Anecdote of Orsini.

Otago Witness, Issue 569, 24 October 1862, Page 2

Anecdote of Orsini.

-In a paper " An Adventure al Shakspeare's Birthplace.'' in the new number of the Dublin University Magazine, we find a curious account of a niesting with a personage who afterwards became sufficiently famous or infamous : — " Havinir undergone the usual preparatory conversation with the good lady, we proceeded up-stairs to the room in which the immortal poet is said to have first seen the li^ht of life ; and when I pointed out the cause of the daikened aspect of the walls, the Italian held up his hands in mute astonishment. And 13 it possible ' said he, as he minutely examined some of the signatures to which his attention had been especially directed, 'that all these names have been written by the individuals themselves V ' Every one,' f replied. { There is not a white spot to be seen !' exclaimed the si«nor. • What is one to do who wished to find a spot for his name V ' Well, sir,' said the lady, 'there are instances in which names nave been expuutred to make room for others.' ' I suppose,' he remarked, 'people are generally careful to leave untouched the signatures of illustrious personages?' 'Yes.' said tie, 'eveiybody seems considerate on that point. Observe, here are the names of Sir Walter Scott, Washington Irvinp, Professor Wilson and many other great literary ' gentlemen ; whilst there you will find s.ome of a different sort naval heroes, celebrated soldiers, patriots, and bo forth. Now, if you look this way, you will see Louis Napoleon !* If a shot had been suddenly fired into that peaceful retreat it could Jiot have produced a more signal effect on the nervous system of ray Itrlian companion than was caused by the mention of that all-powerful name. • Louis Napoleon !' he exclaimed, the healthy hue of his countenance changing to one of livid whiteness. ' Where can I see that name ? 'There it is sir.' 'Did you not say,' he inquired, ' that names are sometimes' erased to find room for others V ' Yes, sir, but not illustrious persons.' ' Illustrious !' he cried, in a tone ot indignation; and deliberately expunged the signature to write his own on the same spot. I gently remonstrated, and asked him whence his animosity towards the Emperor of the French at such a moment ? ' Tout a I'hcure !' said he, ' you shall know "by-and by ;' and we quitted the humble tenement winch now bore an additional and peculiar interest from the strange ineidVnt described." The narrator is awakened at early dawn by a violent explosion at the back of the house, and rushing out with his host who had armed himself with a revolver, " we observed our friend, the Italian, coining towards us from a field at some little distance from the house. ' What is the matter, signor V inquired our host. ' Nothing serious I hope ; but whence that astounding noise V 'Don't be alarmed, messieurs,' said he, with the most perfect nonchalance. I was only treting the force of a aholl • which I brought with me "as a specimen; and I had hoped I was too far from tin mansion to cause any disturbance.' We exprtsW our surprise at his experimentalising at such an ulseemlyhour; and he quickly replied, that he was glad of an opportunity to do 60 before the household was stirring. In order to gratify our curiosity, and to satisfy our minds that the Italian had given us the correct version of the thunderous noise which had frightened us from our propriety, we hastened a few paces back with him to the spot whence hs had com . e> . m '\ we *' ie . re fj . und tne fragments of a shell, fiufliciently terrifying in their dimensions to account tor the alarming sound," The experimentalist in shell practice proved to be M. Felice Orsini, who had ■ C °^ e u t ? Bitmin '?ham to purchase the grenades with « i™/ 16 afterwards made Buch havoc ia the- streets

! .BUIIXIXG OF' THE SrEAAISIIiT I OOLLUS.N GATE.

