The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-08 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

We regret to announce the death of Admiral
Hugh Downman, which occurred at Hambledon,
Hants, on Monday last. The gallant admiral had
reached the advanced age of 95. This officer, who
was born at Plymouth on the 29th October, 1765,
is descended from a respectable family in Devon-
shire, of which his father was a younger branch.
He entered the navy Oct. 10, 1776, as A. B. on
board the Thetis, 32, Captains Mitchell, Graham,
and John Gill, in which frigate he escorted home a
large convoy of Indiamen from St. Helena. From
August 14, 1778, until March 5, 1790, he was next
employed, as midshipman, in the Arethusa and
Emerald frigates, both commanded by Capt. Sam.
Marshal—the Edgar, 74, Commodore Charles
Hotham—the Queen, 98, Triumph, 74, and B ar-
fleur, 98, flag-ships at Portsmouth of Admirals
John Montagu and Lord Hood—and the Crown,
64, bearing the broad pendant in the East Indies of
the Hon. William Cornwallis. During that period,
having been wrecked in the Arethusa, while in
pursuit of an enemy's frigate off the island of Mon-
lines, Mr. Downman was detained a prisoner of war
in France, from March 1772 to Jan. 1780 ; after
which, when in the Edgar, he was present at the
relief of Gibraltar, and in Lord Howe's partial
action with the combined fleets of France and
he Spain,
e Oct. 20, 1782. On March 5, 1790, as above,ev
was promoted to a lieutenancy in the Perseverance,
36, Captain Isaac Smith, on the East India station,
whence, on being re-transferred to the Crown, he
• came home in May, 1792. Being next appointed

