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    338 THE LEADER. [Saturday ,

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    . ¦ , LETTERS FROM PARIS. [Fbom our own ...

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    The Loss Of The Birkenhead: 454 Men Drow...

    counted for . Five of the horses got to the shore , and were caught and brought to : me . One belonged toinysclf , one to Mr . Bond , of the 12 th Lancers , and the other three to Major Seaton of the 74 th , Dr . Laing , and Lieutenant Booth , of the 73 rd . I handed the horses over to Mr . Mackay , and he is to send them on to me here , so that : they . may be sold , and that I may account for tile proceeds .. "On tlie 28 th of February ^ Her Majesty ' s ship Hhadainantims was seen off Sandford's Cove ; so I went down there , and found that Captain Bunce , the

    commander of the Castor frigate , had landed , and gone up to Captain Smales ' , to order the men down to the Cove , so as to embark in the steamer to be conveyed to Simon ' s Bay . On Sunday , when I was down on the coast , the field-cornet told me that at a part where lie and his men had been , a few bodies were washed up and buried ; also a few boxes , which were broken in pieces , and the contents strewed about the rocks . I then ceased to hope that any more were living , and came down to the Cove to join the other men . We arrived there at about 6 p . m .

    " The order and regularity that prevailed on board , from the time the ship struck till she totally disappeared , far exceeded anything that I thought could be effected by the best discipline ; and it is the more to be wondered at , seeing that most of the soldiers had been but a short time in the service . Every one did as he was directed , and there was not a murmur or a cry among them until the vessel made her final plunge . I could not name any individual officer who did more than another . All received their orders , and had them carried out , as if the men were embarking instead of going to the bottom . There was only this difference , that I never saw any embarkation conducted with so little noise or confusion .

    "I inclose a list of those embarked , distinguishing those saved . I think it is correct , excepting one man of the 91 st , whose name I cannot find out . The only means 1 had of ascertaining the names of the men of the different draughts , was by getting jJiemJfrom their comrades who are saved . You will see by the list enclosed , that the loss amounts to nine officers and 349 men , besides those of the ^ crew ; the total , number embarked being fifteen officers and 476 men , ( one officer and eighteen men were disembarked in Simon ' s bay ) . "I am happy to say that all the women and children were put safely on board a schooner that was about seven miles off when the steamer was wrecked .

    This vessel returned to the wreck at about 3 P . M ., and took off forty or fifty men that were clinging to the rigging , and then proceeded to Simon ' s-bay . One of the ship ' s boats , with the assistant-surgeon of the vessel and eight men , went off , and landed about fifteen miles from the wreck . Had the boat remained about the wreck , or returned after landing the assistantsurgeon on Point Danger—about which there was no difficulty—I am quite confident that nearly every man

    of the 200 who were on the drift wood might have been saved , for they might have been picked up hero and there , where they had got in among the weeds , and landed as soon as eight or nine were got into the boat . Where most of the drift wood stuck in the weeds , the distance to the shore was not more than 400 yards , and as , by taking a somewhat serpentine course , I managed to swim in without getting foul of the rock , or being tumbled over by a breaker , there is no doubt the boat might have done so also .

    One fact I cannot omit mentioning . When the vessel was just about going down the commander called out , " All those that can swim jump overboard , and make for the boats . " Lieutenant Girardot and myself were standing on the stern part of the poop . Wo beggod the men not to do as the commander said , as the boat with the women must bo swamped . Not more than three made the attempt . " On Sunday evening , at 6 p . m ., all the men who

    wero at Captain Smales ' , and the four I had with myself on the coast , wero embarked in bouts , and taken on board the llhadamanthns , and we arrived in Simon's Bay at 3 a . m . on Monday , the l « t of March ; eighteen of , the men are bruised and burnt by the sun , and tlio Commodore has ordoVcd them into tho Naval Hospital . The rent are nil right , and sovonty require to bo clothed . I need Bcarccly nay that everything belonging to tho mon-wuH lost .. , ¦ t

    " 1 have , & o ., " Edw- aju ) W . C , WnianT , " Captain , 9 l 8 t Itegt . Lieutenant-Colonel Ingloby , E . A ., Oommuiuluntof Cape Town . . < p { j i muni not omit to mention tho extreme kindness and attention shown by Captain SmitlcH to tho men at his house ; nnd by Captain lliunndon of tho Lioness schooner , and his wife , to those taken on board his vessel . " «• w- c- " Two other survivors have fiimiahed accounts ,

    corroborating that of Captain Wright , and adding additional particulars , besides personal adventures . Cornet Bond , of the 12 th Lancers , was oh the poop when it went down , and was , with many others , drawn under water by the swirl . He rose again , however , and having on one of Mackintosh ' s life preservers , he filled it , and made for the shore . The second writer is a non-commissioned-officer .

    whose name is not published , and who tells us something about the captain . His account does not run counter to that given by Captain Wright , except in one particular . He says , that when the troops turned to get out the paddle-box boats , f < the pin of the davits was found rusted in , and would not come out . " Captain Wright says , one of these boats was smashed by the falling funnel , and the othor capsized when lowered .

