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4&nr ftoiiton CcrrrfsponbEitt.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

¡li5ttllantøus |nfeIlig £…

AN AUSTRALIAN MURDERER'S CONFESSION.

*" TESTIMONY OF A FRENCH OFFICER…

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TESTIMONY OF A FRENCH OFFICER TO ENGLISH BRAVERY. Two letters from a French admiral and a captain who witnessed the burning of her Majesty's ship Bombay, have found their way into print. They show how brave men can estimate brave actions by whomso- ever performed, and how much of national jealousy has been rubbed off by alongpeaceand friendly intercourse. The captain, for instance, says for Captain Campbell what Captain Campbell could not i-a,y for himself-tells how, faint with exertion, and almost nude, he ven- tured his own life with that self same daring which he personally could only praise in his subor- dinates and how, when the ship blew up, he was so near that spectators thought he was involved in the common ruin. The Admiral, on the other hand, moralines—" If," he says, "England has to deplore the loss of eighty-five of her children, and of a fine and formidable 8hip of the line, well armed, wen corn. manded, well equipped, she has at least the consola- tion of being able to pride herself on having once more furnished to the admiration of the maritime world a fina example of one of those trying emergencies to which wo are all exposed, supported with as much calmness and resignation as courage"—praise, which, coming from a rival, is as graceful as it must be well deserved. Here is an extract from Captain Goursiaume's letter of the French vessel Fenelon which rendered efficient services during the disastrous burning of her Majesty's ship Bombay, respecting the conduct of the commander of that unfortunate man-of-wir :— Thetonductofthisoniceracd the services rendered by him during the disaster other Majesty's ship Bombay de- serve the highest praise, and must have called for, h the gratitude and admiration of the sufferers. I kept on tacking, therefore, when suddenly I saw a small boat containing 22 men. I immediately hove to, and a moment later I had the sathfacton of receiving on board the commander of the ship, three officers, and 18 sailors. Toey were in a state of complete, or almost complete, nudity, especially the commander. I immediately adopted all the means at my disposal to clothe and make them comfortable. I then pressed the commander to take a cordial, which he declined in spite of my entreaties, and insisted oo re embarking ing in order to return to the ship wishing to give assistance as far as possib'e uo to the last moment to his unfortunate companions, and to be present, as he conceived it his duty to bó, at the inevitible explosion 01 his sbip. To tht. fine and honourable conduct I gelded, and could only promise him to wait as near the ship a* possible. Four men volunteered to folow this noble example, and embanked with hIm. At 8.40 the explosion took place with a fearful Jlohe and in an instant all was over. Has this g<aud devo- tion of the captain re eived its reward ? This is my most ardent desire However, after having waited more than two hours longer, I did not see the bout returning atid with re- gret I found myself compelled to turn my course to Monte Video. About 15 minutes afier midnight the English gun- boar, hailed me, and, after furnishing her with all the infor- mation I possessed, particularly on the supposed fate of the captain of Ihe ship, she fent to remove from on board all the men I had picked up.

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