Tragic End.

This beautiful ship had not a very long career, and met her doom in 1869. On February 13, 1869, she left Lyttelton for London with seventy-one passengers and crew, and a cargo of wool, flax, and other produce, and fifteen boxes of gold, valued at £48.000, and when she was off the Falkland Islands she was totally destroyed by fire under tragic circumstances. The fire, which was supposed to originate in some wool that was damp, was discovered at half past one on the afternoon of March 7th, and though strenuous efforts were made, it was soon seen that nothing could be done to save the ship. Beats were got out and provisioned, and it was hoped that the crew and passengers would be able to stay on board until the morning, but the heat became so intense on board that all hands had to take to the boats at 10 p.m.

Captain White in the cutter had all the passengers with him, there being 39 souls in the boat. The two lifeboats, with the rest of the ship's company on board, were instructed to keep company, and did so for two days after the catastrophe. On the third day the life-boats got out of sight, and though the captain's boat sent up rockets and searched for them there was no response.