tain Prime, 4th Royal Veteran battalion, and Lady; Lieut. Milrea, ditto, eldest daughter and son; Paymaster Scott, ditto; Mrs. Wilson, and eldest daughMiss Armstrong, Captain Willock, 103d regiment: Ensign Gleeson, ditto. ter; Cabin passengers lost.-Surgeon Armstrong, 4th veteran battalion, his lady, son, and two youngest daughters; Lieutenant Wilson, ditto, son and two daughters; Mrs. Milrea, and two youngest daughters; Miss Pilmore, and three sons of Captain Prime. The following affecting narrative of the melancholy disaster has been sent by one of the survivors : "On the 26th October, defachments of the 4th Royal Veteran Battalion and their families, with a few belonging to other corps in Canada, in all 380, embarked on board the ship Harpooner, Joseph Bryant, master, and sailed from Quebec on the afternoon of the 27th, bound to Deptford; in charge of Captain Prime. On the passage to the Gulph of St. Law rence, moderate weather and favourable winds prevailed; but on arriving in the Gulph, the weather proved boisterous, and the wind contrary; not a sight of land, nor an observation of the sun, could be depended upon for several days. On Sunday evening, November 10, a few minutes after nine o'clock, the second Mate, on watch, called out The ship's a-ground;' at which time she lightly struck on the outermost rock of St. Shotts, in the island of Newfoundland. She beat over, and proceeded a short distance, when she struck again and filled; encircled among rocks, and the wind blowing strong, the night dark, and a very heavy sea, she soon fell over on her larboard beam ends; and, to heighten the terror and alarm, it was perceived a lighted candle had communicated fire to some spirits in the master's cabin, which, in the confusion, was with difficulty extinguished. The ship still driving over the rocks, her masts were cut away, by which some men were carried overboard. The vessel drifted over near the high rocks towards the main. In this situation every one became ter rified; the suddenness of the sea Fushing in, carried away the births and staunchions between decks, when men, women, and children were drowned, and many were killed by the force with which they were driven against the loose baggage, casks and staves, which floated below. All that possibly could, got upon deck, but, from the crowd and confusion that prevailed, the orders of the officers and master to the soldiers and seamen were unavailing-death staring every one in the facethe ship striking on the rocks as though she would instantly upset! The screeching and pressing of the people to the starboard side was so violent, that several were much hurt. About eleven o'clock the boats on the deck were washed overboard by a heavy sea: but even from the commencement of the disaster, the hopes of any individual being saved were but very slight, and, from this circumstance combined with it appearing, that the bottom of the ship was separating from the upper deck, while the surf beat over her most violently, it was considered as impossible. From this time until four o'clock the next morning, all the wreck were anxiously praying for the light of day to break upon them; the boat from the stern was lowered down, when the first mate and four seamen, at the risk of their lives, pushed off to the shore: they with difficulty effected a landing upon the main land, be hind a high rock, nearest to where the stern of the vessel had been driven. They were soon out of sight, and it was feared they were lost; but it was so ordained by Providence, these deserving men, in scrambling up the rocks, made their appearance! they hailed us from the top, and reported their situation, saying to return was impossible, as the boat was staved: the log-line was thrown from the wreck, with a hope that they might lay hold of it, but darkness, and the tremendous surf that beat, rendered it impracticable. During this awful time of suspense, it occurred to the master, the possibility of sending a line to them by a dog the animal was brought aft, and thrown into the sea with a line tied round his middle, and with it he swam towards the rock, upon which the mate and seamen were standing. It is impossible to describe the sensations which were excited at seeing this faithful dog struggling with the waves, and, reaching the summit of the rock, dashed back again by the surf into the sea, until, at length, by his exertions, he arrived with the line; one end of which being on board, a stronger rope was hauled and fastened to the rock, and by this rope the seamen were enabled to drag on shore from the wreck a number of souls. At about six o'clock in the morning of the 11th, the first person was landed by this means, and, afterwards, by an improvement in rigging the rope and placing each individual in slings, they were with greater facility extricated from the wreck; but during the passage thither, it was with the utmost difficulty that the unfortunate sufferers could maintain their hold, as the sea beat over them; some were dragged to the shore in a state of insensibility.