MELANCHOLY SHIPWRECK OF THE TWO SISTERS, OF SYDNEY.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 54, 3 February 1843, Page 4

MELANCHOLY SHIPWRECK OF THE TWO SISTERS, OF SYDNEY.

The loss of. this vessel on her passage to Maulmain, our readers will remember, has already been announced on the authority of letters found by the John Brewer and the Geargiana on. Boobv Island; but the particulars of the melancholy event have not hitherto appeared in any of the colonial papers. The following has been communicated by Captain Fox, to the Singapore Free Press :—

“ On Sunday, the 19th June, the Two Sisters of Liverpool, 401 tons, left Port Jackson, bound to Maulmain. We had most delightful weather up to the time of our catastrophe, which took place as follows : “ On the morning of the 2nd July we came in sight of the Grand Barrier Reefs ; and after running northerly till noon, found our latitude to be 12 deg. 8 min. S., on which we stood in for the reefs, entered by the Nimrod’s passage, and anchored about 4h. 30m. p.m. on the N.W. side of Sir C. Hardy’s Islands. The same morning sighted two vessels that were about entering the Barrier considerably to the northward of us, which we supposed to be the Malcolm of Whitehaven, and the French ship Nouvelle Ermance of Nantz, which were in company with us some days previous, but being better sailers, had left us behind. They anchored towards night to leeward of Cockburn’s Island and shoal. “ On the morning of the 4th, 1 boarded the Malcolm, when Captain Turner wished me to ask Captain M'Nair if he would anchor at Boo'ay Island, he and the Captain of the Frenchman having already agreed to do so, that being the usual rendezvous for vessels to leave notice of their safe passage through the straits, there being a waterproof box there for the purpose of containing such communication.

“ The Malcolm weighed first, the Nouvelle Ermance soon after, and the unfortunate Two Sisters following. Not feeling very well that morning, I did not go to the cuddy table to breakfast. My wife lay ill in bed, having been delivered of a line boy about a quarter to eleven on the morning of the 2nd, as we were about entering the Barrier Reefs. *

“ About 20m. to 9 a.rn., Feter Stewart, the chief officer, whose watch it was on deck, went into the store room with the carpenter, as some loaf sugar was required, and before locking the door he sneaked into the pantry (which was immediately opposite my cabin,) with a bottle of rum, from which lie helped himself'to a large dose in a tea cup, and hid the remainder in the pantry. He had not Jel't the half deck more than five minutes, when the vessel struck so violently on a sunken rock, as to knock me down-, (she had been going about nine knots an hour through the water) ; i listened a moment, and could hear the water rushing in at a fearful rate. 1 instantly made the best of my way on deck, when I found every thing in confusion ; —the men were running about in all directions—l sung out to them to take sail off the vessel, assisting to do so myself, fearful the vessel might forge off the rock, and sink in deep, water. I observed the carpenter cut away the gripes of the long boat; but, as I imagined, some of the topgallant studding sail gear was made fast to the iron clamps which hooked over the boat’s gunwale, the men’s efforts to move her proved ineffectual. I rushed down to my cabin, telling my wife to get something on as quick as possible, for the vessel was going down. She clung to her babe, which 1 took from her, and ran with it on deck, where I left it in the steward's arms, as I believed it the only means of hurrying my wife on deck, and thereby (perhaps) saving her life. The servant woman, with my eldest little boy, (twenty months’ old), followed close at my heels. I hurried down to my cabin the second time, and assisted my wife on deck, without shoes and stockings, she having had only time to put on an old muslin gown which remained unfastened ; I now helped to roll the booms off the gallows from over the skill' which lay inside the long boat; the boat was launched over the larboard gunwale by main hard work; but, I believe, never would have been got out if Captain Henchman of the 57th Bengal N.I. had not almost alone cleared the boats of the lumber over and in her. At all events, he was the first I saw fly to get her out. When launched, she was speedily filled with men, when 1 begged of one man in her to take the babe out of my arms, (which I had snatched off the deck, the poor steward, in his anxiety for self-preservation, having laid it there close against the round-house,) when the fellow muttered an imprecation on the child as the boat was moved from the ship’s side either designedly or by accident. Jackson, the second mate, then said, “Captain Fox, if you want to save yourself, jump into the stern boat.” I hurried my poor wife along, who was more dead than alive, helped her into the boat (over taffrail), then the children and servant. I ran back to the cuddy door, thinking I might once more reach my cabin, and get part of my money, clothes for my wife, and some valuable papers; but the water had anticipated me. The vessel was going down fast; already her bows was clean under water. I bolted for the stern boat again, into which I jumped, Captain M'Nair following me close, who had been on a similar errand, and was more successful, his cabin being on the main deck. Captain Henchman saved nothing, like myself, but what he usually wore. Even then I learnt that in the skiff they found her so leaky, that he and Mr. Thompson were obliged to bale her with’ their hats and boots. “ The stern boat was still fast, when I handed Jackson a knife, who cut away the larboard davit fall, and we shoved . off, fearful of being drawn down in the awful vortex which the foundering of the vessel would occasion.

