THE SUEZ MAIL.

Colonist, Volume XVII, Issue 1865, 21 January 1875, Page 3

THE SUEZ MAIL.

THE NEW STORY OF SIR ROGER.

The New York World, of November 5, contain,s a letter from Honolulu, dated October 8, stating that an old English sailor has given an apparently truthful statement with reference to the fate of Sir Roger Tichborne, according to which he was buried on a desert island, Sydney Island, in the South Pacific, iv 1855. This old sailor* George Claridge byname, bears the reputation of being an upright, truthful person, and a man of deep piety. His ignorance on general topics would utterly preclude the possibility of imposition in his statements here given if any object could exist for deception. It is quite impossible that he could have obtained any knowledge of Sir Eoger Ticbborne or his family except from the lips of that gentleman himself in the manner he describes. As soon as this matter got abroad Ernest C. Stock, a leading merchant on the Hilo, visited Claridge and exhibited to him a copy of the Illustrated London Mews containing engravings of the Tichborne family. He immediately pointed out the likeness ot Sir Roger and exclaimed, "That is the man whom I buried in Sydney Island." This island lies south-west from the island of Rotumah between 200 and 300 miles, and is occasionally visited by vessels in quest lot beche de mer. Olaridge is one of a thousand of his class of "rovers " who drift about the Pacific and finally settle down in some chosen haven of rest to spend their old age. His statement is to the following effect:—" In the year 1854, remember, he left a ship at Rotumah. After he had been on that island some time a schooner named the Annie, engaged in the beche de mer fishery, called there. On going on board Claridge found she was just out from Home, and that off the River Plate she picked up a boat containing two men in a famished condition, and they were then on board the schooner. The master of the schooner, a Frenchman, told Claridge that one of the rescued men was an English gentleman, very sick, and that he | spoke French as well asf himself. Claridge engaged to go in the schooner to take care of the sick gentleman and to help to get a cargo. He thinks this was in the early part of 1855, but does not remember distinctly., The vessel, he believes was an American, but he remembers no particulars about her, nor the names of any of the crew. Five days after leaving Rotumah they reached Sydney Island, where they found no inhabitants and plenty of beche de mer. Claridge with some natives of Rotumah, went'ashore to pursue the fishery, and the sick gentleman, at his own request, was also put on shore, with everything the vessel afforded to add to his comfort. The schooner sailed away intending to return in a short time, but , .Claridge has heard no tidings of her from that day to this, and conjectures that she was lost. He was some two years on that island before it was again visited by a vessel. .For some time after landing on the island, the sick gentleman said but little to any one; but as he got worse he called Claridge to him and told him that he was near his end, and requested him to procure a quill from one of the wild birds that frequented the island, to make a pen of. He had a scrap of paper in which had been wrapped a bit of cheese, from the schooner, and on this, with blood from a bird he wrote something. Thii paper . he gave to Claridge and told him to'keep-ft .- sacred, and the first ship that came to tiave .:,?, it copied; to keep the original but by all - means to make it public whenever he got to . ■ a civilised land. He then informed Claridge ''-' that his name was Ro,»er Tichborne. Thuk happened on the tenth or twelfth day aftat ;.■"- .- ", . \ :-' ju.'; 'I,;.'*--.. ■

landing on the island. After this the sick man was frequently delirious, until he died about the eighteenth day after landing. In his lucid moments he stated that he sailed from Eio in a ship deeply loaded, that she went down in a squall, and that himself and seven others got into a boat which drifted about'until all perished except himself and one other person, and that they were forty days in the boat before being picked up. He said that if he. could get to Hong Kong he should find plenty of friends and money. In his delirium he frequently spoke of his father, wifch whom he appeared to have quarrelled, and he often fancied himself talking to his mother, whom he addressed in Erench. Claridge kept the paper as directed and showed it to the captain of the ship, who eventually took him from the island. It met with no/attention. After gei tint; to Wellington Island a New Bradford^ boy named Mandell, copied a part of the writing (some of it being in French), but Claridge does not know what disposition he made of it. Mandell was on the whaling ship Miles Standish, and promised to transmit the paper to the relatives of Tichborne through the first British, snip or consul he should meet with. Whether he ever had that opportunity is nnknown." The original paper written by Sir Boger Tichborne, is now in the possession' of Claridge. It is a soiled and dilapidated scrap, and the inscription it bears in the blood of a bird has almost completely faded out. The signature, however, can still be traced. The remainder will have to be subjected to some chemical process with greatcare for restoration sufficiently to be deciphered. The British consul at this port has already taken steps to secure the statements of Claridge in official form, and possession of the paper mentioned.