—Lieutenant Wilson was lost, being unable to hold on the rope with his hands; he was twice struck by the sea, fell backwards out of the slings, and after swimming for a considerable time amongst the floating wreck, by which he was struck on the head, he perished. Many who threw themselves overboard, trusting to their safety by swimming, were lost: they were dashed to pieces by the surf on the rocks, or by the floating of the wreck. "About half-past one o'clock, on the afternoon of the 11th, about 30 lives were saved by the rope, several of whom were hurt and maimed. At this period the heart-rending cries and lamenta tions were such as cannot be expressed-families, fathers, mothers, and children clinging together! The wreck breaking up, stern from midships and forecastle, precipitated all on it into one common destruction. Under these melancholy circumstances 206 souls perished, and the survivors have to lament the loss of dear relatives and friends. "The officers and men of the Royal Veteran Battalion, who were returning home after a long and arduous service in Canada, and other remote climates, have now lost their all-the savings of many years, what they had looked upon with a pleasing hope of making themselves and their families comfortable with, on retiring from the service of their king and country. By this unfortunate event, the orphan daughter of Surgeon Armstrong lost her father, mother, brother, and two sisters; and the wife and surviving daughter of Lieut. Wilson are left wholly destitute. The disaster was so sudden and unlooked for, that not an article of baggage was saved; not even money, of which some had considerable sums, the produce of their effects sold at Quebec, which were paid for in guineas, on account of bills of exchange being attended with a loss of seven and a half per cent. for immediately after the ship struck she bilged and filled, drowning some who, from motives of humanity, attempted to secure articles of dress for the distressed females, who ors were landed upon was about 100 feet above the water, surrounded at the flowing of the tide: it being high water soon after the latter of them was saved, it was found impossible for these distressed objects to be got over to the main land until the next morning on the top of this rock they were obliged to remain during the whole of the Light without shelter, food, or nourishment, exposed to wind and rain, and many without shoes: the only comfort that presented itself was a fire, which was made from pieces of the wreck that had been washed ashore. "At day-light on the moraing of the 12th, at low water, their removal to the opposite land was effected, some being let down by a rope, others slipping down a ladder to the bottom After they crossed over, they directed their course to a house or fisherman's shed, distant about a mile and a half from the wreck, where they remained until the next day: the proprietor of this miserable shed not having the means of supplying relief to so considerable a number as took refuge, a party went over land to Trepassy, about 14 miles distant, through a marshy country, not inhabited by any human creature, and the foot-path through a morass. This party arrived at Trepassy, and reported the event to Messrs. Jackson, Burke, Sims, and the Rev. Mr. Brown, who immediately took measures for alleviating the distress, by dispatching men in their employ with provisions and spirits, to were hurried on deck in an un- assist in bringing all those for dressed state. ward to Trepassy who could "The rock which the surviv- walk. Necessity prompted many to to undertake this journey barefooted; the hardships and privations which they were enduring were so excessively great. On the 13th, in the evening, the major part of the survivors (assisted by the inhabitants, who during the journey carried the weak and feeble upon their backs), arrived at Trepassy, where they were billeted by order of the Magis. trate, proportionably upon each house. There still remained at St. Shotts, the wife of a sergeant of the Veteran Battalion, who was delivered on the top of the rocks shortly after she was saved; the child and herself are doing well. A private whose leg was broke, and a women severely bruised by the wreck, were also necessarily left there. Immediately after the arrival at Trepassy, measures were adopted for the comfort and refreshment of the detachments. Boats were provided for their removal to St. John's. This being effected, his Excellency, Admiral Pickmore, the Governor, Major King, commanding the troops, the merchants, and gentlemen of St. John's, most promptly and generously came forward in the most handsome manner to the relief of the surviving sufferers. After remaining ten days at St. John's, refitting the distressed with clothing and necessaries, his Excellency the Admiral chartered the Mercusy, of Poole, to bring them to Portsmouth. On this melancholy circumstance it is but justice to mention, that Mr. Joseph Bryant, master, Mr. Atkin on, mate, and the seamen of the Harpooner, deserve great credit for their unceasing exertions: to their labour those that came on shore by the rope in a great measure owe their safety." 