A. frightful catastrophe occurred off Dungeness, on the Sussex
• coast, on Wednesday night. The Northfleet, an emigrant ship, bound to Hobart Town, carrying chiefly navvies for the con- struction of railways in Tasmania, was lying. off Dungeness, where she had taken shelter in the East bay from contrary winds, at about half-past ten, with a bright light at her masthead, when some ship, now known to be Spanish, bore -down upon her. There was no answer to the cry of the -watch, " Where are you coming to ?" The steamer crashed into the Northfleet, cutting her almost in two; recoiled, clashed with her, it is said, once more, and then steamed away without listening to the cries for help or giving a sign by which to recognise her. Two of the Northfleet's boats were filled with passengers, who were saved by small craft in the neighbourhood, but the rest were lost, owing to the blind panic of the majority of the passengers ; and over three hundred persons, including Captain Knowles, who behaved splendidly in suppressing the anarchy, and who sent his wife away in one of the boats, telling her she would never see him again,were drowned. The Captain appears to have been nobly seconded by a Mr. Brand, who is also believed to have perished. Within three-quarters of an hour the Northfleet went down. Telegraphic communications were sent in every direction, and £200 reward offered,.—£100 by the Board of Trade and £100 by the Company,—for the identification of the offending ship, and it has been ascertained that it was a Spaniard, who has put into Havre with her bows beaten in. No one ever deserved more richly to be hanged than her captain, unless, indeed, he can
some almost impossible reason for thinking he had done no seriousixarm. Even so, he would be a dishonest runaway from justice.
