The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-04 00:00:00

THE SHIP DRYAD

CONFESSIONS OF THE BROTHERS WALLACE.
The two brothers who were concerned with the ship Dryad
and other vessels, for the purpose of defrauding the in%u-
ranee companies, have made voluntary confessions. We
omit the names of some parties, for obvious reasons ; and
we also omit certain heavy accusations agains persons in this
and in other countries. The confessions are in the hand-

riving of the brothers respectively.
The statement of Patrick Maxwell Stewart Wallace detail

the mode of his introduction to his brother, the insurances
which he effected, and the various amounts of money which
he obtained from the insurance offices. The confession of
Michael Shaw Stewart Wallace is most extraordinary, and
_ _

we give it just as we found it in the Morning Herald:—
STATEMENT made by MICHAEL SHAW STEWART WAL-
LACE to John Pirie, Esq., Alderman, setting forth the part
he took in the casting away of the ryad, for the purpose
of defrauding the underwriters.
" I purchased three-fourths of the Dryad about December,
1837, for £l2OO, £lO6O was paid in cash, and the remainder
by a bill. I went as master of the Dryad to Rio Janeiro,
and returned in her to London. Loose was the mate at that

time. Next voyage Loose went master, with my instruc-
tions to proceed to Rio, and take the berth for London. The
vessel was consigned to a person at Rio, who had similar
instructions from me, but be deviated from those instruc-
tions, and sent the vessel to the Cape Verde Islands for salt,
and drew upon me for £315. When I received this intelli-
gence, my friends advised me to go out to Rio, and look
out after my property. I wept out to Rio in the barque
Blair, from Liverpool, and upon my arrivai found the vessel
a complete wreck, and was angry with the master for his
conduct, but he threw the blame upon others.
" I was on board the Dryad dining with Loose, the mas-
ter, one day at Rio ; after dinner he asked me to go forward
and he would show me that I had made a blind bargain, which
he did ; and, at the same time, he said that if he had known
that the vessel was insured she would never have seen the
Cape Verd Islends. I said to him that I did not believe
that he had the spirit to do such a thing, to which he replied
that he wished I would give him the chance. Some other
conversation, relating to the manner in which he would ma-
nage such a business, took place at that time, and I began to
feel much interested indeed in this way of treating the sub-
ject. When the Dryad had discharged the cargo of salt, she
took the berth for Liverpool, and I took my passage on
board. During the passage, Loose and I agreed that if he
should cast away the vessel I would give him £2OO in cash,
and advance:him sufficient to purchase a quarter of a new
vessel, which he was to have the command of on his return.
This was regularly agreed to between us upon the most per-
fect understanding.
" On my arriving at Liverpool I proceeded to London,
and chartered the Dryad out and home. I informed my bro-
ther Patrick at this period that Loose and myself had agreed
to destroy the vessel, on purpose to defraud the underwriters.
He consented to become a party in the affair, and filled up
bills of lading for goods to the amount of £715, done in the
Alliance Insurance Office, and £698 done in the Neptune.
" The bills of lading signed by Loose were procured in the
following manner:-1 bought two sets at Liverpool, and
Loose signed them blank ; I then brought them to my bro-
ther Patrick. Before the Dryad sailed from Liverpool, I
proceeded to insnre as follows ;—£2,000 on the ship, with
Messrs. Bowden and Ainsley, and £3OO on the freight with
the same ; £7OO with Seldon and Johnson, on the ship and
outfit, and £7OO on the freight out and home ; with Lyndall
and Hall, £6OO on the chartered freight; and with Bahr,
Behren, and Co. £5OO on the ship, at Liverpool. Loose,
also, to my knowledge, effected £l5O at Liverpool on his
effects, and £lOO in London.
" The Dryad sailed from Liverpool September the 7th,
and I had no letter from Loose till the 25th of December,
when I received the protest from Falmouth, in Jamaica.
[Here Michael Wallace enters into details implicating other
parties in the transaction with regard to the destruction of
the Dryad, which details we, of course, altogether exclude,
and which may have been fabricated with a view to diminish
the atrociousness of the plot, by dragging others into parti-
cipation.] Nothing of consequence occurred till July, 1840.
One afternoon I came into my brother's office, when he
showed me a bundle of papers which Mr. Frost, Loose's
executor, had left for me. We examined them, and found
that all the cargo had been saved but the salt, and had been
sold by the vice-consul. It appeared to us that the nett pro-
ceeds from the cargo saved amounted to about £l5OO, which
I know nothing about. The wreck of the vessel, with all
the stores and cables, was sold, and the bill that was found
in Loose's possession appeared to us to be the salvage of the
vessel. The bill was drawn on a house in Liverpool by a
foreign name, which I forget, and was indorsed by the vice-
consul, and handed over to Loose by him.
" The papers were taken by me to my house in Tredegar-
square, and were destroyed on the night my brother was
taken into custody. The papers set forth that Loose had
been accused by his crew, before the Spanish authorities, for
casting away the vessel, but was released from custody. This
is all that I can think of relative to this most unfortunate
affair, and is all truth, as I shall answer to God.
" MICHAEL S. S. WALLACE.
" Ncw9ate, March 23, 1841."
ADDITION to my former STATEMENT made to John Pirie,
Esq., Alderman, respecting the money I defrauded the un-
derwriters of :
From Mutual Indemnity Company
Bowden and Ainsley
Seldon and Johnson
Liverpool Ocean Company
Goods, Lyndall and Hall
Cash from my brother, being a balance from Alliance
Company

