The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-06 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE BARQUE TIMANDRI:

Accounts from Sydney of Nov. 10 report the
total loss of the barque,Timandra. She left New-
eistle on the 9th October with 105 passengers. On
the 23d, at 8 p.m., she struck on a reef about four
miles from Cape Keppel, and immediately went
down, her topma.stheads alone being clear of the
Water. To these spars part of her. passwigers
clung until daylight„ and the remainder floated
about on such pieces of wreck as came within
reach. Next morning it -blew very hard,' when the
Monarch barque began drifting and got under
weigh, for the purpose of taking
.up a more secure
anchorage,- when the wreck was observed, and
Captain Morrison, of the Monarch, bore down for
the scene of the disaster. He immediately got his
beats out, and succeeded in picking up all but four
of her passengers and crew, many of whom had •
drifted a considerable distance to sea. In this he
was assisted by Captain Currie, of the Rialto, who
left his ship in a small boat to render all the aid in
his power. The following is an extract of a letter
received by Mr. E. M. Sayers from Captain Morri-
son, of the Monarch :—" On Saturday evening,
Just before dark, a barque was in sight, off Cape
Keppel. The mate informed me that he fancied,
from the movements of the barque, she had grounded
on the bank, and let go her anchor. About 8 p.m.
he reported lights in the direction where we last
saw her. Several flashes were plainly visible, she
evidently requiring assistance,- which, in the pre-
sent state of the weather, was impossible to render,
unless by a steamer, it blowing a gale at the time
with thick weather and strong tide. Knowing
that she would be full of passengers, I felt uneasy
for their safety, as it was impossible to keep them
in any sort Of order at,such a time. I left orders
with the.mate for the watch to call us at daybreak,
and if she appeared in distress informed him it was
my intention to proceed at once to their assistance,
unless some of the smaller vessels which had. no
passengers on board (we having 130 at the time)
should be going down. No vessel appeared to be
moving, consequently I weighed and proceeded to
the wreck, taking with me Captain Currie, of the
Rialto, and two extra boats. On our way Captain
Currie picked the steward of 'the ship up on a life-
buoy, six miles from the wreck—it was a pitiable
sight ; nothing of her hull was visible, only the
foremast and bowsprit standing, they being covered •
with human beings, as well as the wreck of the
mainmast ; two boats, the pilot's, and another
whale-boat, were already filled with people.. I
anchored close to leeward of the wreck, and got
the people on board, some in a very exhausted
state ; and I am happy to say that my- crew and
passengers behaved remarkably well, rendering
every assistance in their power, furnishing the poor
people with . dry clothes, &c., and offering their
breakfast for the shipwrecked people. In less than
half an hour all were on board, amongst them the .
captain's wife, children, and servant, and the mate's
wife and child.. It is astonishing how they held
Out, as they must have been 10 hours in the most
dangerous position, the ship breaking up fast, and
sea washing over them ; the children were some-
times held in their teeth as their hands were tired.
I took on board about 90, returning to the anchor-
age. The charts of this place are very erroneous,
therefore the greater caution is necessary in navi-
giting these parts." By .the above it will be seen
that through the praiseworthy promptiud.e of Capt.
Morrison, the principal portion of the passengers
were rescued from almost certain death, he having
taken his ship to_their assistance, although lying
among dangerous reefs, and with his ship already
crowded with people.

ROBBING PAUPER LUNATICS OF
THEIR FOOD.

A most heartless case4. of robbery, attended, it
would seem, with the most disastrous results to the
health, and even lives of a number of these poor un-
fortunates, pauper lunatics, came before the Re-
corder, D. Jardine, Esq., at the Bath Winter Sea-
sions, just held.
John Cave, the attendant in the male lunatics'
ward, at the Bath Union Workhouse, was indicted
for stealing lib. 7oz. of beef, 21b. 6oz. of mutton,

llb. 2oz. of butter, and 11b. Goz. of cheese, the pro-
perty of the guardians of the Bath Union ; and
Benjamin Skeates, of Combo Down, was indicted
for feloniously receiving the same, knowing it to
have been stolen.

