On this page
-
Text (2)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
counted for . Five of the horses got to the shore , and were caug ht and brought to me . One belonged to myself , 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 lie is . tp send them on to me here , so that 'they may be sold , and that I may account for the proceeds . . ' " On the 28 th of February , Her Majesty's ship R 7 iadamantJius was seen oft * 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 he 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 r . 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 he effected hy 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 . Everyone 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 I had of ascertaining the names of the men of the different draughts , was by getting theiTr from 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 toolc 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—1 am quite confident that nearly every man
of the 200 who were on the drift wood might have been saved , for they might havo been picked up here and there , where they had got in among the weeds , and landed as soon as eight or nine were got into the boat . Whore 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 oi the rock , or being tumbled over by a breaker , there is no doubt tho 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 mako for the boats . " Lieutenant Girardot and myself were standing on tho stern part of the poop . Wo begged the men not to do as the commander suid , as tho boat with tho women must bo swamped . Not more than three nnulo the attempt . " On Sunday evening , at G p . m ., all tho men who
were at Captain Smales ' , and tho four I hud with my-Relf on the coast , were embarked in boats , and taken on board tho Ithadamanllms , and wo arrived in Simon's Bay ut 3 a . m . on Monday , tho Int of March ; eighteen of the men are bruised mid burnt l » y tho sun , mid tho Commodore 1 ms ordered thorn into tho Naval Hospital . The rest are nil right , uud seventy requiro to bo olotluul . I "fed scarcely Hay that everything belonging to'tho luon was losL , ,
" I have , &c , " KmvAK o W . C . Wjiiqiiv , " Captain , Dint lluyt . Iiieutonnnt-Ooloiiftl Tnglohy , K . A ., GomrrifiiKlnnt of Capo Town . »« p . S , I must not omit to mention the extreme kindness and attention shown by Captain . Smales to tho men ut his hoiiKO ; and by Captain Rumsden oftho Lioness schooner , and his wife , to those taken on hoard his vessel . " M . W . 0 . W . » Two other survivors havo furnished accounts ,
corroborating that of Captain Wright , and adding additional particulars , besides personal adventures . Cornet Bond , of the 12 th Lancers , was on 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 , " 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 other capsized when lowered .
The last glimpse of Captain Salmond was seen by the above writer . " "When 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 orders . Up to this time perfect order and discipline were observed : all the men quiet and steady , and obedient
to orders . At 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 the main topmast and jnaintopsail-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 he never rose again .
There were on board the JJirkenficad 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 JMrJcenhead , and enclosing reports from the surviving officers of the ship , also the report of Captain Bunce of the R 7 iadamant 7 ius , who was sent to the scene of the wreck to affordrelief , 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 cf the ship 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 tho helm been put to port , this ill-fated ship might have escaped tho danger . It is much to bo lamented that not an officer has been saved who can givo any satisfactory information upon these 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 wero clinging to pieces of Avreck and spars . Ho adds : —
" I can only attribute this fatal error to want of judgment , and to ' tho excited state of tho people in the boats under such appalling circumstances . " The first statement enclosed by Commodore Wyvill is that of Assistant-Surgeon Culhano , whoso 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 Wriglit in his letter . There is nothing worthy of remnrk in l ) r . Culhano's statement . Mr . Thomas Ramsdcn , master and owner of tho Lioness schooner , who picked up th 6 two cuttors of the JiirJcenJiead , one with thirty-seven men , and tho other filled with women and children , on tho morning of tho 2 Gth February : after this ho
proceeded to tho wreck , and saved thirty-five soldiers who wero clinging to pieces of wood and spars , in a nearly miked fltato . Dr . Boweii , stafl-Hiirgcon , in his report , speaks in warm torms of tho kindness and humanity of Captain Ramsdon and his wife , and the crow of tho Lioness . Dr . Culhane , in a second statement , addressed to Commodore Wyvill , assorts that " ho Was ¦ tho last person who left tho wreck ; " that tho " poop was then oi > a lovol with tho sea , " and that ho did not reach tho second gig ii < which wero ton moil , until ho had swam a mile . Ho could not then seo'tho wreck ; it was quito dark , and ho saw no nion near . They pulled for ten hours hoforo tliey reached tho short ) . They saw no signals made hy tho men in tho cutter . Ho ' concludes hy saying : —¦
