WRECK OF THE "TYRIAN."

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 598, 7 January 1852, Page 3

WRECK OF THE "TYRIAN."

The following letter fiom a passenger on board this unfortunate vessel has been received by a fuend iv Auckland. It gives an affecting as well as authentic account of the circumstances of the disaster : — " Sydney, 11th December, 1851. " I have the painfu! news to communicate of the total wrnck of the Tyiian, on our passage from your port, which occmred on the 25th ultimo, at midnight, on Elizabeth ltwf. The circumstances were ns follows : — On leaving Auckland, we had baffling winds and bad weather up to making Loid Howes Inland, and, being unable to get to the westward, stood northerly. On Monday, 24th November, I saw breakers from the mast-head, which, having pointed oul to the Captain, he saw and knew, from the position, to be Elizabeth Reef. Towards night, lost si^ht of it, getting a fine northerly breeze, and shaped a course to clear it, standing for Sydney. At 12 o'clock, the Captain was relieved by the mate ; had just come down, and was looking at the chart; we were all in bed when s>he struck hard and fa*t ; we ran mmediately on deck, and, to our amazement, were on the middle of the reef. Such a scene of confusion I never witnessed , most of the men were stupified, and could do nolhin;>. The Captain, not knowing but she might fill or capsize, ordered the boats to be lowered and hung on to the wwck till morning. The long-boai could only be depended on ; 38 persons got into it, and six of us (including the mate, two seamen, Mr. and Mrs. Wdks, and your bumble serrant, who nearly lost his life in lowering her anjay,) got into the jolly-boat, but could not hold on to the ship on account of the sea and broakciy, and were obliged to cut adrift, myself with only «i cap, shut, and pair of trowsers, and book, in which was some of my papers and money ; we had only one bottle of ■water and some biscuit ; pulled to winchvaid, waiting for the other boat till daylight, the boat making a deal of water and in a heavy sea; the .same boat could scarcely convey eight of us fiom the alup to the shore in your haibour ; she leaked bo there, that I was obliged to steer her to the nearest jetty on the moirnng of our arrival at Auckland. When daylight came, we were six or seven milos to leeward amongst bioken water, and could not see the other boat; made a desperate sttuggle and got back to the ship about nine or ten o'clock, being away ten hours ; found the ship, not mailing water, standing tolerably upright, and the long-boat had not left; had th^y cut adrift, all must have- foundered or perished in the breakeis, especially the women and cluldipti : got on boaid ut time to escape very bad woatker ; just setting in from the soutln\MKJ ; which came in

heavy thundei find lightning s<j<ialls ; kept sail on, thinking- she might back oil— but no, she was too fast. As heavy a squall .is [ hive witnessed, from t'n-> westwanJ, diovo hei highei up o,i the reef, whtioshedid not jump or bump so ninth. At fust, wo thought she must have jai red lieisolf to pieces or her masts out. The Kosotta Joseph's wieck within lime or iouv miles I of us, cast aw.iy ahout twelve months a<;o, was a melancholy bight for 44 of us, who did not well know whether <-ver any of us would see ten a fuma once more or not, bad weather all day, and next it cleared; got the long-boat under oidoiss, and made prepaiations lor leaving to gel assistance. Captain jJerkin&luw was put in charge, when Mis. J3erlvinshaw and three rhildien, Mr. and IMis. A% llUs, Mr. Nathan, the Slate, Mr. Spiague, Mr. Brooks, three seomen, and Geoige Atkinson, were despatched by Captain Robinson tp proceed to Howes Island, 01 the coast of New South Wiles. Next moJiiing we started, [lulling fiom the ship amidst the clieci i> and lem s of twenty-nine left behind; six or eight ot the hunch eds of shaiks about the ship followed us iovrvnlos; evenmgbious;ht a fair wind, hoisted sail, and steeicd for some part of the coast, and (after six dnys and nights of the greatest suffering irom thirst, and constantly wet from spray and 1 rain, that I have ever experienced) we landed at Newcastle, aft"r a boisteiou-s j)assage in a rotten leaky boat, which kept two continually bailing. Fiom leaving- the wieck till arriving-, from 40 to 50 buckets an hour was the average we put out of her, and sometimes it came faster than we could keep her fiee : this with fifteen people, 1 our scanty clothing-, bad food, always wet, and nosleep, was what the Yankees call haid lines indeed. I cannot I describe our sufferings, with two women and three children taking: up a huge portion of the room, &c. "Wo have fuithor ntelligence from the wieck. A whaler took 15 passengeis oil a ketch fiom the Feegees; biought seven or eight on to Sydney ; and the Captain and son-in-law, with five or si\- men, remained behind. The vessel w-as half full of water, but the Government steamer Acheion would be down in time to save them. The Captain would not leave, expecting us to send some vessel for caigo, &c. " I must now conclude, being tiuly thankful to the Divine Piovidence /or His piotection and sparing meicy towaids an unworthy object."

