BURNING OF THE OCEAN MONARCH EMIGRANT SHIP. LOSS OF ONE HUNDRED AND THIRSTY LIVES. [From the Observer, August 28.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 364, 27 January 1849, Page 3

BURNING OF THE OCEAN MONARCH EMIGRANT SHIP. LOSS OF ONE HUNDRED AND THIRSTY LIVES. [From the Observer, August 28.]

The splendid American ship Ocean Mo* narch, of 1,300 tons burden, belonging to Train's line of Boston packets, which left the Mersey early on Thursday morning, in splen* did trim, with about 360 persons on board, including the crew and emigrants, has been destroyed. It is melancholy to add, that as near as can be calculated, about 1 30 of the passengers, who, but a few hours before .were buoyed up by bright anticipations of the future, have been lost. The Ocean Mom rch sailed from Liverpool at an eaily hour, the tide flowing about seven o'clock. As she passed through the channel her progress was reported by the telegraph, but at length the sad news arrived that she was in flames. When the announcement was made in the Exchange News-room great consternation prevailed, it being kuown that she had a large number of passengers on board. Great was the anxiety to learn any tidings whatever of the vessel, but it was not till the arrival, about half- past five, of the Queen of the Ocean yacht, belonging to T. Littledale, Esq., that the extent of the calamity was known. Mr. Littledale, who is the Commodore of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, had been at Beaumaris Regatta, which took place on Monday last, and he was reluming in his yacht to Liverpool, with a party of friends, About twelve o'clock, when near the Great Ormshead, they observed the Ocean Monarch about five or six miles to the eastward of the Ormshead, in Abergele Bay, between the Ormshead and Abergele. Mr. Littledale and his friends were admiring the beauty of the splendid ship, as she was pursuing her course to the Atlantic. On a sudden, the Ocean Monarch was" observed to put up her helm, as if returning to Liverpool. A flag of distress was immediately hoisted, and in a few seconds flames were observed to burst out abaft. The ship was lying right in the course of the yacht, and Mr. Littledale bore away for her. On nearingher, although there was a stiff breeze blowing, with a heavy swell, the boat of the yacht was lowered and proceeded to the ship for the purpose of rendering what assistance she could. Of course with the swell on, it would have been next to certain destruction to the yacht had she been run alongside the ship, but the exertions of Mr. Littledale were of the noblest description, and he has the satisfaction of knowing that he has been the means of rescuing thirty-two persons from death. The scene which presented itself to Mr. Littledale on nearing the vessel was most appalling. The flam.es were bursting with immense fnry from the stern and centre of the vessel. The shrieks for aid were carried by the breeze across the waters. In their maddened despair, women jumped overboard with their children in their arms, and sunk. Men followed their wives in frenzy, and were lost. i Groups of men, women, and children also precipitated themselves in the water, in the vain hope of self preservation, but the waters closed over many of them for ever.- No pen can describe this scene. The flames.continued to rage with increased fury. In a few minutes the mizen mast went overboard; A few minutes more and the main mast sharedthe same fate. There yet remained the foremast. As the fire was making its way to the fore part of the vessel, - the passengers and crew of course crowded still further forward. To the jib-boom they clung in clusters as thick as they could pack, even lying one over another. At length the fore-mast went overboard, snapping the fastenings . o£ the jib-boono, which, with its load of human beings, dropped into the waters, amidst heartrending screams, both of those on board and

