Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XII, Issue 712, 3 September 1859, Page 3

Colonial.

OTAGO.

[From a Correspondent.] Dunedin, August 29. The White Swan, with the English and Colonial mails, arrived here on Friday evening; and as she sails again this day, at noon, I send you the following few items of news, supposing that by the Challenge, from this port, you will have already received the local papers. •

The all-absorbing topics since my last have been the melancholy and sudden death by drowning of the master of the Avon vale, Captain Petrie, who unfortunately fell overboard from one of; our harbour steamers, the Pride of [ the Yarra, while proceeding to Dunedin, after towing the vessel into safety from outside the heads. Every effort appears to have been made to save him, but life was extinct, although he never sank. A verdict of " Accidental Death was returned by the jmy on the inquest, coupled with a recommendation that both the small: steamers shbuld.be provided with boats. .'..'.:.■,

.. The public mind had no sooner recovered from this shocking accident, when they were again startled by the astounding intelligence that the Henbury, which arrived here on the 20th, with cargo and passengers, was on the following Monday morning'almost totally destroyed by fire, and now lies a complete wreck in 17 or 18 feet of water at low tide in Port Chalmer's Bay. Little or nor thing was saved at the time, but every exertion is being made to save all the cargo possible, and should she be raised again, there is no doubt a great deal of the cargo, valued at from £15,000 to £20,000; may be saved, although more or less damaged. The origin of the fire has not been ascertained, but there is no doubt that a few of the crew, from her first' anchoring till the destruction of the ship, were in a state of drunkenness, and were quarrelling amongst themselves ,• by some means or other, yet unknown, the sails in the sale room got on fire and eventually destroyed the ship. I believe an inquiry will be held into the whole matter, but in the meantime I must refer you to the 'Colonist' of the 26th, where you will find a very impartial and correct account of the whole affair.

The crew are, I learn, now conducting themselves well and working hard to save all they can. ; In consequence of these two disastrous affairs, hardly any, other matter is at present the subject:of remark; but I may add that business is pretty brisk; sawn timber and building materials in much demand ; and, generally speaking, the market is pretty well stocked.

The Armin luis made another successful trip with <a... large cargo of sheep, which were safely landed at Moeraki. The lleliance has come in from your port, and I hear the Thomas and Henry arrived yesterday from the Mauritius, with a cargo of sugar and molasses, having made a very favourable passage. The receipt of the New Customs Act has caused m some little dispute here, many parties appearing to' argue that the old rates only are payable on all goods actually imported previous to the receipt of the Act- I however expect that they will find i out their mistake, as there can be no doubt as to j| the "meaning of the clause in the Customs Act referring, to this matter. His Honor Mr. Justice Gresson has been obliged to return overland, after administering pretty '< severe rebukes all round.

is, we perceive, su,mnioried for to-mdl-row, to consider the ttfecesßary steps' to be1 taken under the ■circumstances.

The weather 'has continued remarkably -fine four this last month-, with o'rify a Cow showers of rain. There are reports, of gold having been ibuiid' near our town, but this remains to be proved as to whether in a quantity like .to pay tho working at it. The mail closing here early this morning. I must" conclude, trusting these hasty obsoi'Vat'iona may-bo of interest to your readers.

Our correspondent's letter gives a summary of all the important news that has found its way into print. But strange stories are life as to the primitive ideas on the administration of-justice still entertained by the local Government. We are informed that before the Judge left Dunediu one of the prisoners sentenced by him during the present assizes escaped from the so-called gaol, and that no endeavour was made to recapture him, as such a step was considered to be contrary to precedent, and hopeless. This is said to be the seventh escape in three'months. And yet some people at Otago seem astonished that His Honor should have expressed considerable displeasure at this state of things.

BURNING OF THEHENBUBY. (From the ' Colonist,' August 26th.)

It is our painful duty this week to record the most lamentable casualty which lias occurred in our harbour, by which a fine vessel, with a valuable cargo, all for Otago, Has, after passing safely through all the perils incident to'"a voyagehalf round the world, fallen a^ prey to an element which has proved more relentlessly destructive than that from which danger might most naturally have been apprehended. The Henbury, 473 tons, one of Messrs. Willis's ships, commanded by Captain Robinson, sailed from Gravesend for this port on the 22nd April, with a cargo of the estimated value of from £15,000 to £20,000, ten cabin and nine intermediate and steerage passengers. In common nearly all the late arrivals in New Zealand, she experienced some severe weather, which delayed her arrival off Otago Heads until Friday, the 19th instant. Not seeing the light, she passed to the northward, and touched the Shag reef, but without receiving any damage. She bore up oh Saturday morning, arid was brought safely to her anchorage at Port Chalmers at six p.m., several of the passengers arriving in Duriedin on the samerevening, as did also the captain, for the purpose of entering his ship on Monday morning. Long before business hours on Monday, however, an express from the Port arrived with the startling intelligence that the Henbury was on fire, confirmation of which was shortly afterwards brought up by the Victoria. The harbourmaster, C. Logic, Esq., lost no time in proceeding to the scene of the disaster, accompanied by Captain Robinson and others. On nearing the Port, about 11 o'clock, the volumes of smoke rising over the hills, and especially one burst, caused, as we afterwards found, by the explosion of the small quantity of powder on board, gave only too true a presage' of the scene that presented itself on entering the harbor. The whole of the after part of the hull of the noble ship from the mainmast to her traffrail was one body of flames, which, it appeared, however, had only burst forth in their uncontrollable fury a short time previously, and a few minutes only elapsed ere the mizen-mast went crashing over the side. The burning vessel had been ere this entirely deserted; but Captain Robinson proceeded to the Shore, and after having in vain endeavoured to elicit from the crew some information as to the origin of the calamity, prevailedupon several parties to proceed with him on board, to endeavour to rescue something from the conflagration. The main rigging was now in a blaze, but the mast remained standing, although it was of course impossible to attempt to save it from the devouring element by cutting it away. As, however, the flames had not reached the fore part of the deck, the foremast was cut away, and eyery.exertion was made to save all that could' be secured from this end of the ill-fated vessel. Those exertions were continued until the heat of the decks from the fire beneath them compelled the men to ahaudon their labours. At half-past one the whole of the after part was burnt to the Crater's edge, but the ship having been scuttled and sunk in.about 18 feet of water, the fire appeared to receive a decided check about mid-ships, leaving the fore part to the height of a few feet visible, and the mainmast still standing.