••UNI* HUNDRED AXD yiNETV-EKJligf BA fh3VrivT*6f Hi>'AJio.i T'.omdyke fivfm British Co mnbii, we are in pi^se^ifui uf inteili^^ic 1 of ilu destruction liy fire of the Oold"ii Gate, a large !<t< jam-rMP-J^o^isfii.J'l { l)d pas^,,igßr talc . be«w£'eu dan Pranctsei and P.inama. The following par'ieulars of t is feaiful tragedian* from the litia ruHfiihua'Qf Aiijni%t 9. The.Alfa cay.*: — . JXiie^sttuiwy St. Louis arrived ut 5-o'olock p.m., on the 6th inst , from Panama. MEMIHASDA. The P. M. S. S. Co.'s «teani-r Si Louis, W. F. ■i Lnp^'y.cniniPii.Tirtt'iy Jpft. San. Ei-^uutisaa.. Jni4-y- -1-, nt • 10, a.m., with 145 paa^engers and 1.267, -Cd dob., in specie, for P.iuauia. July 5, at 9.^0 p.m., passed steamer Golden Gate, bound up. Airi\ -d at Acapulco July 9, at 4 15 p.m.; iejei\"el bupplius. and sailed, at 8 p.m. ; s,ime day, at 900 p.m., passed -teampr Souova, bound up.' Arrived at Panama July 16, at 7 a m. Roiuniinsr, left Panama, July 20, at imJnight with 405 tons of freight, a-id 320 passpu^ers from Npw York, 'of July 11. by rteamer Noitn«rn Light. Airived at Aeijmljo July 57- sis' '& 4.) am. * iiTeceived copl awl .shipplie' < >. md sailed at 3 p.m. Ai lived at Manzanillo July 29, at 5 am. On arriving :tt rlnV port received intelligence oftho total lo.vs ot P.M.S.S. -fVfttv-S-j-tramiT Golden Gate, by tire, on the evening of July 27th,."nibdut 13 miles i.orth-wfs^ of Mau/anillo harbor. The St. Louis immediately started tor the wone of 1 the wreck; fired signal puns lowiel boats and tuok off the s-hore all the suivivors of the Vrec-k who could be found. liJluiaiiied at Manzanillo till July 3'JJi, atu p m., leaving Capt. Hudson and lv-< cre»v ;it fiat pott to rPTUei any fuith'T assistance that might be necessary. The St. Louis bring? up 78 of the Gulden Gate's passeiisers, (all tint are kriovn to he save!) ;tn<J a portion of her cte\v. Arrived at San Francisco, August 6th, atsp.ni. The St Louis brings lid packagemail from New York, and 102,470 dolrf. in bpecie from Manzauillo. Left in p.nt at Patnmi, U.S.S. Snrnnac ; at Acapulco, coal ship Juliet Tiuudy. There were on board tho Golden Gate — 242 passengers and % erew — iv a 11 .... 309 Known to be saved 140 Lost or mining 198 One boat, containing 22 people, had not been heard from, at the time the St. Louis left Manzanilio. This boat was in charge of the third mate, and is supposed to have missed the harbour in the night, and gone down the coast. TliCiU ate noc included in the lit-t of saved. hTATEJirXT OF THE SECOND OFFICER. Mr Htnry M'Kinney, the second officer, informs us as follows :— On Sunday, the 27th, at five minutes past five, the fire bmke out between the engine and fire room*. The steam pump and ho-e were immediately applied, The lire gained on them, notwithstanding all eiibrts. Worked thu pump until nil the hose was burned, At G. 27 that evening got the port boat offiii safety ; the second bua f capsized, but I'oituuatfly no lives were lost ; the third bo it got over, and the boats pulled for Mauzanillo. The up starboard boat cot off about (3 p.m. The St Louis bound up, leached Manzanillo the next morning at five o'clock, and rescued the passengers. The fire originated in a mysterious manner, and spread with gieat rapidity— so much bo that the clothes of the officers vi en; burned olf their peisous. When the wreck was abaudoned the rire had burned everything to the water's edge. Nothing is known of the origin of the the.