    . The last glimpse of Captain Salmond was seen by the above waiter . " Wben"the vessel had parted in two , Captain Salmond gave the men orders to do the best they could to save their lives . The other cutter and the gig were then lying off , manned . Several men then jumped overboard , and swam to the boats , the captain standing on the poop , giving order ' s . Up to this time perfect order and -discipline were observed ; all the men quiet and steady , and obedient

    to orders . Afc this time the captain was standing on the poop with several others ; the after part of the ship then lurched forward , and all were thrown into the water . Some swam to the boats , and some to the wreck . At this time tlie main topmast and maintopsail-yard were out of the water , and all who could made for the topsail-yard . Part of the forecastle deck was then floating at about twenty yards' distance . Captain Salmond swam for the wreck that was floating ; and as he was . swimming ; something that was washed off the poop struck him on the head , and lie never rose again .

    There were on board the JBirJcenJiead 683 persons , and out of these only 184 have been saved . Despatches were received by the Board of Admiralty on Wednesday from . Commodore Wyvill , commanding in Simon ' s Bay * containing further details of the loss of the Birkenhead , and enclosing reports from the surviving officers of the ship , also the report of Captain Bunce of the Wiadamantims , who was sent to the scene of the wreck "to afford relief , and another

    statement by Captain Wright of the 91 st . Commodore Wyvill gives the . number of officers , soldiers , seamen , and boys lost , as 438 , and regrets that from the muster-books and rolls having been lost , it has become impossible to furnish all their names . He sends , however , a list of the names of the survivors . As to the cause of the wreck , Commodore Wyvill gives the following opinion : — " There is no doubt but the course of the sliip was shaped to hug the land too closely ; and , as it does not appear that either Mr . Salmond or the master had attended on deck from ten o ' clock in the first watch until the accident occurred , it would infer much inattention and extreme

    neglect of duty on their parts ; and when soundings were first struck , had the helm been put to port , this ill-fated ship might have escaped the danger . It is much to bo lamented that not an officer has been saved who can give any satisfactory information upon those points . " And he regrets extremely that the boats should have left the scene of the wreck before daylight , as , if they had remained , they could doubtless have picked up many of those who wore clinging to pieces of wreck and , spars . He adds :- — " I can only attribute this fatal error to want of judgment , and to tho oxcitcd state , of tho people in the boats under such appalling circumstances . "

    Tho first statement enclosed by Commodore Wyvill is that of Assistant-Surgeon Culhane , whose rapid departure in a boat with only eight men , and neglect of any endeavour to return to the scene of tho disaster , is alluded to by Captain Wright in his letter . There is nothing worthy of remark in Dr . Culhano ' s statement . Mr . Thomas lliiinsdcn , master and owner of tho Lioness schooner , who picked up tho two cutters of tho Birkenhead , one with thirty-seven men , and tho other filled with women and children , on tho morning of tho 20 th February : after this he proceeded to tho wreck , and saved thirty-five soldiers who wero clinging to pieces of wood and spars , in a nearly

    naked state . Dr . Bowon , staff-surgeon , in his roport , speaks in warm terms of tho kindness and humanity of Captain Itmnsdcn and his wife , and tho crow of tho Lioness . Dr . Culhane , in a second statement , addressed to Commodore , Wyvill , asserts that "ho was tho lawt person who loft tho wreck ; " that the " poop was then on a level with tho soa , " and that ho did Hot roach tho second gig in which wore ton men , until lie had swain a milo . Ho could not then see tho wreck ; it was quito dark , and ho saw no men near . Thoy pulled for ten hours before they reached tho shore . Thoy saw no signals inado by tho men in tho cuttor . Ho concludes by saying : —

    " I . nsBuro you that I tried ovory oflbrl ; to roach you , in order that you might ho ablo to send a steamer to tho wreck , and that waa tho object of tho other eight of tho boat's orow . "

