The P. and O. mail steamer Kaiser-i-Hind arrived in Hongkong at three o'clock yesterday morning, the 11th October, or thirty-six hours after the time she was expected. The reason of the delay was that she encountered a terrific storm on her way up from Singapore, and as she came int port yesterday she ud the appearance of having been badly battered by shot and shell. But although so much damage was done to the vessel not a single life was lost, a'fact which speaks volumes for the able seamanship and pluck displayed by Captain Barcham and the whole of his crew. The passengers were not slow in recognizing those qualities, as when the vessel had been got safely through the storm they prepared an address to the men to whom they rightly considered they owed their lives, while, as additional earnestness of this firm feeling the passengers will to-night entertain the Captain to dinner at at the Hongkong Hotel.
On being seen yesterday afternoon in reference to this eventful voyage Captain Barcham very kindly gave us an account of the fierce fight he and his men had with the wind and waves. He had just risen from a well-earned snooze and was delighted to first-of all record the entire immunity from loss of life. The gale started about 6 a.m. on Thursday, the 14th inst., when the barometer was 29,68, and the wind N.N.E. At 8 o'clock the wind freshened to a north-east gale with violent squalls. At noon a strong gale set in the wind being still N.N.E. with a force of 8.
o'clock the first and third life-boats were washed away with the davits, the wind at this time being N.E. with a force of 12, the barometer standing at 28.89. At o'clock the wind was E.N.E., the force being:12, and the barometer had now dropped to 28.60.. The ship laboured. very heavily during this gale of hurricane force and took large quantities of water fore and aft. At10 p.m. the upper forward bridge was totally wrecked and the officers had to go in the wheel-house. At 11 p.m. the fourth life boat, the gig, and the mail boat were washed away, the weather all this time not showing the least sign of abatement.
1 am. on Fridsy, the 15th inst., the folly boat was carried away, and two hours, ter the first cutter. went: overboard,, At 3.30 a heavy sea broke over the quarto
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.