CAPTAIN HUDSON'S STATEMENT TO THE ACENTS OP Till: P. 3£. fa. S. COMPANY. Manzanillo, July 30th, IBG2. Gentlemen, — I have to report to you the total loss of the Ooldcii (Mc, !>} fin 1 , wh'cii occurred on the afternoon of the 27 th instant, fifteen miles to the westward of Manzanillo. At five in the af ernoon, when at dinner, the ship was reported to me on fire. I immediately aioss from the t"b!e. requesting the passengers to remain quiet, and proceeded to the spar deck, when 1 fouud a dense volume of smoke coming up from the engine room hatchway. AH the. fire hose of the ship were immediately put in requisition, and worked with all possible energy. The ship was now about three or four miles from the land. I saw at a glance the impossibility of subduing the flames, and immediate y put the helm up to run the ship ashore. Men, women, aud children, were now ordered forward, and probably one hundred had reached the forecastle, when the flames spread with such rapidity as to cut off all communication with the after part of the ship. I ordered Mr Waddell, the Chief Engineer, to keep the engine inoyisg as long as possible. Alt regular communication with the engine room was cut off in a few minutes by the flames; several nf the firemen and engineers were still be ow. The feed-valves of the boilers and furnace doors were opened wide, and all precautions used to prevent explo&ion. So rapid was the spread of the flames, however, that the engineers and their men barely escaped with their lives by forcing a passage through the after freight room bulkhead. At half-post five we grounded about three hundred yards from the beach, where there was a very heavy surf breaking. Before reaching the shore ths after boats were lowere 1 away and filled with passengers, under charge of my chief officer, Mr Nolan, who remained by the ship, rendering all possible aid in saving lif<\ In the meantime, life preserver-, spars, and everything of a, buoyant nahre, were famished to the passengers, thrown overboard after she struck. The flames spread with such rapidity that the hurricane deck, from the foremast aft, fell with a tremendous crash before reaching the shore, and soon afterwards the foremast went by the board. The heat had now become so intense as to compel all who remained to leave the burning wieck, by lowering themselves in the water with lines furnished for that purpose ; and many had thrown themselves into the water from various parts of the ship. A fter all had left, Captain Pearson and myself dropped from the bowsprit, and succeeded, with groat difficulty, in reaching the beach. I found about eight} had reached the shore with life. All that remained visible of the ship at 8 p.m. was her engines, boilers, and whpel-frames. At daylight on the following morning, the 28th inst., we fouad and buried sixteen bodies, aud at 8 a.m., we started or Manzmillo, and a noon we reached the terminus of the beach, about five miles ftom the wreck, and found the roads impassable from the density of the chaparral or brushwood. Al 3 p.ui , a boat hove iv sight, with which we communicated and sent to Manzanillo for relief. On the mornins of the -2'Jth two of our boats reached us and reported that they had saved sixty-four passengers. The St. Louis touching at Manzanillo early the same morning, and hearing- of our disaster, came to our assistance, rescued those who had remained with me on the beach. We had, on leaving San Fraiic^co, two hundred and forty-two pas-<eng-rs and ninety-six crew. There now remain seventy-two passengers and sixty-two erew — making our loit and mksing (some of whom may yet be found) two hundred and four. Capt. Lapidge will remain at this port until to-morrow evening, the 3'lth instant, for the purpose of marching still further for missing passengers. From the shelving beach and heavy surf where the ship is lying, theie remains little or no probabi ity, in my opinion, ot saving the treasure. I &h:d! remain, however, as agent of the un lerwritere, with a portion of my crew and officers, for its protection, and with the hope, also, of being able to save an additional life. Orders from you will reach me through the house of Oetling and Co, of Manzanillo. 1 cannot say too much of the efficiency and coolness of my officers and crew, under the trying circumstances through which they have passed.

Very respectfully, kc,

W. W. Hudson, Messrs Forbes and Babcock, agents P.M.S.fcj. Co, San Francisco.

VVhh STATEMENT OP CAPTAIN' It. N. PEARSON, A

I'ASSEKGER. FURTHER PARTICULARS OP THE WRECK. The following is a copy of a letter written by Cap 1 , Peat son to a friend :—: —

