THE SARDINIAN MAN-OF-WAR RE GALANTUOMO.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 39, 30 August 1864, Page 3

THE SARDINIAN MAN-OF-WAR RE GALANTUOMO.

The correspondent of the- Times, writing from Naples, gives the following account of the disasters of the Sardinian man-of-war Re Galantuomo, which was for a long time supposed to have foundered at sea : — " The Re Galantuomo returned to this port on Wednesday last, between 3 and 4 p.m., and was saluted. She is in a sadly shattered state, so much so that the Bailor population say, ' She ought by rule to have gone down.' At the Azores and Gibraltar she was received with great cordiality, and it is unnecessary to say that, by the Neapolitans, her crew were received with great enthusiasm. It is singidar that the Emperor Maximilian, who had purposely avoided every Italian port, was destined to be present at the arrival of the Re Galantuomo in Gibraltar, and to witness the kind and cordial attentions rendered by the authorities and the population. The staff of the new arrival were to have been feted by the Legion of the National Guard, in their barracks, had it not been for a domestic misfortune of the commander. "As the fate of the Re Galantuomo has for a i long time painfully interested the world, I send you the following abridgment of a letter now before me, written by one of the crew from the Azores on the 10th of April : — " ' Dear father and mother — I will give you a few details of our sufferings. Leaving Naplos on the sth of September, we arrived in Cagliari on the 9th, and putting up the helm for Gibraltar, we arrived there ou the 13th. Wliilst there a 1 hurricaneso violent sprang up, that three anchors could scarcely hold us. Leaving Gibraltar on the 17th, with wind and sea at peace, we arrived at Madeira on the 21st, and on the 23d set sail for tlie S.W We thought that the Atlantic was like the Gulf of Salerno, for wo did not take provisions enough for moro than two months — so that, after being out 34 clays from Madeira, water began to fail, and for a drink we came to blows, and so dry was I with thirst that I often drank pea water. On the 27th of October we arrived at tho Bermudas and took in supplies, and, leaving on the 30th, we arrived in New York on the 6th of November. O Dio ! imagine the cold we suffered. We had no clothes to keep in the heat, and 50 of our men deserted, so great was the liberty they bad. Leaving New York on the 3rd of March, with fine weather and swelling sails, after three days the sky was covered with clouds, for wo had arrived where the water is warm and deep. On the night of the 7th of March, all the winds came out and united in that sea, so that it seemed like the day of judgment. The sea appeared like the highest mountains in the world, and the vessel like a little barque. The sails roared like the cannons of a fort, and in a few moments were carried off by the wind. The vessel lay in the trough of the 6ea, and one of the masts was broken, falling on deck and wounding I three sailors, wliile another mast was broken at the samo time. While the vessel was thus rolling we thought of getting up steam, but we found her full of water, wliich, rising put out the fires. We then gave ourselves up for dead, but worked away at six pumps, the water increasing. The captain then resolved to throw over the cannon, and 18 of the second battery were thrown into the sea. Towards the evening of the 7th we saw a vessel, and fired several shots from a bronze piece we had on board for assistance, asking her to remain near so that we might embark on board of her if the weather permitted, but during the night the vessel disappeared, the weather became worse, and some, overcome by fatigue, wept, some prayed to God, some to the' Most Holy Virgin and all the Saints, our advocates, and some said there was no hope of being saved. At last God had compassion on us. We worked courageously to draw off the water, and saw it diminish. We then directed our course to Nova Scotia, and met with a vessel dismasted, and no living creature on board except a eat, wliich we could not catch. On the night of the Bth of March the wind sprang up again from the S.S.W., and as the water was gaining upon us, the captain, after consulting with the pilot and officers, bore away for the Azores, where we arrived in safety, and aftor taking in provisions and coal, and examining the vessel, shall, with the help of God, leave for Naples,' &c. " Here, as I already informed you, she arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and every facility is bein£ given for such of the crew as are Neapolitans for seeing their friends."