WRECK OF THE ROYAL CHARTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XIII, Issue 763, 29 February 1860, Page 2

WRECK OF THE ROYAL CHARTER.

(From the 'English Mail,' Dec. 19.) During all. the earlier, part of the month under review* public attention was kept perpetually on the stretch by further melancholy details from the scene of the wreck of the -Royal Charter—the scene where more than 450 souls have been hurried into eternity. The recovery of bodies and of fragments of clothing—the Board of Trade inquirysuggestions as to r the causes of the utter destruction of this fine-looking iron-built vessel—and, latterly, the recovery, of the great bulk of the gold on freight—have all occupied attention. We will first refer to t THE BOARD\OF TRADE INQUIBY, the commencement of which was reported in the last number of the 'English Mail' (sent out to Australia by the mail of thelßth; Nov.). The Board, of Trade inquiry;- into'the loss mid construction of the Royal Charter was; resumed on they 23rd Nov., before Captain: Harris; E.N., and Mr. Mansfield, stipendiary magistrate. Mr. O'Dowd appeared on behalf of the Board of Trade, and Mr. Aspinall represented the owners of the vessel, Messrs. Gibbs, Bright and Co. ■ Mr. Smith, receiver of wrecks at Beaumaris, recalled, handed in a/deposition, made by Mr. John Bradbury, a third-class ;passengeiv by the Roya* Charter, who was at presentsufferins.Yrom injuries sustained by the wreck. " The document .stated that the barometer was: noted during the vojage every four hours, but during changeable weather more frequently. . Mr. O'Dowd handed jn a table prepared b) r Mr. Havtri up, of the -Liverpool Observatory, showing the> velocity of the wind on the day in question, and its pressvire, in-pounclsViipon the square foot. The examination of the fitness was resumed.— > Had. been at the wreck since the postponement of the inquiry, for ■ the purpose of" procuring some of the plates and rivets. Had great difficulty in doing so. The owner rendered every assistance, but it took four boiler-makers three days to get one plate OUt.; .:-;.'-': ■• ' "■■'"• ■■' <■:■>:■'*'■:'■■ •'- ' ..- ; •

By Mr. AB|)irtall.-rNever saw ji' sliip which had ■been so strongly built. It/was with tho greatest difficulty that some ofthe'rivets could be started. He was not a shipbuilder/but had seen a great many wrecked vessels. '.The body of Captain Withers had been lately washed up. His ,watch was «P°" his person, but witness did not notice the hour at

,'^Thadstopped.. Had ]■ seen .other. watches; allJr Toliu Shepherd,.master,of No, 4 Liverpool Jll i f LS!-There are 12 of such, boats in;tho r°lten My boat is sloop-rigged, and 73 establlS Wo carry a mast-head light, and tonsreg^eu mmutes r Sixboatsgo '^^nSrS a time. On Tuesday, the: 25th of oU t on a3 * va3 cr uising betwe&h Middlemouse °tX ffi the,whole^the day. and. night. 11 in the afternoon the wind began to fw fo»-and increased, in violence very much 1)0 qlv nok •it was also thick and dark. About a ter b o c ) 'oo we ' ather was more areadful than it was 1 V r\fter • could not hear one another on dock. bf Oir n MvSneu-ly under water; The wind had t^omnoXeasUo noth-east by north. The Have;lin 3? y^vs a pilot ii • \L^ Never knew such a hurricane as on ? Xt % wind blowing, from that part of the that niglifc,^l^ more ugual foi . atl easter j y W i n d to riCthe south than to the north. I know the bad nZ wrfl oU. It was hardly possible; for a. SCe"!l°to old together after gettin- on the^rocks T There could not be a worse place for break-' • rp^elup. Never saw such a sea in his life ?Li sHit of Point Lynas, and it became so dark £ wo could not see any thing. Under ordinary c,r- ; 1" Zees the holding ground: would be tolerab y f but on such a night as that no ground would f /held We carried a "bit" light that night for our own safety, as we were afraid of behigJost.; M Bioharf Parry, master of No. 11 pilot .boat. ' off Point Lynas at 7 p clock on the night of; the S2sth, having left Holybead about a quarter to \ ; I a^-ree with the last witness as to the' .SwwdiW force of the. gale. I have seen ; SSerlv gales back to the north, but usually it is to; the south