The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-14 00:00:00

2UESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1854.

SHIPPING AND ME _RCANTIL E

MISCELLANY.

WHEAT FOR THE NAVY.—At the Royal William
Victualling Yard, Plymouth, tenders were called for
1,000 quarters wheat for the supply of this department,
and on the tenders being opened on Wednesday, the par-
ties were informed 3,000 quarters were taken ; it being
understood that the government telegraphed to the Cap-
tail]; Superintendent that morning to secure other 2,000,
if to be done. The prices ruled from 87s. to 90s. per
quarter.
THE GREAT BRITAIN.—A telegraphic communication
reached Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., (per the Ballarat)
on Friday, from Messrs. Bright Brothers, of Melbourne,
stating that that vessel was to salon her homeward passage
from Sydney on the 19th November, and from Melbourne
on the 20th December. She was to take the route via
Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands. Her arrival at this
port, therefore, may be shortly looked for.
DEMERARA.—SeveraI commanders of ships have been
fined at Demerara for neglecting to send their men to
the hospital within twelve hours after their complaining
of being unwell. The colonial law is very imperative on
this subject, and it is enforced with great severity, par-
ticularly since the prevalence of the yellow fever in the
shipping there. The several parties accused were fined
from ten to twenty dollars.
DISASTER TO AN EMIGRANT SHIP.--The American
packet-ship E. Z., Captain Hartshorne, which sailed from
this port on the 18th ult., put into Belfast Lough, with
loOs of sails and making water. The E. Z. sailed from
this port on the 12th November last, and, after some time,
put back seriously damaged, and had only been repaired
prior to her sailing on the 18th ultimo.
NEWSPAFERS TO GREECE AND TURKEY.—A notice has
been issued from the General Post-office announcing that
information has been received from the Prussian Post-
office, that newspapers forwarded from the United King-
dom to Greece, or to the lonian Islands, or to the under-
mentioned places in Turkey, &c., in which Austrian
post-offices, have been established, viz I—Beyrout, Botus-
chany, Bucharest, Canes, Constantinople, Dardanelles,
Galatz, Gallipoli, Jassy, Lanaca, Mytelene, Mostar,
Rhodes, Rutschuk, Salonica, Samsoun, Seres, Smyrna,
Tenedos, Tchesme, Trebizond, Tuitcha, and Varna, cannot
be transmitted through Prussia, as newspapers, unless a
postage of lid. per half ounce be paid in advance, and
further that the rate of ld. each must be prepaid upon
newspapers addressed to other places in Turkey.

