VAN DIEMEN’S LAND.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 585, 12 March 1851, Page 3

VAN DIEMEN’S LAND.

Ball on Board H.M.S. “ Havannah.” —On last Wednesday night, Captain Erskine, R.N., and the officers of H. M. S. l Havannah, gave a grand ball and supper on board of that vessel. The ball was attended by his Excellency Sir William Denison, and Lady Denison, Major-General Wynyard, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the Australian Colonies, Mrs. and Miss Wynyard, Lieutenant-Colonel Despard, and Mrs. Despard, the Compte d’Harcourt, and the officers of the French corvette L'Alcmene, and about 200 other guests composed ot the elite of Hobart Town. The entertainment passed off remarkably well; and not the least interesting sight was to see the friendly banners of England and France placed on the vessel’s wheel in connection with each other. —Britannia, Feb/10/ French Man-of-War. — The French corvette Alcmene, of 32 gons now in harbour lost thirteen men on the island of New Caledonia ; among them were, a first Lieutenant a midshipman, and an English pilot ; three of the men composing the boat’s crew were subsequently rescued after having passed thirteen days among the natives ; these three men who are now on board the corvette witnessed the horrible massacre of their unfortunate compatriots, who were devoured under their eyes by the cannibals ; these three men had been kept alive for the purpose of being fattened, and then sent as a present to a neighbouring chief. Providence, however, ordered otherwise, and they are now alive to tell the sad tale.