The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-29 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 20, 1858

LATEST' ;.NEW 8

INDIA.

The following mettsage has been received at the
East India House

EASI' INDIA HOUSE, TUESDAY,
• SEPT. 28, 3.10 P.M.
Supplement to 3.1 r. Secretary Edmonstone's mes.
sage, do ted August 26,1858..
OUDE.

On the 26th c.f August Sir Hopo Grant sent a
force across the IGoomtee at Sultanpore, and occu-
pied three villas in his front.

Bcnares Division—Capt. Mac Mullen, with his
Sikhs, fell in with rebels at a village near Reatien
Ghazee, Pocken district, on the 23d of August,
drove them out, killing and wounding 60.
Allahabad Division.—Captain Dennehy, with
detachment of regulars and a party of military
police, came up with Wunjab Sing, of Rewa, at
Bearroh, on the 28th of August, and killed about
200 of his men.

'CENTRAL INDIA.

The Gwaliar rebels, after their defeat on the
14th of August, fled in a south-easterly direction,
giving out that it was their intention to enter the
Bombay Presidency via Mundisore. However, on
finding this line of retreat was menaced by the force
from Nemuch, under Col. Franks, they turned
north towards Bheelwara.

On the 28th of August reached Jabra Pattecn,
which they surrendered after some days' fighting
with the Rana's troops. They obtained possession of
the town, which they have plundered. The Rana
fled, and is now in Col. Lockhart's camp, at Soos-
neen. Soosneenis 55 miles off Oojein.
A column under Col. Hope left Indore on the 3d
inst. to support the one which had been previously
despatched under the command of Col. Lockhart,
92d Highlanders.

The rebels are in full possession of Patteen, re-
pairing defences and throwing up breastworks on
the roads approaching.
Adil Mohamed has moved from Jerouge, and
taken possession of Poorassa ; the movement
threatens Bhalsa, and toward Guzerat.
A small force from Ahmedabad attacked and
dispersed a body of Munbranees and Bheels, at
Mundelte, on the 22d of August. The rest of the
Bombay Presidency is quiet.
Bombay Castle, Sept. 7, 1858.
(Signed) D. L. ANDERSON,
Secretary to Government.
P.S. The following message, dated Kurrachee,
Sept. 4, has just been received:—

Major Hamilton writes from Moortas (?) that,
at noon, on the 31st ult., the 69th and 62d Native
Infantry, and the Native Artillery, all disarmed,
broke out and tried to seize the guns and arms of
the Fusiliers. They were repulsed, great numbers
slain, and the rest driven from the cantonment to
jungles towards the river. Our loss was four men
of the Royal Artillery, and, we regret to say,
Captain Mules, of the Fusiliers.
Major Hamilton heard of the intended out-
break in time to warn the military authorities. He
had, with the police battalion, already arrested 90
of the fugitives. D. L. ANDERSON,
Secretary to Government.

Bombay Castle, Sept. 7.
Received at Malta, Sept. 28, 8 morning.

V. MONTANAIto.

To J. D. Dickinson, Esq.

MALTA, SEPT. 28.
The dates are Hong Kong, August 10 ; Calcutta,
22; Bombay, 7.
Bombay—lmports not very active ; 'linseed in
better demand, cotton quiet, money easY, freights
steady. Exchange-2s. gi-d. to 2s. 3d.

Calcutta—Produce in better demand ; imports
the same as last ; money unaltered. Exchange--
2s. id. to 2s. 4d. Madras exchange-Is. 10 Id.
to 2s.

Singapore--Manufactures in demand ; produce
in advance; freights low. Exchange-4s. 2d. to
4s. 4d.

Hong Kong—Exchange-4s. 4d.
Shanghae—lmports more in demand; tea and
silk quiet. Exchange-4s. 10d. to Os.

Foochow—Forces, under the Viceroy in person,
has started for the tea district.

FRANCE.

PARIS, TUESDAY.
The French ship-of-the-line Bayard arrived at
Brest on Thursday last, to be transformed into a
screw steamer. On getting into dock the breaking
of a cable caused her to strike against a gunbrig,
which she dismasted. The steam frigate Souveraine
and the corvette Artemise arrived at Brest on the
26th.

A pilot boat, having five pilots on board, who
went out of the port of Founts on the 21th, during
a gale of wind, to pilot a ship of war into Itochfort,
•vas capsized, and all hands perished.
It appears that affairs arc becoming worse in
Mexico. In consequence of the anarchy which pre-
vails there, M. Leon Favre, the French Consul at
Tampico, has written to the commander of the
French naval station in the Gulf of Mexico to claim
protection for tim French in that place.

