COLLISION OF A STEAM-BOAT AND A Saoor.—On Friday morning about
four o'clock, when the sloop Donegan, from Sunderland, laden with coals, was sailing up against the tide between Gravesend and London, the Enterprise steam-vessel, from the Custom House, hound to Stockton- on-Tees with goods and passengers, was observed coming down the stream at a most rapid rate. The pilot of the Dunvegan sung out, " Keep your helm a-starboard" several times ; but no attention being paid to the call, the crew raised loud cries for the Enterprise to keep off, but she continued to bear rapidly down. The crew of the sloop now saw that a collision was inevitable, and an agonizing suspense took place, which was ended by the dreadful crash of the two vessels, and a cry of, "All is lost !" was heard from the sloop. The larboard quarter of the Enterprise took the sloop on the starboard bow, and in an instant carried away her bowsprit, and rendered the sloop a complete wreck. A broken mast fell upon the pilot and broke his arm. The Captain (Michael Greensides) was knocked down by the concussion, and had his head cut open. One seaman jumped overboard to avoid afalling mast, and saved his life. The pilot's arm was amputated, and it was reported that he died on Saturday ; this, however, is a mistake ; he is still in life, and likely to get better. There were no lights in the sloop, and the people of the steam-boat did not hear the cries of her crew. Had the steamer been fitted up as Captain Hall has recommended, the accident could hardly have happened. DROWNING.—On Tuesday last George Harvey, Esq. of Tavistock Square, London, son of Colonel Harvey, of Thorpe near Norwich, went down to the beach at Winterton to bathe. A friend who accompanied him declined it, as the tide was ebbing ; but Mr. Harvey, being an ex- cellent swimmer, went in, and his friend walked forward. On his return soon after, he was horror-struck at finding Mr. Harvey drawn off to sea and sinking ; he was lost almost within sight of his distracted -fend] y.—Noriciels Post. On Saturday last, at Charlesworth, near Glossop, Mr. Harrison, cot- ton-spinner, who had lately constructed a reservoir, to drive a mill there, filled it with water for the first time. The banks, it unfortunately hap- pened, were found too weak to sustain the weight of water, and gave way. The stream forced an entrance into the mill, distant only a few yards, and washed down the walls, and the building instantly fell ; and three persons, two women and a man, lost their lives, partly killed and partly drowned.—Manchester Guardian. STORM IN TILE NURTIL OF SCOTLAND.—In Kincardineshire, on Monday night (the 3rd), the storm was most fearful ; and at six o'clock on Tues- day morning, the fine bridge, of two large arches, over the river Berrie, forming a part of the great north road between Laurencekirk and Stone- haven, was swept away ; fu consequence of which the coaches are com- pelled to take the circuitous route by Fordun. The river, when the bridge was carried off, had not been observed so high since the water- spout appeared in the neighbouring hills forty-two years since.—Edin- burgh Observer. HURRICANES.—It appears that St. Vincent and St. Lucia have both been visited as severely as Barbadoes by this scourge and purifier of tropical climates. The Royal St. Vincent Gazette, dated 12th, 18th, and 25th August, says—" Scarcely an estate has escaped; and the losses in property and slaves have been very extensive. The damage done in the island has been moderately estimated at ao,owl. sterling. Thirty-six vessels have been stranded; many of which were laden with cattle and valuable property, and several drogliers are missing. 'The distress on the windward and leeward quarters is beyond all description: scarcely a building remains, nearly all having been levelled with the ground. Joined to these miseries, famine is staring the inhabitants in the face. Provision-grounds everywhere destroyed, and the crops of yams, which were just ready for digging, all washed away by the heavy rains. Not a plantain tree remains standing on some estates, nor indeed a tree of any description."
The latest arrivals from Barbadoes describe the loss of life as even more extensive than the destruction of property. The whole of the deaths had not been ascertained, and will not soon be ; but it was calculated that not less than 4,000 persons had fallen victims to the terrible tem- pest; and of these 120 were Whites !
The St. Lucia Gazette of the 17th, says—" We have communicated with different persons as to the comparative violence of the hurricane of 1817, and that which we have now experienced ; and from the most accurate information we can obtain, we are disposed to think that the strength of the wind on this occasion was not by any means inferior to that of 1817 ; lint that in Castries the former was more appalling, in colisevence of the effect of the sea, and the wind blowing from the west, which caused the leeward of the island to suffer considerably more than the eastern line of coast, while now the windward has suffered most : but the injury sustained throughout the island will exceed that of the great hurricane of 1817."
We do not hear that any other islands have suffered, except Barba- does, St. Vincent, and St. Lucia. At Grenada there was some blowing weather about the period of these hurricanes, but no damage was suffered. It is generally, and with reason believed, that the storm at Barbadoes was accompanied by a shock of an earthquake, from the effect on the walls of the most substantial houses, which no wind could have rent and shaken as it appears they have been.
On the 16th of August, the province of Cuba experienced one of the most dreadful hurricanes that has for a long period desolated this coun- try. The damage has everywhere been great. Some of the walls of the fortresses of the Moro and of Costa were thrown down, as well as several Magazines in which gunpowder was deposited. The military hospital has suffered severely. Eight vessels were wrecked in the bay ; some are on shore ; others were driven out to sea ; the city has suffered much, particularly the churches, and the houses near the dikes, which were broken through by the fury of the waters. Happily no person perished. —Letter from the Havannah.
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