    Captain Bunce of the WiadamantJms thinks that many more might Lave been saved if greater jud gment had been employed by the persons who took command of the boats :- — : " In communicating to you this disastrous occurrence I cannot but express uiy opinion that , if the boats had ketit by the wreck until good day light , landed the extra hands in one of . the small creeks about , and then given their attention and assistance to the poor- fellows floating and struggling in . the water * a great many more might have been , saved , for the weather was fine , the sea quite smooth and not a breath of wind . " ' Captain Wright , in his statement , addressed to Commodore Wyvill , reiterates his opinion of the unfortunate effect of the management of the boat in which Dr . Culhane escaped . He says : —

    " I cannot express how much the loss of this boat was felt , as , had it returned after landing Dr . Culhane , I have no hesitation in saying that nearly every man of the 200 ( about ) who were on the driftwood between the wreck and the shore must have been saved , as they could have been , picked off the spars and wood on which tliey wer ^ when they were outside the sea-weed , which prevented thein from coming into shore ^ The boat could have made fort y or fifty trips to shore between daylight ; and dark , and landed the persons in the boat in a cove just to the eastward of Danger Point . "

    338 The Leader. [Saturday ,

    338 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

    . ¦ , Letters From Paris. [Fbom Our Own ...

    . ¦ , LETTERS FROM PARIS . [ Fbom our own Cohbespondent . ] Letter XV . Paris , Tuesday Evening , 6 th April , 1852 . The regular system , as it is called , has now lasted a week . The great bodies of the State have commenced their sittings . The tree already bears its fruit . The first measure of the Senate was to vote twelve millions of francs for the President ' s civil-list . ( 4 S . O , O 0 OZ . sterling per annum !) . The machine works admirably , as you see . This piece of business , however , was transacted with all the forms of a Parliament au serieux . We

    had a motion , '' -a ¦ report , and then the voting took place . The report was very concise ; it stated , " that it was intended to define the position 6 f the Chief of a great nation , wjjjich clings to its aneiennes traditions ; that the country wished him to occupy the palace of the" ancient monarchs , in order that he might exercise nobly the hospitality of France ; and encourage arts , science , and literature ;" and be able to lend a helping hand to misfortune . " In fact , it repeated the old story of every previous civil list . The Legislative Chamber has also commenced business ., It began by the verification des pouvoirs ( ascertainment

    of its competency ) . A number of protests against the violences committed upon the electors , would have been recorded ; but they were immediately stifled . Ono of them , from tho electors of the Pas-de-Calais , contained serious charges against the Government , relative to manoeuvres employed , in order to falsify the result of the second scrutiny , at the election of M . Degouve-Denuncque . This protest was , nevertheless , over-ridden , and Nit now "lies buried under the table of the bureaux . Ono protest , however , did succeed in being heard at the tribune . It referred to the election at Bourbon-Vendee . The Government had

    had recourse to all manner of schemes to secure the return of M . de Sainte Hermine . The reporter decided in favour of the validity of the election . M . Bouhier de l'Ecluse , in an animated speech , spoke against this decision ; but he was immediately called to order . One of the many facts brought forward by M . Bouhier de l'Eclusc was , that tho scrutiny of tno votes had been suspended for four hours , upon soino time to in

    frivolous pretext , to give tho government - timiduto tho electors ; that tho gens d ' armes litwj entered tho voting room under arms , had destroyed tho voting tickets of tho competitor of tho Government candidate , and had compelled the electors de mve force to vote , instanler , with tickets on which wore written the name of tho Government candidate . 1 »> will eivo you an idea of tho real value of tho votes oi

    tho 20 th Decembor and 29 th January . Tho commencement of opposition already manifesto " in tho heart of tho legislative body , has alarmed tn © President . M . Bonaparte finds ho has reckoned wwnj out his host ; and it is rumoured tlmt tho Bll V" % tho legislative chamber will bo suspended until eqtembor . Many deputies , it appears , allowed tlioinsoiv to bo nominated m government candidates , to pov

    tho chamber at all hazards , there to or 8 lun * V lionupracticablo , a resintanco to tho President . ij ' . \ parto has mistaken his men if ho takes them tor < "i » * Thoy will ' ho accounted for something . i »| ov upon themselves an strieitx , and on that pom , will not flinch . Tho unanswerable arguments o . artillery , and tho not loss formidable ones of ^ , and Algeria , of which L . Bonupurto makes usoibow ^ do not admit of any direct opposition to tno acts of tho Government ; but tho dopuhos are ic *^ to exoraiso a decided control over matters oi ^ There are about forty members forming tnw

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 10, 1852, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10041852/page/6/