Star.
London, England, 1825-03-07 00:00:00

TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE

.110. N. COMP.4I:rS SHIP KENT, CAPT. CM, lir FIRE,
IN THE BAY OF BISCAY, WITH TROOPS ON BOARD•

The following is a copy of a Letter from the Agent
to Lloyd's at Falmouth, dated 4th instant :
4, Put back the Cambria, Cook, for Vera Cruz, hay-
ing on board 547 passengers, Officers, seamen, soldiers,
women, and children, rescued by her from the Hon.
Co,npany's ship Kent, Captain Cobb, which unfortu-
nately took fire on the Ist inst. in 1at.47 deg. 30 min.N.
long. 9 deg. 45 min. W. on her passage to Bengal and
China. The Kent, soon after the removal of the above
to the Cambria, blew up, and from the returns made
since, 90 must have perished in her, or were drowned
in getting into the boats, &c. of whom 64 were soldiers,
one woman, 21 children, one seaman, and three marine

boys. The Purser set off by the mail, yesterday, for the

India House.

We are happy to state that the inhabitants of this
town and neighbourhood have contributed everything
in their power, by clothing and money, to the necessi-
ties of the poor creatures, who saved nothing more than
they stood up in, and many, from having been taken out
of their beds, were destitute of any covering whatever.

The Cambria is only 200 tons burthen, aid had a cargo
on board, besides nearly 50 persons (miners and crew),

. . .
which, added to the people saved from the Kent, made
a total of about 600 persons, huddled together for

nearly three days. Captain Conk did everything in his
power to make them as comfortable as the circumscribed
limits of his vessel would allow, particularly the women
and children, and by carrying a press of sail, fortu-
nately reached this port just as a strong North wind

set in."

The following Is a list of passengers, troops, women, and chil-
dren, on board the late Hon. Companys ship Kent, Captain Henry
Cobb, bound for Bengal and China, March 3, 1625 :
Pasha/mayo.—Mrs. Colonel Yearon, and Ave daughters; Mrs.
N'Gregor, and one son; Miss Dick; Mrs. Bray, and two chil-
dren; Miss lurray ; Mrs. Waters.
WAITM.—Ndr. Grant; Mr. Pringle.
CADICTS.-11r. Shuckburgh ; Mr. Birch; Mr. HatchelL
MILITARY Orricaas.—Liautenant Colonel Fearon ; Major
M'Gregor ; Captain Sir Charles Farrington, Baronet; Cap-
tain Green ; Captain Spencer, Captain Bray ; Lieutenant
and Adjutant Shaw; Lieutenants Baldwin, Dodger, Batton,
Booth, Douglas, Campbell, Guinnis; Ensigns Tate, Shaw, Evans ;
Ayistant-Surgeon Graham; Quartermaster Waters; Paymaster
Monk—all saved.
TOTAL cm ma an.—Passengers, 19; Military Officers, 20; Troops,
344; women, 43 ; children, 68; ship's company, 145.—T0ta1,6.57,
lIKTOPA or Taoors, WOAIII4, AND CHILDREN Lost.—Troops, 64;
1 Woman ; Children, 21.—Snir's ComrANY-1 Man; 5 Marine
Boys—Total tut, 90.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
This vessel, which sailed from the Downs about a fort-
night ago, was making her way in the Bay of Biscay on
the morning of Tuesday the Ist inst. across the heavy
swell common in that stormy entrance to the Atlantic,
when her progress was arrested by a fatal accident, in
latitude about 47 deg. 50 min. and long. 11 deg. 40
min. An officer who was sent into the hold to see
whether the rolling of the vessel had disturbed the
stowage, perceiving that a cask of spirits had burst
hom its lashings, gave the lamp be had in his hand to
a seaman to hold while he should replace the cask.
Unfortunately, in the continued rolling of the vessel the
man let the lamp fall near the spirits, to which it set
fire in a moment. The flames spread ; attempts were
made to smother them by wetted blankets and ham-
snockc, but all was in vain, and they soon assumed an
aspect so tremendous, as to shew that it would be ins.
possible ti subdue them.
At this moment of despair, the man at the mast head
exclaimed that a sail was in sight; guns were fired, and
a signal of distress hoisted. The gale, however, was so
heavy, that it was for some time doubtful whether the
strange vessel perceived the signals or was likely to
turn aside from her course; but this painful suspense
was soon removed by her approach. The boats of the
Kent were now got out and placed, not alongside, on
account of the flames and the danger of staving the
boats, but a-head and a-stern. Into the latter many
gr t out from the cabin windows, but the chief part were
let down from the bowsprit into the boat a-head, the
men sliding doWn by a rope, while the soldiers wives
were lowered into the boat three together.
The fire had burst out about ten o'clock, and about
twelve the signal of distress had been perceived by the
strange sail, which proved to be the Cambria, Cook,
outward-bound to Mexico, with a number of mining
workmen and a cargo of mining machinery. It was at
two o'clock that the Cambria received the first boat load
of passengers, consisting chiefly of Ladies and children,
half clothed, and pale with fright and fatigue. The
whole afternoon was passed in exertions on board the
one vessel in sending off the sufferers, and in the other
in receiving them. The Cambria had amongst her
passengers several stout workmen, who took their sta-
tien at the ship's side, and were indefatigable in hoisting
the poor sufferers on board, so that, out of 642 persons
in the Kent, no less than 557 were safe in the Cambria
before midnight. The remainder (85 in number) were
lost, chiefly in getting out and in of the boats, the swell
4 the sea being very great all the time. The Captain
of the Kent was the last man to leave her. She blew up
a few minutes before two on Wednesday morning.
It may naturally be asked how the vessel could keep
so long together amid so destructive a conflagration?
She could not have kept together two hours, had not the
Officers, to avoid one danger encountered another, by
opening the ports and letting in the water, when she
, shipped such heavy seas as to become water-logged,
which of course prevented the burning downwards.
Tile Cambria, a vessel of little more than two hun-
dred tons, was previously sufficiently filled, having
goods in her hold and above fifty persons in passengers
and ship's company. How great then must have been
the pressure and confusion caused by an influx which
carried tire total on board to more than six hundred.
'lhe progress of the fire in the Kent had been so rapid
as to prevent the sufferers from saving any clothes ex-
ctta what were on their persons, and both officers and
soldiers were thus ill prepared to encounter the wet and
the cold of the deck. The cabin and the tween decks
(the space for the steerage passengers) were thus
crowded beyond measure, and most fortunate it was
that the wind continued favourable for the return of
the Cambria to an English port. She reached Falmouth
in fo •
rty-eygh..t hours after quitting the wreck, and
landed her unfortunate inmates, many of them half
I clothed, on Friday morning.
• rnePnotsom SAvan.-51st Regiment ;21 officers, 280 men, 46 WO-
, and St children ; ship's company, 140; passengers, 19.
PrItsONS LOST.-31st Regiment; 64 soldiers, 1 woman, and 15
children; ship's company, 1 man 4 boys.