' The prosecution was conducted by Mr. T. W.
Saunders ; and Mr. Murch defended Skeates ; Cave
pleaded guilty.
The prisoner Cave, as the principal attendant of
the lunatics, had daily to serve out to them their
rations; but, instead of faithfully performing that
duty, he appears to have stinted them of their food
for a considerable period, and to a great extent.
The master of the workhouse, Mr. Eaton, suspect-
ing something of the kind from the altered appear-
ance of the unfortunate lunatics, set a watch upon
the prisoner Cave, and on the sth and 6th of
December he was observed to secrete meat which
ought to have been distributed to the lunatics in a
drawer in his room. The rations of the inmates, by
the prisoner's heartless conduct, were reduced to
less than half the workhouse diet. On the 7th, two
detective officers of the Bath police, Barnett and
Baker, were sent for and placed, the former in a
pump house inside the boundary wall, and the
latter outside. They had not been, long con-
cealed when Barnett saw Cave come from the
lunatics' ward with a ladder, which he placed
against the boundary wall and ascended, and
continued on the top smoking for some time.
Whilst so engaged, the other prisoner was seen by
detective Baker to come up to the wall, and Having
looked each way to see that no one was coming,
Cave handed him down a bundle, and then returned
to the lunatics' ward. Skeates went in the .direc-
tion of Combe Down, but was followed by Baker,
taken into custody, and brought back to the office
of the master of the workhouse, where he stated in
answer to a question, that Cave had given him the
victuals found upon him, and which constituted the
subject of the present indictment, and that he had
frequently done so before. Cave was then taken
into custody. On their way to the police-station
Skeates said, " This is a pretty mess we are got
into, Mr. Cave ;" the latter replied, " It's only my
giving you a little meat ;" to which Skeates re-
joined, "It's too much for us, I'm afraid."
Witnesses were called to speak to Skeates' good
character, including the Rev. G. H. Newnham,
incumbent of Combe Down, and Mr. Grant, of
Midford, both members of the board of guardians.
The Recorder, in summing up, however, cautioned
the jury not to be misled by evidence as to previous
character. Unless the case were left in doubt, the
character would form no point for their considera-
tion. It was often found that men claimed to be
honest, and bore a character for honesty, whilst they
were carrying on their nefarious transactions, and
until their dishonesty was brought home to them
by the verdict of a jury.
A verdict of guilty having been returned,
Mr. Eaton, the master of the workhouse, was
recalled, and

The Recorder inquired if he had any reason to
believe that the proceedings of the prisoners. had
been going on for any length of time.
Mr. Eaton said he had, for after the prisoner Cave
was given into custody-, other pieces of meat and
cheese, which had been issued the same day, were
found in his drawer. His suspicion was excited
that the food served out for the lunatics was mis-
appropriated by observing a falling off in their
conditign. He referred to his dead book and
found that no fewer than 5 lunatics had died in the
month of October, and that in the 11 mouths of
1858, 17 had died, whereas in the corresponding
period of 1857 only 6 had died. It was the beginning
of December before his attention was called to the
matter, and he did not feel justified in communi-
cating his suspicions to the medical officer until he
had ascertained something. definite.
The Recorder, in passing sentence, said this was
by far the most important case that had been tried
during these sessions, or at any sessions, for many
years. Though the offence might be looked on as
one of theft only, yet when all the circumstances
were considered, it was a more serious case than any
which had come before him. These unfortunate
people—about whom one could hardly speak with-
out emotion—were placed under the care of the
prisoner Cave, and he had taken advantage of the
trust reposed in him to rob them of their food. He
(the Recorder) hoped he (Cave) had not pressing
on his mind the consciousness of having by his
conduct been the cause of the death of any of them,
he would have enough to bear without that. He
should not perform his duty if be did not pass a
heavy sentence on him. He must be imprisoned in
the Bath gaol, and kept to hard labour, for 18
months. Addressing Skeates, the Recorder said,
though the receiver was in general worse than the
thief, there was something in this case to notice in
his favour. He was outside the workhouse, and
might not have known the effect of the theft. But
he must have known, from the nature of the food,
that he was robbing the poor of the provision made
by the public for their subsistence. The sentence
on him would be that he be imprisoned and kept to
hard labour in the Bath gaol for 12 calendar
months.