She sunk immediately after, turning over on her larboard bilge, leaving part of her tops and one of each lower yard arin above water. All who were now in the two small boats took to the water ; (but one man who mounted the rigging) holding on by the spars and planks, and were carried by the current towards a small rocky islet distant about one mile and a half, on which the greater part landed before assistance could be rendered. In the boat we were (which was the smallest) there were ten souls, and great caution was necessary to prevent her swamping, as there was rather a heavy sea running at the time. The French ship being about four miles ahead of us ; when they observed that we had struck, fired a gun, hoisted her colours half-mast, and hove to. The Malcolm being considerably ahead of her again, hauled speedily on a wind, endeavouring to work up in our direction. Thrice the French vessel missed stays in endeavouring to tack, after she had got her cutter out and sent to our assistance ; but having a dead head- sea and •wind blowing fresh they were not less than two hours in pulling to the small rocky islet on which the greater part of the remnant of the ship’s company had "fortunately been enabled to land.

“ The Malcolm, at the time of the accident, could not have been less than nine miles from us, yet she worked off well against a strong current, and succeeded in picking us up about an hour and a half after we had taken

1 o the boats.' • About this period. there -was a nasty, squall on and the weather looked hazy. The skiff in whicli wefe Captain Henchman, Mr. Thompson, and three steerage passengers, with part of the crew, was picked up by the French ship, and they wiye kindly treated by the captain and passengers. The two formerwere afterwards transhipped on board the Malcolm at their own request, as the Nouvelle Ermance was bound to the Mauritius after trading amongst the islands in the vicinity of Timor. “ I cannot express my gratitude to Capt. Turner, of the Malcolm, for'the kindness he shewed'me, and parti-' cularly my sick' wife, to whom he instantly resigned his own bed and private cabin. . “ It is my opinion that the rock on which, the tunate vessel struck went clean through her hull,; and I am supported in that position, for .neither forward nor aft could bottom be seen: The iffan on look-out on board the Malcolm saw the rock : at intervals between the wash of the sea; so, likewise did they on board the Nouvelle Ermace, for she passed close to the leeward of it; but in the midst of our supposed security, in an instant we were awfully made aware of the truth, that there was ‘ but a plank between us and death,’ and that, even that, was now removed. “ From the time she struck till we entered the boats could not have been more than three minutes and a half , and with her went down every thing I possessed in the world ; for in addition to all my nautical, surveying, and mathematical instruments, books, apparel, &c., &., the only cargo the vessel had on hoard was- a few tons of sandalwood belonging to me. I had not time to save a single thing but what I stood in, after my wife and children ; and God only knows how deeply grateful I am for his great mercy in enabling me to rescue them from the sudden death, which appeared inevitable to some of us; for what would all my property have been to me, were it of tenfold the value, if in saving it I had lost my wife or one of my babes ? The suddenness of the calamity was almost enough to have paralysed any man. Thanks be to Almighty God that all our lives were spared, when we thought ourselves so near the verge of eternity. As nearly as I could give the situation of the sunken rock from our place in the boat on leaving the vessel, its position would he in about 10. 33 30’ south lat., and 142. 19 45’east long., and directly in the. track of vessels laid down on the chart by Captain King. “ The following individuals were brought on by the Malcolm : —Captain A. Henchman, 57th 8.N.1., Mr. Edmund Thompson, Captain and Mrs. Fox, two children and servant woman, Captain M‘Nairn, late of Two Sisters, Joseph Jackson, second mate, cook, two seamen and one boy—the remainder proceed on in the Nouvelle Ermace, as the Malcolm had a sufficient quantity of water for so many extra hands.”

