The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-23 00:00:00

REWARDS FOR GALLANT CONDUCT AT SEA.

One of those interesting occurrences which hare
latterly been of gratifying frequent© at the Liver- •
pool Sailors' Home—namely, the presentation,
through the Local Marine Board, of rewards to mer-
chant captains or seamen for gallant conduct at sea,
took place on Saturday afternoon. The members of
the Local Marina Board who were present were Mr.
S. R. Greaves, in the chair, and Messrs. Tomlinson,
Gorge Kendal, John Lockett, and James Smith.
Tho recipients of the distinction were Lewis
Whiteway, master, and J. C. Beer, mate, of the
bark Dennis Brundit, of Liverpool, who were to be
presented with large silver medals, forwarded for
the captain and
part of the crew of the shi2 WaltertiahnattrypuarnpdosieotbryoptihdeitßyoianrdreosofuTiorgade, for their gal-
Whitehaven, wrecked on the rocks near
Chanaral on the 27th June. Capt. Whiteway was
Marantherpteorr't ofof
not in attendance, having to meet his owner in the
country ; but the mate, Beer,
was present and re-
ceived the medals.
Mr. Greayss, in introducing the proceedings of
the day, said there were two duties imposed on the
local marine—one the very unpleasant one of in-
flicting punishment for what was happily au excep-
tional offence and a decreasing one, that of miscon-
duct on the part of masters of the British mercan-
tile marine ; and the other the alway 4 gratifying
wad pleasing duty of rewarding meritorious actions,
which he was delighted to say were on the increase.
Lie then referred to the evil of drunkenness con-
nected with the mercantile marine--a habit which
rendered nugatory the most valuable qualifications
of a master, as alike affecting the safety of his ship
and cargo and the interests of his owners, who at
the least were subject to severe core ingi-ncies, but
whose risks were great indeed when obliged to
intrust their property into the hands of men,
who, in foreign seas, by the horrible vice of
drunkenness, lost their own self-control, and
were consequently in an unfit state to carry a vessel
safely to its destination. While it was their duty
to investigate such cases of drunkenness, it was gra-
fying to be able to report that during the past six
months they had had no occasion to enter upon an
inquiry so painful, while in the previous six months
they investigated no less than 10 such cases. On the
other hand, the pleasing duty of rewarding mer-
chant captains had kept pace with the decrease of
that which was censurable, for during the past half-
year six testimonials had been awarded from various
Governments, against two in the previous six
mouth.* He (Mr. Greaves) did not like to make
invidious distinctions when the Board of Trade and
I others high in authority awarded medals and other
marks of an honourable nature, but justice com-
pelled him to s'a'e that the case before them, Capt.
Whiteway and his mate, Beer, together with the
second mate, whose lite paid the forfeit of his huma-
nity, and the whole crew, had displayed an amount
of gallant bravery which he had never seen sur-
pas,ed. The ship Walter Mancarter, of White-',
haven, left the port of Chemistl on the 27th June
last, and she was soon after discovered on the rocks
exposed to a tremendous roll of the sea, of which
only those who had witnessed the phenomena in the
Pacific ocean could form an idea, and which ren-
cered a wrecked vessel very diffieult to approsch.
il
n this position the Walter Mancas'.er was perceived
by the bark Dennis Brundit, from Liverpool, and
a Chilian bark, the Helene, commanded bya French-
it they
haeiyse.
could These
allendeavoured
two
vessels immediately o
reach
t h
the
lowered,
tl
their beats and
not get near her on account of the
of
terrible rolling the sea. From the wreck a boat
owtahserlapuenrsctens ;
launched containing the captain's wife and ten
s wife
butfaet e
it ° was speedily swamped, and
the captain
and six of the men were drowned,
although the '
Beer,a succeeded, pu s h
e d
however,
wwitheve h., iisnbreeast
at imminent danger. H-
cuing four men, and placed them on board his own