The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDOIN, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 1, 1860.

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HER MAJESTY•

OSBORNE, Wednesday.
The Queen drove out yesterday afternoon, at-
tended by the Dowager Duchess of Athole.

--.--_____......-

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge,
attended by Lady Geraldine Somerset and Colonel Home
Purves, arrived last evening at her residence iu the Am-
bassadors' Court, St. James's Palace, from Cambridge
Cottage, Kew, for the season.

His Royal Highness the Duke d'Aumale honoured
the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs.
Gladstone by his company at dinner yesterday evening at
the family residence on Carlton-house-terrace. There were
present to meet his Royal Highness—his Excellency Count
Apponyi, the Earl and Countess Russell, Lord and Lady
Taunton, Lord Eliot, Lord and Lady Dufferin, Mr. and Mrs.
Arthur Peel, Mr. and Mrs. G. Vernon. After dinner Mrs.
Gladstone had a small evening party.

THE LOSS OF THE LuNDON.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY-(THIS DAY).

Mr. Talford Salter, who attended on the part of
some of the survivors, applied to Mr. Trail for
permission to cross-examine some of the witnesses.
Mr. Traill refused the application, as the present
was merely an inquiry. Any question the learned
gentleman wished could be put through the asses-
SON.

Mr. Talford Salter said that being the case, he
would withdraw from the examination.

The first witness called this morning was
Captain Richard Stoller, who said—l am an
officer in her Majesty's Navy, and am engaged at
Plymouth, acting under the Emigration Commis-
sioners. I have held the appointment for eight
years. went on board the London in the dis-
charge of my duty at noon on the MI of
January. lowas accompanied by Captain Martin
and the surgeon of the ship. I made the usual in-
pectionof the ship, according to the Passengers' Act.
I did not observe that she had sustained any damage
on her voyage from London to Plymouth—not the
slightest. The examination I made was, going
round the deck, looking at the boats, seeing that
the life buoys were in their place, and that sort of
thing. I took a general view of her rigging and
spars, and then I looked down into the engine room,
and sent for the chief engineer to speak to him. He
reported to me that his department was in first-rate
order. I had a general conversation with him as to
how the engines worked coming down to Plymouth,
as I knew they had had some very rough weather.
He told me the rate she had steamed, which was
very good, but I forget the exact terms. I knew it
was very gocd, and it surprised me, as I knew that
her maximum rate of speed was not more than nine
knots, and that convinced me that the vessel must
be in good trim. I saw the surgeon and got his re-
port. In fact I made as general a survey of the
ship as 1 could. As she had merely touched at
Plymouth to take in passengers and coal in place of
that she had expended on her way down.
Captain Baker—How many tons ?
Witness—Fifty tons was paid for, but I did not
think it was as much.

Captain Baker—Where was.it placed ?
Witness—lt was stowed round the engine-room
hatch and steam chest on the upper deck.

Captain Baker—Was there any placed in the
after combing of the engine-room hatch ?

Witness—No.
Captain Baker—Then, we are to understand
that there was a space between the coals ?
Witness—Oh yes. There was a gangway through
the stovage.
Mr. O'Dowd—Did she ship a considerable quan-
tity of passengers, baggage, or cargo ?
Witness—No. Only articles for the present use
of the passengers shipped there.
Mr. O'Dowd--Although she only called at Ply-
mouth for passengers, it was your duty to examine
the ship as to her state of seaworthiness.

Witness—Yes.
Mr. O'Dowd—You have in fact to see that she
is well fitted to go to sea.
Witness—Yes.
Captain Baker—Did you notice her draught of
water ?

Witness—Not critically.
Captain Baker—What do you mean by that ?
Witness—There's a great deal of water, and you
cannot tell accurately under such circumstances.
Captain Baker—You did not partially notice her
draught of water ?
Witness—No ; I thought the vessel was in good
trim.

Captain Baker—By that you mean not deep ?