Only those who were at sea could judge of the violence of the hurricane that night. , ; : By Captain Harris—lf we had come alongside the ship at 7 p.na. we could not have boarded her.; ; Mr Aspinall then informed the Court that Mr. Patterson was present for the purpose of giving any; information to the Court respecting the construction ; o f the vessel which they might desire. . Jfr Patterson said he was aniron and wood ship builder at Bristol. When Messrs-^ Gibbs, Bright,, and Co. purchased the vessel, he was employed by; them to inspect her construction. When he took ; her in 1854 she was in frame, excepting the stern post, and some of the plating was on. At. the time' Mr Cram failed nearly all the iron was on the'pre--.; jnises. Prior to taking her he brought his own foreman from Bristol to look particularly to the iron. As the ship progressed, he was very particular in seeing that all the iron was sound. Mr. Patterson then proceeded to describe the manner in Avhich: the Royal Charter was "constructed. He said^ the whole of the fastenings were made of the best iron, and when Messrs. Gibbs and Co. put the vessel into his charge they gave orders to spare no expense; and, in order that the work might be done well, higher wages were paid to the men than had ever'bee°n known before. He had inspected her in. the graving-dock after every voyage except the last, and never saw a loose rivet. : : In answer to Mr. Aspinall, Mr. Patterson said he believed the Royal Charter was as strong a ship as had ever been built up to the date of her construction. '[ ■ .

Mr. Mansfield remarked that, if the ship had been stronger, she would, of course, have been heavier, and then would probably not have existed longer on the rocks. ; ■Mr. Patterson. —No. . The inquiry was resumed on the 24th November. Mr. Patterson was recalled.-—The Koyal Charter" could have been classed A 1 at Lloyds in 1855, had the owners so pleased, under the rules then, existing. My foreman is a competent judge both of. tne iron and workmanship. We looked to the iron and rivetting particularly. ; ■']- ■■ ■■'■ •■• '• By Mr. Aspinall.—The engines of ihe :Eoyal Charter were supplied by Messrs.iPenn, of Greenocki at Ihe rate of £55 10s. per horse power, which is a high price. . ; James Berry, foreman to Mr. Patterson, said, the iron used in the. bulkheads was five-eighths thick. He agreed with Mr. Patterson as to the rest of his evidence. Superintended the building of the. Royal Charter under Mr. Patterson. The witness continued.—When I joined her at Sandscroft, she was in .-frame.-.The greatest possible pains were taken to see that she was a strong ship. There were three foremen engaged, and it was impossible for anything to escape notice. I never heard any one object to her in any .way as regards strength and quality. Various qualities of iron are used in the construction of ships,-and the prices vary accordingly. The iron used in the Eoyal Charter stood its weight well; ■■ ■; Maws were sometimesfound : in the iron, and: it was rejected. The quantity so rejected was not more than the usual proportion. All the materials used in the building of this ship were similar to those generally used in the building of iron ships at that time. . The witness stated, in reply to Captain Harris, that he was certain two kelsons were added when she was repaired the first time at Liverpool. He had not seen any further repairs besides those he had mentioned. t Mr. John Vernon (of the firm of Vernon & Son, iron-shipbuilders, Liverpool), said, after the vessel had performed her first voyage he was requested to suggest the best formof stringer to strengthen her fore and aft.^ She was then lying in dock at Liverpool, in. 1856, and a stringer.was introduced between the lower and upper deck, covering all the av ™ . c space between those decks, leaving only sufficient room to pass the .rivets through. He "era- saw so strong a stringer up to. that time. «c(expense was spared by Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, ana Co. If the old iron had been defective the heads of the rivets would have gone off, but no+w"^ tlie kincl took place,, and my impression is that the iron was of good quality. ty Mr. Mansfield.