The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-04-19
PRICE TWO CENTS.

The original discoverer Of the mines Mr. Uarureavas
had returned to Sydney the 18th December af~r An
which he had gone about 5000 1000 miles HS
report in the hands Of the Governor but ts
had not transprcd II will be rccoected that tho mines
were discovered In January 1850 but the fact no<
made known to the public till September II OF that
Total Wreck or tho British steam Frigass
Birkenhend.
LOSS or FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-POUR LTvBS-
WONDERFUL DISCIPLINE or THE BRITISH TROOPS.
From the London Times, April IL
Another terrible disaster has happened at At 3
O'Clock in the morning Of the 26th Of February her
majesty's steamer, the Birkenhcad wrecked be-
tween two and three miles from the shore Of Southern
Africa The exact spot mt which tho calamity happened
was Point Danger on this point she struck upon reef
Of sunken rocks The ship stcamng eight and half
serene but tho speed at which the vessel passing
through the water proved her destruction The rock
and in twenty minutes time there few floating
hpars and few miserable creatures cnging to them and
this was all that remained OF the Birkenhead fGa8
persons uho had i Simon's Bay IN The gallant ship but s
hours before ony lS4 remain 10 tell The No less than 464
Engiishmer hare come 10 SO amenabie end
There IL no mystery about the calamity. We not
left in the of the Amazon to conjecture the ORR
gin Of the disaster just what happened to the Orion OF
the Scottish coast or to tho Great Liverpool of Pnis-
tcrre has happened Captain Samond, tho offcor
in command anxious to shorten tho to Agoa Bay ~
much as was possible and more than was prudent hug
ged the shore too closely Four hundred and fifty four
persons have lost their lives in consequence Of hs TO-
mery As soon the vessel struck upon the
rocks the rIah OF water great that tho
men the lower troop-deck drowned in thoir
Lammocks Theirs the happier fato at least
they spared the terrible agony Of the next twenty
minutes. At least the manner of death less painful
than with others who first crushed beneath tho fall
ing and funnel md then swept to be devourcd
by the sharks who prowling the wreck From
the moment the ship struck all appears to have bccn
done that human courage coolness could elect Tho
soldiers mustered the aftcrdeck Tho instinct OF
discipline stronger than the instinct Of ife.
The fell into place oooy the parade ground
They were toldol into reies and sentsome tohe chain
pumps, to the paddle box boats. Captain Wright,
Of tho ninety first regiment who survives to relate tho
dreadful scene tells us!-
cy ." u,p them tie Vessel her
plunge could not name any individual ofccr who did
men ag @d e
any %' Ss @ eta y @ no Or ass
Poor fellows Had they died in battlefield, and in
poignant regret but there IL something incxprcssibY
touching in the quiet unfinchng resolution Of many
brave hearts struggling manfuy to the last against
end cha,en all sored They had been quietly
collected under the poop awning and were as quietly got
boat stood of about 100 yards from the Brken-
head, and all saved There Is not the OF .
single woman or child upon tho list Of persons who
shed Tho other boats is usual In such cases,
not forthcoming In the hour Of need One gig and twO
cutters all that could be rendered available In
account find that when tho ordered to go4
tho paddcbsx boats out the pin Of the davs ruted
In and ceuld not be got out Captain Wright on tho
other hand tells us that the funnel went over the
side 1t carried away the sarboard paddebox and boat
and that the other paddle box boat capszcd
being lowered. OF the 1S4 persons who saved l1S
made their escape In the three boats which succeeded
getting clear of the wreck.
Annexed are tho names Of tho military officers drown
cd
Major scaton Lieuts G. W. Robinson, A. II. Booth En-
sign Boyland Hnsgn Medord Ensign RUSSELL and Cornet
The following the Of tho naval officers lost
MT. H. M s"m9nd & master sommandny Mr. Brosis
;sssnd master! NJ; " WIyha%, sls, snEnse5; Mr. CIV
engineer; Mr. Dseloy. assistant engineer Mr. T. Harris
Never destruction sudden complete
Within fifteen minutes after the vessel struck the bow
broke short of Five minutes elapsed and the hun
Of the vessel went in two just abaft the
gine room. The stern part Of the vessel Immediately
surgcd filed and went down. The only hopo Of tho
vivors lay In the main topmast and main topsail yard
which still showed above water. There frng-
m"ps c the forecastle deck stl floating about there
sTefs ics spars and dratwood bout forty .fvo
people clung to the yard. and. after remaining
there until O'Clock the following afternoon, wero
picked of by the Lioness. schooner which provi
denially at hand Captain Wright asserts that Of tho
200 persons less who cngng to the drift
wood when he got away, nearly every man might have
been raved had one of the ships boats done her duty
Into tbis boat the assistant surgeon had got with eight
men. They Immediately pulled away, and landed about
miles from the vessel The fact appears to have becn
that the poor creatures who cnging to the drift
wood bad been carried by the swell in the direction R
Point Danger. There they got cntanglcd among tho
aweed which ut this point OF the coast is thick and Of
immense length. Captain Wrght's opinion is, that had
not the ass carried Off the boat had
the boat pulled back to the OF the disaster after
landing the medical gentleman in safety, the majority Of
these persons might have been picked of the seaweed.
only remains for to mention here that Captain Sal
mond who appears to have done his duty after tho
sci struck has not survived the calamity When last
seen alive he was swimming from tho stern post Of tho
ship which had just gone down to portion Of the foc
castle deck which floating about 70 yards from tho
main body Of the wreck; something struck him tho
back of the head and he never rose again.