FULI, I'AHTICULAUS 01' THE LOS 3. Steamer St. Louia, off Manzanillo, 20th July, 1862 On the 27th inst., at about 4.-15 p.m., we had just sat down to dinner, it was reported to Capt. Hudson that the steamer (Golden tiute) was on fire', We immediately left the table; betook the deck, while I ran to S'lbt the lire, which originated between the forward smoke stack and the cabin galley. Is lW the forward p:trt of the upper engine room in a blaz^, (that portion of the deck just under the galley.) The ennineer was attaching the hos», while I ra'u to the paddle box, calling on all I met to follow and pass down the buckets of water that, were always kept ther.\ This was done, and I dashed water in around the smoke stack till I was driven from it by the smoke and heat I then ran to the upper deck, aft, to see that (hey were getting thj hose along from the after pump ; and, as this was being done, I turned to say a word of caution to some men who were getting one of the boats over; heard Captain Hudson say that he had headed the steamer for the shore, which wns distant some 3i miles. Jumping down below, I saw at a irlance that we were a doomed ship, as the flames flared up the engm"-room hatch; met Mr Waddell, who said his men belovy wen: cut oil' aud would be much tjtue was lost in trjing to induce the captain of the brig Mineiva, of Mazatlan (on which he and his family came passengers), to come to our assistance. The inhuman wretch refused to move, though Mr Conner and others had worked all night to hcß'en our deliverauce. ( Bonds were offered him of ten times the value of his vessel, but no pei-suasion or entreaty touched his heart of stone ; he was as unmerciful as the fire and waves from which we were trying to escape. The contrast between this scoundrel and the inhabitants of Manzanillo was most striking ; they threw open their houses, fed the hungry, clothed the Bftkedj and buried, yfitk the kindest care, three little

chilt'ivn, who died fion l>urns and pxhiiihti-n <•ip--.it Dr'ti-j Vir.L "a" 11. t.u f '>a\- v ' '. am-l. burned, and we Uecided (>• knock ilown the milkhead ,in tjtti pffcir ftvi^hr room, and, If po- lble. save ' the;/j. 1 This was done, a.ii W.iddoll Innw'f, when i pifTveiited hy th° fiie horn e.hiu.ig up. jiim'jwd ,->veili.iard "from the after freight poit and was saved-

liiiui'diateiy I directed the panic stricken women and chiiJreu that we.c jn_th.j cabin^to tl^sjair : way^ over"'he p iddie-hoxes forwar !, myself carrying two $f Mi" Riek'inr«r*-chrldren," the fl t'.ues burning Cfs as .we lushed by thdni. About tlu* time it was that Captaiu Hudson was driven fiom tin; p irt paddlo-box foi ward. At the risk of my lie I parsed back agaiu over lh<x paddje-box,, cut tie /jover .of'tiie forward after boat find ('a 11 gift at three life-pie^ervers ; lushing I'm ward ngnin through the heat I met Mr '"Flint'iifurTursGr'Wbo'il', to each of whom I gave one of the life- preservers, and secured one to the forerisnrina 1 to use mys-r-lt if I becam 1111 11. 1 so e*han->lcd as to need 0 ,c. Mr \Vood gave this to a. woman, who, notwithstanding wi'R lo>t.

My lab is were now turned to the head-pump and ho«e, and we fought the f'ne foot by foot, until the men were driven away ; at about thU time the steamer changed her course from tie direction ot the land to the noi thward, ns if the whecKm 111 had bee.i forced to lenve his post, but she soon changed again and headed straight un for the beach. I umote the awning side-ropes that were burned ofl", a;id made them fa-t to the f'mwavd raiU, that the passengers might, clhig to them, and advised those who could not suim to secure such things as wou'd float them, ami keep calm until the steamer struck the beach. Many did so, but others, confused and be.vi'dcred, threw theiu«oh es at once into the water.

At a quarter pnst 5 p.m., by ray watch, the upper deck fell in and the foremast went by the board, falling in starboard ; soo.i after this she took the

be lUI very cisily, having but little way, though the engines kept working up to that time; then it was that I told the people to jump and try their best t~> reach the shore.

Huge breakers were rolling past the ship, sweeping everything belore them to the beach, and. tho'-e persons who letained strength when cast on the shore, helped to d:ag the exh.iu-.tod or dead fiom the surf.

