NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2229, 10 May 1880, Page 2

NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

TERRIBLE SUFFERING- OF FOOLHARDY YOYAGERS. The “ New York Herald ” of the 28th February gives tlio following account of fcbc shocking privations endured by Captain Herbert F. Burrill, of Falmouth Cape Cod, and Andrew Coon, of Nantucket, who had just been landed at Brooklyn from the steamship Para ; Captain F. Burrill had read with lively interest the accounts of voyages in small boats on the Atlantic, and from these he conceived the notion of making a longer voyage than had been made by any other person and in a smaller boat than had yet essayed ocean navigation. Accordingly, he built the Golden Gate, of a ton and a half burthen, fore and aft rigged and changeable at pleasure from schooner ;to sloop, and engaged Andrew Coon to accompany him on a voyage to Australia, ihc Golden Gate sailed from Boston on the 9th of July last, with provisions and water for a four months’ voyage. On the fiftyeighth dav out Captain Burrill put into San Jago! in the Capo do Verdes, and, after five days in quarantine, put his boat up for repairs, and then, taking aboard fresh provisions, sailed seven days later, on the 17th of September, for the African coast; but he encountered heavy weather, and the storms wet his provisions until they began to ferment and burst the cans in which they were stored. Most of them wore therefore thrown oveiboard. It became evident, on the 11th of December, that what was loft of the provisions would not last until the Golden Gate could reach the coast of Africa, and hence she was headed for the nearest land, the island of St. Helena ; but light winds and a strong current, sent lior to tho lecwjucl, unci Captain Burrill was obliged to point his prow for the coast of South America. He was GOO miles distant from Brazil when his provisions gave out, and for 25 days thereafter he and his companion subsisted on water and half a pound of cocoa. Their strength failed them day by day for a fortnight, and when they were within about a week’s sail from Bahia, nature was so nearly exhausted that they wore no longer able to stand even for the short time rcqnired for adjusting their instruments and faking observations, and thereafter they sailed by dead reckoning. Famishing and barelv able to steer their cockleshell, at'length they ran into a small creek about twenty miles north of Bahia, and dropped anchor at a native settlemcnt named Tony ; but after 25 days’ voyaging without nourishment, they could hardly make their wants known. Their emaciated faces did that, however, and the natives speedily took them ashore and gave them food and shelter. The two men thus rescued from the very jaws of death, wore unable to cat heartily until they had been nursed for a week in Torry ; but they soon regained their flesh and vigour, and the skipper of a cargo lighter took their boat in tow and gave them passage down the Bahia. In that place, Mr Richard A. Edcs, the United States Consul, took their case in hand, and with the assistance of some English and American captains, made up a purse and sent them to an hotel, to await the arrival of the City of Para. DISAPOINTMENT FOE THE DEAF. Grave doubts are once more expressed about the audiphono. Whether or not this mnch-talked-of invention has a groat future before it cannot be safely predicted as-yetybut it is at least certain that it has achieved no very startling results in the deaf and dumb schools. It is at present in experimental use in some of the American schools, but, according to an expert in this country, “the success” recorded is very small, and its “ praises are sounded in a very equivocal manner.” The instrument, if offeefive at all can onlj r bo so by taking upon itself the work of the tympanum and outer car. The idea of the audiphono is that it collects the soundwaves and communicates them to the skull in an intensified form, whence the skull passes them on to the auditory nerve. All this is now clone by the outer car. Upon this theory the audiphono would be of uo practical use, except when the deafness is that of the middle car only, which is not the case witli the large majority of tbc deaf. It seems likely, therefore, that the simple mechanical contrivance of a piece of cardboard and siring will scarcely as yet replace the hideous bell shaped trumpets which deaf people have so generally used. These arc sometimes made of glass. A good story is told of an old gentleman wdio bad one. He was dining out. The butler came round with the conventional two bottles of wine, and as usual asked the guests in turn “ Champagne or Moselle, sir ?’’ “ Eli ?”_ asked the deaf gentleman, holding up his glass trumpet to his car, and on receiving Ids answer replied, “ Moselle.” Whereupon the butler, who was short-sighted, poured the wine into the mouth of the trumpet instead of the wineglass.J -1%