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Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 64, 9 December 1863, Page 5

Gilbert, the Bdsiiranoer.—This notorious offender is now on the Melbourne side, having left the gang He is not, as generally supposed, a native of this colony, but a Canadian. He arrived with a man named John Davis, soid to be his uncle, in Victoria, some years ago, and afterwards came on this side. Davis kept a publichouse at Waverley, and was murdered, it was supposed, by the nephew. Tho lad decamped on horseback, and was captured near Goulburn. He was tried by tho Chief Justice, at the Sydney Criminal Sittings, on the 6th of April, 1854, but tho evidenco failing, ho was acquitted. But afterwards lie was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to Cockatoo Island, for stealing the horse. Gardiner was serving a sentence at the same time. These two men, Gardiner and Roberts, were reported as having escaped from Cockatoo, but after hiding away for two or threo days, they were discovered and punished by Captain M'Lerie, at that time visiting justico. In 1857 the latter obtuined a ticket-ot-leave for Ipswich, and subsequently he committed various depredations in Victoria. In this colony ho turned up as Johnny Gilbert, and again become the companion of Gardiner. The description of Roberts in 1854, then seventeen years of age, and the description of Gilbert, now twentv-six, is so perfect us not to leave a shadow of doubt that tho two are identical. At the trial '-hove referred to, Roberts was defended by Mr Durvall. The case caused great, excitement, and although lie was acquitted of the murder, the fact of his leaving the house of his uncle during the night, and being f »und with a laigo amount of money in his possession, near Goulburn, a few days afterwards, left an impression in tho mind of tho public that he was guilty. Foundering op a Federal Vessel of War at Sea.—Loss of One Hundred Lives.—lntelligenco has been received by tho American mail of tho foundering of tho Federal corvette Bainbridge, sevon guns, Commander Thomas J. Dwyer, in a dreadful hurricane, on tho 21st August, the whole of the crew, about 100, with the exception of two men, going down with the vessel. The Bainbridge formed ono of the Federal fleet appointed to the West India waters to intercept the various " blockade runners." The British brig South Boston, Captain G. A. Lane, which arrived at Philadelphia on the 15th instant, from Barbadoes, reports that on the 2.'srd of August, in lat. 36 11 N, long. 71, she picked up Jam«s Smith, a colored man, who was in a boat half full of water, lie stated that in a fearful gale three days previously, tho Bainbridge suddenly foundered, and ho aud tho cook alono escaped by jumping into tho boat diaOdwvtxl by tho South Burton, the fastenings of

which were instantly cut, and it was borne away by a mountainous wavo as the corvette disappeared iti the trough of the sea. The cook became a raving maniac twelve hours aftot the Kinking of the vessel, and jumped overboard. Smith was now left alone in the open boat, and endured dreadful sufferings. Numbers of times he was washed out of the boat, but always managed to scramble in again. At last, when all hope had fled, Smith was picked up in a most providential mannor, while the gale was still rnging in all its fury, and landed safely at Philapliia.—Enylinh, Paper.