•
'N.

ADDITIONAL PARTICULAR&
PROM PHI ROYAL CORNWALL °MLITT&

FALMOUTH, MARCH 4.—The brig Cambria, Captain
Cook, which sailed from Falmouth on the 24th ult.
with miners, for Vera Cruz, returned to this port on
Friday,having on board 547troops,sailors,etc.skved from
the late Hon. Company's ship Kent, Captain Cobb,
which unfortunately took fire on the Ist inst. lat 47 deg.
SO min. long. 9 deg. 45 min. on her voyage to China.
The Kent, soon after the removal of the above, blew up,
with ninety persons on board, of whom sixty-four were
soldiers, one woman, twenty-one children, one seaman,
and three marine boys. We have not time to detail
the particulars, but such a scene of distress was never
equalled here, as was presented when the unfortunate
persons landed; the greater part of whom had scarcely
a rag to cover themselves. The greatest praise is due
to Captain Cook for his humanity, and to our
countrymen (the miners) for their conduct on this me-
lancholy occasion, and to whose exertions the greater
part of the number saved is attributed. A soldier's
wife was safely delivered of a boy, about two houi-s
after she was removed from the Kent to the Cambria.
We are happy to state, the inhabitants are attending to
the wants of theYadies, and are making the whole of
the unfortunates as comfortable as is possible in their
trying situations. The Kent was a 1400 ton ship, and
sailed from the Downs about the 18th February. _ _

Another Correspondent adds, that the scene at Fal-
mouth Quay was affecting beyond all description—
women lamenting the loss of their husbands and chil-
dren, men of their wives, and children of their parents,
and all were in a state of nakedness. The Governor of
Pendennis Castle, with prompt humanity, ordered a
quantity of blankets to be sent from the stores; and the
unfortunates were brought on shore in the boats of the
Astrea frigate, by order of Captain King. They rr, ere
then conducted to the different public-houses, offices,
&c. where every possible care was taken of them. The
conduct of all classes of the inhabitants of this hospitable
town was most praiseworthy, some even taking off their
shoes and stockings to give to the distressed females.