Last Saturday night, about 9 o'clock, the steamer Thistle and a small cutter called the Back Swan, came into contact, when we regret to say two lives were lost. The following account of the accident has been handed to us:

The steamer Thistle, Captain Mulhall, left Newcastle on Saturday evening, at six o'clock, the 24th October, 1846, upon her way to Sydney, when off Bungaree's Nora, about nine p.m. was run into by a small cutter called the Black Swan. The night being very thick and dark, and the cutter showing no light, prevented her being seen before she came close under the bows, when she carried away the Thistle's bob-stay. gib-guys, and top-gallant mast.

Hearing a cry for help aboard the cutter lowered the larboard boat which was no sooner in the water than she filled and got stove, losing the oars and nearly the lives of two men ; cleared away the starboard boat and sent the second mate and two hands aboard of her, who returned with one man, being the only one left on board, the other two having been knocked overboard it is supposed, by the main boom, and drowned. Lay to for the remainder of the night close to the cutter, during which time she had drifted about seven or eight miles from Newcastle. At day-light, finding that the cutter had not received much injury, sent the second mate of the steamer with two hands, and the man belonging to her aboard, for the purpose of taking her into Newcastle.

We, the undersigned passengers by the steamer Thistle, upon Saturday night, the 14th October, 1846, declare that the above statement is correct as far as we were witnesses of the circumstance, and that no blame is to be attributed to the master or crew of the steamer, as the cutter showed no light, and the steamer had a good light and look out at the time the accident took pace. Also, that the master, officers, and crew used every endeavour to save the said cutter and her crew.

SG & SGTL 1846

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