At last Capt. Hudson and m>se!f were alone. Tearing off our clothing as we hung on under the bowsprit, with flikes of tiie falling on v.-, from above, we watc ed ourchanre to jump in after a lolle" ; but thsroj.e Hudson he'd burned off, and he fell into tlw water, washed ashore and I was alone, exhausted, p!i\bically and mentally, with bo ( h hand*, l^ft arm and iia;ht shoulder bur.ied, and so, though I am a good sw imnier as you will remember. I doubted if I should reach the shore if I nbiudoned my life-pre-seniT. Seeing^ smalt t-par fa^t, to the starlioird I'ow by a rops. 1 jumped with my life pre-erver, and w if> swept s'otae distance from the steamer across the st'irboard bow ; but I s>wam bick to the spar I spoke of, got astride of it, but was cap«i/.ed twice, enough to prove that my bcrength was not equal to the task before me. 1 managed to put the Jife-pre-server on, but could not tie it ; I let go when I was swept aeios'b to port side, threw mjs>e!f on my back, and before another roller came succeeded in fasoenin'it. Then I was overtaken by a quick succes<ion of immense breakers, bcateu and bruUed by them, and was finally pitched amongst the wieck of spais attached to the foremast. The daneor was imminent of being crushed, but my strength was neatly gone, and I could makp no effort to lice myself; Hut the next toller tin ew me clear of them and on to the beach, when .some good friends rushed down and dragged me into security. I quickly regained my stieiigth, and \va- deeply pained to leant that v.ore were not sa\ed. Some were lying dead, and some wli-se names I called had not l.een seen. We mustered buto'ie hundred per-ons. Flint and Holliday, and other fan.iliar faces were not among them. We were sid indeed.

While the fire roare.l through our noble ship, and huge «ea-> m-tde breaches thir-a^li the charred timber bulling the names hmh iv the air, we gathered our dead by the light, and lai I them up on tliesanJ, out of the reach of the sea, and then .sat down to watch the g'oomy scene.

iiy 9 o'clock p.m., what was not burned of the steamer was broken up; the hew and stern came ashore, and iv the morning there wa<= nothing left but the bed-place, wheel*, and attachments!. The beach was strewn with various portions of the wreck. Some kegs of ale were picke i up, and suffering, as we all were, from thirst and exhaustion, it lvvived many who weie too we?k to st inJ.

Among our number we recognised Cnptnin Whitney, P. C. S. N. Co., and a better man does not live ; Mr M'Midlen, exhausted and noued to the earth hv the loss of wife and children ; anil Mr Waddell, chief engineer. We had .seen Several of the ship's boats, after cha»ging about a little, keep away for M.mzaniilo, which was distant but some 14 niil^s, and we hoped that they would ci)me to our relief early in the morning.

As soon as day broke we buried the dead, four of them were women, two of these elderly women, and I think, from the 2nd cabin, an insane person, and Mrs McMullen.

We buried them in the sand, digging the gray s with pieces of board. Mrs McMuilcn was a lady much esteemed ; and as we straightened her stiffened limb* aDd covered her face, my heait ached that so uutimeiy a fate should check a life o useful, and so lonely a grave fehould mark the nsting-pl cc of one that 1:1 life was «urrounded by so many loving friends. We plated a cms^ at the head of the graces to designate the pot iLs sacred. When this sad duty was over, -up staitcd towards Manzanillo, inarching over burning sands, through jungles Mid thorns, around a mountain, until we g"ot abreast the '' White Ltock," eleven miles from the town : here wo found in the wood a little water, biackish and dirty ; *till it \va» our salvation, and we drank it eagerly. After resting wo surveyed with a new s»nse of our position ihe high mountains t >wering abnvc us, covered with an inipeuetial-le chaparral on the one hand, and impassable clilfs on the other bordering the s"a.

On leaving- the vicinity of the wreck, our party numbered nearly one hundrul, n\-e ehi! Iron and one woman — a Mrs Wallace. God lih.ss the woman, a braver and bater I never saw, and never can I forget how she cheered ihe weary through our toilsome and painful wanderings — how, when others retted, she bathed the crying cluhUen in the only fresh water we found, to enable tliem ti hold out, and so on throm/h the next nisht, with our little band of about twentyfive, some badly burned, and all sore and lame — our feet bound iv old canya-., (pieces of the fne top sail, that came on shore with the yird,) and most of what we had on taken from the dead.

Here we passed the night, without water or food, while those who were in advance str.tyedj into the mountains. 13ut we weie eoinfortel by the appearance of the Custom-house boat of Miumnillo ; she took two men who were able to get to a point of rock, fiom which they j.itape 1, and weie then picket' up hv the mon iv the boat, who promised to come to our aid in the moiiung. Through the long night we suffered, and at daybreak sent two men iv search of water, of which they procured enough tor a scant/ drink for all : and then, a little refreshed, we tool: up our line of nnrch over the mountains to get to where we could jump from the rocks into the water, when the boats should come to our rescue.

