Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-23
MESSAGE OF AN ALBATROsS.
A Pathetic Story of Faithful Bird and
Shipwrecked Mariners.


The Dublin Erpi ess says: On Sunday,
the 18th of September, last year, lad was
wandering along the sandy beach at North
Fremantle, in the colony of Western Aus
tralia, when he came upon dead albatross
lying Just above high-water mark. The
bird, which had evidently only Just ex-
pired, was fitted around the neck with a
tin band about two inches wide This the
boy unfastened, and found to be about two
inches long, and covered with punctured
letters forming words which he could not
understand. He took it next day to his
employer, Perth jeweler named Nesbet,
who saw that the inscription was in French,
and read as follows: ''13 marriages sont
REFUGEES sur les lies Crozet, 4 Aout, 1887"
Fremantle lies about 5000 miles east three
quarters north from Crozet, a volcanic
group in the Southern Indian ocean. 1t did
not appear very clear whether the men had
been shipwrecked on the 4th of August, or
whether that was the day on which they
had sent their message, but probably it
was the date of shipwreck, for conjecture
pointed to the likelihood of the albatroSs
-impelled by fear of the strange collar
with which it had been misunderstanding
Travelled necessarily on and on as fast as its
wearying wings permitted until 1t broke
Its heart at the first land it reached And
an albatross would take much shorter
time than six weeks to fly three thousand
miles without any heightened break. Mr.
Nesbit brought the discovery of the dead
bird and Of its message to the immediate
notice of the public authorities of the col
ony, who telegraphed full particulars to
the Colonial Office. Happily by the last
English mail the Western Australian Gov
eminent received dispatches from the Co.
lonial Office with Enclosures from the For
eign Office, among which was the following
communication from the French Premier
to Lord Lytton:
PARIS, January q, 1855.
NJ PAmbGSsadeur: In consequence of letter
which Mr. Egerton had addressed 10 me on the
subject of the shipwreck on the Crozet Islands
of thirteen mariners, supposed to he Frenchmen,
asked the Minister OF Marine and of the Co
oni-s to send vessel in the direction indicated
to search for traces of the sbipwrecked men
With reference to this communication, Admiral
krautZ has ju-t forwarded to me the following
telegram, which he has received from the Ad.
miral in command on the Indian Ocean
- NJ zAMBIQuE, January II, lSS5.-The Muerthe
has Just returned Thirteen shipwrecked men
from the Tamaris, after having exhausted their
provisions, left the Isle of Pigs on the 18th of
September to go to Possession Island. No trace
was found of their arrival there, nor at any
other island Remains the hope that some fish
ing vessel may have picked them up
have the honor to bring this telegram to the
notice of your Excellency, and to request that
You will, if you think well, submit it to the Gov
eminent of her Britannia Majesty. Receive, etc,
FLoCEESS
His Excellency Lord Lyiton.
Thus it appears that five DAYS before
their message bearer fell dead upon the
North Fremantle shore the Crozet cast
ways, leaving some record behind them,
had quilted the isle on which they had
originally landed. Whether they were
drowned in their effort at escape remains as
yet unknown. But this much seems too
unfortunately certain, that the life of the
| noble bird was sacrificed in vain, and that
not to that marvellous fight with its
pathetic end was due their succor, if succor
/ came to the seamen who had sought it by
so strange 4 means.