vateers, carrying altogether 17 guns, 28 swivels,
and 162 men, besides encountering off Vigo two
very severe actions, Feb. 3 and 4, 1798, with the
French privateer Papillon, of 14 heavy guns and
160 men, which he brat off on both occasions, with
a loss to the Speedy of 5 men killed and 4 wounded.
Being oflieially posted, Dec. 26, 1791, in the Santa
Dorothea, of 42 gulls, a ship he had joined in the
previous " September, Captain Downman (whose
services in the Speedy had been acknowledged by
the presentatiou to hiin of a piece of plate, valued
at 501. from thoßritish merchants at Oporto) was
subsequently oniplayesd off., and with.ft per-
severance highly creditable, at the blockade, enethe-i
spring of 1800, of the important fortress of Savona, '
which he ultimately compelled to surrender. Ho
also, after the battle of Marengo, destroyed all the
fortifications in the Gulf of Spezia, landed the Duke
of Savoy and family at Naples, and preserved the
valuable gall ry of Florence from falling into the
hands of the enemy, by conveying it in safety to
Sicily. For these services Captain Downman was
presented with a diamond ring both by the Duchess
of Savoy and by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. We
afterwards find him, in July, 1801, escorting three
Swiss regiments and the corps of Lamenstein, to
Egypt, where he was awarded the gold medal of
the Turkish Order of the Crescent, and then em-
ployed in enforcing the neutrality of Tripoli
and Dearn. Among the numerous prizes
made by Captain lumen during his com-
mand of the Santa Dorothea, we may enumerate
the capture of the San Leon, Spanish man-of-
war brig, of 16 guns and 88 men-of three vessels
from Egypt, having on board General Desaix and
the staff of Bonaparte-of other craft cut out, with
the loss of 12 men, from the batteries of Bordiguera
and Hospitallier-and of the Bull-dog (formerly
British), of 16 guns, brought out from Gallipoli.
From April, 1801, to August, 1802, and from De-
cember, 1803, to November, 1805, he was subse-
quently employed as flag captain to Sir James
Saumarez in the Ciesar, 80, and Diomede, 50, on
the Lisbon and Guernsey E.tatious. He then
joined the Diadem, 64, bearing the broad pendant
of Sir Home Popham ; and after witnessing the
reduction of the Cape of Good Hope, brought home
the despatches announcing that event. Being im-
mediately ordered to the Rio de la Plata, he there
resumed command of his former ship, the Diomede,
in which subsequently to the fall of Monte Video,
lie returned to England with the present Lord
Beresford, and was paid off in June, 1807. From
Sept. 8 following, until appointed, Jan. 14, 1811,
to the Princess Caroline, 71, Captain Downman
next superintended the prison ships at Portsmouth.
After assisting at the destruction, on March 25th,
of the latter year, of the French 40-gun frigate
Amazone, near Cape Barfleur, lie convoyed a fleet
of Indiamea to Madeira, on his return from which
place he was sent to cruise iu the North Sea,
where we find him early in 1814 landing the marines
of the ship at Scheveliug for the support of the
Prince of Orange. He made a further voyage to
Spitzberren, and was put out of commission, Sept.
22, 1814. His last appointment appears to have
been on Dec. 2, 1824, to the Windsor Castle, 74,
at Portsmouth. He acquired the rank of vice-
admiral on the 10th of Jan uary,lB37, admiral on the
24th April, 1817. Admiral D iwnman was one of
the seniors to receive the offer of reserved half-pay
and a service pension, July 1, 1851.
A vacancy having now occurred in this list, the
promotion of the senior captain to flag rank will
take place. The first on the list of promo-
tion is Captain Edward Stanley (1838), but that
officer not having served his full time as a captaia,
he will be placed on the rear admirals' reserved
half-pay list.
Captain Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, Bart.,
K.C.B. Surveyor of the Navy, being the next
senior eligible for promotion to the active list, be-
comes sear admiral of the blue. Sir Baldwin
Walker's c ireer hasbeen an active and distinguished
one. According to " O'Byrne's Biography" he
entered the navy July, 1812. He was made a
lieutenant in 1820, and served almost continuously
for 14 years in that rank. He was iu the Brazen,
26, with Captain Willie, in South America and the
coast of Africa ; and in the Rattlesnake, 28, and
"Etna, bomb, in the Mediterranean. As first lieu-
tenant of the latter ship, in 1828, he was engaged
against the forces of the Ottoman Porte, and dis-
tinguished himself with Captain Lushington, in the
gallant attack and redaction of Morea Castle, the
last stronghold of the Turks at Pe'oponnesus. For
these services he was made a Knight of the Legion
of Honour and of the Redeemer of Greece ; but he
served in the Asia, 84, and Britannia, 120, flag
ships of Sir Pulteney Malcolm, and as senior cf the
Barham, 50, until 1834, as " the ablest first lieu-
tenant in the service," before he got his promotion.
As a commander he served in Sir Wm. Symond's
new 80-gun ship, Vanguard, with Captain Hon.
D. P. euverie, and Sir Thomas Fellowee, from
September, 1836, to November, 1838, when having
been promoted to the rank of captain he volunteered
to serve in the Turkish navy, which he so re-orga-
nised and reformed that at least some efficient por-
tion of the fleet remained loyal amidst almost
universal treachery ; and under him as their
admiral, took a distinguished part with the British
fleet in all the operations on the coast of Syria. He
distinguished himself in the attack upon Beyrout,
as noticed in the official despatches published in the
G a:-tte in 1840, where his zealous, persevering,
and active exertions are warmly praised by the
commander-ia- chief, Sir Robert Stopford, and
subsequently, in his flag ship led the fleet into the
attack upon St. Jean d'Acre. fie was nominated
an honorary knight commander of the Bath in
1841, and in consideration of the eminent services
he had rendered to the government whilst, as
it were, self-expatriated from the Royal navy,
ho was allowed by special order in council
to reckon his time served in the Turkish navy
as if he had commanded a British man-of-war. In
1846 he was appointed to the command of the three-
decker Queen, 116, and sailing with the fleet from
Spithead in the presence of her Majesty and
the court, he commanded that ship in the important
experimental trial sailings that subsequently took
place. His last command afloat was that of the
new 50-gun frigate Constance, in the West Indiesto
and Pacific; until 1848, when he was
succeed Sir William Symonds as Surveyotrhe only
Navy. At that date, it is well known,
screw appointefdt_
were the converted 'TVs-Blenheim,
Aj'x sailing
screw ships in the service, besides the. ranHspoocrruter,
dee. Since then there has not been singlea._for the
vessel or a paddle-wheel steamer designed
Royal navy.
In addition to the honours before enumerated
Sir Baldwin is a knight of the second class of the
Iron Crown of Austria, of the second class of St.
Anne of Russia ; and of the second class of the
Red Eagle of Prussia. For his services during the
late war, when the country put forth its inexhaus-
tible strength to create fleets and squadrons of ships
a i
of all classes, Sir Baldwin Walker was created a
baronet.
roomot i o n of Sir
aide-de-camp
Baldwine
p to t h
WalkereQueen
u theee
nominationßythepromotion
a naval d
falls to the patronage of the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, and Captain the Hon. J. R Drummond,
C. 8., private secretary•
to the First Lord, becomes
a paid A.D.C.
Captain the Hon. Ed ward Howard (1838) will be
the senior on the
active list, but not being eligible
for active flag rank, Captain
Milne (1830), one of
the Lords of the Admiralty,is the senior for pro-
motion to rear-admiral of the blue.