- -
THE GUANO DEPOSITS OP THE CHINCHA ISLANDS.—
A note has been received at the Peruvian Legation from
the Minister of Finance of the Republic, bearing date the
24th of December, in which the following is communicated
to the Charge d' Affairs :—" The Government nominated
a deputation, in order that they might undertake the
measurement of the guano of the Chiucha Islands. This
therefore has been effected by men best qualiffed for the
purpose, with as much accuracy as could be obtained,
adopting the latest improvements m the scientific proceed-
ings, and the following result has been given :—That the
island situated at the north contains 4,189,477 ; the -centre
island, 2,505,948; the south island 5,680,675 ; or, a total
of 12,376,100 tons. (This aggregate indicates tons of
measurement which will yield an increase of one third
when reduced to tons of weight, which are those sold in
the market. Calculating on the well-known fact, the
above 12,376,100 tons will yield 16,501,466 tons of weight
saleable. Besides the Chincha Islands, it is well-known
that Peru possesses many other guano deposits, containing
a very considerable quantity, the measurement of which
has also been ordered by the Government, and will be
published in due course.) The reports of the deputation
are now being printed by order of the Government.
MARINE Sairtrr Sr:sr.—The Sunderland Times says,
—"We think it very desirable to press on our maritime
readers the desirability of constructing the deck seats
which stand by the companion, on the principle of the
marine safety seat. This would place gat the disposal of a
shipwrecked crew a means of communicating with the
shore, and even of reaching it, which they do not at pre-
sent possess. Theinvention of the safety seat is due to
Lieutenant Rhind, whoie attention was first di-
rected to the value of deck seats as an auxiliary method
of safety, by the -wreck of the Albion in 1836. The con-
struction of the •seats is of so simple, a character that any
ship carpenter Might make one. `The back and seat are
constructed with a framework, with four strong cross
pieces to receive the legs; the interstices are filled with
cork, and the Whole veneered with seasoned fir; the legs
are made to shift, and are fastened with copper nuts ; the
elbows lock in each other, and are fastened with a pin;
underneath the seat there are two strong cleats, and the
edges of the loaik and seat have a strong moulding, which
protects the mortices where • the legs are placed wen put
as outriggers.' But it is not necessary that this plan
should be adopted. If the ordinary deck seats are made
for the back to cleat with the seat, and the legs moveable,
even then a great object would be attained, the area being
four times enlarged. Lieut. Rhind's deck seat is converted
into an ordinary raft by the back and seat .being cleated
together, and the legs put in at right angles. This tem-
porary raft, With a Bermudean sail, would carry a rope to
a lee shore where no boat could live. The cost of the
seat when fully fitted up would be about a pound more
than the usual seats. Such -is the simple contrivance of
the safety seat. The invention has been approved of by
parties on whose judgment some reliance can be placed.
Lieut. Rhind sent two models to the Great Exhibition,
one as a seat, 'the other as a-raft, and had the prize medal
awarded to him for his invention. The Elder Brethren
of the Trinity House, at a very full meeting, also approved
of it, and Prince Frederick of the Netherlands sent the
inventor his silver medal. Notwithstanding these highly
satisfactory notices of the 'invention it has not received,
from the maritime community; that practical recognition
which its value demands?'
WRECX OF A LIVERPOOL. SHIP.—The Charles Jones,
Captain Todd, 'belonging to this port, has been totally lost
on one of the Shetland ISlands. She sailed from Leith
for Valparaiso last month, and during a violent gale
from the west-on the 31st January, struck on a sunken
rock off Eshanes, point or North Navin, in Shetland, and
instantly went into a thousand pieces. Out of the entire
crew not one remained 'to tell the frightful tale. The
Charles Jones Lad the materials of an iron pier on board
for Valparaiso. A cask 6f sherry wine, a small portion of
the hull,and part of the ship's papers have washed on shore.
NARROW" EseaTE.--;-The Wild Rover, which arrived
here from New Orleans, with a cargo of cotton, &c., was
struck by lightning on the 26th ult. in lat. 46 N., lon. 40
W. The electric fluid descended the foremast, and after
the thunderstorm had subsided it was ascertained that the
cargo in the for sold had ignited. With great presence
of mind Captain Hamilton ordered the hatches to be kept
closed and the force-pump rigged. The crew, as is usual
when a commander is cool and collected, obeyed the order
with alacrity, and soon a continuous and abundant stream
of water was poured upon the burning mass. When it
was considered that the fire was extinguished the hatches
were taken off, but it was found that several bales were
still smouldering; they were, however, quickly hoisted up
and thrown overboard (35 in number.) Had it not been
for the presence of mind of Captain Hamilton and the ex-
cellent discipline of the crew, thevessel must have been
destroyed.