those who were falling nuo the water. Some of the poor creatures were enabled again to reach ,tbe vessel, others floated away on spars, but many met with a watery grave. It appears that the fire broke out about 12 o'clock. From the great consternation in which the passengers were, of course, all control over them was gone. They ran about as long as they could in all directions, and some of the scenes which followed have already been described. The captaiu threw overboard to the poor fellows in the water, all the moveable spars, &c, he could find, and afterwards flung a spar into the water and followed it. Several persons followed hirri and seized hold of the same spar. He entreated some of them to let go, or all would perish, and he showed them the example by swimming to a plank, by which he was enabled to sustain himself for about twenty minutes in the water, -when he was picked up by the yacht. In about an hour and a half after the yacht reached the vessel, the Brazilian steam-frigate -Alfonso, which was on a trial trip, came up. She anchored immediately to windward, close to the burning vessel. She got a rope made fast to the Ocean Monarch, and by the use of the said rope her boats were enabled to go backwards and forwards to the burning vessel with the greatest facility, and by this means a large number of persons was saved. The Prince of Wales steamer, which was on ber passage hence to Bangor, came up shortly afterwards, and with the New World packetship, bound to New York, sent boats to the rescue of the passengers, and were the means of saving a large number. The Brazilian frigate was commanded by the Marquis de Lisboa. There was also on board the Prince de Joinville, his lady and suite, the Duke and Duchess d'Aumale, the Chevalier de Lisboa, Admiral Grenfell and daughters,, and other distinguished indivi- ; duals. When the Alfonso discovered the Ocean Monarch, no time was lost in bearing down to her, and it was intended to anchor righc under her bow, but the wind changed a little, and prevented this from being accomplished. Four boats were, however, at once -lowered, and were at once followed by the large paddle box boat. M. Marquis de Lisboa jumped into one, and Admiral Grenfell into the other, and were untiring in their exertions to save the poor people. The Prince de Joinville stripped his coat, and was particularly assiduous in assisting the passengers on board the frigate. The Alfonso rescued in all about 160 persons, including thirteen seamen. Of these about 140 landed, and the remainder preferred staying on board the frigate all night, M. Marquis de Lisboa having given directions that all who were desirous of remaining should be accommodated in the best v\ ay possible. About 208 passengers have been accounted for, 32 by the yacht, 160 by the Alfonso, and 16 by a fishing boat. One man was also brought by the Taliessen, Rhyl steamer, making in all 209. If the number stated on board, 360, be correct, 151 remain to be accounted for. The Prince of Wales must have rescued some and taken them on with her to Bangor. The stewardess lost her life in courageously attempting to get the powder out of the cabin. There were about twenty-five pounds weight on board, and when she went below to get it, it is supposed that she was suffocated. The powder exploded with a report like that of a cannon, but not being confined, and there being no persons at that part of the vessel, no damage it is supposed was done by the explosion. Sixteen persons arrived on Thursday night at Seacombe, having been picked up by a fishing boat. The Ocean Monaich was the property of Messrs. Enoch, Train, & Co., of Boston, and was insured for -£28,000 ; her cargo is said to have been worth upwards of £20,000.

Modern Italian Women. — "An Italian woman is not venal or interested. At least she never bas a hand in her marriagebargain, widow-jointure, or separate maintenance. She never holds her husband's purse. The value of gold forms no part of her scanty arithmetic. The very millionnaire singer or dancer is notorious for lavish improvidence. A woman in Italy, by taste an artist, is never a showy, exaggerate dresser. Conscious, perhaps, of the pale, delicate style of her beauty, she enhances its charms by the unaffected chasteness of her homely attire. Whatever may be said of the * painted courtesans' at Rome, a well-bred Italian never rouges. That native mixture of orange and olive — properly yellow and green — by which nature characterised the bilious south, is, perhaps from necessity in Italy under the fashionable appellation of pattina sentimentale. As she is not a high dresser, so neither is an Italian a low. dresser. Since Dante's rebuke of his townswomen, bare necks and shoulders are decidedly mauvuis ton. All charms below the chin must remain a matter of faith with her lover, till they are definitely adjudged to him for better- for- worse. On the discovery of her first wrinkle, tn Italian belle' with-

! draws frond the scenfe of action. Plain sables, I a nun-like habiliment, is alone befitting all old women. A ghastly old hag, a breathing mummy, in all the paraphernalia, of the last puppet of France, never haunts or saddens an Italian salon — no ! not even ' for the sake of employing needy milliners, or encouraging trade.' A woman in Italy has an oyster-like fondness for home ; she is the worst traveller on earth. She may not, perhaps, point to her Brussels carpets as the best of her jewels, nor boast of fireside virtues ; but she looks with amazement at the crowds of home-loving daughters of Albion, at the swarms of Tomkins, Pumpkins, and Popkins, with caravans of nurses and children, hurrying from town to town, like tribes of gipsies, with the parish beadle at their heels. * * * An Italian wife certainly prefers her terrace or balcony ; to the chimney-corner, a moonlight walk or I even an opera box to a rubber at whist ; but she is rooted to her house and country ; too indolent, too strongly attached to her climate, her habits, and connexions, to long for the excitement of change. On peut-on etre mieux qu'au sein 1 de sa famille ! Her meekness and amiability enable her to live at peace with her mother and sisters-in-law. * * * A woman in Italy is seldom a forward character. ' Corinne' is a French creation. An authoress in Italy, or an actress, is a being apart. Female authorship in that country is a kind of anomaly ; a sort of moral hermaphrodism. Woman there is trained to shrink from the open air and public gaze ; she is no rider, never in at the death of a fox hunt ; no hand at a whip if her life depended upon it ; she never kept a stall at a fancy fair ; never took the lead at a debating club ; she never addresses a stranger, except, \ perhaps, behind a mask in carnival ; her politics are limited to wearing tri-coloured ribbons, and refusing an Austrian's hand as a : partner in waltzing ; she is a dunce, and makes no mystery of it ; a coward, and glories in it i — at least she keeps her accomplishments for j her domestic circle, her moral courage for ! those raie instances in which affection calls forth the latent energies of her better nature." — Italy, Past and Present, by Sig. Mariotti. An Irish Grand Juror. — Standish O'Grady (afterwards Lord Guillamore) asked O'Connell to accompany him to the play one evening, during the Limerick assizes in 1812. O'Connell declined, observing that the Limerick grand jurors were not the pleasantest folk in the- world to meet after dinner. O'Grady went, but very soon returned. 'Dan,' says he, " you were quite right. I had not been five minutes in the box, when some ten or a dozen noisy gentlemen came into it. It was small and crowded, and as I observed that one of the party had his head close to a peg on which I had hung ray hat, I said very politely, ' I hope, sir, my hat does not incommode you ; if it does, pray allow me to remove it.' ' Faith,' said he, * you may be sure it doesn't incommode me ; for if it did, smither me, but I'd have kicked it out of the box, and yourself after it !' So, lest the worthy juror should change his mind as to the necessity of such vigorous measures, I quietly put my bat on, and took myself off.

