Eastern News.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 410, 30 January 1890, Page 3

Eastern News.

FOUR HUNDRED LIVES LOST. Nkws by the Guthrie, which arrived at Sydney from Hongkong, is as follows;— Previous reports confirmed the statement that a large steamer (the Duburg), with 400 passengers, is missing. The steamship Ashiugton was sent in aearoh of the Duburg, and returned to Hongkong a few days before the Guthrie left there. Nothing whatever waa met with. The above fruitless search closes the last chapter iu thia melancholy tragedy of the zea. There ban now ba scarcely a vestige of doubt that the Duburg, with her teeming human freight and all her crew, foundered in mid-sea. The floating bundles of rattans which have been sighted by passing steamers from Singapore are probably the only trace—if, indeed, they be a trace—or sign of her that will ever be found. The Duburg was a vessel of 1097 tons burden, and had for some years been employed in tbe China trade. She was commanded by Captain Bertelson, and cleared from Singapore on the 25th October for Amoy via Hongkong. A Chinese trading vessel, whose crew were found to be in an unfortunate state of suffering from thirst, were fallen in with by the steamer Glamorganshire. The Glamorgonshire arrived at Singopora on tha 30th November from Hongkong. She reports that when the vessel was about 80 miles off the Horsburgh Light, she fell in with a junk whose crew of sixteen Chinese said they had been without water for eight or nine days, and that the junk waa leaking badly, and requested assistance. The Glamorganshire, after supplying the orew with water, took the junk in tow, and went on to Singapore. The German steamer Pollux went ashore on the 2nd ult. juet outside the Cheefoo Harbor, She was floated off subsequently. The Guthrie brings further particulars of the lorn of the ship Nylghau. The official enquiry was being held at Hongkong when tho Guthrie sailed. It is feared in this case the boat whioh left the wreck in charge of the chief officer is lost. There were seven of the ship's crew in the boat, and a steamer sent in search had returned without them. The following strange account is given ct the experience of three castaways rescued by a passing vessel from off the island of San Alessandro 1 It was at first supposed that they had not been long on the island when the opportunity of escape presented itself, but it now appears that they had spent nearly four years on the desolate spot where they were found. In October 1885, a Japanese vessel named tbe Matsuo Maru' left Hakodate for Awomori, with a orew of three men, and carrying seven passengers. While making tbe passage across the Taugaru Straits s heavy gale set in, and the junk was blown out of sight of land, For eighty days it was tossed about, and at length thrown ashore on ths island of San Alessandro. A very short examination showed that the resources of lhe place were of the slightest nature, and lour of the passengers and the crew decided to patch up the damage that the junk had sustained, and set sail for some more hospitable spot. The three passengers refused to leave the island, and the junk, started without them. Left to their own efforts the castaways began to hunt for water, and soon' discovered a small supply which trickled drop by drop from a rock. Here they pitched their camp. Bea birds were caught by employing as missiles the stones that ley thickly about j and they also used as food the fruit of the few trees that grew on the island. Tha woman's kanzashi (hairpin) and part of the works of a watch in the possession of one of the men were worked up into hooks and fishing tackle, by meant of whloti fish were caught. Lite was supported

for nearly four years till the arrival of the party from Sulphur Island. The fate of those who started from Ale.-sundro in the Matsuo Maru is not stated. A gruesome item appears in the export manifest by the steamer Peking, from one of the North China ports. Among her freight are 58,coffins with corpses and 31 large cases, each of which contains four small boxes of skeletons and human bones. An almost incredible account is given in a Straits paper, whioh says:—'We learn from reliable sources that Indian and other British subjects are being lured away from Penang and olher parts of the Straits Settlements with offers of good and remunerative employment in Kedah. Almost as soon as soon as they arrive there, these poor and ignorant creatures are either sold or made debt slaves, remaining in bondage to tbe end of their days. If such things are allowed to go on by her Majesty's Government on the very frontier of the Queen’s dominions in the far East, why then make such a fuss about the slave trade on the east and west coasts of Africa ?’