left. Yokohama bound' to Saigon on the 26th, The ship Caractacus, of Liverpool, 678 tons, of April. In lat. 25.37 N., long. 190.54 E., on May 4th, a hard gale was blowing from N.NE., which increased gradually until the 6th, when it had assumed the character of a typhoon from ENN.E,, bar. 29.60; observations impossible. On the' 7th, the ship was on starboard tack, under bate poles, bar. 29.30. On the 8th, tremendoushurricane, worship underthegoose us of the fore sail, bar, 29.10. At2p.m., saw breakers on the starboard bow, wore ship, and ran her to the Westward, when breakers were seen on the starboard beam; set the close fected main topsail, and hauled the ship on the wind on the port tack. At 4 p.m. supposed the ship to be clear of the reef, and stood 8. by W.gAt 8 pam the wind stil increasing, bar. 98.80. At9p.m. wind shifted S.E., hauled the reefed foresail, and brought the ship to the wind again under bare poles, bar. 28.20. Throughout the whole of the night a terrific hurricane of wind continued with torrents of rain. On the morning of the 10th, no improvement in the weather. At 7.30 saw breakers on the starboard beam, distant 100 yards, the sea running mountains high, and immediately the ship struck, and was lifted by a tremen: dous sea clear on top of the reef, where she re-sained thumping heavily, andthe sea making 'a clear breach over her,'and in this position the ship's back was broken. At 9, Iaunced the gig, which was smashed by striking against, the floating wreck of spars. Un the 1th, the wind abated, and gradually moderated, to as to permit the pinnace to be launched, by whi all gained the shore of a small island sions for a few days consumption, managed to ave some clothes ad pro ter be on shore three days, a jul ed with four men, who stated that they had belonged to boat Slaney, and that they were wrecked on the 11th, on a coral reef about ten miles N.W. of the position of the Caractucus. With them clothes and provisions were shared, and on the following day an expedition was made in one of the boats toseckmoresurvivors, and after visiting several of the islands four men were found, and this number was eventually increased by one who came in another junk, These men told the terrible tale that they had witnessed the loss of the whole of their shipmates, forty-seven in number, who had ushed endeavouring to reach the land from the wreck of the ship, which had struck upon a reef about three miles off shore. During the week which elapsed between the wreck
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.