FATAL FALL DOWNSTAIRS,—Yesterday morning a
fatal accident happened to a female, named Ann Aid-
honour, aged 62 years, residing at 3, Cheshire-street,
Bethnal-green. It seems that the deceased was in the act
of descending the staircase, when she by some means
slipped and fell to the bottom, and when raised up she
was found to be in a state of paralysis. Mr. Rolph,
surgeon, was called, and pronounced the deceased to be
suffering from fracture of the upper cervical vertebra of
the neck. The deceased shortly afterwards died from
the elects of the injury.

smack Lady Emma, which, during a hoary gale of
wind sank on Irvine Bar on the 15th ult. A pilot
boat, manned by six men, had previously attempted
to teach the wreck, but the fishermen persevered
011,40010:0,poiy-age,eaadedg off-the- three:
Men. The fishermen's boaiwtroned:l4 the hear -
sea 3 rolling into her, and the whole were in very
great danger of perishing.
• A reward was also voted to seven men, in consi-
det ation of their valuable services in putting off in
their coble and rescuing, at the risk of their lives,
the crew of five men of the brig Zillah, of Whitby,
which, during a gale of wind, was wrecked off Win-
terton, Norldk. The coble had to go through a
very heavy sea and broken water, and it was a
mercy she was not swamped on the occasion, or
stove by the floating wreck. All the stern part of
the ship had gone, and the crew were taken off the
rigging.

_During the past month the institution had trans-
mitted to the A ustralian governors several sets of
lifeboats and transporting carriages. Others were
to be despatched during the current mouth.
A communication was read from the Board of
Trade, expressing their approval of the manner in
which the institution managed its numerous life-
boats, and promising their continued support from
the Mercantile Marine Fund in aid of the contribu-

tions of tho public towards tho maintenance in full
vigour of th© institution.

It was reported that the Norfolk Shipwreck
As iociation had joined the institution. The inspec-
tor of lifeboats had thereupon immediately pro-
ceeded to examine the lifeboats on the Norfolk
coast. His report, which was read to the meeting,
was full of recommendations regarding the renova-
tion of some of the lifeboats. Measures were
adopted to carry out forthwith these recommenda-
tions.

The institution had at present, it was said,.
70
lifeboats in connection with it, to each of which is
a coxswain, or master, and a volunteer crew, who
went afloat in the boats every quarter for exercise.
The average expense of each lifeboat in this respect
alone was 20/. a-year, besides the largo expense of
keeping the lifeboat establishment in a thorough
state of repair. The society is also now building
lifeboats for Hastings, Holyhead, Groomsport,
Ardmore, and several other places, and its liabili-
ties for these, and for boat-houses and transporting
carriages are nearly 3,000/. Under these circum-
stances the institution has good reason to make au
urgent appeal for public support, which we
hope will be given to it, for amongst the many use-
ful societies in this country, none is more valuable
than the National Lifeboat Institution.
By the lamented deaths of Admiral the Earl
Spencer, Admiral Sir F. Beaufort, with that of the
' Earl of Ilchester, the institution had, it was said,
lost valuable contributions to its funds.
The proceedings then closed.

