The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-02-10
Our Scotch Correspondence.


EDINBURa, January II, 1852.
The Loss Of the Amasow- The Launch of the Ara-
bid The Sanitoich ISLANDS and Great Britain
Roman Catholicism in Scotland.
The loss of the Amazon steamer has created
great sensation in this country. Upwards of
hun dred souls called at once to their account by
that most fearful of all catastrophes-fre-
fire too on board ship, with no prospect of safety
but by having recourse to the boats, and the sea
raging around with such stormy violence as to
afford to the greater number who flew to them
only change in tho mode of death! 1t is fearful
to consider the drea fu position Of the unfortunate
passengers and Grew, and melancholy indeed to
have to chronicle such deplorable loss of life in
SO gallant vessel.
Only fe days before, the daily papers had an
nounced the departure of the Amazon steamer, be-
longing to the Royal West India Mail Steamship
Company, under the charge of Captain Symons
and ha wing on board the West India and Mexican
mails 1t was mentioned that she was the frat of
| the gigantic feet of West India mail packe.s
which had been got ready for sea; and that she
| was the largest mail packet afoat. The Amazon
had on beard 100 of coal, 100 tons Of cargo,
amongst which was specie to the value OF eao, 100,
and fifty passengers, and it was remarked that she
| was rather deep IN the water. Thirty hours suf
feed to breed destruction to the Amazon and the
| immense majority OF those on board On Friday,
at three o'clock in the afternoon, she left South
ampton; by one O'Clock on Sunday morning the
FIRE appeared; by Ave o'clock she WAS a, the bottom
| OF the ocean.
There seems to be some fatality attached to
| these West India steamers. Not to speak Of the
| Solway, and others, it is only some Six weeks
since, by the Encouragement of one Of the British
pilots, another splendid vessel the Demerara, was
stranded an hour or two after she was launched
To supply her place, every exerton was made to
| get the Amazon ready; and, alas! she has only
been characterized by a greater amount OF mis-
fortune
/ need not give tho names of the passengers and
members ef the Drew, saved lost, your files Of
| the London papers will furnish you with them;
| but cannot help abiding to the unhappy loss Of
| one who had earned to himsel If an honorable name
| in the ranks of liturature- MIR. Eliot Warburton.
His Crescent and the Cross was universally read,
and had become, by general acclaim, one OF the
standard works of the English language: Eastern
scenery stood forth in bold relief under the touches
Of his pencil; and the knowledge he had acquired
| BY his extensive travels of the Morningland, its
manners, and its customs, he clearly and beau
tifully transferred to his readers. He had just
published new novel entitled "Darlen, or the
| Merchant Prince" founded upon the unfortunate
| Scottish expedition to the Isthmus of Darien, in
the reign OF William the Third. Students of MIS-
| tory know how much Scottish blood and treasure
were at that period recklessy and ruthlessly sacr-
feed by the British sovereign, and with what bitter
feelings William was ever afterwards viewed by the
Scottish nation. The Darien expedition, and the
gave strength and stability to the Jacobite party.
| OF this subject, as one afording materials OF
the most in teIestiug description, Mr.. Warburton,
with singular felicity had taken possession And
it is but little to say that he had invested the Incl
dents of history with halo Of pathos and romance
II is strange and melancholy to reflect that, with
newly earned laurels, he had just set forth to
view again those scenes he had so beautifully and
yividly depi,ted, when this sudden and APP
palling catastrophe hurried him away, with,
alas. many, many others, to an untimely death.
MIR. Warburton had been deputed by the Atlantic
ard Pacific Junction Company, to come to friendly
| understanding with the indians Of the lsthmus IL
was also his intention to study more particularly
oil connected with its natural history climste, to-
off by dreadful death One Of the deputies to
| the Congress of New Granada is also reported
| among the lest passengers.
The cause of this melancholy and appalling oc-
cunepce will, in all probability, never be ascer-
tanned completely. Tne bearings Of the engines
spoken Of; but it is more generally believed that
a quantity Of taow, slowed on board in casks, and
placed above the GOALS, which were contained in
bags which had many Of them formerly held pitch,
was the cause of the destruction of the Amazon.
The tallcw, it is said was SO much heated by the
CINE fire, that it melted through the casks. onth
bags ana GOALS and thus rendered the whole mass
ready for one immense cenfsgraton.
We are sorry to be obliged to add 70 this already
sufficiently distressing intelligence, that the whole
oil Scotland, more especially tho forth coast and
the shores of the Moray Firth, was VIII ed, last
week, by q storm of almos, unexampled severity.
Du ing Thursday. the Sth OF January, aud Friday,
the CAB, hurricane swept over the land Many
vesseis have been wrecked, and harbors demolish
ed, though, fortunately, as far as has Jet be IN
ascerianed. not many lives have been lost. Bat
communication in many parts has been completely
| Interrupted by the heavy fall of snow, which has
blocked up the roads; and we fear tina. every dty
will bring more melancholy int diligence of Immense
destruction of property, both by sea and land, aud
the loss Of many lives on the coasts OF Great Bfi.
tain and ireland.
On Wednesday week, an addition was made to
the Cunard line of royal American mail steamers,
by the launch Of the Arabia. from the snipbuilding
yard Of Messrs Steel s. Co, Greenock The en-
eines are to be rnished by Napier, of Glasgow.
The Arabia promises to be one Of the most magni-
fcent steamers afoat, and it is confidently expected
that she will fully equal If not surpass, anything
that has yet been done by the Cunard liners.
The two engines will be upwards of LOCO horse
power, working upon low pressure, and the ton
mage is calculated at upwards of = 400 tons The
Persia, now on the stocks, and in an advanced
state a similar vessel to the Arabia, and will be
ready for launching in April next The Arabia is to
have two tunnels, and only two masts. Tier de-
p,ndenee will be mainly on her enormous steam
power she is expected TO be ready for her trial
trip in about three months
The treaty Of friendship, commerce, and naviga-
tion, between Great Britain and the Sandwich
Islands, signed at Honolulu, on the tenth Of July
last, has just been made public 1t is one Of entire
reciprocal freedom, with the exception as regards
navigation of the coasting trace Of the respective
countries British whalers are to enjoy the prvi-
leges lately conceded to those of the United States
Of entering certain ports, in addition to Honolulu
and Lahaina, Bnd to be allowed to trade to the
amount OF $500 without the payment of duties Of
any kind. They may also, upon paying the extra
ordinary import export duties, trade to the fur
Their extent Of 81 900 before becoming liable 10 port
charges provision is inserted for the surrender
of naval or military deserters, which, in consequence
Of the proximity of California, is not without i'm
portance; and there is also clause for the resi-
dence OF British packet agent, in case there
should, at any time, DO established British mail
packets touching at port OF the island The rati-
f,aton Of the treaty is to take pa.e by the tenth
OF May next.
From the " II ON an Catholic Directory for 1852, =
ape tn there in Scotland, in connection
with the Roman Catholic body, bishops and 100
priests, 100 churches and chapels, with, besides,
above 40 stations, which either regularly or 90
,asiobaiiy occupied there IS one koman Catholic
shEe There arc also several foreign colleges con-