MacLauchlan, which left Chefoo on 27th Nov., and arrived at Swatow on Gth Dec., reports that on the 28th Nor., in the afternoon, sbout 80 miles $.E. by S. from the Shantung Promontory, discovered, at the lee bow, something floating on the water, resembling ga log of wood or short boat. Kept off and found it to be a water tank, with four men on top of it; lowered a boat. In taking the men from off top of the tank, found six more inside. As th ship's boat was small and a very high was running, brought. the first four men on board, and returned twice to take each time three men into the boat, The people saved were found to be from the Siamese barque Contest, which sunk off the Pro-mentary on the 23rd November, and comprised two supercargoes, seven coolies {belonging to Swaton), Captain's cook and ey (belonging to Macao), and a Siamese woman, As far as can be ascertained the Contest left Newchwang on the 21s!
November, and on the 23rd met with ah envy gale from N.W., when her mizen-must came down and fell in between the fore and main rigging. The thus becoming unmanageable, Captain Kramer steered in for the land, and probably not being able to reach a proper anchorage, cut away the two other masts and anchored in 18 fathoms of water. There was no more chain on deck, and the crew refused to work; so the ship drifted out to sea, and the wreck of the masts knocked a hole in her bottom. The Malay crew, supercargoes, and coolies, in the meantime, were sitting in the forecastle, smoking opium and drinking samshu, saying that if they had to go down they wanted to go dowl in good spi captain Kramer, seeing ti ship fill rapidly, with a revolver in his hand, made the crew get the ship's boat and two water-tanks out, He put the Siamese woman into one of the tanks, and as the tank was already too crowded, yot out himself and tried to get, with his mate and six Malays, in the gig' but it i lieved he was' drowned in the attempt. Most likely all the rest of the crew have been drowned. 'The crew of the Contest consisted of Captain Kramer' and his mate (both Germ: tank lived there five days and had nothing to eat or to drink except one fowl, one salt fish, and no water. 'They were' #0 weak that they had to be carried on board, and asleeping place. They stated that they had made up their mind to kill the Siamese woman on the next day, for food.—Hongkong Times.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.