Witness—Certainly. Every steamship must of
necessity be a little deep on leaving port, otherwise
her form would soon be out of water and become
useless. I have a memorandum of the reading of
the barometer on board the harbour-master's vessel
in the Sound of the sth, 6th, and 7th of January
last. At 8 a.m. on the sth it was 29.90 ; at noon
it was 30.04 ;at 3 p.m., 30.07. On the 6th, at 8
a.m., 30.17, rising all this time, it will be observed ;
at noon 30.25 ;at sunset, 30.18. On the 7th, at 8
a.m., 29.76, at noon, 29.78 ; at sunset, 29.78. The
London left Plymouth at midnight, on the sth, and
next day it was fine and calm, and continued so for
four and twenty hours after. The barometer for
some days had been jumping about.
Captain Baker—Then, from your impression,
from the rising of the barometer and the state of the
weather on the sth, was it safe for a ship to go to
sea ?

Witness—Yes, eertainly. The weather continued
fine all the next day.
Mr. Trail—Was the coals properly stowed so as
not to interfere with the navigation of the ship or
the comfort of the passengers ?

Witness—Yes, certainly. They were stowed
four bats deep and four bags high. The bags were
laid lengthways. On former voyages she carried
her coal in a similar manner. I cannot say it was
the same quantity. It was the regular place for it.
Mr. O'Dowd—lf all had gone on well it would
have been consumed in a few days?
Witness—Yes. Had there been any necessity
the idlers on board could have thrown the whole
quantity overboard in half-an-hour.
Capt. Baker—Did you muster the crew before
the ship left?
Witness --No, I asked the captain whether the
crew was the same that he had on board when he
left Gravesend, and he told me it was. That satis-
fied me. lam sure none of the crew left the ship
at Plymouth. It is not compulsory to muster the
crew unless I suspect fraud. The captain told me
he was going to ship three extra hands, but he
took four A. B's. Five were entered but one got
drunk and didn't go.

Capt. llarris—Do you consider it prudent
for ships to go to sea in the winter with a great
quantity of top hamper aloft?
Witness—All market ships go to sea in the
winter with their royal masts on end and topgallant
yards across. You cannot get captains to strike
them. Men-of-war do not do so. lam astonished
at the practice.

Mr. Trail—You mean you are astonished at it
because you do not think it a prudent course.
Witness—Yes. Another emigration ship since
the London sailed went to sea under such circum-
stances. I have no power to order the yards down.
It would be much better if merchant vessels went
to sea in the winter months with stump topgallant
masts instead of the long ones.
Ilr. Isaac Cole, recalled—l superintended the
loading of the London in the East India Docks,
under the superintendence of Mr. Charles Wigram,
previous to her last voyage. We took the cargo in
in six days. I can't say how many coals were taken
in, but I know the quantity of dead weight, con-
sisting of bar and sheet iron, amounting to 345
tons.

We shall continue our report in our latest edition.

A portion of the following appeared in our impression of
yesterday :

This investigation was resumed this morning at
the Greenwich police-court, before Mr. Traill and
Captains Harris and Baker.

The witnesses examined yesterday were those
engaged in the construction of the vessel, the object
being to prove that which has never been denied, viz.,
that the London was a ship of first-rate excellence ;
the great points in the inquiry, and those for which
the public are waiting with the greatest anxiety, the
stowing of the cargo and the conduct of those in
command of the vessel, still remaining for investi-
gation.
The first witness examined to-day was
William Buudock, who said—l am a sailmaker and
ships' husband to the Messrs. Wigram. I made the
sails for the London. I have the sail report book
for them, signed by Captain Martin, and dated the
28th of Nov., 1865.
Witness handed in the book, and the list was
read by the clerk.
By Mr. O'Dowd—l saw the sails on board on
her last voyage ; five of them were new and made of
the best Irish flax. All were put in good order
before she left London.
By Captain Harris—She had no mainstorm
staysail. She had a foretop staysail, and a
mizen staysail, It is not the practice to supply

ships with other sails than those supplied to the
London. Captain Martin had every sail he wished
for. Had he wanted any particular one it would
have been put on board. He did not require any
other stormsails than those on board the vessel. All
the sails were of No. 1 quality.
Captain Harris—'You could not have had a
stronger canvas than that.

