The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-10-24 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE AMPHITRITE

By the arrival of her Majesty's sloop Fantome at Ports-
mouth on Monday last, information has been received of
total loss of the British brig Amphitrite, Commander Mr.
H. Wills, on the 21st of July, off the island of Lobasbere,
near Monte Video. About noon on the 20th July she
was close into Cape St. Mary's on the look out for a pilot,
but none appearing, and there being a light easterly wind,
she continued her course, and at midday on the 21st
she was off the above island. The wind afterwards
increased with great violence, and a heavy shower of hail
and rain began to fall, and there being no pilot to be seen
on the station, all her sails were shortened, and she hove
to about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, with her head to
the southward, the weather at that time being very thick,
and several high breakers near her. She, however, still
made way, although very little, going at the early part of
the evening not more than two knots an hour. At 8
o'clock the weather had become exceedingly misty, so
much so that the ship's length could scarcely be discerned,
and every precaution was adopted in order to prevent ac-
cident, a man being constantly at her mast head, and the
lead kept going. The captain, fearing from the violence
of the gale that if he anchored on the spot she would be
blown away from her moorings and every soul perish, de-
termined on keeping her under canvas, as from her posi-
tion he supposed she would make the Mount by the fol-
lowing morning. She kept going on very steadily till
about midnight, when the captain went down below for a
short time, the mate being at the mast-head, when he no
sooner did so than he heard a distant shock from her
striking forward, though in six fathoms, aft and hind.
The captain instantly rushed on deck and put the helm
a-port, which she answered, and the sails were set. The
heavy serf, however, that was running kept constantly
beating her on the shoal, and the crew expected every
moment that she would be beaten to atoms, and they all
meet with a watery grave. She soon got clear, and the
captain decided on running for Monte Video, although
the w,:ather was exceedingly dark. Accordingly the pumps
were kept going, and the carpenters set to work to repair
the ship. Unfortunately, however, she had received too
great an injury, as the sea was fast flowing into the hold.
Notwithstanding this the captain still kept her on the
tack, and it was only at 3 o'clock on the following morn-
ing when the water was level with the cabin decks, that
th' captain and crew, 13 in number, left the ill-fated ves-
sel in her boats. She soon went down in deep water, and
the crew then steered for the above port, in doing which
they encountered most tempestuous weather, the boat at
one time being almost full of water and amidst breakers.
At length, after the lapse of six hours, they succeeded in
reaching Monte Video, greatly fatigued from excessive
exertion and exposure to cold. At this port it appears
the poor fellows were nut treated by the Consul in that
kind manner which their destitute case deserved. They
have, however, safely arrived in England.

OBSERVATIONS IN RESPECT OF THE ISLANDS
OF RASAY AND RONA, IN SCOTLAND.

" The islands of Rasay and Rona form part of the Wes.
tern Hebrides, situated in the county of Inverness, lyinz
between the island of Skye and the mainland. Rona lies
directly north of Rasay.

RASAY

" Rasay measures 12 miles. The breadth is 3 miles.
The island measures 15.126 acres. At the north end is
the island Tigb, separated only from Rasay at flood tide.
.At the west side is the island of Fladda ; it measures 1
mile and 2 furlongs. Rasay, including Tigh and Fladda,
amounts to 15,598 acres 2 roods and 31 poles. The island
is divided or let into 22 farms. Total arable in the island,
at present under cultivation, 1,266 acres. The island, or a
considerable portion, may almost be said to be now in its
naturally wild state. The inhabitants having no lease,
have had no inducement to improve their land, but there
are great quantities of land of good soil capable of being
easily improved, and lots of respectable yeomen ready to
occupy it on lease. Many of the glens present as beau-
tiful and as fine a surface as can possibly be seen. The
mansion-house is situated at the south end of the island;
it is of modern date, and is large and commodious. A
sketch is shown upon the plan. The front is all of dressed
ashler, from the freestone rock on the estate at Hallaig.
It is erected on the Doric order of architecture, in a chaste
and beautiful style, embellished with a magnificent stone
portico, opening to a spacious noble hall. A fine spring
passes through the estate. In fact, the islands are cele-
brated for the delicious springs which abound there in all
parts. The garden is a large square area of some acres in
extent. Near the house, on the beach, is one of the cele-
brated romantic caves in which Prince Charles was con-
cealed.
Behind the house, and extending in a northerly
direction to near Osgaiq, is a very fine plantation of elm
and larch, extending to 15 acres. About the church there
is a plantation of Scotch fir, beech, larch, and ash, ex-
tending to 26 acres. At Claim and Castle, the natural
plantation extends to 310 acres. Between Balchurn and
Hallaig are several very fine lochs, abounding in black
trout, and the whole island abounds largely in grouse and
blackcock. There is plenty of fine blue limestone ; and
no doubt, if search was made, COAL WOULD ALSO CF:
FOUND. Duncan, the highest hill in Rasay, presents
from the summit one of the grandest panoramic views of
Highland scenery in Scotland. On the east side the rocks
are of freestone, towering above each other, rising in ma-
jestic height upwards of 3,000 feet above the sea, and in
parts quite inaccessible, except to the wild gnats which
abound on the rock, and which is known as the " Goat
Rock," and from which issues a gushing stream of the
purest water, providing a refreshment of the most delight-
ful descriptio❑ to the eager sportsman. In the island of
Fladda there is abundance of slate. There can be no
doubt that this only requires an enterprising tenant to se-

cure an enormous inc,

" Rona lies nearly directly north of Rasa, _
is four miles in length, and one mile in breadth. There is
in several parts a large quantity of flow moss, that, with
very little expense, could 13~ drained and hronqta nnilnr

The. ishni

cultivation. There is also in the Big Harbour plenty of
shell sand, nearly equal to good lime, which migi,t be used
to great advantage upon the ground—almost none is at
present used. The island measures 2,414 acres, of which
there is at present 156 acres under cultivation. The Bi,
Harbour is a very safe and deep harbour. The island
abounds in grouse and game of all sorts."

