Ran Her Ashore.

Eventually, however, the master of the Surat made for the shore, with the intention of beaching her; and it was after this was accomplished that she was found by the French warship. Another steamer, the Wallabie, apparently a coastal boat, was the only boat small enough to negotiate the bar. When she got inside she found that the greater part of the Surat's passengers had been hurriedly landed, and were being well cared for at the sawmills of Messrs. Guthrie and Larnach, and Mr. G. F. Reid, as well as in all the available huts and cottages. The Wallabie took a lot of the people up to Dunedin, but most of them were accommodated on board the French warship, which, when she arrived in Dunedin, had a most motley assortment of people in all sorts of garments. The unfortunate immigrants had lost all they had, but the people of Dunedin were very good to them, and treated them most kindly.

In his account of the disaster, the master of the Surat said that when he stood inshore again after bumping, he anchored the ship in a little bay near Catlins River, and landed some of the passengers. Soon afterwards it was found that the ship was sinking, so the cables were slipped, and the ship run ashore at the Catlins River. The remainder of the passengers were then landed, and also the crew. Nothing was saved but a little bedding. The ship had on board a lot of railway iron, and plant for the Kaikoura woollen factory. Among the immigrants there were several people who had come out to work in the mill.

At the inquiry into the wreck, the captain stated that he had not been supplied with the proper charts, and the pumps would not work. He admitted that he had been drinking, and that he threatened to shoot anyone who tried to signal the Wanganui. The Court held that the captain and his officers were blamable on several points, and that their wrongful acts resulted in the loss of the vessel, the Court's finding as to their certificates being as mentioned above.

The figurehead of the Surat, an admirably-carved head of a woman, was recently renovated, and placed in the Otago Early Settlers' Museum as a memento of the tragedies of the pioneering days.

the Surat made a trip to Auckland in 1864. She sailed from the Downs on June 20, and experienced very poor N.E. trades, and crossed the line on July 25. The S.E. trades also proved indifferent and baffling, and the meridian of the Cape was not passed until August 20. Captain Dunlop, who was in command, ran down the easting between the parallels of 48 and 49 degrees with moderate but very wet weather. the Surat came south about, the Snares being sighted on September 23, 88 days out. Thence light winds and variable weather was experienced up the coast. She brought a total of 112 passengers, and arrived on October 4. Two New Zealand chiefs who had been Home for two years came on board, suffering from consumption, and died on board.