—l did not originally suggest a stringer, but I suggested this stringer when it was decided to put one in. : ; % Captain Harris.—The upper works required strengthening. Captain Martin showed me through tne ship, _ and requested nic I to: examine her. It was considered that, in consequence of .her; great Jength, she required additional strength, in her ?PP er works. There appeared to be some weakness, out he did not think it was occasioned by the weight , her roasts and rigging. He understood this was 5? mef fc anything that might happen to her, rather wan to remedy what had actually occurred. This direct ger WiiS much larger tnan Lloyds' "rules % Mr. Mansfield.—He considered -that-the o yal Charter was a very strong ship. Of course, bT7 c uents had been made since she was built, «f>. f ,thai tlme a stronger ship could not be con-. In l Lloyds' mles were not always to-be folZ' Cr , / those rules a short shipiwould be constructed of the same strength as a long one, «nereas it is well known that greater strength is B M m proPrtioll to the len.gfcn--1 y •™r- > Aspinall.—Several large screw steamers •woptecl similar stringers to the one I suggested for me Koyal Charter, but I have not seen any so "'ong as the one used in that vessel. Havinghad "'any opportunities of judging of the Royal Charter, siiou a say she was a ship of very great strength, ™i jable to straining, becase of her great-length ana fine ends. With" the stringer in I considered Aer to be a very strong-ship. 1 ijvidence was then given by Mr. Jordan, surveyor tne Liverpool Underwriters1 Association, -who.

said the;RoyaL:CliaVterJwas:of'the average strength1 of a large; sprew; steamer of that class. Dr. Gilmour, formerly surgeon pfthe .vessel, said he had presentiments she would be lost, and left her.in consequence. Mr. Aspiiiall then handed in a lettor writ'teii By the witness to Messrs; Gibbs, tlriglit, and: Co., rosigning his situiitiVm, arid stating that his only reason for leaving the ship was beoause hhvfriends wished himio settle in Aylesbury.. The letter concluded by praising: the " splendid vessel. 1.. Mr. Joseph Barbour and. Mr. James Marter, surveyors ( to the Board of Trade, stated that in;. May,' 1857, the vessel was in a good state. In May, 1859, they were struck with her excellent appearance, finding only one slack butt on the starboard side amidships.' '■■ '' • .■'.■■ ':' ■■.'■': ■■■ ■ '■•■ '•'•• ■ .-• :. ■■■■ ■••■' . The inquiry was resumed on the 26th November. .: Captain Martin, marine supermtendent,t6, Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., said he had examined the Royal Charter every time she canae in port. He had overlooked the building of the vessel, and also superintended her masting and fitting up. He confirmed Mr. Patterson's evidence as to the care which had been taken with regard to the material and workmanship. No expense or care was; spared to ; make her a first-class ship. There.were three of Trotman's best bower anchors on board, .weighing 50cwt 241b.; 52cwt. 151b. j and 51owt 181b., respectively. ■ ' Captain Harris asked the witness if lie did not think, as a man of experience, that Captain Taylor might have cut away his masts earlier than he did, instead of allowing his ship to ride there for four ■. consecutive hours P....■• „ : •' , : Witness.—The moment.you cut awny your masts ; in ax screw steamer your engines are useless. „ Captain Harris.—Yes, but Captain Taylor could have feathered his screw. . Witness.-—To do that he must have stopped his ■ engines. '■ '■ '•■.■'■' '•'' •■'■. • ■ "•■■•'■■■ ■, '■ ■' '■. ." .; • Captain Harris.—l could conceive there would; be some danger arising from cutting away the . masts in a three-plate screw,-but theßoyal Charter had a two-plated one, so that he could have feathered his screw. In my humble opinion, iT the ; masts had been cut away sooner, the-ship might; have been saved. ' Witness.—lt is a very dangerous process to cut: away your masts atsuch a time. It might defeat j the very object he had in view. It is just as likely ; as anything, that one of the plates might be, knocked. ; .. . '] Captain Harris.