The Sun. — 1869-07-09 (London, England)

THE BURNING OF THE BLUE JACKET.  A full account of the burning of the Blue Jacket has been received from one of the survivors of that terrible catastrophe, who writes from Port Stany, Falkland Islands. He is one of eight survivors of the second mate's boat who were picked up by a passing vessel after prolonged and terrible sufferings. The Blue Jacket left Lyttelton on February 13, having on board sixty-two persons and seven children. She made a good passage to the Horn, and on the 7th of March passed the Falkland Islands, the writer of this narrative little thinking how soon he should revisit them. On the 9th of March the fire broke out in the fore hatchway. Every effort was made at the pumps, and after several hours the crew and passengers hoped they would extinguish it. About nine at night, however, the coals in the fore part caught fire, and the fate of the ship was sealed. The boats were got out, the women and children and passengers going in the yacht, and the rest in the two lifeboats. The captain was very unwilling to leave the ship, but was at last induced to do so, and soon after the vessel was a mass of flames. The boats kept together during the next day and night, but lost sight of each other subsequently. There were fifteen persons in the second mate's boat, and 27 persons with the seven children in the yacht. This survivor gives a painful account of the sufferings which the party in the boat endured. The thirst was terrible, and two or three men and boys died raving from drinking salt water. Their feet were frostbitten from cold and exposure, and they were obliged to cut off their boots. Their stock of provisions was almost exhausted when one of them descried a sail, and all for the moment forgot their pain and exhaustion. The rest of the story is told in a somewhat confused manner, no doubt from the illness and exhaustion of the writer, but it appears that the captain of the ship which picked them up was prejudiced against them on account of the boxes of gold which they bad with them, rescued from the specie which the unfortunate B'u Jacket had on board. The captain put some of the miserable sufferers in irons, and when they reached the Falkland Islands, he said that from what he could make out, these shipwrecked men bad murdered everyone on board the ship they bad left, and had taken the gold. Three more of the boat's crew died on board this ship, leaving eight survivors of the fifteen who first embarked. Those who were still alive when they reached the Islands were kindly cared fur, and great indignation was expressed against the captain when they exonerated themselves from the charges brought against them. Some of them are lamed by frostbite, and all have suffered severely. The writer of this letter, who writes to his mother, declares he would commit suicide rather than go through such scenes again.  That portion of the treaty of commerce between Great Britain and the Sandwich Islands which relates to whale ships visiting tho parts of the latter State has teen cancelled. The remainder of the treaty has been renewed for seven years.  A party of distressed workmen, with their wives and families, amounting in all to 157 persons, eintarkcd on board the steamship Cleopatra (Captain James), at the Victoria Docks on Thursday, bound for Canada. The whole of these were assisted in going out by the Bri ish and Colon:al Emigration Fund.  A collector of the Commercial Gas Company at Tower Hamlets, is said to have absconded with a large sum of money belonging to the company. It has been ascertained that he is now on his way to America. His se curlties have made up the deficiency, and consequently there will be no loss to the company or shareholders.  At a meeting of the Fenian Prisoners' Amnesty Ass ciation in Dublin, it was determined that, "as the object of the contemplated meeting at Mallow was the unconditional release of the political prisoners, the people should be strongls advised that no bands or banners, or any semblance of party emblems, Should be used."  Same of the officers of the emigrant ship James Foster have been tried and punished severely for the outrages practiced upon the crew and passengers during the recent voyage from Liverpool to New York. The carpenter Glynn, has been sentenced to fifteen years, the boatswain, Cruthers, to seven years, and the third mate, llurFliy, to five years imprisonment.  The Leeds Mercury understands that arrangements aro now in progress forholding meetings in Leeds and other large towns of the West Riding, with the object of supporting the Government in rejecting the amendments introduced into the Irish Church Bill by the House of Lords. No date has yet been fixed for the Leeds meeting, but it is likely to be held in the early part of next week.  On Wednesday a boy while birds'-nesting in a wheat-field near Wimbledon, saw the body of a man lying by the side of a tree with his throat cut. A medical gentleman was called, who, after inspecting the body, said that the man had been dead about two months. He had taken off his necktie and coat, and, as a razor was found lying by his side, there seems little doubt that he had committed suicide. He appeared to be between forty and fifty years of age.  At Colchester on Wednesday a private in the 3rd (Prince of Wales's)Dragoon Guards, named George Pulley,was late for morning drill, and, mounting his horse, ho rode as fast as ho could towards tho riding school. Ile had only recently joined the regiment, and was not up in horse• manship. When near the riding school he lost all control over his horse, and was thrown headforemost against the wall. When picked up ho was insensible, and died in a few hours.