Yesterday's News, Today
A letter dated Sidney, New South Wales, March 13, published in the San Francisco Alta of a late date, gives the following account or a terrible shipwreck, and loss of human life in the Pacific Ocean:
A terrible shipwreck has occurred in Torres Straits, attended with fearful loss of life. The Gothenburg, Cap’ain Pearce, sailed from Port Darwin on February 16, having on board eighty-five passengers and a crew of thirty-six. Fine weather was experienced until February 24, when it came on thick and hazy, blowing strong from the northwest, attended with violent squalls, with thunder and lightning. At 7 p. m., during a violent squall, the steamer struck suddenly on the rocks, which proved to be Flinders’ reef. She went steam on, and bored up with such force that when stationary there was only two feet under the forefoot, and five fathoms astern. Captain Pearce ordered all empty casks to be brought aft and filled with water, to bring the ship by the stern, and when this was done the engines were put stern full speed, but without the desired result of backing her off the reef. The tide was at full flood at 11 p. m., and again the engines were worked astern, but with no better result.
A correspondent of the New York Times thus describes the scenes presented by the destruction of the vessels and other U. S. property at Gosport Navy Yard, on the night of the 20th :
It is impossible to describe the-scene of destruction that was exhibited. Unweariedly it was continued from 9 o’clock to 12 during which time the moon gave light to direct the operations. But when the moon sank behind the horizon, the barracks near the centre of the yard were set on fire, that, by its illumination the work might be continued. The crackling flames and the glare of light inspired with new energies the destroying marines and havoc was carried everywhere, within the limits of orders. But time was not left to complete the work. Four o’clock of Sunday morning came, and the Pawnee was passing down from Gosport harbor, with the Cumberland, the coveted prize of the secessionists, in tow – every soul from the other ships and yard being aboard them save two. Just as they left their moorings, a rocket was sent up from the deck of the Pawnee. It sped high in air, paused a second and burst in shivers of many colored lights. As it did so, the well set trains at the ship-houses, and on the decks of the fated, vessels left behind, went off as if lit simultaneously by the rocket. One of the ship-houses contained the old New York, a ship thirty years on the stocks and yet unfinished. The other was vacant. The vessels fired were the Pennsylvania the Merrimac, the Germantown, the Plymouth, the Raritan, the Columbia, the Dolphin. The old Delaware and Columbus, worn out and dismantled seventy fours, were scuttled and sunk at the upper docks on Friday.
The steamer Thistle Brings account of H.M. cutter Prince George, Lieut. Aird, being at Twofold Bay, wind bound, and coming on to Sydney after taking in a supply of water, and that the Prince George reports the total wreck of the ship Hydrabad, 694 tons, Captain Robertson, and the barque Coringa Packet, 230 tons. Captain Chilicott, in Torres Straits. The former vessel left Sydney, for Calcutta, oil the 3rd of May last with horses and tile latter on the 14th April for Ceylon with sundries. No particulars have yet been received relative to link unfortunate occurrence, further than it was stated one man belonging to the Hydrabad had been drowned and that some of the passengers and crew had remained on an island, while others had left in boats for Port Essington where, it is stated, they had arrived.
From the “North China Herald.”
It is fortunate that Free-trade is no longer in the category of experiments, nor a dubious problem yet to be solved, as the busy activity of our port during the last four months, at the very dullest season in its very partial application here, amply attests.
So we would fain persuade ourselves that our very humble and persevering labours will not prove wholly valueless in exposing, as a fiscal blunder, the enormous impost levied in Great Britain on our staple export. We hold it as absolutely certain, that a reduction of the Tea duty to one shilling per pound, an article which is now of such vital necessity to so large a portion of Europe and America, would be only a fit compliment to that immortal legislation which has relieved our beloved country from the great incubus of the Corn-laws. Further, we are quite satisfied, from the concurrent success of the reductions of duty on Sugar and Coffee, and in the rates of Postage, that the reduction of the Tea duty to one shilling per pound, would lead to such an extended consumption of that article as would, within five years, realise the full amount of five millions and a half pounds sterling of annual revenue, or the same sum which Great Britain now obtains from tea.