The Times, Tuesday, Feb 06, 1866; pg. 6; Issue 25414; col B THE LOSS OF THE LONDON. ----------------------- OFFICIAL INQUIRY. The inquiry directed by the Board of Trade into the circumstances under which the London foundered in the Bay of Biscay on the 11th ult. was resumed at the Greenwich Police Court yesterday, before Mr. TRAILL, police magistrate, and Captain HARRIS and Captain BAKER, nautical assessors. Mr. O'DOWD appeared for the Board of Trade, and Mr. W. M. HITCHCOCK, on behalf of Mr. CULTING, whose daughter was lost in the ship. Mr. Clifford WIGRAM, one of the owners of the London, was also present. The evidence given by the quartermaster on Saturday that Captain MARTIN had never run the ship before the wind, except during a few minutes while he was wearing her to facilitate the launching of the port cutter in which the 19 persons were saved, was supported by all the witnesses examined yesterday. But on the subject of the hatchway, and the flying jibboom which was said to have been lashed under it, there was some conflicting and extraordinary testimony. It had been stated by more than one witness that the flying jibboom which had been carried overboard on the morning of the 9th of January was got in again about 4 o'clock on the afternoon of the 10th, and immediately lashed to the deck alongside the hatchway to the engine-room; and it will be remembered that on his examination on Saturday the carpenter's mate suggested that the skylight had been carried away by this jibboom having been driven up against it by the action of the seas which the vessel shipped on the night of the 10th. Yesterday, however, Master EDWARDS, one of the midshipmen, stated that he had seen the flying jibboom knocking about the deck at 11 o'clock in the morning of the 11th, not lashed, but striking both the bulwarks of the ship and the combings of the hatchway. He added that he had again seen it under similar circumstances at between 3 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day. Still more extraordinary, he asserted, as beyond no possibility of mistake, that on the morning of the 11th, nearly 12 hours after the skylight had been carried away, he saw it lying on the deck, neither its framework nor any of the glass being broken, and, he added, that, though he thought the captain also must have seen it there, he witnessed no attempt to put it back again on the hatchway. The witness who immediately preceded Master EDWARDS stated as positively that the skylight was smashed to pieces shortly after it had been carried off the hatchway. When it is recollected that all night the crew and passengers had been endeavouring in vain to stop up the hatchway with spars, sails, mattresses, and whatever else they could lay their hands on, and that the skylight was 12ft. by 9ft., and weighed a ton and a half, and must therefore have been a very prominent object, it will appear all the more marvellous that it could have been lying where the midshipman states he saw it, and yet neither the captain nor any other officer have given orders to have it replaced upon the hatchway after the first attempts had been made to replace it, and, as the other witness swore, it had been smashed to pieces with the wind and the sea. At the sitting of the Court yesterday, Daniel Thomas SMITH was examined. He said he was boatswain's mate on board the London during her last voyage, which was his first aboard that ship. He had been 17 years at sea, and chiefly on foreign voyages. The weather was very fine when the London left Plymouth, soon after midnight on Saturday, the 5th of January, and continued so till the 7th, when the wind increased, but not with great violence till Monday. They were going under steam with head to wind. It came on to blow strong in the morning, about 10 o'clock. It might have been blowing about half a gale then. The wind increased to a full gale by 6 that evening, when they set mizenstaysail and forestaysail, and maintopmast staysail and reefspanker. About 8 o'clock the maintopmast staysail was carried away. Nothing more occurred till the morning of the 9th. On the night of the 9th, when carrying the sails that he had stated, they were on the starboard tack. About 9 o'clock on the morning of the 9th the jibboom was carried away. At the same time the ship pitched, and carried away the foretopmast, the foretopgallantmast, and mainroyalmast. He saw this. All went within a few minutes of each other; the one pitch did it. No injury was done to the ship. The jibboom went overboard on the starboard side, and the masts hung down abaft. This was all that occurred that day. They tried to cut away the wreck of the jibboom, but the sea was so heavy they could not get at it. The foretopmast was secured with lines round the foremast, and the mainroyalmast was left hanging. The jibboom was overboard all night, and was not got on board till the afternoon of the 10th. The standing jibboom, after they got it on board, they lashed to the after part of the fore rigging, on the port side. It was lashed to the ringbolts on the deck. The ship was then on the port tack. A piece of the flying jibboom was taken in, brought aft, and lashed by the engine hatchway on the port side. He saw this done. The length of it was about 25ft., and its circumference about 28in. or 29in. It lay by the engine hatchway, with its after end lashed to the stanchions of the after or saloon hatchway. He lashed it with a 3-inch rope. Captain HARRIS. - What! a 3-inch rope round a portion of the stanchions only about an inch and half in diameter? The witness repeated that he had used a 3-inch rope. He was not on deck when the ship's head was turned towards Plymouth, and did not know when her head was turned in that direction. The flying jibboom was secured about 4 in the evening, and he saw it secure in its place at 7 o'clock. He did not notice then that it was jumping about, or loose. He did not at any time see it strike the combings of the hatch. He could not say he saw it again till after the skylight had been carried away. He could not say that at any time previous to the hatchway being carried away he saw the flying jibboom sweeping about the deck and striking the combings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The examination of the boatswain's mate to continue..... Petra.