FIRE ON BOARD THE SHIP MARY SHEPHERD.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 840, 22 July 1871, Page 3

FIRE ON BOARD THE SHIP MARY SHEPHERD.

On Sunday morning, July 2, a fire broke out on board the ship Mary Shepherd, which was berthed alongside the Sandridge Eailway Pier. This fine vessel only arrived in port yesterday week from London, and had a large cargo of general merchandise, which is only partially discharged. That portion which was stowed in the lower hold was not touched, and consists principally of railway material, ironmongers' ware, cement, tar, pitch, earthenware, malt, brandy, and salt—the latter consisting of about 100 tons. This of course will be totally lost by the submersion consequent on the vessel being scuttled. The fire was first observed about half-past 3 o'clock by the watchman on board, who saw smoke issuing from the cabin. He immediately gave the alarm, by calling the captain and all hands. A boat was sent to the Nelson and to the Harbor Department for assistance, which was speedily rendered. Amongst the first to arrive at the vessel were Captain Doran, the assistant harbor-master; Mr Boss, of the Customs ; the water police; Mr Boyd, chief officer of the *Hp Essex ; Captain Gray, of the ship Loch Lomond; Captain Vine, the raiiway company's pier-master; Capt. Payne, chief harbor-master ; and Mr Elder, the superintendent of the marine yard, but when the two latter gentlemen arrived at the vessel she had been scuttled on one side. Those who first arrived at the ship were able to lend great assistance, and the carpenter of the Essex proved himself of much service, and deserves great praise, as he, with the assistance of the carpenter of the burning ship, unshackled the •chains, and with the scuttling gear which Captain Doran brought with him sank the vessel. Captain Payne, •on arrival, ordered her to be scuttled •on the other side also, which was accordingly done. As she now lies she has the appearance of a vessel being very heavily laden, the only strange look about her being that she is so deep in the water. It can in noway be •ascertained as yet in what way the fire originated, but the general opinion is that it commenced in the lower hold, otherwise the upper-work of the ship must have been destroyed; and what strengthened this opinion is, that no flames were to be seen, only an immense body of smoke, previous to the hatches being placed on. Captain Gray, of the Loch Lomond, managed to secure the chronometers, charts, Ac, from the captain's cabin. About 6 o'clock rockets were fired, which were mistaken at Williamstown as being let off from the steamship Somersetshire, which was on the point of sailing. The ateam-tug Sophia towed the ship from the pier to the place where she is now lying seuttled in about four fathoms # of water, at a distance of about five or Bix cables' length from the Sandridge town pier. There still remain in the vessel about 700 tons of cargo in the lower hold, the cargo which was 'tween decks having been taken out. It is believed that the vessel is partially insured,-but Captain Croot is not certain of the fact. It is expected that the vessel will be raised in a few days. It is fortunate that there was little or no wind at the time, or far more serious'damago might have been caused. The Mary Shepherd is a fullrigged ship, belonging to Messrs John Ledgett and Son, of London, and is nearly thirteen years old, having two years to run on her first letter. She was built at Sunderland, and is of 305 tons burthen. She was consigned to W. Crosby and Co.—" Argus," July 3.

MR LOWE'S BUDGET.

Mr Lowe brought forward his Budget on April 20th, in a House not less crowded than usual; but the speech, though amusing in Jparts, contained less clear exposition and less interesting discussion of theoretic principle than even Mr Lowe's previous speeches, and as compared with Mr Gladstone's Budget speeches it was quite dull aud lame. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had a very good account to give of last year's revenue and expenditure, the revenue having amply covered even the excess of expenditure caused by the Parliament before it rose in the autuinu, without any fresh taxation. The receipts had exceeded the estimates by £2,311,220. The first estimated expenditure (estimate of tho spring) had fallen short of the actual expenditure by £2,245,539, which was, however, less (by £65,681) than the increase in revenue. As the original estimate counted on a surplus of £331,000, there was a total surplus for the last financial year of £396,681. For the future year the esimated deficiency, supposing no new tax to be added, would be £2,713,000, which Mr Lowe proposes to raise by changes in the Probate and Succession duties, yielding £300,000 this year (and £1,020,000 next) ; by a duty on matches (id stamp on boxes of 100 wooden matches or less, and Id stamp on boxes of 100, or less, wax matches, because they are " more aristocratic," or 100 fusees) estimated to yield in the first year £550,000; and an increase on the income-tax of slightly more than Ijd in the pound (really exactly 10s 8d per cent.), to vield £1,250,000; which items -being added together, give £2,800,000. And «as the estimated deficiency is only £2,713,000, the estimated surplus, if the new taxes are granted, would be £87,000.

In proposing his very high Estimates for the current year, Mr Lowe, so far from groaning over the lavishness of his colleagues, made a very spirited appeal to the country not to grudge the money requisite for such a real re-organisation of the Army as would make England unassailable even if our Eleet were decoyed by a ruse to a distance, as .Nelson's Fleet was decoyed to the West Indies before Trafalgar. Even in a purely financial point of view, he justly>aid, it was quite impossible to over-estimate the importance of convincing the Continental Powers that a successful invasion of England would be a hopeless dream; such a conviction would bring great stores of wealth here for security, and would enormously increase the credit of this country on all the Exchanges of the world. A very considerable pecuniary sacrifice would be, even economically, more than justified, by attaining such a result, —which is quite within our reach.

The most amusing part of Mr Lowe's speech was his commendation of the stamp on matches, " not matrimonial engagements," which he proposed to borrow, he said, from America, as a token of admiration of her finance and goodwill towards herself. The cost of matches is so inappreciable that they are wasted in a most reckless and dangerous way, and are often the cause of the most serious nres>, as when matches are flung down into areas in which dry straw from unpacked hampers is lying. The Americans, who put a halfpenny on every bundle of 100 matches, had realised £400,000 a year from the tax. In this country, the number manufactured is quite incredible—no less than 560,000,000 boxes of wooden matches, and 45,000,000 of wax matches and fusees. Mr Lowe had devised a motto for the new stamp, "Ex luce lucellum"— (" Out of light alittle profit";)— a joke not appreciated by the great majority of hia hearers, who had evidently forgotten that the diminutive of lucrum contains no r —and he thought this would be more suitable to them than the rather watery device of Noah's ark, which is usually found upon match-boxes. In America the tax is particularly easy to collect. There was a good deal of grumbling after the speech. Mr White,' M.P. for Brighton, grumbled at the low estimates of revenue, which he was sure would be exceeded, —of course they will, but then there is the loss of the house-tax next year (over a million), and double as much compensation for army-purchase mext year as this, in all not far off two millions of extra expense for 1872-3, which it is just as well to get ready for; Mr "White's colleague, Mr Fawcett, denounced the "extravagant, perilous, and wicked expenditure" proposed to the House; Mr W. Fowler declared the budget a panic budget, and seemed to be indifferent to the re-organisation of the army; Mr Alderman Lawrence, Mr Dixon, and several other Scotch and English City men were indignant on behalf of the match trade, Dr Lyon Playfair, however, warmly defending the tax; and Mr Bowring said it was not a matchless budget. Mr Crawford was indignant at the decimalization of the income tax, and, in short, a general grunting followed the announcement of new taxes. But when Mr Dixon divided the House against the match duty, he was beaten by 154 votes in a thin House (195 to 41.)