APPENDIX.

The narrative which we have here given of the Wreck of the London was written pending the inquiry instituted by the Board of Trade to arrive, if possible, at the cause of the melancholy catastrophe. It is to be regretted that the inquiry, though it lasted many days, has not added much to the information that was given to the public by the survivors upon their landing at Plymouth. No discovery has been made as to the real cause which brought about the melancholy event, although it is hardly possible to conceive any question of more serious importance to the public mind. The evidence given at the inquiry was by no means satisfactory. On the one hand, those directly connected with the owners gave their evidence, and on the other hand, there was the testimony of the Emigration Inspectors who had passed the ship, and who could not be expected to stultify themselves by a new judgment of her seaworthiness. But against this testimony of ship-builders and inspectors has been placed the evidence of those who declare that the ship was in disgracefully bad trim, and, as will be seen among the slips that were picked up in bottles that were cast away on the morning of the wreck, there was one which says that the vessel was too heavily laden. Great dissatisfaction has been expressed, and it has even been made a subject of discussion in the House of Commons, that Mr. Traill, the magistrate before whom the Board-of-Trade inquiry was conducted, did not permit Counsel to cross-examine witnesses on behalf of those who have lost relatives: but it seems that there really was no power under the Act of Parliament to admit of such cross-examination. The tonnage, measurement, and steam-power of the ship, together with the names of her owners, the nature and quantity of her cargo, were stated before the Court. We heard again the story of her voyage from the Docks to Gravesend, and from Gravesend to Plymouth, and from Plymouth to the Bay of Biscay. There was no charge made against Captain Martin, and no one dreamed of imputing negligence or incapacity to so experienced a seaman. The evidence of the official surveyors and other experts examined by the Court of Inquiry as to the construction and fittings of the London was, on the whole, decidedly in favour of her perfect seaworthiness. In the opinion of the Court, the immediate cause of her loss was the sea getting into the engine-room and extinguishing the fires; but the Court did not venture upon any positive conclusions as to whether the action of the sea carried away the skylight over the engine hatchway, or whether the skylight was properly secured. It did not appear in evidence that the fastenings of the skylight were not properly secured, and it was distinctly stated that the hatchway was perfectly battened down. There were several points in the evidence as regards the occurrences at sea—such as the carrying away the masts and booms, the delay in clearing away the wreck, the loss of the boats, and other matters relating to the management of the ship—which might have been more satisfactorily explained had the lamented Captain, or any of the officers of the ship, survived to explain them. In the absence of such explanation, it is but reasonable to give Captain Martin the credit for the character he always possessed, of being an able and careful seaman, who would not be guilty of any great default of management.

For ourselves, we can hardly believe that the ship was in the disgraceful condition that some represent her to have been, unless we are ready to assume that there was a gigantic conspiracy among all concerned in pronouncing the ship to be in safe trim. The Surveyor of the Board of Trade passed the ship; Lloyd’s Surveyor, acting in the interests of the Underwriters, passed the ship; and lastly, the ship was passed by the Emigration Surveyor, who had not only to look to the ship generally, but to take into consideration her cargo, for the purpose of seeing whether she was overloaded. We join in the universal regret that the real cause of the ship’s foundering, beyond what is given in the preceding pages, is still a mystery; and it only remains for us again to express the hope that still more scrutinizing care will be exercised by Government Inspectors and others, in regard to every ship concerning whose safe trim they are called upon fairly and honestly to testify.

* * * * *

Messrs. Wigram have kindly forwarded the following List of Passengers per steam-ship London, Captain J. Bohun Martin, for Melbourne:—

CHIEF CABIN.

Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Draper

Mr. Owen and child

Mr. and Mrs. G. F. P. Urquhart

Mr. J. Patrick

Mr. and Miss Vaughan (Brooke)

Mr. J. Alderson

Mr. P. Benson

Mr. and Mrs. J. Fenton, and two children

Mr. G. M. Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, and two children

Mr. and Mrs. Clark, and son

Mr. F. Lewis

Mr. and Mrs. J. Bevan

Dr. J. Woolley

Mr. and Mrs. Debenham

Miss L. Maunder

Mr. J. Robertson

Mr. T. M. Tennant

Mrs. Traill and child

Mr. G. Palmer

Mr. T. Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Amos

Mr. E. Brooks

Mr. J. R. Richardson

Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Kerr

Mrs. and Miss King

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and two children

Mr. A. Sandilands

Mr. E. Youngman

Mr. H. J. Dennis

Mr. E. A. Marks

Mr. D. F. De Pass

Master W. D. Burrell

Dr. J. Hunter

Miss D’Ovoy

Miss C. M^cLachlan

Miss Cutting

Mr. M^cMillan

SECOND CABIN.

