WRECK OF THE SCHOONER TALISMAN.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1522, 3 January 1879, Page 3

WRECK OF THE SCHOONER TALISMAN.

[Press Special Wire.] Auckland, January 2. The schooner Mazeppa arrived this evening from the Islands with produce and 18 passengers including Captain Prayne and the shipwrecked crew of the schooner Talisman. The infant child of Mrs John Cruickshank died on the passage. Captain Prayne reports, in reference to the wreck of the Talisman that the vessel was on her homeward cruise, and had on board 28 tons of pearl shell, 28 tons copra, 12 barrels lime juice, 325 barrels oranges, and a quantity of trade. This partly belonged to Mr L. D. Nathan and partly to the master. Eleven souls were on board, comprising Prayne, captain ; Heslop, mate ; George Elder, steward, four natives, Mrs Cruikshank and two children, Mr Oxley, bhe anchored off the island Atutaki on Nov. 16th. The wind chopped round suddenly to westward, and the vessel went ashore on a reef and broke up within twenty-four hours. The captain remained on the island thirteen days, and during that time saved four and a half tons of pearl shell and a portion of the wreckage. He proceeded to Kawtongain the Blanche, and after stopping there eight days returned to Atutaki in order to ascertain if there was a chance of saving any more shell before selling what had been recovered. He did not save anything else from the wreck. He then came on to Auckland in the Mazeppa.