7 APRIL 1855, Page 7

As the fleet was sailing past Brighton on Wednesday night,

a large Ame- riean merchantman, the George Hurlbert, ran foul of the Duke of Welling- ton, stem on. Serious damage was done to both ships. The man-of-war lost her foreyard, port swinging boom, the whole of the fore and part of the main chains, quarter gallery, and hammock nettings; besides which, the stock of her best bower anchor was broken, and the sheet-anchor driven from its berth into the gangway. It will take some days to repair this da- mage. The merchantman lost her foremast, bowsprit, cutwater, port an- chor, and her bows were stove in. She was picked up by a tug and towed into Portsmouth.

The disaster is ascribed to the bad look-out kept by the imnuhantman, and the panic of the helmsman when he saw he saw his danger.