The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-07 00:00:00

THE WRECK OF THE 5TE,1311,78 ALMA.

Yesterday morning the official inquiry into the
loss of the above vessel was resumed at the Green-
wich Police-court, before Mr. Traill, assisted by
Capt. Walker, H.E.1.C.5., as nautical assessor.
Mr. Cumberland conducted the proceedings on
the part of the Board of Trade ; and Mr. Wilde,
Q.C., again attended for the captain and chief
officer.
Henry Carter (third officer) said—l hold a certi-

ficate of competency from the 'Board of Trade, dated
December, 1856. I have been seven years in the
service, and have made 40 trips to the Red Sea. On
the morning of the wreck it was my watch, having
relieved the third supernumerary officer at 12 o'clock.
He gave me the course N. by W.l W. After seeing
the ship was steering her course I proceeded on to
the forecastle. There I found Mr. Davis, the chief
officer, pacing the deck. He ordered me to keep a
sharp look-out for the Harnish Islands, and to let him
know as soon as I saw them,and then went round to
visit the look-out men at their stations. Ho cautioned
them to keep a sharp look-out and went forward
to the forecastle. We made Harnish bearing
N.W. .12 W. I reported this to Mr. Davis, who
ordered me to port a quarter of a point, remarking
that it would be N. by W. W. I went aft and
gave orders to the quartermaster to steer N.W. I- W.,
and said, "I will go to the wheel, so let me know
what is her course. I then walked to the standard
compass, and after seeing the order had been obeyed
I took my position with the chief officer on the fore-
castle. At two am. we made Little Harnish, bear-
ing N.N.W. westwardly. Mr. Davis then ordered
me to port another half point, which was obeyed
precisely as before. At 6.45 a.m. I called the chief
officer's attention to the appearance of high land
bearing about N. by W. 2W. He ordered me to
port half a point. I was at this time looking
through my night glass, and saw nothing like
rocks or reefs. I was looking at the appearance of
the high land. It was very indistinct. Upon receiv-
ing the order to port half a point I went off to the
quartermaster and told him to steer N. W. I had
not time to reach the standard compass when I
heard Mr. Davis call out "Hard a-port--stop her,"
and immediately ran to his assistance. The helm
was put hard over, the ship answering it rapidly.
I felt a slight shock. The ship proceeded a short
distance, and a severe shock ensued. This was im-
mediately followed by another, which threw us
from the wheel, and the ship rolled over on her
beam ends. I considered the ship's head was then
about N.N.E. The compass card vibrated consider-
ably when she first struck.

Sohn Smith, second engineer, next examined—l
was second engineer on board the Alma during her
last voyage. At the time of the wreck I was not on
duty, but lying awake on a table opposite the en-
gine room door. I did not hear any orders given
about the engines. I reversed the engines myself
about two minutes after the ship struck. The order,
I believe, was given to do so, but I did not hear it.
The third engineer was on duty.

Richard was quartermaster on board
the Alma on her last voyage. It was my first
voyage in her, having joined the vessel at Calcutta.
During the middle watch, on the morning she
struck, I was doing duty as quartermaster. I was
starboard at the standard compass, and my duty
was to see that the ship Was steered her proper
course, to heave the log, and obey general orders.
The man at the wheel was under my supervision.
I had to see that he steered the right course. All
the different courses given during that watch I am
sure were attended to. At the time the vessel
struck we were steering N. by W.
Major Thomas Fane said,—l am at present an
officer unattached in her Majesty's service. I was
a passenger on board the Alma on her last voyage,
and was on deck the whole night until she struck.
I heard one of the officers rush past me and give
some orders which awoke me. I also heard Mr.

Davis giving orders forward, and immediately after
that I heard the ship strike. I instantly rushed to
the side of the ship, and on looking over saw that
we were on a reef. About half an hour after the

boats, with the ladies, suddenly disappeared. I
cannot say at what distance the boats disappeared,
but could hear the oars. It seemed to me that there
was a haze over them. The boats lauded about 150
yards off.
_ _ _

[A sketch of the reef taken by a witness on board
her Majesty's ship Cyclops was here produced.]
Mr. Cumberland here stated that it was not his
intention to pet any other witnesses under exami-
nation that day, and the inquiry was therefore
further adjourned.

JONATHAN'S RID.E TO .PEKIN.

(From Punch.
TUNE—" Yankee Doodle."
Our nation always goes ahead,
By methods noways sneakin';

Hear how our minister got
In triumph into Pekin :
I calculate that he warn't barred

By planks athwart a river;
Too 'cute a coon was Mr. War
Whose story I'll deliver.

Firstways he steamed to Ning-Hou-Fou,
Along with his Legation,
And there our vessel was brought to
• A posture of fixation.
The Chinamen a box packed in
Our diplomatic corpus,
Conducted by a Mandarin,
A-blowin' like a porpus.
This box was made without a lid,
But hadn't got no winder,
That breathin' it might not forbid,
But observation hinder.
With necessaries it was stored,
Though sight it held a check on,
Had food and liquor both aboard,
And backy, too, I reckon.

Upon a raft 'twas sot to go,
Considerable pretty,
All up the lii-Tcheou-Yun-ho,
To Chany's lust-chop city,
And right slick through the Great Canal,
Our minister to render
Unto the Chinese capital,
In dignity and splendour.

At Pekin Gate upon a truck,
Drawn by a team of oxen,
Our citizens were proudly stuck,
Still shut their grand state box in.
Thus into Pekin town did drive,
(Such honour seldom waits men !)
Our nation's reprasentatiYe,
And all our other statesmen.

The truck was wheeled into the Court-
Yard of a certain mansion,
Whose walls cut all excursion short
By space of narrer 'spatsion.
Our envoys there was kep select,
To whittle at their leisure,
Some time a hearin' to expect,
And wait the Emperor's pleasure.
Their mission ended, frosm their cage
••s
Politely liberated,
They were, in that same equipage
They came in, Allocated,
And brought, with care particular,
To where they first intruded,
Like blacks inside a nigger-car,
As snug, and more secluded.
I reckon that's the way to treat
Our great and gl. rious nation,
And offer humble pie to eat
To them as flogs creation
But we must swaller down our pride,
When dollars we are seekin',
And be content, old hos:, to ride
In a hoss-box up to Pekin.

COLONIAL BISHOPS.—The Bishop of St. Helena,
Dr. Piers Claughton, will leave England in a few days ,for
his diocese. The Bishop of Capetown, Dr. Gray, who has
been mainly instrumental in procuring the erection of St.
Helena into a separate see, is also about to return to the
Cape colony. The new see becomes a suffragan to Cape-
town, and thus makes that province to consist of four
bishoprics—vjz., Capetown, Grahamstown, Natal, and St.
Helena. It has been admitted by the Colonial Secretary,
after consultation with the law officers of the Crown and
the Archbishop of Canterbury, that there is nothing to pre •
vent the bishops of the church in South Africa from con-
secrating in their cathedral churches bishops to head mis-
sions in countries beyond the dominions of her Majesty.
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