The origin of the fire is, at the moment we write, involved in the greatest mystery, but from personal inquiry we have obtained the following particulars:—The steerage passengers' berths were situated between decks, and divided from the after part of the ship by a bulkhead flush with the ihizehmast. _ One side of the portion so divided off was used as a storeroom for dry provisions, (bread, flour, &(%,) but no spirits or liquor of any kind were kept there. This room is immediately underneath the poop cabin. It was also used as a sail-room, and the steward usually slept in it, although on Sunday, the captain being at Dunedin, the former occupied his cabin. From & s very early hour on Sunday morning, the crew appear to have been in a state of riotous drunkenness, quarrelling and fighting the whole1 day, and several of the passengers on board were compelled to seek safety on shore, and oh board the Avonvale. The cook was severely maltreated by them, and in order to escape from them he went into the steerage passengers1" berth, and slept upon a sail close to the store-room door. At about three o'clock on Monday morning he was awoke by a smell of fire, and aroused the mate and the carpenter, who proceeded to the store-room, and on breaking open the door discovered the sails to be in flames. An alarm was immediately raised by ringing the ship's bell, which was speedily re-echoed by those of the other vessels by which the Henbury was surrounded. The Avonvale and Eeinauw Engelkhens were fortunately to windward, but the Cosmopolite and William Hyde were in very dangerous proximity to the burning ship. They were soon, however, warped to a safer distance. Various statements have been made with regard to the conduct .of the crew at this critical moment, to which it would be unjust to give currency pending a judicial inquiry. Mr. Monson, the landingwaiter, Captain "Lewis, of the Cosmopolite, the crews of the Avonvale and Ann Jane, and number's from the shore, were quickly on board, but in the darkness, and without an engine or almost any other necessary requisite for extinguishing the fire," but little could be done. The poop cabin, which, as before stated, was directly above the store room, was densely filled with smoke, but holes were cut in the deck, through which water was poured, and some of the efl'ects belonging to the captain; and the cabin passengers were sjot out. All the hatches were battened down, the cable was slipped^ and the vessel was then towed nearer the shore and scuttled. Thus she remained, volumes of smoke giving continuous cvi« dence of the fearful work of devastation going on within, till abont ten o'clock, when the flames burst forth, greedily enwrapping her stout timbers in their fatal embrace; and by mid-day the ill-fated Henbury, who but a few short hours previously had "walked the waters like a thing of life," the temporary but pleasant home of some old and some new colonists, lay a shapeless mass, the grave of many a hope, and with " Ichabod" for her melancholy epitaph. The fire was totally extinguished about sunset.

Every exertion is being made to rescue the remains of the cargo ■.from-tlie wreck. The sails, boats, and a portion of the effects, in the cabin were secured when1 the fire at first broke out. The cargo was a jreneral one, and is -estimated to have been worth from £15,000 to £20,000, which, it is feared, will for the most part prove to be so much damaged as to be' almost valueless. A meeting of consignees

While it is a matter for great thank fulness that ; no lives have been lost or imperilled by this sad •misadventure, we regret that, although most of the cargo was insured, some cases of severe loss'have occurred to individual. Among the rest, we cordially sympathise 'With Captain Robinson, who in spoken of in the highest terms by both puKseiigers and crew, and who has not only to lament tho destruction of bis ship, but also of a venture of about £1000 worth of goods, the whole of which was unfortunately uninsured. The Kteei;age pas>sengers, too, have lost absolutely everything, as it 'was impossible to penetrate to that part of the vessel where their effects wore dcpositml. As will be seen elsewhere, however, public sympathy lias been readily put forth to meet the case of the poorer sufferers. We understand from a private letter that onr old fellow-settler, Mr. Mansford, had inadti arrangements for liis return to this colony by the Henbury, with a largo quantity of goods, but for some roiison he fortunately changed his mind. Several parties here had, however, many atticles on board, possessing for them a peculiar value far beyond their intiinsic worth, or what the insurance is likely to cover; while others, from the long delay in tire sailing of the Henbury, which was advertised for December last, have had reason to congratulate themselves upon their orders'having 'been despatched by the Avonvale, though originally intended for the former vessel. The following is the list of passengers :—Cabin —Mr. and Mrs. Clapeott, Messrs. G. Wise, J. Browne, G. W. Campbell, J. Dickson, S. Dickson, E. Pett.it, W. Luker, G. Thomson. SteerageJane Fitzsimmonds, D. Milne and wife, W. H.

Wilkes, A. Gann, wife, and infant; R. Jackson, W. Withers, and W. Wood. .