—The, masts clearly could be of; no use to Captain Taylor after she struck, and had : he released himself of his top hamper in all pro- < bability the ship would have;been saved. ' Witness.—Under the circumstances I think he; would:hesitate a great deal before cutting'away his \ masts, if he was dependent upon tKe screw; and i from all accounts it is quite evident that the screw) was assisting the vessel to keep the anchors from ■ dragging, Jhe engineer received orders to go? slowly a-hiead, so that the ship might ride easy. If: she had been independent of the screw I would cer-i tainly have cut away the masts. The ship, put ■ ready for sea, cost about £34 per ton. ; Captain Boyce said, he commanded the Royal Charter for the: first two voyages. There was no; truth whatever in the statement about the rattling; of the riveik She made no water at all. ' '[ Mr. Steel, an insurance broker in Liverpool said,; the Royal Charter was insured at the rate of 70s.■ out and home. It was considered a low rate; Had; such a good opinion of the ship that he did not think it necessary to see the report of Mr. "Jordan before insuring her. ",.■} Mr. William Clay, superintendent of the Mersey Ironworks, was present at. experiments, and con-! siderea1 the iron plates of the Royal, Charter to be of first-rate quality.' ' ; This concluded the inquiry as far as evidence is concerned, and Mr. Aspinall then; addressed the Court on behalf of Messrs. Gibbs,'Bright, and Cq.j the owners of the vessel, contending that nothing had been omitted to make the vessel one of the finest that ever- sailed out of the port of Liverpool^ and that' there was nothing to find fault with. THE .OFFICIAL EEPOKT TO THE BOARD OF TRADE. All the principal passages, of this document are given below:—- \ . ,

" My-Lords,—ln accordance with the instructions which I received from the Board of Trade, I have, with-the assistance, of Captain Harris, nautical assessor, held an inquiry into the circumstances attending the loss of the auxiliary steam clipper ship Royal Charter. The ship was originally ordered to be built by Messrs. Moore of this town. The builder was Mr. Cram, of Chester, arid the keel was laid at Stanley Croft, on the River Dee. Before any considerable progress had been made in^ her construction, the firm of Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., who are managers for, and now represent the Australian Steam Navigation Company—the regis-tered-owners of the.Royal Charter—took her off the hands of Messrs. Moore. At or about this time Mr. Cram failed; and the further progress of the shipbuilding was conducted by Messrs. Gibb3, Bright, arid C 0.,-. on their own account. Some changes were made to fit tha vessel for the purpose which was ultimately attained; an addition was made to her length at either end, end the original specification was departed from in other respects. It is not material to dwell upon this part of her history at any great length, as, at the time of her transfer to Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., her keel only was laid and a portion of the frame set up. Nearly; all the material had been provided by Mr. Cram i and was on the premises; this after the examination by the builders employedby Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., was used in the construction of the vessel. A portion of this iron, recovered with great difficulty and expense from the wreck, has'been produced before and tested by the Liverpool corporation machine. It is decidedly above the average; strength of iron plating .used for shipbuilding, and the average strength assigned by,Mr. Fail-burn for good Staffordshire plate. ; When the ship was completed it was necessary to launch her diagonally, owing to the shaHowness of the water at Sandy Croft. During this operation she stuck fast on her ways, and great efforts were necessary to get her afloat. It does not, however, appear that she received.any injury at this time. In proceeding down the Dee she" took the ground off Flint and here her keel and the adjoining portions.ajnidr ships received serious 'injury, so as'to, necessitate extensive repairs in the graving dock at Liverpool. There is some