THE TICHBORNE CASE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXII, Issue 7414, 3 December 1884, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE TICHBORNE CASE.

SOME FEESH EVIDENCE IN NEW ZEALAND, WELLINGTON, Nov. 18. Tho release of the Tichborne Claimant is accountable for the publication, at a rather late period, of some fresh evidence relating to that celebrated trial. Some three or four years ago, the Defence Department of this Colony removed to Invercargill, from Mount Cook barracks, Wellington, a number of shot and cartridge cases, some of which boro tho name of the ship Osprey, and dates varying from 1844 to 1856. Very little notice appears to have been paid to the circumstance at the time, and it was soon lost sight of. Recently, however, the Department has been removing a number of other ammunition coses from old stores in the barracks, in order to deposit them in brick stores, which have been just completed, and, in the process, the men have come across several additional marked " Transport Osprey,” dated variously 1844, 1846,1854, and 1856, and bearing the names of tho destination, » For Melbourne,” " For Hobart,” “ For Sydney.” These facts tend to prove beyond doubt that between 1844 and 1856 a ship named the Osprey did trade to Australia) and, it will be remembered, that during the progress of tho Tichborne trial tho Claimant stated that on the loss of the Bella he was picked up off the South American coast by a vessel called tho Osprey, bound for Melbourne. Enquiries resulted in tho discovery that there was no record of any ship of that name having visited Port Philip, the only Osprey known there being a schooner which has plied between Melbourne and Geelong. Tho ammunition cases in question were brought to Now Zealand from the sister Colonies at the time of tho Maori war, and have remained packed in Mount Cook Barracks ever since. DUNEDIN, Nov. 21. Relating to the question of a vessel named tho Osprey having ever visited Australia from Great Britain, I am favoured with the following extract from the diary of H. Harris, written on the barque Polctlers, from London to New Zealand, in 1850, Typhus fever had broken out among the steerage passengers, and tho ship's doctor contracted fever during attendance upon them. His life was despaired of for several days, and Captain 8001, of the Poiotkrs, was very miimn teVak any vessel he might meet with, in order to obtain medical assistance for him. The following is the extract from the diary i—" Friday, March 15, Very hot indeed. The doctor is very 111, scarcely expected to live. Thermometer, fffktef. In cabin t wind, N.E. Saturday, 16. Rather cooler. Doctor no better. Spoke the Liverpool ship Osprey, to see if •be had a medical roan on board, which site had hot. Bused Iter again to leeward about sunset The thermometer 74deg in cabin. Latitude. Iffdeg. N.E” The Poicticre was owned by Mr Duncan, of Dunbar. ■ A piece of evidence confirmatory of the above has been famished to us by Mr Stephan Brocket, cab proprietor, of this

dty, whoa® acquaintance with this Colony <bio» from nearly Half a century ago. Mo came to Auckland In tho year 1840 in thn barque Louisa Campbell, Captain Darby. Among hi* follow passengers was a certain Captain Mill, who, in conjunction with a Mr Dudley Bine lair, purposed starting ft sawmill »t the Matiukau. Bhortly afterwards A three-masted vowel, named the Oeprov, came to Manukau harbour, with Mr Sinclair, who wm accompanied by several R«wyor« am) their families, and had with him the plant necessary for working the sawmill. Mr Brooker wont to the Manukau at Urn time, And paid several visits to thn Osprey. ||« cannot, however, remember the name of her captain, and does not appear to have ever known that of her owner. What became of the vessel after she loft Matiukau be does not know, but his recollections are sufficient to prove that not very long anterior to tho earliest date on the auuminition eases found at Wellington, a ship called thn Osprey certainly was trading to thn Colonies. Tho bearing of this fact on tho Tichhorn® case will be perceived when it is romemlwred that thn Claimant stated that after the wreck of Um Bella he was rescued by a vessel named th® Osprey, bound for Mel* bourne, off tho coast of South America.