ANOTHER, SHIPWRECK •ON •BARR/L.—Tile coast of the
• islandof Barra, off the western partof Scotland, has been the
oene of the total loss ofthe Liverpool shin W. H. Davis, Car-
ling, master, while on her voyage to Slew Orleans, with
every soul on board (excepting one Man)—in all thirty
persons. The ship had become unmanageable in the
course of the recent westerly gales, and in attempting, on
the night of the 17th of last month, to weather Barra-
head, she went on shore on the rocks of Yatersay, within
a short distance of the spot where the Anne Jane emi-
grant.ship was lost a few months since. The moment
the ship touched the rock the master and _crew took to
the rigging, as their only chanee of escape, expecting,
no doubt, as the wreck heeled over, they would be able
to gain the rocks. In a few minutes the ship was dashed
to pieces, and the whole of the poor fellows fell amid the
wreck and perished. Only one escaped—the -steward, a
young man, named Robert William Rushmore, of 48,
Devonport-street, Toxth-park, Liverpool. He took refuge
on the bowsprit, and as the vessel went to pieces he
sprang forward and succeeded in reaching the rocks in
safety, although very much bruised. He was almost in-
sensible when assistance arrived the next morning. Several
bodies of the crew were discovered among the rocks by
the fishermen, whoeonveyed them to Vatersay for interment.

A GALLANT SEA. CAPTAIN.—The brig Sea Adventure,
Glazebrook, of Shoreham, which put into Plymouth, on
Tuesday, in distress, left Buenos Ayres on the Bth of
November, for Cork .or Falmouth, for orders. 19th of
January, when about 250 miles N.W. of the Azores
Islands, experienced a hurricane from W.N.W., which
carried away foremast, bowsprit, cutwater, figurehead,
cook's galley, boats and stanchions, and bulwarks on the
larboard side. So heavy was the sea that the galley, iron
caboose, cooking apparatus, and all were carried clean
over her side. 22d she encountered another storm, which
carried away the remainder of her bulwarks and stan-
chions, started her stern frame, and carried away the
companion, compelling the captain to batten down the
entrance to the cabin, abandon the use of it, and take his
quarters among the crew in the forecastle. There was
not a single spar to rig the jurymast, and the loss of the
foremast and bowsprit sent the brig down by the stern,
in order to remedy which it became necessary to throw
some of her after cargo overboard ; but this could only be
got at by entering the hold from the forecastle and drag-
ging the hides forward. During the gale one of the crew
was washed overboard twice, but was providentially reco-
vered. Captain Glazebrook, having set three jibs as stay-
sails, persevered in bringing his disabled craft a distance
of 1,300 miles ; he declined assistance on entering the
Channel, and completed his purpose by steering her
safely into Plymouth Sound. The crew of the brig con-
sists of ten hands, including Captain Glazebrook.
BRITISH AND FOREIGN SEAMEN.—Mr. Cardwell told
the House of Commons, on Friday night, that of 190,000
sailors, who left the ports of this kingdom last year, there
were only 2,500 foreigners among them. We presume the
right hon. gentleman has some authority for his figures,
but to us the statement appears incredible. Before the
manning clause of the Navigation Act was repealed, the
number of foreign seamen eligible to serve in British
ships, in the over-sea trade, was 47,000, in the proportion
of three-fourths British to one foreign seaman. But as
our coasters had to be manned entirely with British
subjects, we may allow 60,000 of the seamen to have been
so employed, which would leave 130,000 for the foreign
trade of the kingdom. Admitting, however, that the
coasting trade engaged 100,000 seamen, and that 90,000
were in the foreign trade, it gives 22,500 whoforeigners ho
might have served in British ships without infringing
law. ' Mr. Cardwell says that last year 2,500 only offered
themselves ; if so, we cannot see that there was any neces-
sity for repealing the manning clause, which has created
a very discontented feeling among British seamen. It
also destroys the argument that the scarcity of British
seamen called for the measure. We suspect, however,
that Mr.Cardwdl can have had no sufficient means of know-
ing the number of foreigners engaged in British ships.
We believe that the number of Lascars and other
Asiatics that arrived from India, Australia, and the ports
in the Pacific, in the last year, would far exceed the
figures of Mr. Cardwell; and all these foreigners were
brought to England under an engagement to send them
home again ; indeed, it is obligatory on shipowners, under
the 64th section of the Merchant Seamen's Act. The
statement, therefore, of the President of the Board of
Trade must be received With Some reservation,—/S'hipping
and Mercantile Gazette.