FEARFUL DEATII OF TWO COLLIERS.-
GROSS NEGLECT OF A STEWARD.

Last week we reported that a fearful accident bad
occurred at a coal mine near Dodworth, in the
I3arnsley district, by which two colliers came to a
cruel death. The inquest was adjourned in order
that the Government inspector might examine the
mine, it being alleged that the under-steward had
grossly mismanaged the ventilation. The explosion
only partially affected the workings, but the two
victims were overwhelmed and buried in the ruins,
and their cries for assistance did not cease for seve-
ral hours after the accident. Mr. Hamer, solicitor,
appeared on behalf of the proprietors of the col-
liery. The evidence showed that there was great
laxity in the management of the colliery, and that
the rules in many instances were a dead letter. In
examination by Mr. Morton, Samuel Stears, the
steward, acknowledged that there was no real
I deputy in the night shift. Witness was respon-
sible for the ventilation in the pit. George Rhodes,
a miner, after the gas had fired at his lamp, told
Win. Carr, the deputy, that there was more gas
than there should be, but Carr paid no heed, and
witness said he had found fault with-miners for
blowing out their lamps. Witness told Mr. Stears
that the place was not fit to work in on account of
gas ; Stears replied that it was no worse than
usual. Both Stears and Carr saw it in a fiery con-
dition ; and Carr was with witness when it fired.
William Carr, deputy, said he knew that Rule 9
required that they should have a deputy by night
when working double shifts, but he never told Mr.
Stears that they ought to have one. Witness, with
Mr. Stears, was responsible for the ventilation.
After some further evidence, the coroner summed
up, and the jury, after a deliberation of five hours
and a half, rettuned. the following verdict :—"That
the deceased, George Chappil and Richard Turner,
died from tho effects of burns received in an explo-
sion of tire-dain? in the engine pit at the Strafford
colliery, but the cause of the explosion is not
proved. The jury are also of opinion that the evi-
dence shows a groat want of care in the general
management and ventilation of the pit, and the
incompetency of the steward."
Ten of the jury were in favour of sending Stear a
for trial for manslaughter, and stood out for several
hours ; but the coroner gave some information on
the law of the case, and the above verdict was
returned. The proceedings did not close until ten
o'clock. The proprietors have now engaged the
services of an efficient under-viewer, under whose
will be it is hoped that these fearful explosions

DREADFUL COAL-PIT ACCIDENT.

FOUR MEN KILLED.

°na lost Wednesday accident, by which four
me
morning an
occurred
at the colliery belonging
to Messrs. Turner and Co., of Kallamarsh, near Sheffield.
Tim casualty occurred by an extraordinary fatality. On
Tuesday night a fire was kindled at the top of the shaft,
dthneeeird7ves,
to prevent the formation of ice, and this ire communi-
cated with the pit rope and scorched it. This was told
to the men, who refused to descend on Wednesday
morning until it bad been ascertained that the rope was
safe. Experiments were made wbich appeared to estab-
lish the safety of the rope, and 60 or 70 of the men de-
scended the mine. The last party to descend consisted of
three brothers, named Senior, and a man named Rich. cl.
Turton. They were reluctant to descend, but being
encouraged by their comrades, they stepped into the
"corf." Unhappily, the chair had not been lowered
more than two yards when the rope gave way, and the
men were precipitated to the bottom of the shaft, a dis-
tance of 230 feet.
When the men who were already at the bottom
examined the bodies, two were found quite dead, and
the others lingered half an hour. One of the brothers
Senior had been thrown against the
.edge of the corf,
which bad completely severed one of his arms from his
body. The bodies were removed from the mine to await
the coroner's inquest.