The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-27 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

have the pleasure to inform you that the amount
of subscriptions raised by myself and others for the benefit
of the guard, driver, and stoker of the train that met with
the accident at Wimbledon Junction is £l5B 18s. 6d., and
that it will be awarded to the men as per enclosed notice.
The directors (who have already rewarded the men) have
consented to allow the distribution to take place at the
Waterloo station at 5 o'clock in the afternoon to-morrow,
the 27th inst.

I remain, sir, your obedient servant,
F. W. JANVRIN.

14a, Austinfriars, E,C., March 26.

"London, March 27, 1861.
" We, the undersigned, beg to inform the subscribers to
the fund raised for the benefit of the engine-driver, guard,
and stoker, for great presence of mind displayed by them on
the occasion of the accident on the 29th of January last,
amounting in all to £l5B 18s. 6d., that it will be distributed
as follows :—A silver watch (by Barraud), with a suitable
inscription, and of the value of £l4, to each of the men, and
the balance in money as follows :—£46 to Elijah Cook,
engine-driver ; £46 to Matthew Mathews, the guard ; £24
to John Robinson, the stoker.

" The following:is the inscription on the watches :—`This
watch, together with sovereigns, was presented to
by the passengers travelling en the London and South-
Western Railway, for his presence of mind at the time of
the accident on the 28th January, 1861.'
" FREDERICK W. J.kNYRIN.
" JOHN B. HERRING.
" JOHN BITRRUP, Jun.
" ROBERT FEW."

LOSS OF THE SHIP MIDDLESEX.

FORTY-FIVE LIVES LOST.

A most distressing shipwreck, attended with serious less
of life, was made known yesterday at Lloyd's—the abandon-
ment of the ship Middlesex, 1,423 tons register, a fine
Liverpool and New York trader, commanded by Captain
Harmer Parmelee, which took place on the 10th inst. in
the Atlantic, a few hundred miles off the Irish coast, while
on an outward voyage to New York, and which there can
be no doubt shortly foundered, with forty-five souls on
board.

The Middlesex appears to have been an American built
ship, owned by Messrs. Edward St. Tunes and Co., of New
York, where she was registered as an A 1 ship, built at
Connecticut in 1853.

She cleared from Liverpool Dock on the 17th of last Feb-
ruary for New York, her cargo consisting chiefly of coal
and crockery, shipped by Messrs. Harris and Co., and con-
signed to the Manaliathon Gas Company, New York. She
sailed on the following day, her crew numbering 31 hands,
besides the master, and carrying 20 cabin and steerage pas-
sengers. It is supposed she took the north passage, and
soon after she had cleared the Irish coast she encountered
the fearful gales which commenced about the 20th, and con-
tinued almost without intermission for several weeks when
she was abandoned on the 10th inst. in lat 53.0, long. 22.10
W., in a sinking condition ; the water had almost reached
the cabins, and it was evident she could not continue afloat
many hours longer. The captain seeing that his ship must
founder, endeavoured to get the boat out to save the lives of
the passengers and crew. The ship was lying almost on her
beam ends, with a terrific sea running, and all the boats,
excepting one, were smashed or stove in in the efforts to
get them over the ship's side into the sea. Out of the 60
people on board only 16 could be taken off in the boat that
had been launched uninjured—namely, the captain, four
passengers, and 11 of the crew, who soon afterwards lost
sight of the ship and those helpless on board, and the im-
pression is, that she went down almost immediately after-
wards.

The survivors in the boat suffered great privations ; for
four days and nights they were exposed to the severest
weather and cold, without food or water, until the boat
was washed ashore at Great Blasket Island,a few miles to the
westward of the entrance to Dingle Bay, on the south-west
coast of Ireland. Two of them, however, died before the
boat gained the land from exposure and intense cold. It
was considered truly marvellous that the boat could have
withstood the heavy seas and gales that had prevailed the
whole time.

Captain Parmelee, on his arrival at Dingle on Saturday
last, reported the loss of his ship to the receiver of wreck at
that port, who, in accordance with the Shipping Act, pro-
ceeded to examiae Captain Parmelee on oath. This exa-
mination was received yesterday at the Board of Trade and
at Lloyd's, and contains the following :
" Captain Parmelee states that he left Liverpool as mas-
ter of the ship Middlesex on the 18th of last February,
bound to New York, and proceeded, wind ,hauled, to the
south-west, blowing a strong gale, which continued up to
the 7th instant, when a heavy gale came on from the north-
west, ship rolling and working severely. The gale con-
, tinued, and on the 10th, ship being in let. 53.0, long 22.10
west, was struck by a heavy sea, which threw her on her
beam ends, and shipped her cargo to port. All head sai
was set ; every endeavour was made to get the ship
before the wind, but she refused to pay off, and, making a
great deal of water, she commenced to settle down, not-
withstanding the pumps were kept goin a, as a last resource.
Had the main mizenmast cut away to relieve the ship and
get her to pay off, but without effect, and on the 12th, find-
ing there was no hope of saving, abandoned her in the
only efficient boat, along with eleven of the crew and
four passengers, leaving the remainder of the crew and
passengers on board to share the fate of the ship, all the
other boats, five in number, having been stove to pieces
after being low ored down. The boat reached the Great
Blasket Island on the 16th instant, four days after leaving
the ship, and the inhabitants of the island assisted them in
landing, two of the boat's orew having died previously. He
remained on the island till the 23d instant before he could
proceed to Dingle."
[The report of the examination does not furnish the
names of the people who were saved, and, as will be seen,
is exceedingly vague in its particulars.]
The Middlesex was valued at £15,000, and the loss, with
her cargo. is calculated at £17,000. The amount of insu-
rance effected on both does not exceed £lO,OOO, and this
appears to be executed chiefly at New York and Liverpool.