discrepancy in the evidence, but it is probable that on thi3 occasion she was strengthened by the addition of two bilge keelsons, having heen originally constructed with a keelson and two sister keelsons. Of her rigging it is sufficient to say that her masts and spars seem to ; have been amply sufficient, and though very large, not out of proportion to the size of the vessel. Her tackle seems to have been generally good, and her heavy -sails', were of "No. 1 and-No. 2" canvass—the quality of stormsails iil ordinary ships. Thegrourid tackle seems likewise to have been free from objection. She carried two bower anchors and a sheet anchor of requisite size, and all of Trotman's model. She was provided with 300 fathoms of chain cable of 2| inches in diameter, tested by the maker, Mr. "Woods, of Chester, to 72' tons. From the performance of-this cable immediately previous to the loss of the ship/ it is reasonable '. to suppose that; the material and worloTianship were good.l' Her engines^ which worked a two-fan iscrew, were' of nominal 200-horse power, and were able to. propel the vessel in dead water at the rate of about eight .knots an hour, tlpoh proceeding upon her first voyage she was very heavily ballasted, as her -builders appre-, hehded she would be crank, owing to her narrow beam. ;In the Bay of Biscay, however, she ehcoun; tered very rough weather, arid put back to Ply-;

mputh.- ■•Ho^'Bhe-/was''J exttmihedv! -by.!th¥-{Etnigra«' tion- Officers and Surveyors, who recommended some trifling repairs to obviate her making water, as it was supposed, through her, deck'.-.-'-These,/hp\y'ev;pr, had nothing to do \yith the. sea-wortliinpss of the eiiip.' :' ':'. .. ■'.■;■ ' ...' -: : '.''' ■ ..;';. •' '■■ ..'. "'.\ } \': : :\'.'. ['■■'■ ,;;•'". In accordnnce, also, with tlieir recommendation, she was lightened of 400 tons of ballast, the result of which was that her sailing properties improved, and she was enabled to stay and wear with facility; I am,assured by the witnesses who have subsequently mado voyages in her that she was far from being defective in this respect, regard being,had to the greater time; necessarily;^requisite to ■..'bring a long vessel round., .Upon her .-returning, fromi her first voyage; it;was observed by the surveyor of the Liverpool Underwriters' Association that some of the paint had cracked at the joining of: the (butts outside amidships, and that in those places; there were streaks of rust. Some suspicion seems to have actedupon the mind of the owners; arid, with a view to giving to additional longitudinal strengthening, a massive stringer, the greater part of the length of the ship, was introduced 'on either side between; decks, ,

"After this, nothing further of; any importance as regards the strengthening of the ship seems to have been done. :• . - " It may^be proper, at this point, to state that, from the evidence, I have arrived at the conclusion that the Royal Charter was, at the least/, fully equal in strength to the; average of ships of her class built at the same date (1855). " Upon her last voyage the Koyal Charter, after an unusually quick passage from Melbourne, arrived off Queenstown on --the 24th; of October. She proceeded up Channel, and passed the Tuskar Light about 4 a.m. on the 25th. About half : past 4 or 5: p.m. she was abreast of Holyhead. Up to that time the weather had been fine, with a light breeze a-head. A change then took place, and it becaime hazy over the land. The vessel proceeded in her course, rounding-the Skerries at 6or half-past 6 p.m. Point Lynas Light was in sight ata quarter to 7 p.m., at a distance of six. or seven miles on the starboard bow. At 8 p.m. the wind was from N.E. to E.N.E., veering and blowing very hard, and had been increasing in strength from the time the ship passed Holyhead. She was heading at this1 time about E. by S. At a quarter to 9 Captain Taylor gave orders to starboard the helm, to which the quartermaster at the wheel: replied, " The helm is a-starboard already." At a quarter ;to nine orders were given to take a cast of the lead. In a quarter of an hour they first succeeded in getting soundings with the hand-lead in 18 fathoms. The screw propeller was at work, but the ship, notwithstanding, was drifting rapidly to leeward, as denoted by the lead. Shortly after this soundings were again taken in 15 fathoms, and about half-past 10 p.m. an attempt was madeto stay theV?ship., This appears to have failed, for shortly afterwards the'-.port anchor was let go, and 100 fathoms of chain cable payed out. Atill 15 p.m.the starboard anchorwas let; go, with 70 fathoms of cliain.: The two anchors ■ brought the ship up. At 130 a.m. of the 26th the port chain parted outside the hawse hole. Orders! • ,were.