 29th, lat. 23 N. long. 34 W., the American
brigantine Palmas, 31 days from Baltimore, for Monrovia;
Nov. 6th, lat. 39 20 N., long. 20 40 W., the ship Epaini-
nondas, of Belfast, bound far the southward; Bth, lat.
43 20 N., long. 15 30 W., the brig Trifolinm, standing
south-west; 11th, lat. 48 N., long. 15 W., the Dutch ship
Schoonverbond, 117 (Lys from Batavia for Amsterdam.
The Northfleet experienced a cyclone two days after leaving
China, strong westerly winds the Cape, easterly gales out-
side the edge of soundings. On Friday afternoon she
was off Dover, in charge of a pilot steering for the
Thames.
A snow storm took place at Birmingham on
Saturday. It commenced early in the morning, and con-
tinued during the greater part of the day. The cold was so
great that in exposed places the snow lay for a long time
after it fell.