§ MR. ALDERMAN LUSKsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether his attention has been directed to a report in the Sydney (N.S.W.) newspapers, that an English ship, the Ethiopian, 840 tons register, owned by Messrs. George Thompson, jun,, & Co., of Aberdeen, was seen dismasted and in distress on the 8th day of March last, four miles outside the Sydney Heads, and unable to make the harbour, and that though the attention of the Commanders of Her Majesty's steamers Falcon, Esk, and Challenger, then lying Unemployed in the port of Sydney, was called to the circumstance, this unmanagable and helpless vessel was allowed to drift to sea without their offering any assistance; and that five days afterwards she was rescued by the French man-of-war Marceau, Captain Gallache, and gallantly, and without fee or reward, brought into Sydney Harbour in safety; and, if such statement be true, whe- 168 ther the conduct of Her Majesty's Officers is not contrary to the tenor of their instructions received from the Board of Admiralty?
MR. CORRYsaid, in reply, that no official information on the subject had yet reached the Admiralty; but yesterday the Commodore, whose broad pennant was flying on board the Challenger, arrived at Southampton invalided and in extremely ill health, and to-day his secretary had called at the Admiralty. It appeared that the harbour of Sydney was landlocked, so that a ship could not be seen from the anchorage. We representation, he was informed, was made to the Commodore of any ship being in distress or requiring assistance. He had, however, called for a Report on the subject from the Naval authorities on the station.