-then, given to get up the stream anchor, which; weighed only 15 cwt., and was stowed in the after; orlop, \ The sheet anchor of ; 50 cwt. was stowed in; the fore hatchway. It took about an hour to get' up the stream anchor, and when this was done, at; " about 230 a.m., the starboard'cable parted. About; 30r3 30 a,m. the ship took the ground ; her heel! seems to have; struck first; ■ and her. head canted [ round to the westward,, broadside on to the wind; and sea. It appears that.the screw stopped when; ,the ship struck. The mainmast was then cut away; it fell abeam, and not.in the direction of the screw. The foremast was also cut a\vay,but did not fall till the ship was washed upon-the rocks," about 5 aim., or two hours after she fir^struck. "About 7.30 to; 8 a.m..'the vessel parted amidships, and a melancholy loss of life ensued. Such ■js the narrative afforded by the few. survivors of the loss of the Eoyal Charter.

"In reviewing the evidence before me, it is ray painful duty to notice the .apparent want of preparation to encounter stormy weather shown" by "the Royal Charter in her course up Channel. She ■came up Channel with her skysail masts on end, and yards across. -It is true that the weather was fine in the morning, and there might have been np indications of the coming hurricane; but; it is certain that in such a dangerous sea, and at; a time of year when storms may be expected, the stanchest merchant ship would be only prudent in making all snug aloft, and the best equipped man-of-war would infallibly do so. . "At 5 p.m. there were two courses open. The Royal Charter was close to Holyhead, and might have run there for refuge, or she might have put . her head to the westward, and kept the Irish Channel open. At 6 p.m. the Skerries were- rounded, andthe wind increased to a; gale. At 9 p.m. the wind arid sea had increased so much that though under full steam, the ship refused to answer her helm. ■..'. ■• -■ '::. ■' '■•••. { "'. ■::'■■'■ ■..■ "It was then found that the ship was drifting bodily to leeward, and no" course remained but to let go the anchors. To the anchors it will have been observed'that the ship held for four hours, and it is to be lamented that the resolution was not immediately taken ■ to: cut away the masts. li Had she beerr so relieved, her only chance of safety-—----viz., holding on to her anchors—might possibly have been secured. : It-is evident that, with the top hamper aloft, the steam power was inadeqimte to keep the ship under command. ..Had the masts been sacrificed at first, as they were ultimately, the steam power might have availed the ship more effectually/ , . . 's" It; is likely that the captain of the Royal Charter was deterred from this course; by the apprehension that the falling, rigging and.spars might ; foul her screw, thus repeating, i the catastrophe undergone by. the Prince, in 1854, off Balaklava ; but it should be remembered that the Prince was supplied with a three-bladed fan, while the Royal Charter had a two-bladed one only, which could be hoisted up in a short time arid with little labour. "I am well aware tHat inmaking these animadversions on the measures taken by the RoyaliChaj.l---ter-1" may encounter some difference of opinion; but, having the advantagel of judging from the event, I cannot, help .concluding that : a fair chance of safety was .sacrificed/by the course pursued. ./.'.' '.'.' ''.':" '■:'.■■:■.''./'".. ■■. ■■ ;■ /'..