FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE WRECK OF THE ROYAL CHARTER.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1403, 3 February 1860, Page 5

FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE WRECK OF THE ROYAL CHARTER.

On the sth Nov., four more bodies were found and taken to Llanallgo Church. Three were those of men, one being identified as that of William Bishop. The fourth was that of a girl Q,\ years old. The bodies hare since been in* terred.

The lumper, or lifting apparatus, for which Messrs. Gibbs, Bright and Co. sent to Liverpool in the early part of last week, arrived on Saturday. The lumper is in appearance something like a fishing smack. She has a powerful heaving machine on board which is worked from the deck, and with which large portions of the wreck are sure to be hoisted from the position in which they now lie- Some additional divers were brought from Liverpool with the lumper, and descents were made on Sunday forenoon. The divers say that the wreck lies in an intricate and, to them very dangerous heap. They walk beneath some of the heavy machinery of the ship, and have to grope their way amid ironwork One of them met with a corpse on Sunday but was unable to remove it from the mass of timber and wood in which it was entangled. The Royal Chatter was steered with a patent steering apparatus. This the divers succeeded in attaching to the chains of the lumper, and it was hauled up in an almost perfect state, a segment of the wheel being the only part broken away. The frame word to which the patent steerer was attached when it stood in its place in the ship was subsequently got up. No gold was discovered by the divers on Sunday. The bullion room of the Royal Charter was about 18 feet up from the keel. It was as is usual iv similar ships, formed out of a portion of the stern, to which an iron door was attached. It. this room the ingots, specie, and dust consigned to persons in this country were deposited. The gold consigned to the captain was placed in small cubi--1 cal mahogany boxes, on which wercaffixed the \ seal of the captain and that of the person who committed the gold to his custody. These boxes were deposited in the bullion room. That the bullion room, is not intact, but has been knocked to pieces is proved beyond a doubt, by the fact that fragments of the cubical mahogany boxes, with seals on them, have been found along the beach. Nevertheless, the professional gentlemen — who watch the operations of the divers — are very sanguine as to the recovery of the ingots and specie. Of the recovery of the golddust the same hopes are not entertained.

In connexion with the melancholy facts attending this wreck, it may be stated that Lord Boston, as lord of the manor of the district near which the disastei took place — has Bent in a claim to all property or treasure that may be washed ashore.

A piece ef a broken gold box has been obtained from the wreck of the Boyal Charter spotted with gold. This is attributed to the forcing of gold into the wood by the enor. mous strength of the sea in breaking up the vessel.

The Melbourne Herald of September 16 says: — "A person named William Gardiner, a commission agenst, residing in Melbourne, made an unostentatious exit from the colony by the Royal Charter, taking with him property worth £4000. He shipped in the name of Garden. He has since been declared insolvent.."

The divers have recovered from the wreck of the Royal Charter two bags of sovereigns weighing IBlb. each ; one large box of gold, weighing 561 b., and a small box directed " William Rae, caie of Messrs Gibbs, Bright, and Co."

The Board of Trade has commenced the inquiry into the causes of the wreck of the Royal Charter with vigour and promptitude. Mr. O'Dowd opened the inquiry on the 15th, at St. George's Hall, Liverpool. In his opening speech, Mr. O'Dowd stated that the Board had reiolved to institute this inquiry in consequence of the nature of the wreck and the rapid manner in which the ship broke up. The particular objects, therefore, of the inquiry will relate to the strength and construction of the Vessel, and to Captain Taylor's conduct on the night of the wreck. The Manchester Examiner publishes some extracts of a rough notebook found on the beach at Moelfra, which belonged to the Her. Charles Hodge, of East Retford, one of the lost passengers on board the Koyal Charter. It may be ; gathered that the mind of the writer had been much excited by temporal aud family matI ters. He quotes several passages from the biography of Bickersteth, suggestive of consolatory thoughts. A special prayer for a safe voyage for himself and fellow passengers is also entered. It would seem that the number of soals on board the vessel on departure from Melbourne was 445. One of the passengers appears to have been placed under restraint on account of insanity, but got better and was released a few clays before the wreck. The captains birthday seems to have happened while at sea, probably when close of Ireland. The passengers may have given him a dinner and a testimonial at the same time as we find the following entries: — Wine (captain's birthday) 2s. 6d ; band, 55. ; captain's testimonial, £1 Is."

A testimonial was also presented to Mr. Hodge possibly at the same time. The following entry is on the s&rne page as those above : — " 22ud, (October probably,) received £'30 as a present from the passengers."

A letter from John Pritchavd, tide-waiter at Moelfra, dated November 14. 1859, states tbat since Sunday night a male body, supposed to be that of a sailor, has been picked up, with 6s 2d, a kuife, and a key in his pocket, but no marks to identify him. At the Ked Wharf Bay two male bodies have been picked up, one naked, the other with a Guernsey frock marked L- and A. N. Co. (Liverpool and Austral iau Navigation Company, the owners of the vessel.) The bodies have been taken to the village of Peutrath, It has been reported that a little boy's body had been picked up to the northward of Red Wharf. In searching the rubbish about a watercloset sent up by one of the divers, a small nugget about the size of a nut has been found, also a 3s piece. The divers got a little copper up on Sunday, and have now recovered 137 ingots and 68 1" tilea." (?) " ' The following letter was read by Mr. Smith, receiver of wrecks at BeauinarU, who is at present attendiHg the inquiry into the loss of the Royal Charter at St. George's Hall :-r*" Moelfra, Nov. 15.— Yesterday, with pieces of wreck cast up, we succeeded in getting two sovereigns,

"hillings, and three broken watches.- To-day Bj| we picked up the bod; of a very tall man, with- mM a boot and a stocking on. One of the coast- BR guard went to Amlwich last night and brought BH a note from Mr. Hughes, the principal coast 88. officer, stating that two bodies were picked up BB at that place. One of the bodies had a gueru- BJj sey frock, white flannel shirt, white drawers cor- Mi duroy trousers, blue worsted socks, and around Jj the waist there was a leather belt containing 13> BHj sovereigns, three small nuggets, and a gold BB ring. In the trousers pocket there were fife Bfl half-crowns and a two shilling piece, and in an' BJ other pocket four small keys and-a. belt straps Bfl The age about 35 years. There are no mark Bfl on the body at Pentraeth, but it is supposed to Bfl be that of a seaman, by his dress." Hfl Presentation or ▲ Goxt> Medal to Bod- flflj qebß of the Koyel Chakteb. — Our readers ■■ will doubtless recollect that at the disastrous BB wreck of the Royal Charter, a Maltese (notPor-. BB tuguese, as has been stated) seaman, named BHJ Joseph Kogers, swam to shore with a rope, HB which was the means of saving the lives of the IB majority of those who escaped death., *To mark HJj their sense of gallant conduct, the committee BB of the National Lifeboat Institution determined Hj to present Rogers with a valuable gold meda^ fIH the sum of £5, and a suitable vote of thanks* HH engrossed on vellum. BH