The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 1, 1866.

THE BRAZIL MAIL.

LISBON, MARCH 1.

The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's ship
Rhone has arrived here from Brazil, and will leave
for Southampton at 8 a.m. to-day with 52 passen-
gers, 2,039 bales of cotton, 130 packages of sun-
dries, and £50,000 in specie.
The Douro, with the out-mail of the 9th February,
was at St. Vincent on the 20th February.

AMERIC A
(REUTER'S EXPRESS.)

ARRIVAL OF THE CITY OF WASHINGTON.

NEW YORK, Feb. 17 (Noon).

There is a great dearth of news, particularly from the
South. No political events of importance aro reported
from that section. The people seemed to be anxiously
awaiting the action of Congress. Southern journals show
that the proceedings of the Committee of Reconstruction
are watched with great interest.
• "

The proceedings of Congress have not been specially
important for a few days past. In the House of Representa-
tives a petition was presented from some three hundred
communicants of an African Methodist Church at Atlanta,
Georgia, asking an appropriation to rebuild their church,
which was entirely demolished by Federal troops during
Sherman's campaign through Georgia.
In the Senate a petition for the immediate recognition
of Tennessee as a State was presented, and referred to the
Reconstruction Committee.

Mr. Sumner (of Mass.) presented a petition from the
women of New England asking that there shall be no dis-
tinction on account of sex in the bestowal of the elective
franchise.

A bill was passed to punish kidnapping or enticing away,
with the view of selling them, negro or mulatto persons.
Any ono convicted with the offence to be fined from $5OO
to $5,000, and imprisoned from one to five years, at the
option of the Court. The bill also provides for the punish-
ment of the master of any vessel tl ansporting a kidnapped
person, and for the forfeiture of the vessel.
A bill was introduced, and laid over, to grant privilege to
tho International Ocean Telegraph Company to establish a
line from this country to the West Indies, to be completed
within five years. The right of way to last for 25 years,
and the line to be under Government control in case of
foreign war.
A message was received from the President transmitting
correspondence between Secretary Seward and the Marquis
de Monthelon, French Minister at Washington, in rela-
tion to the adoption of measures to prevent the spread of
the cholera. It appears thereby that under suggestions
of M. Drouyn de L'Huys a conference of medical men of
all nations is to take place at Constantinople under the
auspices of the Sublime Porte for the purpose of adopting
some universal system of precautionary measures with
regard to the cholera. Two medical officers of the United
States army are to represent this country in the conference.

Hu USE OF LORDS—This Day.

(Before the Lord Chancellor and Lords Chelmsford
•
and Kingidown.)
DE WINDT (BY HIS NEXT OF KIN) v. DE WINDT.
The case came before their lordships on an ap-
peal from the decision of the Vice-Chancellor
Wood, and had reference to the construction of the
will of the father of the appellant. The facts of the
case have been so frequently published as to render
even an outline of them unnecessary.
Their lordships dismissed the appeal.

Total Loss of the Ship Palmerston.

Yesterday the following communication from her
Majesty's Consulate at Bordeaux was received by
Admiral Halstead, secretary of Lloyd's, reporting
the total loss of the ship Palmerston :—" Bordeaux,
Feb. 20.—Capt. Wm. Dougall, late master of the
British ship Palmerston, lost on her voyage from
Calcutta for London, has made the annexed sworn
declaration before us this day. He states that he
sailed from Calcutta on the 31st October last, with
a full cargo, bound for London. The voyage was
prosecuted with variable weather up to the 21st of
January, when bad weather set in, causing a heavy
sea, in which the ship laboured very heavily. The
weather continued bad, when about midnight a
terrific gale set in, causing the vessel to roll and
strain fearfully. On the morning of the 22d, the
pumps having been constantly attended to, it was
discovered the vessel had sprung a leak, as no suck
could be obtained from the pumps. The gale still
continued with a heavy cross sea, pumps continually
going. On the evening of the 23d the crew began
to complain of fatigue in consequence of the con-
stant labour at the pumps. Towards evening the
gale moderated, but heavy sea continued, ship la-
bouring, and pumps going unremittingly. This state
of things continued, the leak appearing to gain on
the pumps. On the 25th the gale returned,, ship
labouring, people constantly at the pumps. On the
26th, at daylight, a vessel was sighted ; all sails were
set to endeavour to reach her, and about noon the
captain was enabled to hail the ship Trois Sceurs, of
Cherbourg, and to request the captain to remain by
the Palmerston as she had sprung a leak, which was
steadily increasing. The French captain consented.
On the same day, at 3.30 p.m., the crew came aft
to the captain, and represented that they were so
fatigued by the uninterrupted work at the pumps
that they could hold out no longer ; but the captain
told them he was willing to remain by the ship and
take her into the nearest port if they would stand
by him. To this they replied that they were too
much fatigued to be able to do any more duty, and
that as the weather was again threatening, and as
probably by the next morning the French vessel
would have disappeared, it was madness to throw
away this chance of salvation. The captain then
desired all those that would not remain on board
to go over to the starboard side, which all hands
did, leaving the captain alone. The pumps were then
sounded, and 3ft. 3M. of water was found. A signal
of distress was hoisted, and the French ship imme-
diately bore up and hove to ; the boats were
got out, and the weather turning very wild the chief
portion of the crew were transferred to the French
vessel. About six p.m. the French captain sent
word to Captain Dougall to leave his ship imme-
diately, as it was growing dark and the weather
getting too bad for boats to live in such a sea. In
consequence, at 6 30 p.m., Captain Dougall and
the rest of his crew left the Palmerston, not, how-
ever, without again sounding the pumps and finding
upwards of sft. water in the hold. On reaching the
Trois Sceurs he requested the captain to remain by
the Palmerston all night, in order if possible to save
whatever stores they could, but early next morning
it was discovered that the Palmerston was on fire
from the mainmast forward. He further states that
the conduct of the ship's company from the com-
mencement of the gale up, to the rescue by the
French ship was most exemplary, and they one and
all exerted themselves to the utmost at the pumps
as well as in the general service of the ship." The
ship and cargo were fully insured at Lloyd's and at
the City offices. Her cargo consisted of 320 bales of
jute, 1,120 bales of jute cuttings, 111 bales of hemp,
1,134 cwt. of turmices, 160 tons of linseed, 600 tons
of rapeseed, and other India produce.