It is rumoured that the bull has arrived in Paris
for the erection of the bishopric of Rennes into an

archbishopric.

Pere Brumond, director of the establishment for
Le education of orphans, at Boufferick, in Algeria,
. _ _

has arrived in Paris to remonstrate against the de
cision of the Minister of Algeria to stop the Govern.
nient grant to the charities.

The Great Russian Steam Navigation Company
:ook possession, on the 20th inst., of the establish-

ment at Villafranca, granted to them by the Sar.
dinian Goveanment.

BOURSE, Sept. 28, Two o'Clock.—Stock was in
great request at the opening at 73f. 65c. and 73f.
70c., but it afterwards receded to 73f. and 73f. 45c.
The share market has been rather heavy ; Northern,
from- I,ooof, to 995 f. ; Lyons, 895 f. to 890 f. ;. East-
em, 760 f. to Thsf. ; Orleans, 1,450 f. to 1,440 f.;
Southern, 612 f. 50c. to 610 f. ; and Mobilier, I,ooof.
to 985 f. The market became unsteady towards
the close, and prices underwent sudden fluctuations.

Totally wrecked V 3B4s,
essel
Totally lost in collision ...... 53
Seriously damaged 482
Damaged seriously by collisions

January Vessels
. 281
February
March
May
April
76
June 33
.............. , . 34
July 3O

Total

As we have often stated before, wrecks will occur
notwithstanding all the precautions, experience,
and vigilance that may be exercised to prevent
them, but there can be no doubt, that a very large
proportion of the casualties which happen must be
attributed to neglect and carelessness on the part of
those to whose special charge the vessels are com-
mitted, as well as of those who send them to sea
ill-found and unseaworthy. It is a notorious fact
too many of those vessels have not a single appli-
ance, such as a lifebelt or lifelmov, to save life in
case of an emergency. Besides, the masters of
colliers and coasters scarcely ever think of laying
down courses, or using the lead, or consulting
charts. Their motto is, as the register tells ms,
"Follow the leader,
-until they get on a shoal or
sandbank, and thereby add to the number of wrecks
caused by negligence or inattention.
These remarks are fully corroborated in the fol-
lowing table, showing the nature and cargoes of
the vessels lost last year :
V
In ballast, not colliers_ 138 essels.
Coal-laden
.38'2
Colliers in ballast
Cotton
Fishing smacks
Fish or oil 2O
Grain and provisions 90
General cargo B5
An analysis of the tonnage of these disasters is
thus given :
Vessels under 50 tors.... 172 601 and under 900 tons .. 41
Al and under 100 tons.... t2l 901 „ 1,200 tons .. 1
101- 300 tons.... 473 1,200 tons and upwards.... 13
601 llOO tons.... 11-t
The Site of each wreck can be easily traced on the
wreck chart. Let the reader pause for a moment,
and look again at this grim wreck chart, and con-
sider what an amount of misery it unfolds. Let
him then inquire whether or not it be in his power
to assist in mitigating the necessary evils resultine,
from these„sad calamities, causing as they do the
desolation of many a home, and.many a wife to
.be-
come a widow and het children orphans. These in-
nocent sufferers from shipwrecks are already too
numerous in our coasting towns and fishing
villages.
The following is a list of the principal sandbanks
on which .wrecks have occurred during the past
year :—Abertay, 2; Arklow-bank, 2 ; Barber, 2 •
Blyth-sand, 1 ; Brake, 2 ; Burbo-bank, 1
' • Cardiff:
sands, 1 ; Corton, 2 ; Dogger-bank, 1 ; Dudgeon, 5;
Galloper, 4 ; Goodwin, 18 ; Gunfleet, 5 ; Has-
borough, 4 ; Head, 10 ; Holm 10 ; Kentish Knock,
3 ; Kish-hank, 1 ; Long, 18 ; Holm,
Scar, 3 ; Maplin,
3; Middleton,
2 ; Scroby, 8-; Sonk, 3 ; Shipwash, 5; Swin, 1 ;
8; Nash, 3; Newcombe, 2 ; Owers,
Tctncy, 1 ; Whitburn Steel, 1 ; Whiting, 1 ; Wool
pack, 1.