We climbed through chapparal, cactus, and thorns, over hedges, and down frightful Eteeps such as you never <-uw. Mrs W, did all this with the strongest without a murmur ; she filtered owe, poor soul, when we reached the rock from which we jumped, and as I tie I the rope aiuutid her which was thrown me. She dreaded the fearful waters, and feared we would not reach the boat ; but at the right time 1 told her to jump, gave her a push, and she was safely drawn to the boat.

About this time Mr Nolen, in one of the Golden Gate boats, came in sight, and shouted that the St I.ouia was at hind. Captiin Hudson, a man badly burned, Mrs W. and I got into the Custom Hou-e boat, where -we found tiie good old French doctor (Dormet) of Man/auillo, who had come to our relief with wine, water, and bread; the other boats, under Messrs Nolen aud Sutton, took oft" the remainder of our fellow svfferers.

Captain Lapidge received us with open arms, he, his otficers, and &ome of his presenters cared for our wounded and burnt, and clothed us.

While I write (for I fear thut I may break down to-morrow,) the steamer is cruising about, fiaing guns, aud picking up thu stragglers that come out of the mountains

AtOp.m we came to anchor at Manzanillo, leaving the boats nut to rescue nil they could find. Before we came in, we saw several dead bodies Uniting to the southeast.

We had hoped that the steamer's boats had saved a number of passengers, and, as it was but a short distance to Manzanillo, would have returned to hunt us up on Monday morning ; but those in charge of the boats did not keep close enough to shore, and the cuue:it swept all but one some twenty miles to the south-east of the port, so that they did not get to Manzwillo till Monday afternoon. Then I learn from Mr Connor, late U.S. Consul at M.uitlan, that I wish to mention Mr William W. Walker, who carried a small boy, most of the time, through our wearisome tramp ; his endurance was remaikable, and his humanity an honor to human nature.

OUIOIN OF TUB FIUE.

From all that I can learn. I think thai the flre originated in the afrer galley, between the stoves an I the smoke stack ; it got the start of the crew, and the ship burned up in the incredibly short space of time narrated h-re. 1 think Captain Hudson and his olhcers and crew did all iv their power, and what tiiey conceived to be best to «aye life.

I have written this while the incidents are fresh on my mind, aud I have no time or disposition to overlook or correct this ; you can understand a plain sailor's statement.

July 30.— The brig Minerva was bound to Acapulco, and though we felt like hanging the Captuin to the yard-arm for his dastardly conduct in not going to the scene of the disaster, abaut thirty of us concluded to proceed to Acapulco in her The brig was short of provisions, but Capt. Hudson made all arrangements for the passengeTs, so that we might intercept the Uncle Sam at Acapulco, rmd j;o

ou to nar <'estinn.riw ; Utvt flier w°. were all on board, an-l ihy &(,. i 1 ,iK In. \ beGn douiin.l tv.o Itouis .ir more, the scoundrelly ciptaiu refuse !•, to give us a fiiuu an tee whtjn h" wou'd '■"."i 1 . Wo^w»ro feari'al ho vtoalil \-,'Xe Lis own time abjut ic.i\ih|2f nff/ > r"ther St Loui< left, get- ot\t'/to x-§ea/,x -§ea / , dfift about 'in calms, and f.iil t) rrach Acapulcoin time to wkc the Sam, and we conclude?! to r 'turn to the St. Lmis and tike the chance of msetin^ her as we went up. None "f 115. we were well, and several are now on the doetoi's iWt. ' Please inform Mr Bayerque that his friend Dr RbJinier, was drowned ; his body was recognised floating past a boat.

Yours truly,

H. H. Pearson 1 .

P.S.— Mr Flint and Dr Jones are both lost. Hoilady was picked up by a beat, and is alive to tell his own story. I ought to have mentioned one vi two little incidents that may be of inter- st, showing the miraculous escape of four children, who came ashore in our p-irty— -one a baby of three muutha, a child uf Mis Gitl'on. Its brother was saved by the boats ; its father and mother are supposed to be lost. I understand they were from Baltimore. strange to fay, three little childten by the name of Mauche-ter were save I : one of them, a girl, with us— the other two, a boy and a girl; by the boa's.