" Line upon Line" — " The pictures drawn on our minds," observes Locke, " are drawn in fading colors ; and if not frequently refreshed, soon vanish and disappear." And the beautiful language of Coleridge impresses this truth still more strongly. "It is not enough," he says, "that we have once swallowed truths ; we must feed on them as insects on a leaf, till the whole heart is colored by their qualities, and shows its food even in the minutest fibre." This spirit of perseverance will surmount every obstacle. It is by the use, and not merely by the possession, of energies that we can hope to succeed ; for the exertion of moderate talents will be sure to outweigh the carelessness of the brightest.

Behave Yourself before Children. — A young gentleman residing in the neighbourhood of Richmond had occasion, a short time since, to drivd his pretty cousin Fanny down to Windsor in a gig. Little Charley, a brother of Fanny's accompanied and sat between them in the gig ; but as he was only five or six years of age,, of course he was considered nobody. Unfortunately, however, the urchin had got' a new hat that very day, of which he was exceedingly proud. Finding, on his arrival at Windsor, that he had sustained some injury during the journey, he rushed to his mamma to complain. " I declare, mamma," he cried, " I'll nevei ride in a gig between sister Fanny and cousin George again." "Why j so, my dear?" " Because," he replied,] "they've bruised my new hat all to pieces with leaning over me to kiss each other, all the way from Richmond."

Love, Death, and the Lottery. — Early in the reign of George 11., the footman of a lady of quality, under the absurd infatuation of a dream, disposed of the savings of the last twenty years of bis life in two ldttery tickets, which proving blanks, after a few melanfefibly days, he put an end to his life. In

his box was found the following plan of the manner in which he should spend the five -thousand pound prize, which his mistress preserved as a curiosity : — "As soon as I get the money, I will marry Grace Towers ; bufc.as she has been cross and coy, I will use her as a servant. Every morning she shall, get me a mug of strong beer, with a toast, nutmeg, and sugar in it ; then' I will sleep tiilceri, after which I will have a large sack posset. My dinner shall be on table by one, and netfer without a good pudding. I will have a stock of wine and brandy laid in. About five in the afternoon I will have tarts and jellies, and a gallotf of bowl punch ; at ten, a hot supper of two dishes. If lamin a good humour, and Grace behaves herself, she shall sit down with me. To bed about twelve." — See Hone's Every Day Book.

The Ladies. — At a late dinner of the General Theatrical Society, Mr. Charles Dickens at the conclusion of his speech said, " The Muses were ladies, the Graces were ladies, some of the best writers were ladies, some of the best characters in tragedy and comedy were ladies, the brightest portion of our existence are ladies, and the very best and kindest saints in the calendar were ladies. He would therefore give, * The Ladies.' " (Great cheering, of course.)

Wanted. — By a gentleman going into the Patriotic Line, a few Grievances of strong manufacture, warranted to wear well. Also, some materials for making a Good Mob, that will not shrink in the washing, if a shower of rain should come on. Best price" given for Old Grievances, if they are not t6o much vorn, and will admit of turning over to the other side. Income Tax objected to. Good Substantial Wrongs, to which there are no appropriate Rights, will be taken with alacrity by the Advertiser, whose object is chiefly occupation ; but he is indifferent to its being profitable to anybody but himself. No Irish need apply.