W R E C K OF THE " BURHAMPOOTER." In February, 1843, intelligence was received in Melbourne of the destruction of a colonial-bound vessel, under the following circumstances:—. In October, 1842, the newly-built ship, the "Burhampooter" (Captain Crowley) sailed with emigrants for Port Phillip, and on the 18th she was caught in a terrific gale off Margate, and driven ashore. Through the presence of mind and courage of the seamen, all hands, viz., the crew, seventy adult passengers, and twenty children, were saved. The emigrants lost every scrap of luggage except the clothes in which they were dressed. They were conveyed in carts to the town, when their more pressing wants were generously supplied. A subscription was started in their behalf, to which the Emigration Commissioners contributed eleven guineas. Though the situation of the vessel- was very precarious, it was hoped that she would hold together until got off the reef, but the hope was not fulfilled. WRECK OF THE "JOANNA," A schooner engaged in the intercolonial trade between Launceston and Belfast. On the night of the 20th September, 1843, she was en route from Van Diemen's Land, and caught in a violent-gale, which, after knocking her about in the Straits, sent her ashore on the 22nd, between Cape Otway and Moonlight Head. William Cooper, a seaman, was washed overboard,, and the crew and passengers, in all 23 persons, abandoned the vessel, with the intention of making their way overland to Melbourne. They had only a small stock of provisions with them, and getting lost in the bush for six days would have perished but for finding a dead whale adrift on the beach, the blubber of which averted starvation. In the course of their wanderings they fell in with a tribe of Aboriginals, who behaved most kindly, and helped the outcasts to reach an out-station of Mr. Willis, west of the Barwon. Here they were taken in, well done for, and enabled to reach Geelong, whence they proceeded in the "Aphrasia," steamer, to Melbourne.
WRECK OF THE " REBECCA,"
Barque, on King's Island, on the 28th September, 1843, from Batavia. Her captain managed to land his crew and a few passengers by means of the ship's boats. Here they passed a miserable night, and the weather having moderated towards morning, the ship was boarded by some of the party swimming off to her, and a quantity of stores obtained by adjusting a jack-stay from the mast-head to the beach. They set to work to build a boat, in which they succeeded, and reached Williamstown on the 21 st October.
The vessel broke up.
STRIKING OF THE "ISABELLA."
On the 18th June, 1844, the "Isabella," barque, left Hobson's Bay, with several passengers and a full cargo, for London and Leith. Whilst working through Kent's Group on the 21st, breakers were seen ahead the anchor was let go, and the vessel brought up between Chapel and Badger Islands The ship drifted until next morning, and then struck. The lady and some of the male passengers were put ashore by the boats, and the remainder of those on board were lashed to the poop in a state of abject misery and momentary expectation of death. After a night of terrible anxiety a calm morning enabled them to land in- safety, and they had hardly left the vessel when it went to pieces, mail, cargo, luggage and everything going down at the same time. For three d-ivs the islanders led a wretched life, depending for subsistence on some pumpkins washed ashore from the wreck and a few crayfish caught on the beach. Thoroughly ignorant of where they were, they did not know what to do, and ultimately in despair launched the boats thef had with them, and them nushed out to sea, as under any circumstances they could not fare worse than where they
