FIJI INTELLIGENCE.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 853, 24 August 1871, Page 3

FIJI INTELLIGENCE.

i>om the Fiji" Times " of July 19th we take the following:— WBECK OT THE LTOC. Captain Bergin arrived in town yesterday morning by the Defiance, •and reports concerning the loss of his vessel, -as follows: The Lulu, echooner, 48 tons, left Levuka on 23rd May last. Landed her return labour, and was then bound for Solomon Islands. On 10th June, at 2,30. p.m., passed Ambrum, steering for Cape Lisbon, distant 90 miles. At that time weather thick with heavy rain squalls. Allowed for deviation of ■compass 1£ points, but the allowance unaccountably did not answer, although the vessel had been swung three months 1 previously and gone through the same passage, on the same course. Got on S.E. end of Santa Espiritu. A native in the watch thought he saw the land, and reported it to the man in charge who only thought it a cloud, and *o did not report it till about ten minutes afterwards, when they could see the break upon the reef. The vessel was then about 200 yards from the reef, under squaresail, and before we could get squaresail off she drifted towards the reef. Let go the anchor in hope that it might hold her. She stopped for a while, but a strong wind and heavy sea crrried her on to the reef. Not soeing any hopes of saving the vessel, got the boat out, and sent two hands with the mate to take her into open water while the remainder of the crew hauled on the chain to try and heave her off, but without success., Ordered the remainder of the crew' into the boat which they had to reach by swimming. Went into cabin to get compass, and the vessel then struck heavily, knocking her stern post in, and then rapidly commenced to fill. I left her then, two of the men coming at my call to help me into the boat. We were in the boat all night, and intended to save what we could from the wreck when it became light. Early in the morning when pulling along the shore towards sands, saw a large crowd of natives on the beach, tthb made friendly signs to us to go whore. Having heard, however of an attack which had been made by the natives upon the boat of another vessel we did not venture. Seeing they could not induce us to land, they put on in canoes and gave chase, firing arrows at us all tho while. By sailing and pulling WQ g ot ahead of them, and I

fired a musket three or four times to frighten them. Ending they could not overtake us they put ashore and ran along the beach "to a point we had to pass, but fortunately we were too far from them for the arrows to hurt us. We had neither food nor water in the boat, so I thought best to steer for Cape Lisbon, distant about 30 miles, where we hoped to find a vessel. "We reached it at 11 p.m. on the morning of the Hth, the day after the wreck, where we found the mission vessel Dayspring. We remained there 3or 4 days, and Captain Fraser of the Dayspring would have gone to examine the wreck, but as a heavy gale blew on the 12th, he did not consider it advisable to go. She took us to Sandwich, where we hoped to find a vessel for Fiji. The Defiance coming, the mate and myself took a passage for Fiji, the remainder of the crew having shipped on other vessels. Dr Butherford Ryley, late of Hokitika, is a candidate for the representation of Levuka at the election of delegates to have taken place on the Ist inst.