The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-27 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE BARQUE ANDROMEDA.

From St. Helena we have received intelligence
of the loss of the barque Andromeda (of Dundee),
Captain Macpherson, bound from Algoa Bay to
Falmouth. She was abandoned at sea on the 30th
October, in lat. 33 25 S., long. 15 31 E., having
four and a half feet of water in her hold, and rudder
gone ; and the captain and crew were picked up by
the barque Royal Rose, from Mauritius, and landed
at St. Helena. •

THE B

URNS' PRIZE ODE.

Miss Craig, the successful competitor for this
prize and poetical distinction, is a young Scotch'
woman—a native of Edinburgh, and for two years
past resident in London. Early left an orphan,
she was reared and educated under the care ef.
grandmother not in affluent circumstances. 11;_lt",,
praiseworthy industry, and self-cultivation of
intellectual powers, she early resolved to work 66,
her own pecuniary independence. By occasiona'
poetical contributions to the Edinburgh Scotsoo
she gained the notice and kindness of Mr. Jobe
Ritchie, the oldest and principal proprietor of that
journal, and for some years she was employed 14
this early patron and friend on its literary depart'
ment. In 1856 Messrs. Blackwood published
small volume a collection of Miss Craig's fugitile
metrical compositions, under the title of " Poe'r
by Isa." The author has also been a contributo
under the signature of " C." to the poetry of t?,e
National Magazine. In August, 1857, on MP'
Craig's first visit to a London friend, Mr. Hastings'
the hon. secretary of the National Association 0,1-
Social Science, engaged her services in the ore.l;
sation of the society, and to this association „,,15,
Craig is still attached as a literary assistant.
published transactions of the association owe Me ue,
to her talent and. good judgment. At the livce'i
pool meeting in October last, Miss Craig attractcb,
general notice and commendation by her un° 0
trusive conduct and tact in the management of solo
departments of the business.. Miss Craig. 00,
absent at the Crystal Palace meeting, really le„a
rant of the success of her literary competition, BPO
of the award of the judges. It had happened thrill
she had not seen the mottoes on the success',es
poem made public some days since. The chanties
of a young Scotchwoman against 621 male are
female competitors did not tempt her to attend lie,
adjudication, and she was not informed of he et,
cess till late after the termination of the me
at at Sydenham. Palace.

CORRECTION OF COMPASS ERRORS

A new instrument for ascertaining and correc,v•
ing the local errors to which compasses are
liarly liable on board iron steamships, whieh:;
just been invented by Mr. Robert Eardley pin
a chief officer in the Peninsular and Oriental CO-5;
pany's service, is now on view in the captail!it
room at Lloyd's, Royal Exchange. The instrunle":
is in a box similar to those used for chrononieol7,l
hung on jimballs, and over the top is a dumb cor
(similar to Friend's Pelorus) and an equatorial 13
sun) dial, which, byneans of a graduated arict
0e
the side, can be adjusted to the latitude of the eflt
The observer, with a watch set to the apParr;io
time, or time of the ship, causes the shadow exert
dial to fall on the part of the instrument represero
ing the time. Immediately this is done one po,to
of the cross is in the direction of the true raeti`",o
of the place, and consequently all true bearings eon
be ascertained at once—all magnetic bearings; ob.
applying the known variation for the place elao
servation. The instrument may be used
in ins
part of the ship, the only adjustment required "e;(1;
to put the lubber line towards the ship's Ile,;t)
then, by placing the dumb card to correspond no
the meridian, or the magnetic meridian, as re°l
desired, the difference between its indicatiort
or
that of the compasses on board will be the er
for which allowances must be made. Mr.
Pi
invention has already received the strongest aP9
bation of nautical men who have examined it, 541
Captain Steward, of the Alhambra, to which•ce'te
4
the inventor is attached, says :—" I have ass's
Mr. Pinhey in determining the errors of our eit)o,'l
passes by his patent corrector, aidshaPc' of
course during the voyage by them, and, frenl ect.
land-falls I have made, believe them to be coil
and that the errors have, as he states, mat
altered since they were last determined in SVot
ampton. The change on the north-east qua <<,l
particularly demands attention, as I have ses,`,„lr
times found myself to the eastward of my re
,c°oo
ing in. making Ushant when steering-by tl'eniJ
errors ; and this voyage, having shaped my c°,4
by Mr. Pinhey's corrector, I made Vshant
exactly as I expected." The importance of ay
ing the variations of compasses in iron shirs,
that so large an amount of property and life er(Vti
the ocean in iron-built screw steamers, caTill°oo
over estimated, and therefore this invention des.et,,,s
attention, to discover what may be its Well'
demerits.