Iron and other ores VesselBB
Manure and kelp l5
!Passengers 2l
• Potatoes or fruit
Salt
Sugar, coffee, spices, tea,
molasses
Stone,slate,litne, or bricks 30

Twenty-nine vessels are recorded to have been
utterly lost last year from unseaworthiness ; and
many others were lost from rottenness, imperfect
gear, carelessness, defective compasses or charts.
There are many prolific causes of shipwreck, in•
dependent of storms, rocks, and sandbanks ; and
among the molt
insurances, unseawarthiness, the overloading of
glaring are—inconsiderate marine
vessels, ill found in anchors, cables, sails, defective
compasses, want of good charts, and incom-
petency of masters. If we analyse the cases of col-
lision that occurred last year we shall find that by
far the larger portion of them occurred in the open
sea, and in clear bright water. Out of 277 colli-
sions, involving total and partial loss, bad look-
out was the cause of 81, and neglect of the rule of
the read of 33 collisions. Simple and easy of per-
formance as the casting of the lead is, it is almost
invariably found, when the causes of the wreck are
inquired into, that this precaution has been
neglected.

Sir S. Lushington, Judge of the Court of Ad-
miraltylt is not of British vessels we speak
every
day,
ay ,
but our ports, especially the port of
Liverpool, are so thronged with vessels from every
part of the world, and especially from the United
States of America, that I speak the truth when I
say that within the last two months of my time

WRECK STATISTICS OF THE UNITED
KINGDOM FOR 18.57.

The extensive and increasing commerce of the
United Kingdom renders, unfortunately, shipwrecks
on its shores a matter of daily occurrence. Indeed,
their frequency is so great that, in the aggregate,
the public at large fail to realise the terrible con-
sequences arising from them ; but they are, never-
theless keenly felt in many a home and counting-
house throughout these realms. As it is, the sad
tale of disaster at sea comes to us too often weak-
ened by the lapse of time and the distance of the
scene of the catastrophe ; instead of having the
harrowing sight of a shipwreck before our eyes,
we have only dry statistics, which raise no emotion,
and even rarely arrest attention.
The materials from which the important Wreck
Register of the Board of Trade is compiled are de-
rived from returns furnished by the officers of the
Coastguard service and the receivers of wrecks
stationed on the coasts of the United Kingdom.
After having been analysed and tabulated by the
Board of Trade they are printed, accompanied by a
Wreck Chart, and presented annually to Parlia-
ment. The register for the past year is a very com-
plete one, and reflects credit on its compilers, who
have evidently devoted much time to its excellent
arrangements. Among other information which it
contains are tables descriptive of the means adopted
for saving life on the coasts, and containing lists of
the stations supplied with the mortar and rocket
apparatus.

- Compared with previous periods the register in-
forms us that the wreck experience of the past year
is favourable; yet if we analyse it carefully we
shall find that, without reckoning collisions, there
were no fewer than 384 vessels, or more than one
a day, totally lost on or near these islands last
year. The whole of the wrecks and casualties for
the year 1857 may be thus classed:—

Total 1,143
The number Of di,iaqers for one year is at the
rate of more than three per diem.
The number of wrecks in each month of the year
1857 is thus given :