■• '■' ■ " All the evidence concurs in showing that the force, of the gale was terrific and unexampled on that coast, Nothin g conclusive can be arri ved. «it towards solving the question whether a wooden ship would have .together longer,:or so long, as 'the Royal, Charter. A s far as I have had i n formation on the subject I have no ground, to impute blame to the life-boat people, ; ■ (( The coastguard were early on the spot, though stationed ten miles off. The two pilot boats, ac-, cording id the regulations1 of the port; were in, their proper cruizing ground'off Port Lynas.'; One of them saw a blue light, probably from,the Royal j Charter, andy kept, a sharp look-out' accordingly; but immediately, afterwards the .darkness was so great andthe rain sothick as to make it impossible to see from one end of the pilot boat to' the other. The wind also became so high as to put out her light repeatedly; and even had she neared the! RoyaL'Charter, there was such a sea running as to make it impossible to.put apilot on board. T ' " The officers and crew to the last were indifferent to the preservation pf ; theii; own lives, and solely intent on their duty. Taking into account the unexampled fury of the gale, which 'entirely' neu*".' tralised the powerful action of the serew1 propeller, so that the ship was no longer iinder command—a';

circumstance which Captain Taylor could not have anticipated; and, considering also the apprehension ho may have entortaincd, yvhije at anchor, that the masts would foul the scroiv if they were cut away, and possibly that the action of the scrow to ease the cables could not be safely intermitted, I do not think that this"is a-case in which I 'could report that the ship was lost by the default of the master. . " J. 8. Mansfield, stipendiary magistrate, Liverpool. "Liverpool, Nov. 28/1859. BECOVEBY OF THE GOLD BY DIVEIIB FROM THE WEECK. - It was not till the.divers succeeded in lifting the starboard side or quarter of the ship off the spot where it had fallen that they came to the gold; the bullion chest they found had shared the same fate as the' ship, and wasliterally; smashedtd atoms and its contents scattered, in all directions.. ["■■JJ't • to about the 16th of December, the divers had oeen down three and four hours every tide, and their operations were most successful. The total, amount recovered up to'that day was as follows :—23 boxes of gold, 199 bars, 3377 sovereigns, 38 half sovereigns, and 414 lbs. of gold dust, in all, it is said, within £40,000 of the gross total that was shipped as freight—the whole of it has been sent up to London and deposited in the Bank of England. It is. assumed that the unfortunate passengers had with them a large amount of gold, probably £10,000 ounces or more, .which Jbave got mixed with the contents of the bullion chest; and this appears not improbable, the divers reporting that the ground about where the stern of the ship lies is rich with gold dust, and must be dug up and sent London to be properly washed. It will therefore be interesting to give the particulars of the marks on.the boxes and bars of gold found, by which means some may be identified as belonging to some of the passengers. . - ... 1 box, marked B S and AC B, No.' 365, weight 42^ lbs. gross, seal English, Scottish, and Australian Bank. ■ ',■ ■ ; : ! 1 box, marked U B A, 1394 in diamond, about 112 lbs, gross. „■-.- , 1 box, marked B A in diamond, and L, No. 2546, weight 100 lbs. I 1 box, marked U B A, 1238 in diamond, 100 lbs. ! weight.. ■..".-.■ t 1 box, B A in diamond, and L, 100 lbs. in I weight. - : j 1 box, mark illegible., seal B D v 80 lbs. in weight. I 1 box, marked L and W, 90 lbs. in weight. , I'box, marked U B A in diamond, 112 lbs. in weight. ■■'■'; .1 box; marked U B A in diamond, and 1248, 112 lbs. in weight. 1 box, marked L W B, and 1401, 80 lbs. in weight.. • ■;...'■' 1 box, marked E S—V—A CB, and 363,70 lbs. in weight. ■ ■.'■■■-.-. ;...-■- . , . . 1 box, marked E S and AC B, 70 lbs. in weight. 1 box. mark illegible, seal MM L L, 40 lbs. in weight.; , .1 box broken, marked BA in diamond, L L, 2543,112 lbs. in weight." 1 gold bar, marked U B A, numbered 648, also 10 other bars, No. 647, 652, 652, 653, 653, 653, 651,653,653,653. 1 bar,.marked Bunk of Australia, No. 46. 2 bars, marked : Bank of Sandhurst, and numbered 917, and 916.