20. The Archduke Nicholas, brother of the Emperor of Russia, arrived in London at St. Albanshouse, with his suite in eight carriages. They had landed at Deal, whence the Archduke proceeded to Dover, where he visited the castle with all the fortifications. His arrival was formally announced to the Prince Regent, who commanded that every attention should be paid him during his residence in England. He is said in countenance much to resemble the emperor. A second instance of death occasioned by taking through mistake a quantity of the oxalic acid, appeared at an inquest upon the body of the wife of Thomas Fage on Tower-hill, a man of unexceptionable character, under the following extraordinary circumstances. The account given by her husband was, that he was walking with his wife on Saturday evening in the Borough-road, when he kicked before him, on the foot pavement, a small packet wrapped in plain blue paper, and tied round with string, which he picked up; but, supposing it dropped as a trick, he was about throwing it down again, when his wife took it out of his hand, and urged him to look at the contents: on opening the paper, his wife said it was fine Epsom salts, and just what she wanted, and she took it home. She communicated what her husband had found to a fellow-lodger, but neither she nor the husband remonstrated against her using the the article so found, supposing her to have sufficient knowledge of it, she having lived in an apothecary's service before her marriage. On the following morning, she complained of a pain in her bowels while dressing, and said she would take the supposed ŝalts; she then dissolved them in warm water, and after some hesitation between her husband and herseif as to which of them should take the mixture (they both occasionally being in need of purgative medicine), she drank the fatal dose. The singularity of the circumstances produced a strong sensation of suspicion in the neighbourhood as to the conduct of the husband, but his evidence was corroborated in all the material parts, and particularly by two young men residing in the Kentroad, who came forward in con-, sequence of a hand-bill which Fage had caused to be distributed, by whose evidence it appeared, that the one had, on Saturday evening, purchased an article (wrapped in the manner above narrated), under the name of acid of sugar, at the shop of Mr. Irish, druggist, in Blackman-street, for the purpose of making a solution to clean boot-tops, which he delivered to his companion, who lost it out of his pocket in his way home, they pursuing the course which Fage and his wife afterwards took; and in consequence of losing the packet, afterwards returned, and purchased another quantity of the same article at the same shop, and which they both stated to have a similar appearance to Epsom salts. 21. A French paper states, that the use of vitiated rye has pro duced a singular disease, causing cruel ravages in the commune of Beaurepaire, department of the Isere. The effects of this poison are described as frightful. It acts with great rapidity even on the strongest men, producing gan grene in all the limbs, which it detaches from the joints in a manner so horrible, that unfortunate creatures have been seen to live for some weeks in the greatest agonies with only the trunk remaining. In this disease emetics have been prescribed, followed by antispasmodics, and especially strong doses of opium, the sedative virtues of which have been very useful. The parts threatened are sometimes recovered by the application of cloths dipped in a decoction of Jesuit's bark. Administered internally, this latter remedy produced no sensible effect. 22. Madrid-The King has granted to the Community of the Dominican Monks of our Lady of Atocha, the privilege of selling for their own profit four Castilian titles (of marquis or count), two of which shall be free in perpetuity from the taxes of lance and demi-annate; the produce of this sale is to be employed in the restoration of the chapel of the Virgin. This pious concession is not new in Spain, titles having been granted the same way on various occasions since the reign of Philip V. The Exchequer being exhausted of ready money, the King permits the religious fraternity which he wishes to aid, to sell a privilege the produce of which would have otherwise found its way directly into the Exchequer. 26. Bedford |