" I iifltuu'o you that I tried every effort ; to roach you , in order that you might bo ablo to hoikI a steamer to tho wreck , and thast was tho object of tho other eight of thq boat's crow . "
Captain Bunce of the JR 7 iadamanihm thinks that many more might have been saved if greater judgment had been employed by the persons who took command of the boats : — "In communicating to you this disastrous occurrence I cannot but express my -opinion , that , if the boats ha d kept by the wreck until good day light , landed : the extra handa in one of the sinall creeks about , and then given their attention and assistance to , the . poor fellows floating ari < J 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 haveno hesitation in saying that nearly every man of the 20 O ( about ) who were on the drift wood between the wreck and the shore must have been saved , as they could havebeen picked off the spars and wood on which they were when they were outside the sea-weed , which , prevented them from coming into shore . Tho boat could have made forty 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 . "
Untitled Article
LETTERS FROM PARIS . [ From ouu owsr Correspondent . ] Letter XV . Paris , Tuesday Evening , 6 th April , iffaZ , The regular system , as it is called , has now lasted a week . The great bodies of the State have commenced their sittings . Tlie tree already bears its fruit . The
first measure of the Senate was to vote twelve millions of francs for the President ' s civil list ( 480 , 000 £ . 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 * Wehad 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 of the chief
of a great nation , which clings to it * anaennes traditions ; that the country wished him to occupjr i ; he palace of the" ancient monarchs , in order that he might exercise nobly the hospitality of JFrance ; and encourage arts , science , and literature ; and be able to > lend a helping hand to naisfortune . " 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 ( ascertainments of its competency ) . A number of protests against
theviolences committed upon the electors , would have been recorded ; but they were immediately stifled . One of them , from the electors of the Pas-de-Calais , contained serious charges against the Government , reltvtive to manoeuvres employed , in order to falsify the result of the second scrutiny , at tho election of M . Degouve-Denuncque . This protest was , nevertheless ; over-ridden , and it now [ lies buried under the tableof the bureaux . One protest , however , did succeed in being heard at tho tribune . It referred to the election at Bourbon-Vendee . The Government l » a < l
had recourse to all manner of schemes to secure the return of M . do Sainte Hermine . The repwtcr decided in favour of the validity of the election . M . Bouhier de l'Ecluse , in an animated speech , epoko against this decision ; but ho was immediately called to order . One of the many facts brought forward by M . Bouhier do l'Ecluse was , that the scrutiny of tlw votes had been suspended for four hours , upon sonic *
frivolous pretext , to givo tho government time to intimidate tho electors ; that tho gem d ' armes had entered the voting room under arms , had destroyed : the voting tickets of tho competitor of tho Government candidate , and had compelled the electors de mva force to voto , instanter , with tickets on which wero written the name oftho Government candidate . I" ** will givo you an idea of tho real value of tho votes ol
tho 20 th December and 29 th January . Tho commencement of opposition already manifested in tho heart of tho legislative body , has alarmed tl » President . M . Bonaparte finds ho has reckoned without his host ; and it is rumoured that tho sittings or tho legislative chamber will bo suspended until September . Many deputies , it appears , allowed tlmmsolveff to bo nominated us government candidates , to got nw >
tho chamber at nil hazards , there to organize , as Jar n practicable , a resistance to tho President . L « ;" on " parto has mistaken his men if ho takes thorn for cipljcrs-Thoy will bo accounted for something . They «>< »• upon themselves « u a&riewc , and on that point t . Y will not flinch . The unanswerable arguments oi i artillery , and tho not lorn formidable ones oi Layow und Algeria , of which L . Honaparto makes use so true g do not admit of any direct opposition to the pon acts of tho Government ; but ; the deputies arc rosoiv to exercise a decided control over matters <>! imn - There uro about forty members forming tl »» now
Untitled Article
338 T H E L E A D E R . CSatorpay ;
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), April 10, 1852, page 338, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1930/page/6/
-