The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-28 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

The fine steamer Royal Charter has been cast away on the
coast of Anglesea, homeward bound, bearing about 500
souls, within a morning's sail of Liverpool. She has be-
come a total wreck, and of those 500 only a score survive.
It seems that on Tuesday evening last the Royal Charter
passed Holyhead. The night was wild and threatening,
azd subsequently became most tempestuous. The ship wt,:
unhappily kept near a dangerous lee shore, in the ope o
meeting with a pilot for Liverpool. Her position appears
to have been but imperfectly known, which must have been
brought about by the thickness of the weather. However,
about 10 p.m., with a northerly gale beginning, she let go
two anchors within
.a few miles to the eastward of Point
Lynes, on which is a light.
Before midnight an order was given to veer out upon the
starboard cable. This had the effect of bringing too much
strain upon the port cable, which parted. The other held
some time, with the assistance of the engines at full speed,
and then it parted also. About 230 a.m., on Wednesday
morning she struck, the tide Ebbing. With the flood she
came nearer shore, the sea making a clean breach over her
and smashing her boats to pieces on the davits.
Before daylight the ill-fated vessel was broadside on to the
rocks, near Moelfre, on the north-east side of Anglesea, the
terrific gale blowing right upon her, and such a sea as only
those who have seen this coast under similar circumstances
can imagine, beating her down.

By the exertions, chiefly, of her own crew, a hawser was
led to the rocks, along which some few passed and were
saved. Scarcely, however, was it made fast, when the
steamer parted amidships, and directly afterwards the for-
ward portion divided longitudinally. The sea having its
own way swept men, women, and children into its maw,
and though some few passed by the hawser and some more
were washed ashore from different portions of the wreck,
the sad result is that but 25 or 30 aro saved ; three saloon
passengers, and seven or eight of the crew being among
them, many seriously hurt. Many bodies have come
ashore, and a considerable amount of specie is, we heave,
in the hands of the authorities, an efficient and prompt
attendance of the Coastguard being a fair guarantee for the
security of much that may be found.
The ironwork of the vessel is torn to shreds, the wood-
work reduced to chips. Tho coast is strewed with wool,
leather, and bedding and clothing. The fields above the
cliffs are covered with fragments. A more complete anni-
hilation of a noble vessel never occurred on our coast.
From Messrs. Wagstaff and Gregory, of this town, who
visited the scene of the wreck yesterday, we learn that the
spectacle was most heartrending. The rocks were covered
with corpses of men and women mutilated most frightfully.
Th 3 shore and rocks were strewed with sovereigns, which
the passengers had vainly attempted to save with them-
selves.

Judging from the evidence we have obtained, it would
appear that the Royal Charter, fearing to run for the
Mersey in such a storm, had hove-to, and having drifted to
Dulas Bay, let go her anchors, keeping her screw working
to ease the cables.

A rescued passenger states that the vessel rode safely,

burning blue- lights and rockets until her maste were cut
away, when the screw ceased to work, and she went on the -
rocks at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, and broke up about 7. The
probabilfty is that the wreck fouled the screw. It is stated
that after she struck, a negro swam ashore with a hawser,
by which two men were saved, and there was every proba •
bility of numbers more reaching land, when the vessel split
amidships letting her engines and passengers through. The
survivors could not explain how they got ashore. The mate
Stephens, who was held in high estimation here, is said to
have been killed. The first dead body came ashore about
3 p.m. A child was rescued from the waves still breathing,
but only survived a short time. Most of the bodies had
money in their clothing, and one wrecker picked up a bag
containing 100 sovereigns. The boatswain's mate who
reached the shore alive bad £4OO about him. Very little
could be seen of the wreck yesterday beyond her sides—
which are being beaten to and fro by the waves—and a very
small portion of the poop. Among the rocks were lying
huge fragments of iron, twisted into various shapes. The
main portion of the vessel lies close by the shore, and it is
anticipated that the bullion-safe will be easily recoverable.
She had no pilot on board. Mr. Smith, the energetic col-
lector of Customs at Beaumaris, was superintending the
operations at the wreck. The bodies, as they were recovered
from the waves, were c3nveyed to a field adjacent to the
churchyard for recognition. There are very few houses in
the neighbourhood.
The scene of the wreck is Moelfre, about nine miles from
Beaumaris, and three or four miles from where the Roth-
say Castle was lost many years ago. Your reporter, who
started very early this morning for the wreck, will forward
an authentic report at the earliest possible moment.

No complete list of passengers can be expected before the
arrival of the next overland mail.

In accordance with a requisition from Mr. Court, of the
Undewriters' Association, Captain Mends, R.N., has de-
spatched a company of Marines to protect the wreck from
plunder.