hearts in Port Phillip, and that the survivors were not cast upon an inhospitable shore. A generous sympathy for the sufferers, and a due appreciation of the humanity of those w h o so nobly exerted themselves for the relief of the survivors on the Island, was the best way of alleviating the sorrows of bereaved relatives in England, and lessening the evil which has befallen the colony by the disastrous wreck. T h e proceeds of the movement yielded ,£161 19s. 5d., and were thus applied:—,£43 15s. 9d. expended in the maintenance of the seven seamen, and each of them in addition was to receive one month's wages and an outfit. T o the immigrant survivor was to be paid a donation of ,£10; to the surviving officer, M r . Guthrie, thirty guineas; to M r . D. Howie and his party, forty guineas (i.e., ten guineas each, being four in all); a gold medal to Mr. D. H o w i e ; gratuity to two seamen belonging to the " Midge ;" silver snuff-boxes with suitable inscription, to Messrs. Fletcher and Cockburn, owners of the " Midge," each of the value offiveguineas. It was also determined, that in the event of additional subscriptions being received to enable the Committee to m a k e any additional grants—a further s u m not exceeding ten pounds be given to the only surviving immigrant, Solomon Brown ; any remainder to be devoted to the Melbourne Hospital. Mr. Coppin's liberality was thus recognized: "That the cordial thanks of the Committee be conveyed by letter to M r . Coppin for his prompt liberality in holding a performance at the theatre for the benefit of the survivors from the wreck of the ' Cataraqui,' and the parties w h o succoured and relieved them on King's Island." Howie's gold medal, which was procured from Mr. Hancock, a Collins Street jeweller, bore the following inscription:—" Presented to David Howie, Esq. by the inhabitants of Melbourne, for his humanity and forethought, on the awful wreck of the emigrant ship ' Cataraqui,' at King's Island, 4th August, 1845, in which 414 perished,* and only nine survived." T h e wreck was subsequently bought by a Mr. Alexander Sutherland, for a trifle, and his bargain verified the adage about an ill-wind blowing good to some one, as he m a d e a capital thing of it; for the brandy, wine, spars, deals, copper, and other portions of the vessel recovered were worth between £ 1 1 0 0 and £ 1 2 0 0 . T h e Government agreed to pay Mr. Howie ,£50 for collecting all the mortal remains cast ashore, and interring them in a c o m m o n sepulchre ; the Government to supply any tools required. Howie performed the contract t h u s — A principal grave, 18 feet long, 16 feet broad, and 12 feet deep, contained the remains of 206 persons. Grave N o . 2, 16 feet by 12 feet, and 6 feet deep, held 50 bodies. N o . 3, 12 feet by 8 feet, and 6 feet deep, held 20 bodies ; and N o . 4, same size, 18 bodies. Lastly, a small grave was made to retain 10 bodies—in all 304 out of 399 perished. T h e beach was for some distance strewed with h u m a n bones, all of which were collected and buried. This group of graves occupied an elevated site within a hundred yards of where the catastrophe occurred. They were protected by a substantial fence, and could be seen from a league off at sea when the weather was clear. Here they have rested in peace, undisturbed year after year, unless by the genius of the storm to w h o m the place is familiar, murmuring frequent requiems over relics long since forgotten. T h e Government some time after caused to be erected on the spot a tablet thus inscribed :— " MEMORIAL Of the total wreck of the Immigrant ship 'CATARAQUI' From Liverpool to Port Phillip, C.
W.
FINLAY, MASTER,
O n these reefs, 4th August, 1845. " O f four hundred and eight souls on board, but nine survived— T h e Chief Mate, T h o m a s Guthrie, seven sailors, and one emigrant, Solomon Brown. This memorial records and deplores the loss of the Master, C. W . Finlay; Sugeon-Superintendent, C. Carpenter; Assistant Surgeon, Edward Carpenter, and twenty-seven officers and m e n of the ship's company. Of sixty-two emigrant families, comprising three hundred and thirteen souls • of unmarried female emigrants, thirty-three ; of unmarried male emigrants, twenty-three : in all, three hundred and ninety-nine souls. This tablet is erected at the expense of the local Government of Port Phillip. T h e Memorial Tablet, erected by the Government, is inscribed showing that there were only 408 souls on board, and that the exact number perished was 399.—ED.
