The Rhode Island American, And General Advertiser

By the Steam-Boat Line.

A gentleman, passenger in the Steam-Boat Line, from New-York, yesterday favoured us with the Mercantile Advertiser of Wednesday, from which we have copied the following highly interesting articles of intelligence:

DISTRESSING INTELLIGENCE.

By the arrival of the Martha, Captain Sketchley, in 30 days from Liverpool, we have the heart-rending intelligence of the Total Loss of the Packet Ship Albion, Captain Williams, which left this port the first of April, for Liverpool. She was driven ashore on the Irish coast on the 22d of the month, and nearly all on board perished.

The intelligence produced the most painful sensation we have ever witnessed in our city, and the event will be most extensively lamented by the friends of the numerous passengers in almost every part of this continent. Captain Williams was one of our most respectable ship-masters, and highly esteemed as a citizen. He has left a wife and seven children to lament his melancholy fate.

The passengers who were on board, according to the account we published on the sailing of the ship were as follows:

Mr. Chaberi, and Mr. Gravez, of Paris; Mr. Le Mercier, of New-Orleans: Mrs. Garnier and Son, and Mrs. Pye, of New-York; Miss Powell, of Canada; Major Gough, of the British Army: William Proctor, William H. Dwight, and G. W. Baynor, of New-York; Philotine Delpla, and Victor Mellissent, of Paris; G. H. Clark and lady, of Albany; Colonel Prevost, A. M. Fisher, of Yale College; G. Hilli, John Gorre, North-Carolina; William Overhart, of Pennsylvania, and two gentlemen from the northward.

It was reported that the passenger saved, belonged to Boston.

Letters from Liverpool say, that the news of the loss of the Albion caused such a gloom, that all mercantile business was nearly suspended during the day.

* This was General Lefebre Desnouettes, who assumed that name.

The following extract of a letter from an eye witness of the scene, a Mr. Purcell, agent to Thomas Rochford, Esquire, to whom the letter is addressed, contains several interesting particulars respecting this disastrous shipwreck. The letter is dated "Garretstown, April 22," and is published in the Liverpool papers.

"At some time before four o'clock this morning, I was informed that a ship was cast on the rocks at the bottom of your dairy farm, to which place, I immediately repaired; and at about the centre of the two farms, found a vessel on the rocks, under a very high cliff. At this time, as it blew a dreadful gale, with spring tide and approaching high water, the sea ran mountains high; however, I descended with some men as far down the cliff as the dashing of the sea would permit us to go with safety, and there had the horrid spectacle of viewing five dead bodies stretched on the deck, and four other fellow creatures distractedly calling for assistance, which we were unable to afford them, as certain death would have attended the attempt to render them any. Of those in this perilous situation, one was a female, whom though it was impossible from the wind and the roaring of the sea to hear her, yet from her gestures and the stretching out of her hands, we judged to be calling and imploring for our assistance. At this time the greater part of the vessel lay on a rock, and part of the stern, where this poor woman lay, projected over a narrow creek that divides this rock from another. Here the sea ran over her with the greatest fury, yet she kept a firm hold, which it much astonished me that she could do; but we soon perceived that the vessel was broke across, where she projected over the rock, and after many waves dashing against her, this part of the vessel rolled into the waves, and we had the heart-rending scene of seeing the woman perish. The 3 men lay towards the stern of the vessel, one of whom stuck to a mast, which projected towards the cliff, to whom, after many attempts, we succeeded in throwing a rope, and brought him safe on shore. Another we also saved; but the constant dashing of the waves put an end to the sufferings of the other. This vessel proves to be the Albion, of New-York, packet, Captain Williams, which place she left on the 1st instant, for Liverpool, with a cargo of cotton, raw turpentine, rice, &c. and with about 28 passengers. Her crew consisted of 24; and on the whole there have been saved only 9, making the sufferers amount to 43. Out of the passengers there have been saved but two. The bodies of 5 men and 2 women have been picked up."

Another letter says, that the shipwreck of the Albion was owing to the loss of her masts, the night previous, while carrying a press of sail off land—The weather being very tempestuous.