Captain P. J. Reeves—l reside at 110, Fenchurch-
street, and, my employment is general surveyor of
shipping under the Emigration Commissioners. I
am an independent officer, and survey ships on my
own private account. I have been 25 years en-
gaged in such business. I saw the London in dry
dock on N0v..28 last. I surveyed her at that time,
and made a memorandum which I now produce.
[Memorandum read. It stated that the London was
a fine strong ship, with everything in first-rate
order.] I surveyed her .ou her two previous voyages.
Had 1 seen anything in the vessel that required
alteration I most undoubtedly should have made a
proper representation on the subject. Not a bolt
or rivet had started. The only thing we found
wanting was the water-ways requiring caulking,
which was done. I send my reports to Captain
Lean at the Emigration-office.

Mr. Cornish--I surveyed the London previous to
her last voyage, in company with the last witness.
1 concur in everything he has stated to-day.

Mr. Alexander Crunn—l am clerk in the record
department of the Register-general of Seamen at
Adelaide-place, London-bridge. I produce the
official copy of the articles of agreement of the
London between master and crew. It is signed by
all those parties respectively. The total number of
the crew, all told, amounted to eighty-three,
amongst whom there were fifteen foreigners. There
were 34 able British seamen.

Captain Baker—Were all the foreigners able sea-
men ?

Witness—Yes.
Mr. Traill—How many of the foreigners had
previously been in English ships ?

Witness--Twelve.

John Thomas Foster, one • .of the London
emigration officers of the port of London—l
am a staff commander in the Royal Navy. I in-
speuted the London' whilst she was in the East
India dock. It was in the early days of her
loading whilst she was taking in her dead weight
previous to her last voyage. I was on board the
ship whilst the railway iron was alongside in barges.
Capt. Lean requested me to go into the hold and
see to the manner in wb;ch it was stowed. I in-
quired how much of the iron was to be taken in. I
learnt from the chief officer of the ship that it was
intended to take in about 350 tons, and on that
basis I examined the hold and saw the iron was
properly stowed. There was then about 150 tons
in the hold. The lumpers were then passing in
more iron. I afterwards went to look at the pro-
visions. When I went to look at the hold a second
time it was quite full of dead weight and cargo.
My last inspection was to examine the provisions.
This was before she got her clearing certificate on
my report, so far as her dead weight and provisions
were concerned.

Captain Harris—Did the dead weight consist of
railway iron ?
Witness—The great bulk of it did. They were
stowing it lengthways to answer as ballast. lam
only speaking of the first 150 tons. There were
other descriptions of iron to be shipped, but not of
so heavy a nature as railway rails.
Mr. Traill--It is part of your duty to see the
dead weight properly stowed ?
Witness—Yes. I think, for the quantity shipped,
it was properly stowed. Had it been 600 or 700
tons I should have required it to have been dif-
ferently placed. It should not have been placed
lengthways.
Capt. Lean here said he wished to correct a
statement he had made. In the excitement of the
moment, yesterday, he found he had said the glass
of the skylight of the London was two inches
thick. He should have said it was half an inch
thick.

A long consultation here took place between Mr.
Trail and the assessors, at the termination of
which,

Mr. O'Dowd said he could not go on as Messrs.
Humphries and Tennant, the makers of the engines
of the London, could not attend until after two
o'clock. It would break the arrangement if he
called witnesses to speak to another point in the
case at that precise moment.

An adjournment of the court therefore took place
for half an hour.

On the assembling of the court,

Mr. Edward Humphries was examined. He said
—I am one of the firm of Humphries and Tennant,
of Deptford. The engines of the London were
made by my firm, and from my own designing.
The owners entrusted me to build them of the best
possible materials, and paid the best price for the
work. The witness described the disposition of the
engines, pumps, and boilers on board the London.
No stress of weather could at all affect the working
of the valves of the vessel. AVe are now fitting
two large Indian transports for the Government
with bilge suctions on the principle acted upon in
the London. I have also fitted some eight or ten
steam vessels of the large companies in the same
manner.

Mr. O'Dowd said he could not go on any further
until he had the attendance of the emigration officer
at Plymouth, and it was impossible for that person,
who was a material witness, to attend until to-
morrow morning. His evidence would complete
the part of the case bearing on the filling of the
ship, and then he should go into that part relative
to the cargo. He was compelled therefore to ask
for an adjournment.
Previous to the adjournment, however, Captain
Foster was recalled, and stated that he thought it
highly important that hatchway coverings should be
made as strong as tfie deck. The present skylights
might be strengthened to that extent.
The inquiry was then adjourned until to-morrow
morning.