PRICE 4D. STAMPED, 5D

111 E kOCIETY OF ARTS.

The Council of the-Society of Arts has just issued
a list of subjects for papers upon which premiums
will be offered during the sessions 1858-59 and
1859-60. The circular accompanying the list says :
" The council, in issuing the subjoined list of
desiderata, would urge upon thd members of the
S-oCiety generally, and others, the . importance of
communicating detailed accounts of new processes
in arts or metruids of manufacture, of any modifica,
tions by which these may be simplified, or labour j
saved, and of any novel application of raw materials,
whether previously known or not, to useful pur-
' poses. It is quite possible that some of the things
set down as to be • done may have been already.
accomplished; but in such cases the knowledge of
them is limited. One of*the objects of this society
is to elicit discussion on the subjects with which it
deals, to see that nothing is concealed which may
in any way tend to promote the good of all, and to
record facts and opinions. The weekly meetinge,
and the Journal of the Society of Arts, afford the
requisite facilities for effecting this, and the council
earnestly hope that • the opportunities thus given
may be taken advantage of. Patented inventions
are not excluded from receiving the society's rewards.
The society is willing to receive communications on
subjects not included- in the list, but -in all cases
expressly reserves the power of rewarding any
communication according to its merit Or, of with-
-holding the premium altogether. The degree of ori-
ginality and extent of suggestions for improvements
will have material influence oil" the adjudication
of the award. All communications must be accom-
panied by such drawings, models:, or, specimens as
may
.be .uecessary to illustrate the subject. In
regard to colonial produce of all kinds, it is abso-
lutely necessary that a certificate from the governor,
or qualified persons; should accompany the samples
sent to the society, certifying that they really are
the produce of the particular- district referred to.
The samples should be sufficient in quantity to
enable experiments to be made •and an opinion to
be formed of their quality ; and it is desirable that
the cost price in the district from which they are
forwarded should be given. In every instance the
probable extent of supply, with the average yield,
if cultivated, and whether similar articles have
hitherto been exported from the colony or not, and
in what quantities, should be stated. All commu-
nications and .articles intended for competition
must be delivered, addressed to the secretary, at
the society's house, free of- expense,' either on or
before the 31st of March, 1859, or on or befOre the
31st of March, 1860. In the first case they will be
considered during the session 1838-59, in the second
case during the session 1859-60. This restriction
as to the date of receipt does not apply to articles
of colonial produce in respect of which this list is
valid until 31st December, 1860. Any communica-
tion rewarded by the society, or any paper read at
an ordinary meeting, will be considered as the
property of the society. Should the council delay
its publication beyond twelve months after the date
of its being. rewarded or read, the author will be
permitted to take a copy of the same, and to pub-
lish it in any way he thinks fit."
The following Yspecial- prizes are at the head of
the premitim list :

" tnder the will of Dr. Swiney, a silver goblet,
of the value of £lOO sterling, containing gold coin
to the same .amount, is presented on every fifth
anniversary of Dr. Swiney's death to the author of
the best published treatise on jurisprudence. The
next award of this prize will be made on the 20th
day of January, 1859.
"A donation by Benjamin Oliveira, Esq., having
been placed at the disposal of the council, to-be
awarded as a_special premium, they have decided
to offer the society's gold medal for the discovery of
a substitute for cotton, to be produced in such
quantities and at such cost as will render it avail-
able for commercial and manufacturing purposes.
" A gold medal is offered-in conformity with the
will of the late Dr. Fothergill for the production
of an incombustible paper, so as to render the
ledgers of commercial men, bankers, &c., indestruc-
tible by fire. •

•
" A silver medallion is offered, in conformity with
the will of the late John Stock, fora design 'for .an
institute, 'comprising a hall for lectures and music,
two or .three class-roomS, a reading-room,. and -a
library which must be in one, or in communication,
offices, and apartments for the librarian. The
principal rooms should be so arranged that they
may be easily used together for the purposes of -ex-
hibition. The plan must be suited for an institu-
tions having 200 members, and be capable of exten-
sion so as to meet the wants of institutions having
1,000 members. Provision must be made for light-
ing and ventilating the whole of the building."
.
The general list comprises 149 subjectsfor com-
munication, upon which the society's gold and
silver medals will be awarded. The following are
from this list :

" The production of an efficient means of carry-
ing out the system of oceanic electric telegraphs
between distant countries. The plan must insure
perfect insulation, a minimum of resistance to the
current sent, rapidity of communication, the use of
a minimum power, freedom from liability to injuri-
ous action either from air or water, and a power of
resisting mechanical strains.

" Thee—introduction of an economic system of rail-
way transit applicable to common roads, so as to
connect thinly-populated districts with each other,
and with the main lines of railways.
`! The introduction upon common roads and in
Ce streets of towns of a cheap and effective system
of railways for goods and passengers."