els.
Brought forward Vess
687
August
September • 66
October
November 94
December

7
By these casualties 2, 68200 of our fellow-creatures
were placed in imminent peril of losing their lives,
and 532 of them actually found a watery grave,
many of whom, it is believed, might have been saved
had the National Lifeboat Institution had the means
of placing additional lifeboats on the coasts. Be-
sides there can be no doubt that the number of 532
persons drowned does not correctly represent the
actual loss of life during the past year from casual-
ties on and around our coasts, inasmuch as the loss
of fishermen and other boatmen is not included in
the Board of Trade returns.
If we examine closely the sites of the shipwrecks
we shall find that no less than 600, or more than
one-half of the whole number of wrecks, occurred
between Dungeness and Pentland Frith. Along
this perilous sea, biset with sands, shoals, and
rocky headlands, no less than 150,000 vessels,
manned probably by half-a-million of men and boys,
pass annually, a great part of them being ill-con-
structed, deeply-laden colliers, and the wonder is,
how they manage to survive a gale of wind. A
remarkable and sad case of this description occurred
only a few months ago on the Norfolk coast. Sud-
denly a gale of wind sprang up where one of these
rotten colliers was riding ; she made a signal of dis-
tress ; the National Lifeboat Society's lifeboat was as
soon as possible brought out of the boat-house, but
before the boat was launched the ship had gone to
pieces, and every one of her unhappy crew had
perished. On examination of the -vessel's timbers
they were found to be perfectly, rotten ; otherwise,
it was said, she might easily have weathered out
the moderate gale of wind that proved her destruc-
tion. A somewhat similar case occurred off Brid-
lington the year before last, when four or five poor
fellows perished—so rotten was the vessel that her
anchors pulled out her bows, consequently causing
her instantly to sink.
Again, the south coast, extending from Dunge-
ness to ie Land's-end, is comparatively safe, only
84 wrecks having occurred in 1857 ; while from
the Land's-end to Greenock, where the influence of
the Atlantic gales and currents is most severely
felt, the numbers rise again to 286; and the Irish
coast contributes a total of 173 wrecks.
If we take a retrospective glance at the shipwrecks
which haVe occurred oil our coasts during the past
five years, we shall find 4hat no less than 5,128
wrecks and collisions toot place, being an average
of 1,025 a year—than= the loss of life thereupon
amounted to 830 a yeatrand that the destruction
of property averaged a million and a half sterling
per annum. It is not an uncommon occurrence for
a single gale to strew our coasts with wrecks. In
the gale of the 25th Sept. 1851, as many as 117
vessels were wrecked, and for each of the earlier
months of the present year the returns of the Board
of Trade show that there has been from four to five
casualties a day.
These facts are sufficient to prove the appalling
loss of life and property, and the absolute necessity,
that exists for the construction of harbours of re-
fuge, and for renewed exertions in the establish-
ment of additional lifeboats on some points of our
coasts.

one half has been engaged.; upon foreign vessels.
From the very mouth of the Mersey down to the
coast of Ireland, I regret to say, we have had some
of the most unfortunate collisions and the greatest
loss of life."

Still, it is satisfactory to find that collisions do
diminish, and that as compared with last year a
diminution of their number to the extent of 39 has
taken place. Moreover, 662 of the wrecks, apart
from collisions, that took place last year arose en-
tirely from stress of weather, and not from the
fault of any parties.
A most gratifying feature, however, is to be found
in the Register—viz., the large number of lives
saved from shipwreck by lifeboats and other means
during the past year, winch is given as follows :
By the lifeboats of the National Lifeboat Institution
and local bodies
By luggers, Coastguard boats, and small craft 512
Byships and steamboats 507
By assistance from shore with mortar and rocket
apparatus, ropes, &c
By individual exertion

243

Total 1,668
Although this number were entirely saved from
wrecks, yet it must be borne in mind that 2,206
persons were in addition placed in actual danger, a
large proportion of whom would probably have
perished but for succour of some kind or other. In a
great many instances, such as in cases of collisions
and founderings far at sea, escape has, of course,
been due to the ships' own boats or to the many
fishing vessels and other crafts which are, fortu-
nately, constantly plying about • but 398 persons
during the past 12 months actually owe their lives
to the lifeboats of the Royal National Lifeboat In-
stitution, and to those of local bodies. The life-
boat, as is well known, is chiefly used on
perilous emergencies, and when no other
craft can be made available. A lifeboat esta-
blishment is not, like a harbour of refuge on a
dangerous point, a matter of great expense ; it
is easily surmounted, and its permanent efficacy
equally as practicable. We have no doubt in future
years, if the excellent system of management
adopted by the National Lifeboat Society be ad-
hered to—and a lifeboat soon becomes more than
useless if she is not well attended---that the ser-
vices of its lifeboats will prove still more effective.
The pecuniary means to increa ,e the number of
lifeboats is now really the only impart:lnt point for
consideration. If there be any nation in the world
which should be honourably distinguished above
others for its appliance 3 to save life in cases of ship-
wrecks, England is emphatically that one. It is
the sea that has made us what we are, and which
has borne our countrymen to all par L 3 of the world.
It is our naval preponderance which has raised us
to our present great position among the nations of
the earth. It is upon the prowess, and skill, and
adventure of our seamen that the fabric of British
power at the present moment rests. One might
suppose, then, that all persons who could afford it
would only be too ready to lend a helping hand to
an institution of the character of the National Life-
boat Society, whose annual income is out of all pro-
portion to its extensive sphere of usefulness. We
therefore again appeal to the community at large
to help a society which has charged itself with this
great national work, and which has zealously and
satisfactorily endeavoured to di3charge its onerous
duties in the cause of suffering hinnanity.