The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-19 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE RELIANCE EAST
INDIAMAN.

The City of Boulogne steamer, Captain Tune,
which left that port at ten o'clock on Thursday night,
and arrived at London-bridge Wharf yesterday af-
ternoon, brings some, additional facts relative to the
wreck of the above vessel. The information is ob-
tained from Captain Tune, who gleaned it during a
short conversation with Dixon, the carpenter, who
still remains at Boulogne ; and in the absence of any
official account may be deemed of some importance,
as showing more clearly the circumstances under
which the ship struck.
The statement made to Captain Tune is, that pre-
vious to the Saturday morning, when the Reliance
went on shore, the weather had been so hazy that the
officers of the ship had been unable to take any ob-
servation for upwards of 70 hours. At the time the
vessel grounded she was heaving to under close-reefed
top and staysails, and veering her head to the north-
ward when she struck on her heel. Her head imme-
diately came round, and she fell broadside on the
sand. The tide was, as has been already stated, ebb-
ing at the time, and the sea running very heavy,
which caused the vessel to break up speedily. The
fact that the Reliance, when she split, was more than
two miles from the shore, which is low and sandST,
will account for the awful loss of life which occurred.
Several other bodies of the ill-fated crew have, since
the last accounts were received, been brought into
Boulogne and buried there.
It appears that Mr. Walsh, the first mate, was an
intimate friend of the poet Moore, with whom he
passed several weeks in Wiltshire, before leaving Eng-
land on his last voyage. He was also extensively
known and respected in India, and was familiarly
termed by many of his friends "Paddy Walsh." He
is described as having been very ready in "lending a-
hand" at getting up dramatic entertainments on
board, and contributing in every.way to relieve the
tedium. of a three months' voyage. Mr. Walsh was a
very clever officer, and served as fiqlt-mate as well on
board the vessel which brought over Sir Lionel
Smith from Mauritius, as on board the Repulse, in
which Lord Cardigan's regiment returned from India
in 1836. He was appointed to the command of the
Greenlow, a ship belonging to Ifessrs. Crawford, but
in consequence of some delay he sought and obtained
the appointment in performing the duties of which he
met his melancholy death.
Green, the second mate, is stated to have been con-
nected, lyr- marriage, with the late Lieut. Roberts,
who, it will be remembered, commanded the unfor-
tunate President.

......
The weather at Boulogne, on Thursday morning
last, was so boisterous that the Britannia, Dover
packet, which left at 10 A.M., after vainly endeavour-
ing to cross the Channel, returned to port at half-past l .
F. H., a shipmaster, has addressed a letter to a
Conixnporary respecting the Reliance, in which lie
thus satofactorily, we think, accounts for her loss :
" The ligN on Dungeness and that on Cape Gris-
nez, on the French coast, are only 23 miles distant,
and nearly opposite ; they are so similar as to be
easily mistaken, especially in hazy weather, and their
relative positions are such that the mere difference of
one point and a quarter in steering will direct a ship
to either light in coining up Channel. For example,
a ship bound up Channel is on the fair way track,
abreast of Beachy-head ; the course (magnetic) east
by north would take her to a fair berth off Dungeness,
and east a quarter south would take her to Cape
Grisnez on the opposite shore. Now, Sir, it too fre-
quently occurs thati sufficient attention is not paid to
steering in these 'critical situations, and we will sup-
pose a case that I have known to occur :—the helms-
man " yaws " the ship about, and alters the course
half or three quarters of a point to the eastward, and
the consequence is that the Dungeness light has not
been observed (in hazy weather very probable), and
shortly afterwards the light on Cape Grisnez is seen
right ahead, or a little on the starboard bow ; the
commander imajines this to be Dungeness light and
hauls his ship mei
English land; when in point of fact, he has directed
:4 to the eastward to go clear of the
her right upon the F:
»ench coast. This, Sir, I am
persuaded has tended to
the lost of ship, and perhaps
in the present instance; all alteration to sufficiently
distinguish the two lights would do away with the
danger.
" In conclusion, I beg to state, that masters o"East
India ships are more lihely to fall into the error to
which I have alluded than others ; their ships are
generally taken to Spithead by pilots, where they
Join them outward bound, and the'refore have not so
many opporturiities of acquiring a knowledge of the
Channel above the Isle of Wight."