The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-08 00:00:00

BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND BANK.

The directors of this bank have declared a divi-
dend of £5 per share (£5O paid) out of the profits
of the half year ending 31st December last.

EAST INDIA IRRIGATION AND CANAL.

The directors of this company have received a
telegram stating that labour had become very abun-
dant, and the works were therefore being pushed on
with extra vigour, and progressing very satisfac-
torily. The Governor-General and the Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal were to visit the head works
and canals during the present month,

The Foundering of the Ship London.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY.

The inquiry directed by the Board of Trade into
the circumstances under which the London foun-
dered in the Bay of Biscay on the 11th ult. was re-
sumed at the Greenwich Police Court yesterday
before Mr. Traill, police magistrate, and Captain
Harris and Captain Baker, nautical assessors.
Mr. O'Dowd appeared for the Board of Trade.
Richard Lewis, an able seaman on board the
London, was the first witness produced by Mr.
O'Dowd. In his evidence he made confused and
contradictory statements, and the court asked if he
had taken any drink during the morning. The
witness replied he had taken " a little," whereupon
Mr. Traill directed him to stand by, and requested
Mr. O'Dowd to go into other evidence.
Benjamin Sheals, an able seaman on board the
London, was next examined. He deposed that
when the ship was put on the port-tack, on the
morning of the 10th, she lay easier, and she did not
take much water over to leeward. At 8 p.m. on
Wednesday it was blowing a perfect hurricane.
All the hands on deck were called to haul in the
jibboom, and they got it up to the fore rigging on
the port side, and lashed it there. The flying jib-
I boom was hanging over the side of the vessel at this
time, and a part of it was lifted on board. Wit-
ness assisted in lashing it to ring-bolts on deck, and
while doing so a heavy sea came over the deck and
carried away provision casks, hen-coops, pig-sties,
and nearly everything on deck. He was knocked
down by a provision cask, and his legs were injured.
He was takes below, but he could not sleep, and he
crawled on deck on his hands and knees. Heavy
seas were washing over the deck, and the skylight
had been carried away, and the water was rushing
into the engine-room. Five persons then proceeded
to lower one of the iron pinnaces by the direction
of Captain Martin, and witness was helped into her
by one of the men. In lowering the boat they let
down the bow too fast, and she swamped, leaving
them to crawl on deck as best they could by means
of ropes hanging down the sides of the ship. Wit-
ness then went to bale out the water from the after
saloon with Mr. G. V. Brooke. Ile afterwards
went on deck and assisted in getting the port cutter
ready, by storing her with bread, rum, and raw
vegetables. One of the men asked the captain if
he would go in the boat, to which lie replied, "No
men, I will go with the ship, passengers, and crew."
King asked the captain the course to the nearest
point of land, and the captain having told him,
King returned, and the captain said, " Good bye,
men. God be with you."

To Mr. Traill—Believed that the statement
as to the skylight lying perfectly whole on the
deck on Thursday morning was erroneous. A
part of the skylight lay broken on the star-
board side, with other portions of the wreck,
while the ship was on the port tack.
To Capt. Harris—How the ship wore round was
a miracle, she being so water-logged.
To Capt. Baker—The engine room skylight was
unshipped at half-past 11 o'clock on Wednesday
night, when the big sea washed on board.
James Edward Wilson deposed he was a second-
class passenger on board the London. He went on
board at Gravesend. He was engaged in the Aus-
tralian mining trade, and he had intended going to
the gold fields.

Mr. O'Dowd said that it would perhaps be better
to allow the witness to give a history of what he
knew of the wreck.

Mr. Wilson said that, on the day after they were
picked up by the Italian barque, he wrote a state-
ment of what had come under his notice, and he
would read it with the permission of the court.
Mr. Trail observed that the statements of the
witness should relate to facts which had come within
his own knowledge, and should not have reference
to anything he might have heard by hearsay.

Mr. Wilson then read a memorandum of events
which had taken place on board the London, and
in which he stated that at noon on Sunday the posi-
tion of the ship was taken, and they were found to
be 170 miles from Plymouth. On the following day
he ascertained that the ship had travelled 102 miles
further, making the distance from Plymouth 272
miles. Nothing particular occurred on that day un-
til they were partaking of tea at 6 o'clock, when
the ship gave a heavy lurch and commenced to roll
considerably, and about an hour afterwards a body
of water got down the main hatchway. In about
two or three minutes some persons went up and
shut the hatch. On Tuesday morning the vessel
was not shipping much water, but about 2 o'clock
she pitched considerably, and on going on deck he
saw the foreroyal mast broken in two, and hanging
down, and the same was the case with the foretop-
gallant mast. The gale increased on Tuesday
evening, and the sea went down the hatchway
at 7 p.m. They opened the hatchway when-
ever a lull took place, in order to give them
fresh air. The ladies in the second clads apart-
ments were more excited on Tuesday night than at
any other time before. At daylight on Wednesday
he noticed a different motion in the vessel, and he
was told she was put about.for England. Ile saw
the jibboom hanging down a little abaft of the fore
rigging. The crow were making preparations to
get it on board, and about two hours afterwards he
heard the donkey engine going, and he was told it
was worked for the purpose of getting the jibboom
on board. The gale increased to a storm about six
o'clock on Wednesday evening, and the hatchway
was again closed down, but the water still came in,
notwithstanding the efforts made by some of the
crew to nail it down. About 10 o'clock a great
body of water came down, and they were knee deep
in the saloon. All the passengers were very much
frightened. Some water came in through the
water closets.

To Captain Harris—Did not know what sort of
water closets they were.
The witness, in continuation, stated to the court'
that he heard some sailors going to a saloon adjoin-
ing the one he occupied, and saying, " Let us hurry
on and get the sails, or she'll sink. An order was
given for all men to go on deck, and he understood