The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-14 00:00:00

TILE LOSS OF THE SAPPHO.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—ln your impression of to-day (the 12th) you publish
a paragraph from the Friend of India, enclosed by a corm •
spondent, reporting the discovery of part of the crew of
the Sappho on an island at some distance from Sydney.
This paragraph went the round of the colonial papers
several months ago, with, I think, this difference, that
the survivors were feeding on monkeys. As it, however,
carried contradiction on its own face, I imagine the
Admiralty did not think it required a formal refutation.
The only islands that could be described as being at such
a distance from Sydney are Lord Howe's Islands, above 400
miles to the N.E. ; these have been inhabited for several
years by a few persons who supply vegetables, &c., to pass-
ing whalers, but as the Sappho was lost on her passage
from the Cape she could hardly have reached these islands,
which lie in almost the opposite direction. The only other
islands anywhere in the neighbourhood of Sydney are close
in shore, and are passed by many coasters daily.
The westernmost and weathermost islands in Bass's
Straits offer the most dangerous and most likely coast for
the loss of a vessel bound for the Australian ports, but they
have been thoroughly, though unsuccessfully, searched for
some trace of the missing ship ; and their position would no
more be described with reference to Sydney than that of an
island in the Mediterranean would be to England.
None of these places, however, afford the kind of provi-
• sions upon which this canard asserts the crew were living,
neither wild cats nor monkeys being indigenous to Austra-
lia or to be found in any of the adjacent islands. This
paragraph must have been, I fear, generated in the brain of
some sorry wag, on the arrival of his ship in port, to appease
the ravenous appetite for news of a colonial newspaper re-
porter. The originator can have but little idea of thenum-
ber of hopes he may have raised, only to be disappointed,
since his miserable joke first gave rise to these reports ; and
I think it but due to the friends of those who are lost in the
Sappho that they should be spared the pain of having those
hopes reanimated which can never be realised in this world.
I remain, Sir, yours, &c.,
G. P. HEATH, Lieutenant, R.N.
20, Glocester -crescent North, Hyde Park, Sept. 12.

The Earl and Countess of Ripon have returned
to their villa at Putney-heath from a tour of visits in York

shire.

The Earl and Countess Nelson have been placed
in mourning by the demise of the Hon. and Rev. Edward
F. Nelson, youngest brother of his lordship, who died on
Saturday last at Scarborough in the prime of life.
Viscountess Jocelyn has arrived in town from
visiting the Earl and Countess of Roden at the family seat
in Ireland.

THE WAR IN CHlNA.—A:mereantile letter, dated.
Hong Kong, the 22d of June, by the mail previous to that
of which a telegraphic summary was received yesterday,
contains the following passage :--" There is a rumour here
of a force of about 40,000 Tartars having collected at the
mouth of the Peiho to dispute the passage of Mr. Bruce to
Pekin, and if so we shall have to fight the China war over
again."
STATE OF TRADE.—MANCHESTER, Tuesday.—
There has been a large business since Tuesday last, at
slightly advancing rates; but the Eastern news received
yesterday from China and Calcutta has for the time being,
checked the progress of our market. Spinners and manu-
facturers are, however, firm in their prices ; buyers are un-
willing to operate, except at rates somewhat lower than
those current during last week.
WILTON SHEEP FAIR.-100,000 sheep, beirr, at
least 1,000 more than last year, were penned at Wilton
great sheep fair on Monday last. During the early part of
the day business was very brisk, and a pretty general
clearance was effected before the close of the fair, at an
advance of 2s. per head on late prices. Wethers realised
from 345. to 445. ; ewes, from 325. to 425. ; and lambs, from
225. to 345, The attendance of farmers and dealers was
unusually large.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN
RAILWAY.—This morning, between two and three o'clock,
a collision occured between a special train from Oxford and
a goods train at the station at Slough. •It appears that
while the goods train was standing at the station a special
train came up with great velocity and ran into the goods
train with great violence., causing much damage, turning
over both engines, and completely smashing a second-class
carriage to pieces. The guard of the goods train was killed
instantaneously. No other life is as yet known to be sacri-
ficed.
THE OLDEST CHELSEA PENSIONER.—Through
the courtesyof the sergeant-major we obtained an interview
with the oldest pensioner in Chelsea Hospital. We were
conducted into the detached premises on thewest side of the
hospital, which is appropriated to the sick and infirm pen-
sioners. In a large and airy room, ranged on each side are
several small beds occupied by the infirm. Near the fil e-
place, in an armchair, sat the veteran referred to, with his
head 'drooping as if asleep. He looked remarkably healthy ;
the principal evidence of his great age being a considerable
tremulousness resembling palsy. He has recently been in
the habit of walking about the locality of the hospital ; but
it has been doemed advisable not to allow him to leave the
premises for his personalsafety. From questions put to him
through his nurse and the sergeant-major, we ascertained
the following facts of his history. His name is Rich..
mond. He was born at Tamworth, in Staffordshire, in
March, 1755, and he is therefore now in the 105th year
of his age. He has been twenty-four years and a half
in the public service, of which 12 were spent in India, three
years at the Cap*, and the rest at Hainault, in Belgium, &c.
He was severally in the 16th, 18th, and 19th Light Dra-
goons. Richmond was at the Mahratta war, at the storm-
ins- of the fort of Alighur, in the north of India, in 1803,
under General Lake and Colonel Monson. This succeeded
the important battle of Assayo, gained by Sir Arthur Wel-
lesly, and was SDrtly followed by the capture of Delhi and
the vanquishing of Perron, the French general. The old
veteran was also engaged in the actions of Laswaree, Agra,
and Bhurtpore. His medal has bars for Alighur and Las-
warree. It is very gratifying to see the care and attention
bestowed upon him and his fellow pensioners, especially
considering that though the old man's sight, hearing,
memory, &c., are good. he is unable to feed himself. lie
is able to walk about without the aid of a stick, and in
other respects his powers and faculties are remarkably
good. None of his fellow pensioners approach his, age
within 15 years.--Xidellssex Adrertiser.
TIIE PAROCHIAL DEFAULTERS IN ST. PANCRAS.—
At the weekly meeting of the directors of the poor of St.
Pancras yesterday, Mr. Plaw, the clerk to the board, re-
ported that on Friday morning he was waited upon by an
inspector of pollee at the desire of the Police Commissioners,
and the inspector informed him that a letter had been re-
ceived from the superintendent of police at Ottawa, Canada
West, in which he stated that Charles Hibbard, late a clerk
in the employ of the vestry, and who absconded with up-
wards of £BOO of the parish money, was living in that place,
and requesting that the necessary documents to authorise his
apprehension should be forwarded. The Police Commis-
sioners, Mr. Plaw stated, wished to know what answer was
to be sent. Some discussion ensued, in the course of which
it was stated that the expense of bringing Hibbard over to
this country and prosecuting him would be about £3OO, and
it seemed to be the general opinion that it would not be well
to put the parish to that expense. Eventually a resolution
was come to " that the clerk write to the Police Commis-
sioners stating that the board do not feel disposed to prose-
cute
Hibbard so long as he remained beyond the shores of
England."