NEWS OF THE WEEK
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THE last ten days have been distinguished by three grievous disasters. One, the destruction of the Scotch express near Thirsk on Wednesday morning, by collision-with a goods-train which ought not to have been on the line, we have discussed elsewhere. Another is the wreck of the Roumania,' a Liver- pool steamer of 3,387 tons, bound for Bombay, which struck on the rocks near Peniche, on the Portuguese coast, on the night of Thursday, October 27th, some fifty miles north of Lisbon. She was, it appears, enveloped in fog when she was struck by a great storm, which carried the waves high over her decks, sweeping away the officers who were on the bridge, and was thrown upon the rocks. She went to pieces im- mediately; and out of her passengers, crew, and officers, only two Europeans and some Lascars were saved. There is great confusion as to details, survivors like Captain Hamilton and Lieutenant Rooke blaming the officers for their look-out, and for excessive delay in trying means of escape ; but Renter's agent, who has cross-examined all wit- nesses on the spot, exonerates all concerned from blame. The passengers were mostly Anglo-Indians, and some of the cases are heartrending, the list of the dead including ladies just married, wives returning to their husbands, and little children. Captain Hamilton, in particular, supported his wife, only six weeks married, for hours in the water, but she was swept away at last, and he is nearly insane with grief. The Portu- guese officials behaved with kindness ; but the peasantry occupied themselves with plunder,even stripping the bodies. The third disaster is the groundirg of H.M.S. Howe,' a first- class ironclad of more than 10,000 tons burden, which grounded on Wednesday while entering the inner harbour of Ferrol. She knocked a great hole in her bottom, through which the water rushed in and extinguished the fires, and by the last accounts will be a total loss. She cost £680,000.
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