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 roost 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 Coini:any's steamer
Violet, on her passage on Monday night from
0-tend to Dover, The Violet, is 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 ber
leaving not the slightest tioings have been heard of ler.
At daybreak yesterday morning a fisherman descried a
wrecked vessel on the outer edge or southern spit. of the
Goodwin ; but in cons quence of the fearful sea that raged
round it he could not approach near enough t ) 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 sandduring the night. Lloyd's
agent at Ramsgate subsequenty obtained otter informa-
tion, and in the course of yesterday he telegraphed to
Lloyds that a vessel was on the Goodwir, , supposed to
be the Ostend mail steamer. This and her absence,. cou-
iles,
usirbourtiil,:ilteui, whatuold
pwlieldhiwuitttwi
othoerfatchtretheamt voefsstehleliet;anileasrtleyaimn trhee,
otoraucrkse,
thebetween
il
l:ta
tt
ohde twovevessel
ei ports,we ule•
ave
othervery
tt than a' little
tghdl
was spared to tell the fate of the ship. She was com-
manded by Captain Lions, one of the meet experienced
masters on the station, and mann, el by a crew of 17
bands. The company have reason to believe that she
had
been Mr. Hickle, a Par auentely re-
porter on the Morning Herald, who was ieturnieg with
supposedvery
-t few
his wife and fancily o
have passengers on board, wel amo, g them is
alter a brief sojourn n Cite Conti-
nent. The wreck lies to the ie utbwar t of the beacon,
and as before noticed, within a mile or so (a differ ace
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 bad 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 bad three boats, and was
' fitted with every aopliarce 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.
Sif, —I beg to send you the latest intelligence with
.
resp,. to the loss of a mail packet off the Goodwin
Sands.
Copy of telegraph from Ranugate, received at seven
p.m., Jan. 6, 1857 :
"One of the mail packets supposed from 04eri, was
lost off the Goodwin Sands last night ; all hands
drowned. Three bodies found attached to a life buoy.
Wreck lies on sand."
In the absence of more positive information it is im-
possible to say that the 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 frcni Ostend ; but I have reason to
believe that the loss is that of the Violet, for she was
due at Dover, with the mails from Ostord on Monday
snow gale.
night at twelve o'clock, and up to a late hour this even-
ing she, bad not arrived.
It is, of c urse, impossible to suggest any other cause
of this fearful and distressing calamity. than the' para.
yourof the
obedientdftmg
lysing and blindinglinfluesnire,es
am, J. G. CHURCHWARD.
Royal and Imperial Mail Steam packet
Service, 56, Lombard-st., Jan. 6.