Mr. F. Stone

Mr. and Mrs. White

Miss H. Price

Mr. J. L. Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Graham

Mr. B. G. Rowe

Mr. J. E. Wilson (saved)

Mrs. Morland

Miss G. Graham

Mr. J. Dothie

Mr. C. Gough

Mr. A. Bruce

Mr. J. Woodhouse

Mr. G. Cross

Mr. W. Day

Mr. D. W. Lemon

Mr. and Mrs. Giffett

Mr. G. Chennells

Mr. and Mrs. Wood

Master and Miss Clayson

Mr. Thomas Wood

Mr. Godfrey Wood

Miss E. Wood

Mr. B. Bevan

Miss S. Brooker

Mr. Davies

Mr. T. O’Hagen

Mr. H. W. Harding

Mr. F. Fryer

Mr. J. Munro (saved)

Mr. D. C. Main (saved)

Mr. C. Johnstone

Mr. P. Fenwick

Mrs. and Miss Meggs

Mr. G. H. Campbell

Miss E. Marks

Mr. E. G. Trevenen

Mr. and Mrs. Hickman, two sons and two daughters

Mr. A. M^cLean

Mr. Davies

THIRD CABIN.

Mr. W. Passmore

Mr. H. Miller

Mr. C. P. Chandler

Mr. B. Hay

Miss E. Jones

Mrs. and Miss Simpson

Mr. and Mrs. Hanson

Mr. and Mrs. Graham and three children

Mr. David Graham

Mr. M^cVittie

Mr. G. Rolwegan

Mr. and Mrs. Sercombe and three children

Mr. and Mrs. G. Flick and four children

Mr. R. Trevenen

Mr. D. Block

Mr. J. Gerkem

Messrs. Zulec Morris and Zulec Barnett

Mr. S. Bolton

Mr. T. Skeggs

Mr. and Mrs. D. Smith

Mr. A. Umphray

Master Spring

Mr. A. Hoyeim

Mr. J. Walls

Mr. W. Barron

Mrs. Lampes and two children

Mr. Algernon L. Otter

Mr. John Little

Mr. H. M^cCovey

Mrs. Bachelor

Mr. J. Kirkwood

Mr. W. Clifton

Mr. R. Reynolds

SEA MESSAGES FROM THE PASSENGERS.

Admiral Halsted, the Secretary of Lloyd’s, has received the following letter from Sir Anthony Perrier, C.B., Her Majesty’s Consul, and Lloyd’s Agent at Brest, dated 24th February 1866:—

Sir,—I annex a translation of an extract from a letter just received from the Commissary-General of Marine at Lorient, which may be of interest to those concerned in the fate of the unfortunate London, should the original papers sent to Paris not have been transmitted to Her Majesty’s Government by the Minister of Marine.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Anthony Perrier.

To the Secretary at Lloyd’s.

Extract of a letter from Commissary-General of Marine at Lorient:—

(Translation.)—On the 12th of February last three bottles were found on the coast of Guiberon and Locruariaquer, containing six papers written in English, as follows:—

The first paper—D. W. Lemon, London, Thursday, 10th January 1866. The ship is sinking; no hope of being saved. Dear parents, may God bless you, as also me, with the hope of eternal salvation.

Second paper.—Steam-ship London.—They are putting out the boats.

Third paper.—F. G. Huckstepp. On board steam-ship London, lat. 46 deg. 20 min., long., 7 deg. 30 min.; lost boats, masts, and sails; ship leaking.

Fourth paper.—We commenced our voyage on Saturday, the 30th December 1865. Sunday in the channel, Monday in open sea; Tuesday in ditto; Wednesday at Cowes; Thursday at Plymouth; Friday and Saturday at sea; Sunday bad weather; Monday water from the stern comes in cabins; the 9th, heavy damages, a boat lost. May we get home. Storm.—H. G.

Fifth paper.—F. C. M^cMillan, of Launceston, Tasmania, 12th January, to his dear wife and dear children: May God bless you all. Farewell for this world. Lost in the steam-ship London, bound for Melbourne.

Sixth paper.—H. J. D. Denis to Th. Denis Knight, at Great Shelford: Adieu father, brothers, and my ... Edi ... steamer, London, Bay of Biscay, Thursday, ten o’clock. Ship too heavily laden for its size, and too crank; windows stove in; water coming in everywhere. God bless my poor orphans. Request to send this, if found, to Great Shelford. Storm not too violent for a ship in good condition.

On the same day were found, on the shoals of Guiberon, a binnacle watch, stopped at half-past ten o’clock, a woman’s shift, two cotton sheets, two splinters of wood, having on them in white letters, and six centimetres (2½ inches long), the word London.

A great quantity of staves have been picked up along the coast.

In compliance with instructions from the Minister of Marine, the above-mentioned papers have been sent to the Minister of Marine and Colonies.