Horrible Assassinations. —Buenos Ayres papers to April 16th, and letters to the 20th', brim? accounts of the success of the Buenos O t Ayres forces in the north, in consequence ot which a great number of assassinations, estimated at tw.o or three hundred, had taken place in the city. Some readers may need to be informed that : that “ Unitarians” are a political party, and might with equal propriety be called Centralists—being in favour of a central, instead of a liberal government. A correspondent of the Journal of Commerce, says — ' “ The federal forces have completely mastered and put down their opponents, the Unitariaos, in the provinces of Santa Fe and Entre Rios, those of their party, designated by the others ‘ Masorcas,’ or as they call themselves ‘ Popular Society,’ proceeded to commit the most outrageous and barbarous atrocities upon the Unitarians, or those whom they choose to designate as such, that were living in the city, many of whom were unoffending citizens, and had never taken any part in politics on either side. The Masorcas themselves, together with some assassins, being of the lowest class of Cauclos, and others employed by them, began the work of butchery on the night of the 11th April. They were at first prowling about the street during the night in parties' of from three to ten, sometimes attended by a police cart, and sometimes on horseback. If they met any of whom they were looking for in the streets, they put an end to them at once by cutting their throats, and throwing their bodies into the cart, which took them out of the cityi If they did not meet them in the streets, they would take them out of their houses. In other cases they placed their victims en horses alive, and took them a mile out of the city, and there despatched them, and threw their bodies into ditches or pits, sometimes leaving them in the open fields. Some were taken alive to the barracks and there dispatched; hut none that I have heard of weye taken to the police. On the morning, of the 13th, the heads of two persons were found hanging in the principal public beef market, having had blue ribbons drawn through the nostrils, and they were continued there until nine o’clock. These were . seen by hundreds of people, and by masters; of vessels especially, who go. there for marketing. Neither the police nor any of the government authorities took the least, notice of these acts, which were afterwards committed in open day, and on all classes of citizens, from, some of the.wealthiest merchants .down to the poorest mechanics. On the I.3th a respectable lawyer was killed by them in his own office, situated in the public square, in front of the police office, while writing, at his desk about two o’clock in the afternoon. Many of the assassinations were acts of private vengeance; and there is no knowing to what lengths they might have gone, even among, themselves, if it had not been known that some had fieen killed' besides Federalists. One* a barber, was : killed by a rival of his, and also .a cartman who had been employed in the work himself.. Then, and not till then, did the police make: any effort; tp stay the hand of violence,.: A decree from the Govejipor, himself was published*; in which he expressed his astonishment at such, proceedings ; they were entirely unauthorised hv

him ; censuring the chief of the police foiwiot ; having reported them before. The Unitarians were escaping to Monte Video and elsewhere, i asi many of them as could. This week over eighty of them got off in one foreign merchant vessel. Others were seeking such protection as they could get from foreigners in the city, by secreting themselves in their houses. Their courage and spirit seem entirely to be broken iddwnj and although many of them were well supplied with arms, we have not ’ heard 'of a single instance Of any one ofithem having made the least resistance. They have suffered themselves to be dragged out of their own houses, led off and butchered like so many sheep ; and although probably from two to three hundred of them have been dispatched within the last ten days, not over one hundred Masorcas, it is supposed, have been employed in the work.

C. M. PENNY,

Lambton Quay, February 3, 1843