AWFUL. VISITATION.—One, of those alarming and
dreadful acts of God's providence—the fall of a thunder-
bolt—attended with fatal effects, happened at Cooper's-
row, Runcorn, on Thursday night week, about ten o'clock.
The row consists of fourteen cottages, standing in a field
near to the entrance of the town, and the electric fluid
struck one near to the centre, entering the chimney, and
coming out above the mantelpiece, passed through the
room-floor about a foot from the grate, and descended to
the house-floor hearth, around which were sitting the
unfortunate occupier's wile and two children, another
being in the cradle. The tenant, Thomas Moores, who
is a atone-mason, with a family of six children, had re-,
tired to bed a few minutes previously, and three of the
children were also in bed in an adjoining room ; but the
wife, who bad all her life been greatly afraid of thunder,
was sitting up till the storm was over; and, dreadful to
state, the electric fluid struck her, and instantly rendered
her a frightfully mangled blazing corpse, dashing the chil-
dren against the opposite walls, and tearing up the flags
of the floor in its downward progress. Poor Moores
states that he was knocked out of bed down stairs, and
rarsh we enl le ai
gabseveral
fetched
ei cdl esa os
tfucgleootnh n
bg
unte ;ti near
et blew
on coming to his senses found his wife's clothes on fire,
ma ceen.
fiorre‘-vPol
was dead ; the two children and the infant in the cradle
The house is literally a heap of blackened

recovered

SLAVERS AND PRIZE MoNEr.—The "Acorn," 16,
sloop, Captain Adams, lately arrived at Devonport. Du-
ring the time she has been on the coast of Africa she has
made no less than nineteen captures of slave-vessels, and
that in the short space of two years and a half. On her
going out to the coast in the year 1811 she made a good
beginning, by capturing the noted slave brigantine " Ga-
briel," on board of which vessel they found 530 slaves.
They fell in with her between Rio Janeiro and St. He-
lena. The Anna was the next slaver she seized, in which
they found 500 slaves, in the most miserable condition.
They were huddled together so close as scarcely to leave
breathing room, and the miasmatic and unwholesome va-
pours that rose from the dens were almost overpowering.
In a place called a cabin in the after part of this vessel,
measuring 16 feet by 9, were no less than 219 females
packed. An officer of the Acorn at first supposed it in-
credible that so many human beings could be squeezed
into so small a space; and it was by formally counting
the number that he satisfied himself of the fact. He said
it put him in mind of the celebrated black-hole of Cal-
cutta. In the fore part of this vessel, reaching from the
mainmast to the forecastle, 300 males were confined. This
part was called the gaol, and was 50 feet long by 27 broad,
the height being about 3 feet 3 inches. They were in a
most impure and filthy state, and were forced from the
lowness of the deck to keep in a sitting position, not hav-
ing room to lay themselves at length. Some of the other
captures of the Acorn were eqnally important, and made
with no less skill and resolution. The following revolting
account of this demoniacal traffic in human flesh has been
recommended to the attention of General Cass anti the
American slavery defenders :—" The Portuguese schooner
of 44 tons, the Esperanza, has been condemned by the
Mixed Commission Court, and broken up for sale, agree-
ably to our treaty with Portugal. Her instructions con-
tain a tale of horror, requiring no varnishing to render it
a romance. She was commissioned for the coast of Africa,
for the Mozambique, and with a crew of ten men, and
provisions for fifteen days (!) was to take in 220 slaves, or
if small bales, so the slaves are termed, 250 ! and easily
packed in a space of (what? gracious God!) the hold of a
vessel of 44 tons, with a height of 32 inches—ay, inches !
between the slave, or under, and upper deck. Manacles
and chains were on board to the number of 900 for another
cargo; and with provisions for fifteen days was this fright-
ful freight—this cargo of human misery—to cross the wide
aft: n
h from vesselgh ough dareto
sleep she
Atlantic, to traverse, at a bird's flight, neatly 4,000 miles.
Suppose calms, or adverse winds, or storms occurred—
suppose the voyage was delayel for twenty days, to no
slave
to-ship
space runce ; o
seek for assistance; 250 human beings, without food or
wpoartterdacrammed
when lying down in one position for 20 days •
and nights,
in a hOld fetid with their own filth, without t'l •
with a putrid and foul atmosphere,
ventilation,
with
on a deck 32 inches
from the ceiling. Can any fiction, any romance, portray
what might have been the bitter
agony, the tortures of
these Africans? A slave can be
baft, or 10 pieces of blue cloth, say 205., and will fetch at
Brszd 480 dollars, or often £l2O. The immense profit
renders the slave traders regardless of human life • one
slave in every 10, if brought to Cuba or Brazils, yields' an
ample retur:, ; and anxious as our cruizers are to check

tins wretcliel traffic, the western coast of Africa is too
vast and ext:nsive for the fleet employed to watch it."