The following 1 grateful acknowledgement of his services on the distressing occasion was addressed to Captain Birkenshaw by a. number of bis fellow-pas-sengers :—: — To Captain Thomas Bnhemhaw, late of the hugantme Mmeiva* We, the undersigned, passengers by the Tyrian from Honolulu and Auckland, beg to letuin our most grateful thinks, as well for our-elves as those left on board the abo\ mentioned vessel, cast away on Elizabeth Reef, on the night of the 24th Novembei, for your invaluable services in tiling charge of and mvigating that vessel's long-boat to this poit, at which we have, by the goodness of Divine Providence, safely amved after a boisterous passage of six days. Trusting that the future rnny more than makp up to you for thp I'cavy loss you have recently sustained, and with the mobt sinceie good wishes for youiself and family, We remain, Sir, Voui deeply obliged fellow passengers, JAMI,S WILhS, Louisa Wilks, llcnry Naiiian, GtoiiGt. Atkinson, Fredirigk Bkooks, La ban SpRAGi;r, JAMLS CllAWlOltD. Newcastle, December 2. The ketch iEolus on her passage from the Feejee Islands, sighted Elizabeth Reef on the 4th instant, and Captain Cocks finding a vessel ashore, had a boat lowered, with four hands, and under the charge of Captain Stuart, (late of the Opalia), ptocpeded towards the leef, when it was found to be the barque Tyrian, of London, (wreck aheady reported), having on boaid eight seamen and four passengers, also the captain Mr. Robinson. In accoi dance with instructions, Captain Stuart offered every assistance, but only three sailors and the four passengeis would go on board the ketch, Captain Robinson stating that he expected a ve;-pel fiom Sydney immediately to secure tin 1 cargo. Fiom the time the vessel went asliorp until tiie 30th tilt., the passengers and ciew fared well, and on that day fortunately, the coloni.il whfhng baique Jane, Captain Brazier, made the Island, and took fifteen souls off the wreck, with the undei standing they were either to be | landed at Howes Island or Sydney Heads, accoiding to the winds. The 'J ynan sunk on the 3rd, the water being up to her bulwarks, leaving only the foio pait of her hull out of water. Captain Robinson and five | seamen lemained by the vessel, with the intention of saving what cargo and gear they could get at. — Sydney He) aid, Dec. 8. Loss of the Opalia. — The JEolus, ketch, arrived last night, having on board Captain Stuart, and part of the ciew of the Opalia. It appears that the latter vessel, in making one of the Islands of Goio, in a light wind misled stays ami struck heavily on a reef on the 24th July. The vessel was immediately plundered by the natives, and four hours after she struck sunk into deep water; the captain and crew weie safely landed on shore, but unloituuately without saving any of their clothes, &c. — lb. By thp Chnmpion, from Singapore the 4th October, we have the Overlaud Mail to the 25th August. The following vessels are reported : The Sir John Byng, hence, arrived on 6Hi August ; the Duke of Bronte and Steadiest, both from New Zealand, bad also arrived; the Boadicea, fiom Melbourne, called and sailed for China ; the American ship Memnon, from Hong-Kong, bound to London, was lost in the Straits of Gasper on 17th September; also the American ship Thomas Browne, fiotn California, bound to Calcutta, was wreckfd on a small inland situate to the southward of Macassar; the ship Elizabeth Brown, from Sydney, bound to India, was totally lost in Torres Stratts"on the Ist August, the captain and crew were taken on to Singapore by the Boadicea. The Champion saw the Deslandes off Cape Howe en the 3rd instant. — lb. Dec. 11. Wreck or the Tyuian. — The wreck of this vessel, lying on Elizabeth Reef, was put up at the rooms of Mr. George A. Lloyd yesterday, and bought, with the caigo and private property on board, by Mr. R. T. Ford for the sum of £kS in all. — lb. lice. IG.