The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-07 00:00:00

THE GALES.

We regret to state that the gales which burst forth
with such fury along the coast on Saturday night and
Sunday continued with awful violence up to yesterday
morning, and, as anticipated, the catastrophes that they
have occasioned at sea are most appalling.
Throughout the whole of Monday night a most terrific
gale from the N.E. to N.N.E. swept the North Sea,
and the upper part of the English Channel. In the
Downs the weather is described to have been truly
awful, the gale being accompanied by heavy falls of
snow, the sea running tremendously high. Among
the many casualties that have happened, it is feared
must be enumerated that of the total loss of the Royal
Mail (Continental) Steam Packet Company's steamer
Violet, on her passage on Monday night from
Oetend to Dover. The Violet, it appears,
left Ostend harbour, with the Belgian mail on board, be-
tween seven and eight o'clock on Monday evening, and
was due at Dover at midnight. From the time of her
leaving not the slightest tidings have been heard of her.
At daybreak yesterday morning a fisherman descried a
wrecked vessel on the outer edge or southern spit of the
Goodwin ; but in come queuee of the fearful sea that raged
round it he could not approach near enough to ascertain
more clearly the character and size of the unfortunate
vessel. Her foremast was still standing, and it was evi-
dent she had struck on the sand d uring the night. Lloyd's
agent at Ramsgate subsequentl obtained oteer infnrma-
tiou, and in the sour-e of yesterday he telegraphed to
Lloyds that a vessel was on the Goodwin, supposed to
be the Ostend mail steamer. This and her absence, cou-
pled with the fact that the vessel lies yearly in the track,
within two or three wiles, of the mail steamers' course
between the two ports,
leave very little doubt but what
the ill-fated vessel was no other than the Violet, and,
what is more deplorable that not a single soul on board
was spared to tell the fate of the ship. She was com-
manded by Captain Lions, one of the most experienced
masters on the station, and tnanntd by a crew of 17
to Mhands. The company have reason to believe that she
had
very
fewhave passengers on board, and among them is
been r. Hiekle, a Parliamentary re-
porterl.ning Herald, who was returning with
his wife and family after a urief sojourn on the Conti-
nent. The wreck lies to the southward of the beacon,
supposed
on the .!110
and as before notice°, within a mile or so (a difference
easily to be accounted for by the formidable state of the
weather) of the true course to Dover. Those connected
with the trade infer that Captain Lions had reached that
spot about midnight, when it is supposed that he en-
countered the heavy snow storm, and amidst it unhappily
the ship got on the sand. She had three boats, and was
fitted with every appliance for the preservation of life ;
but in such a night, with a mountainous sea breaking
over the vessel, it would be hopeless to render them
available for the rescue of the unhappy creatures on
board.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR —I beg to send you the latebt intelligence with
respect to the less of a mail packet off the Goodwin
Sands.

Copy of telegraph from Ramsgate, received M seven
p.m., Jan. 6, 1857 :
" One of the wail packets supposed from Ostend, was
lost off the Goodwin Sands last night ; all hands
drowned. Thre, bodies found attached to a life buoy.
Wreck lies on sand."

In the absence ej more positive information it is im-
p issihle to say thaTthe mail packet referred to is actually
the Violet. In consequence of the derangement of the
sub-marine electric telegraphic cable, we have no report
of her departure from Obtend ; but I have reason to
believe that the loss is that of the Violet, for she was
due at Dover, with the Mails from Ostend on Monday
Light at twelve o'clock, and up to a late hour this even-
iug had n t arrived.
It is, of c urse, impossible to FUggeSt any other cause
of this tearful and di,tressing calawity than the para.
ly sing; and blinding influences of the drifting snow gale.
I am sir, your obedient servant,
J. G. CHURCHWARD.
Royal and Imperial Mail Steam packet
Service, 56, Lombard-st., Jan. 6.