The Taku arrived here on Tuesday afternoon bringing news of the loss of the British amer Madras, Captain Plenge, brought 40-ton Armstrong guns for inese Gorernment in December Inst.
Ever since then she has been runing on the coast. She left Nagasaki on 'Tuo the 10th instant, with " cargo of coals for Hongkong. On' Thursday night she encountered a typhoon, and for two di time she appears to have experienced the full force of the typhoon, and on Friday her decks were clean swept and her boats all carried away, while there were two feet of water in the fore hold and the coals got into the bilzes, making it difficult to clear the water out of her. In this plight the Captain, on Sunday morning, saw land, which proved to be the Taichow Islands, He then steered in, in order to anchor, but the vessel at 3 p.m. struck on a reef in three fathoms and filled, settling down on the bottom—Under the stern there was five fathoms. The Chixtung came along an hone after the accident, anchored, and mained all She sent her boats in the afternoon and with the assistance of some fishermen, took on board the Captain, the chief officer, engineers and tailors, and pro ceededuext morning at about 6 v'elock on her voyage. The second mate, Mr. Atkin sou, and ten Chinese firemen were taken off the weook by the fishermen, but the latter refused to put them on board the Chintuig. The Madras remained above water till dark, but during the 1 ped off the reef, which appears to be the sam which the Sectco came to grief, this latter wreck being at the south eud of it, In the morning the Madras was lying in about eight fathoms and standing upright, with the tops of herdavitsnbove water, TheChintung having proceeded, she was met by the Zaku, and hoisted a i duag hoisted another signal, but as by this time the two vessels wore a couple of miles apart, it could not be made out, It was suggested on board the Cul that something had happened, so a sharp look-out was kept for wrecks, and at 5 p.m on Monday she sighted the masts of the Madras, and Captain Bowden anchored in five fathoms and act a boat; but as there was no one to be seen the boat was recalled and the steamer got up anchor and proceeded. On North Taichow Island flags were soon afterwards seen waving, sv the Taku come to anchor and the life-boat was sent in command of the second officer. The crew pulled alongside a steep rock. There was heavy #ea running at the time, but the second mate of the Madras and six of the firemen ran down and yot into the boat and were taken on buard the Taku, which however was reached with dilticulty, the other fireman remaining on the island, where it is said one of the crow of the late Seeiro now lives, a man having told the firemen that he had been shipwrecked in that vessel. As the Taku could do no more, she left the Taichows at 6.30 p.m. on Monday, The crew of the Madras consisted of twenty-eight hands all told, Saw Beports,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.