The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-09-15 00:00:00

thousand individuals employed in that trade, of which num-
ber seven-tenths are Indians, are remainder are blacks and
cbloured people, with but a few whites.
It is well known that vessels built with indigenous wood
(and there are now two in the trade of Demerara, the Moun-
taineer and the Christina, which are built entirely of timbers
furnished from Guiana,) are of superior description with re-
gard to strength and durability : the vessels employed imme-
diately in the colony are in a great measure constructed of
indigenour woods. _

If the great expense connected with supplying the British
navy with timber from North America, Italy, and the Baltic
be duly considered, it becomes an object of consideration
whether it would not be advantageous to establish a naval
arsenal in Demerara. This river is navigable for vessels of
one hundred and fifty to two hundred tons for one hundred
miles up; and though the bar does not allow vessels that
draw more than twenty feet of water to go over it even at
spring tides, it affords a safe and commodious harbour for
thousands of that description, where they may anchor in five
to ten, fathoms water; indeed, the river from Fort Point to
Hababu Creek may be said to form one vast harbour. Here
the ships lie undisturbed by gales and harricanes, which are
unknown phenomena; thus its fitness for a naval arsenal be-
comes evident.

I have already alluded to the valuable mora, (Mora excelsa,
Benth,) one of the trees most abundant in the forest. The
wood is very durable in any situation in and out of the wa-
ter, remarkably strong, tough, and not liable to split. Its
crooked timbers would be of the greatest utility for knees ;
and the finest stems for vessels of any size might be procured,
as well as the choice and valuable pieces in request for keels,
kelsons, stern-posts, floor, beams, &c. The close nature of
its wood, which never splits, recommends it for bulwarks of
men-of-war, bomb-vessels, and gun-boats. Not less recom-
mendable are the planks of greenheart ; siruabally for plank-
ing ; the purple-heart for bulwarks, gun-carriages, mortar-
beds, &c. ; and the red cedar, which reaches a height of up-
wards of eighty feet, for masts and spars of vessels.. The
colony is also rich in woods which are adapted for cabinet
work, turnery, and ornamental purposes, many of which are
at present entirely unknown to the cabinet-makers of Eu-
rope, and which only in a few houses of the opulent colonists
have been used for furnishing their rooms. The elegant ap-
pearance of these woods in a great measure hides the want
of taste in the execution of the furniture. Pre•eminent
among these ornamental woods, stands the beautiful letter-
wood, which in elegance of appearance, and the readiness
with which it takes polish, recommends it above all others to
notice.

If it should please her Majesty's Government to encourage
the timber trade, it would not only open a new resource to
the government, but afford double advantage to the colony.
In consequence of the increased demand, the lands would be
cleared, and by this a great step towards civilization arid an
improvement in the health of the colony would be gained.

WRECKS OF THE LORD 'CASTLEREAGH AND
LORD WILLIAM BENTINCK.

(From the Calcutta Courier of July 8.)

At four o'clock on Thursday a squall arose, and when it
was over, the people from the shore looked again to the
Castlereagh, but it was broken up.

The number of those saved from m this wreck cannot as yet
be exactly told ; it is said to exceed 200 ; and among them is
mentioned Lieutenant Grant, of the Ist European Regiment.
Among those whose unfortunate deaths are declared, are
Captain Earle, of the 24th Regiment; Dr. Davies and Lieut.
Walker, of the Engineers. The captain (Tonks) and the
chief officer were saved through the exertion of Mr. Atkin-
son, the second assistant to the master attendant.

Among the persons saved was one recruit, who on the
breaking up of the Lord William Bentinck swam to the
Castlereagh, from which he afterwards had some difficulty to
escape.
The shore was yesterday strewed anew with bodies ; those
of the captain of the L. W. B. and of his son have been
found ; very many exhibited the dismal effects of having been
driven on the rocks, the 'eyes being beaten out, with number-
less bruises and various mutilations. One man's body was
found with his child fastened on his back.
Goods of carious sorts are seen floating about or cast upon
the shore ; among other things a portrait. was found in a tin
case, which looked placid, as if the original was to be for ever
unconscious of disaster. A bag of letters from Karak was
found on the rocks, and sent to the Postoffice, where endea-
vours are making to dry them. Among them are said to be
some despatches for Earl Auckland. Nothing in the shape
of letters or parcels has been as yet found from the Lord W.
Bentinck.

Thus almost within a month hare three ships been wrecked
on the Prong, as this ledge of rocks is called, viz., the Com-
petent on the 7th of May, and the Lord W. Bentinck on the
17th, and the Castlereagh on the 18th of June. The like was
never before seen in Bombay ; and the old Tindal, who has
been 40 years in attendance at the lighthouse, wrings his
hands, and says he never saw such repeated disasters.
The public mind is powerfully excited, and its voice is
loud in reprobating the system adopted for the benefit of
this magnificent harbour, into which during fine weather
there is hut little difficulty to enter. But the want of suffi-
cient lighthouses during the monsoon, or in blowing, hazy
weather, is much spoken of. The two points (Henery and
Kenery) at the entrance into the harbour, could with ease
be provided with such edifices. The Shah Allum, which on
her voyage to Calcutta was from stress of weather obliged to
put back in the beginning of this week, was nearly wrecked
too, near those islets ; but the captain's knowledge of the
port saved him. The pilotage and lighthouse dues are suffi-
cient to maintain those advantages to the benighted mariners
—being for instance on a 1200 ton ship 230 rs. for the for-
mer, and 180 rs. for the latter. The want of a sufficient es-
tablishment of life-boats and courageous crews at the light-
house is also talked of ; and yet such is the actual system,
that the poor sufferers in the Castlereagh declared that they
could not hear the report of the guns, though not more than
a mile from the lighthouse, because the orders are that no
wadding is to be used, and the report is consequently weak-
ened. Surely on such occasions, and when the storm is
raging, a conditional power might, be allowed to the officer
to give double efficacy to those warnings.
But now when the loss is so severely felt even by the Hon.
Company, the necesssity of something effectual being re-
quired cannot be denied. Among those who witnessed the
inutility, or rather the positive inadequacy, of the means
used on Wednesday was the • Hon. G. W. Anderson, third
member of the council ' • he went to the lighthouse, to see if
there was any means of saving his nephew, who was coming
by the Lord W. Bentinck, but he saw that with those means
nothing could be done, and his nephew perished. He can
bear the testimony to the truth of these observations.
There were 114 men of the Marine Battallion on board
the Lord Castlereagh, 19 of whom are missing ; and of the
24th N. I. there were 176, of whom 32 are missing. There
are 15 in hospital suffering from wounds and bruises of
various sorts, but none of them supposed to be in danger.
One native officer and one sepoy have died of injuries received
on leaving the ship or landing. Captain Tonks, the Com-
mander of the Lord Castlereagh, and one of the most skilful
and experienced officers in our port, was picked up from a
spar. We have received no account of the casualities amongst
the crew, but know them to be heavy indeed. Dead bodies
are now coming fast ashore, and already a great many have
been buried.

The body of Captain Earle, of the 24th Regiment N. 1.,
was found yesterday afternoon, and interred in the burial
ground at Colaba. Mrs. Fraser, whose body was washed on
shore from the Bentinek, was also buried last evening in the
Scotch burial ground.
A quantity of specie which was on board the Castlereagh,
was saved through the presence of mind of Captain Tonks.
He caused several barrels to be emptied, the money to be
put into them, and then tiie bung-holes corked and leather
to be nailed over them. The barrels were then thrown over-
board, and have been since found on the shore.
The number of the persons lost from the Castlereagh is
stated to be from 70 to 80.