£ 414
1,590
1,284
458

£4,628

Paid my sister's mortgages on the Lucy and Dryad £ 1,100
Cash seized in the funds

By Roe, officer ll6
eft with my wife when I left my home, and given to
Mr. Humphreys
xperided during my concealment, &e. 50
urnishing may house, and various expenses at the
time of my marriage

£4,166
4,628

Brought down

£ 462
" By referring to my books and other accounts, it will be
seen how this balance has been expended.
" About May last my brother told me that - told him
that and - had made it up to cast away the Falcon,
and that - was going out to see that it was properly
managed. He also told me about the latter end of Septem-
ber last, that - wanted him to make some insurances
away. At the same time he said that a vessel called the -
was lost, and the insurance companies were not willing to
settle the loss upon her.
" I now consider it proper that I set forth a part of my
life. Up to the latter end of the year 1836, I was a steady,
hard-working fellow. At that time I commanded the Delta,
and unfortunately went into Liverpool with a cargo from
Brazil, and was then introduced into the family of
Esq., whose foundation is well known to have been buying
old ships and casting them away. I was encouraged by him
and Mrs. to seek their daughter, and 17 must con-
fess that ambition tempted me to forget my old playmate and
my present unfortunate wife so far, that I did so, and I be-
lieve that I would have done anything to have gained Miss
's affections. My mother was sorely grieved, and
told me that our friend Mr. warned me that
was a bad man. All this I did not heed, but would go for-
ward led by Satan.
and advised me, saying, Get it ; never mind how, so as you
have it.' I was too willing to follow this bad advice, and
have not only ruined myself but my beloved wife also. This
I 'know, if I had never forgotten her, I would not have been

Lti this situation to-day. AltiCouglTl cannot give any proof
respecting the person at Liverpool to whom 1 have alluded,
and his black deeds watch him narrowly, and I think you
will find him out. His ships, and--- will be cast
away should I not warn him by my fate. He has often in•.
formed me that he would do so.

" MICHAEL S. S. WALLACE

" Newgate, 28th March, 1841.
" I forgot to state, that at the time 1 went into Liverpool
was master of the Delta, and had about £2OO. of my own.
thought my father had money, and, therefore, encou-
•aged me, I believe. " M. S. S. W.
" 20th March, 1841." " W. W. COPE.
The two brothers are now at Chatham, on board the For-
,itude hulk, waiting for the next convict ship to convey them
:o their final destination in the penal settlements.

TURN-OUT HAND-LOOM WEAVERS AT WIGAN.—OR
Wednesday evening last a meeting of the hand-loom weavers,
principally residents of Scholes, was held at the Black Lion,
Spring-gardens, Frog-lane, to arrange plans for making a
general subscription from door to door, in order to support
thernielves and families if their employers should carry into
effect the contemplated reduction of their wages from is. to
6s. 6d. per cut, which they (the operatives) were determined
to resist ; as they say, that " if they succeed, they may exist ;
but if they fail, starvation inevitably awaits them.' The
present rate of weavers' earnings was stated to be as follows :
The weaver worked sixty-three yards of nankeen for ss. 9d.;
out of which sum there was to be deducted—for winding lld.
loom-stand ls. 6d. per week, looming lid., tallow id., and,
in winter, candles 31d.; leaving a net recept to the operative
of only 2s. 10d. per week, averaging six days' labour, from
six, a.m. to near ten p.m. every day. If this statement be
true, it is a most deplorable picture of the misery and wretch-
edness to which that class of operatives, the hand-loom weav-
ers, is reduced.— Wigan Gazette.
DESTRUCTION OF STEWART'S HOTEL, ALBEMALE-
STREET, LONDON, BY FlRE•—.About a quarter past nine
o'clock last night the inhabitants of Albemarle-street were
thrown into a state of the utmost alarm by the cries of fire,
at the same time the numerous persons who were residing at
Stewart's Hotel were rushing out of the above establishment.
A vivid blaze of flame very soon told what had occurred,
which was burning with great rapidity at. the upper window
on the north side of the house. Several persons were de-
spatched in all directions for the engines, and in a short time
the London brigade engine from King-street, Chandos-street,
the Cdunty, West of England, and others, were upon the
spot, as well as a large body of the C division of police. Un-
fortunately no water could be obtained, and in a short space
of time this splendid establishment, which consisted of two
of the largest sized houses, and close to the Earl of ivlans-
fields, was in one body of flame. The fire literally ran from
floor to floor, like a flash of lightning. At the expiration of
about half an hour water was procured, but the whole of the
hotel, from the basement to the top, with the whole of the
splendid furniture, was all in flames, and the devouring ele-
ment was rapidly extending its progress. The engines, how-
ever, had so placed themselves, particularly the West of Eng-
land :(which was close to the pavement and in front of the
hotel), that as soon as water was procured, immense tor-
rents were poured on the flames, and the effect in a short
time was visible, as the fire was considerably damped. Pre-
viously to this it had extended its ravages to the adjoining
houses, as well as those in Dover-street, which abutted on
the back of the hotel. The exertions of the firemen was
speedily crowned with success, as the fire, with regard to
these premises, was soon got under, with comparatively
slight damage. A great number of other engines arrived,
the greatest portion of which were got to play ; but, we regret
to state, not a vestige of any part of the property was saved.
As to how the fire originated no account could be obtained
which was in any degree satisfactory, in consequence of the
confusion which prevailed. We understand that the whole
of the building and furniture was insured, the loss of which
is estimated at several thousand pounds.—Morning Herald,
Saturday.