THE REAL SIR ROGER.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1904, 9 February 1875, Page 3

THE REAL SIR ROGER.

The Melbourne correspondent of the Ballarat Star communicates the following, suggested, by a recent telegraphic item:— .s>.''

The statement of the seaman -Claridge, who declares that he buried the real Roger Tichborne at Sydney Island, in ihe Pacific, if critically examined by the light of recorded evidence, has in it all the elements of strong probability. According to Claridge, some time in the year 1854 a schooner named the Annie", called at the Island of Rotumah. She was commanded by a French captain, and had picked up, off-the .River-Plate, two castaways in an open boat, one of whom declared he was Roger Tichborne. Claridge went with the schooner to Sydney Island, where he and Roger landed, and the schooner cruised about, picking up beclie de mer, intending to return to the Island and take Roger and on board. The schooner, which contained, it may bs presumed, Roger's castaway companion never did return, aud in due time Roger died and was buried on Sydney Island, and eventually Cbridge was rescued. Jit now remains to connect the Tichborne claimant, the man lying in Newgate, with these circums ances, and if we suppose him to be Arthur Orion, it may be easily understood during these forty days at sea in an open boat each man gave the other bis conn* den C 3 until Arthur Or ton knew all the prominent features of Tichborne's history, and perhaps became the custodian of documents in trust, which he subsequently converted to his own purposes. We may reasonably conclude that the captain of the Annie, in pursuit of trade, did not trouble himself about " the sici gentleman," whose name had not apparently been revealed to him, after he left him on the island in* charge of Claridge. Tichborne was evidently at fche point of death, and Claridge was a hardy seaman, who could look after himself until some vessel called at the island and took him off. "VTe lose sight of the vessel then at Sydney Island, and have to.find out where she next turned up with the other castaway on board, presumably Arthur Orton. Looking through the Australian shipping reports of 1855, I find that there arrived at Sydney on the 9th March of that year from Melbourne a schooner of 125 tons, called the Ann, the captain's name being Todal, a peculiar and probably a French name. lean findno.recordpf that,vessel having arrived at MelbourßeVrioi* can I find any record of her leaving Sydney as the Ann. On the 21st April of the same year, however, I;find that a schooner of the same tonnage, under the name of the Osprey (a record of whose arrival at j, Sydney I cannot discover) left Sydney for the South Sea Islands, under the command of a Captain Parker. I assume, therefore, for the purpose, that the Ann had changed owners and captains, a^not uncommon, circumstance with South * Sea I traders, and that at the same time she had received a new name. Singularly enough, at the time the Osprey left Sydney for the Pacific another Osprey lay afc Geelong, having arrived there from Dublin on llth April, 1855, under command of Captain Trouton, now of the Intercolonial Steam Service. Now, it is established beyond all doubt that Arthur Orton, alias Tichborne, was rot picked up by TrOuton's vessel, and tfye;; question arises, was the Osprey that sailed from Sydney the Annie that picked up ;£ichborne and; his companion off the River Plate, and was that companion Arthur Orton ? At.about the time named by Claridge many small craft' were trading between Sydney, and the Pacific islands. January, 1855, the Alice sailed frona Sydijey for .the South Sea group; and on Jlst march Emily Hart, schooner, with a foreign captain, arrived at Sydney from the Navigator's group. If Claridge's statement be confirmed, I think it will lead to'the discoyery that the Tichborne claimant is not only Arthur Orto'n, but that he was ,the man picked up with Roger by the' Annie, and that he subsequently came to Australia^where he perfected the scheme for personating the deceased baronet,