From one of them, an English merchantman, we got what we hoped would prove a clue. Ho reported having sighted a brig three days before which was apparently in trouble, though she had no signal of distress set. As a matter of fact he sighted the Trompf, and as a matter of fact she had a signal flying. He simply didn't want to see it, knowing that investigation meant detention. He had made a run of 248 miles since sighting the brig, and getting the latitude and longitude we changed our course to the south-west. Before running the distance we spoke four vessels, but none of them had seen the derelict. From Greenland on tho north to Cape St Eoque on the south there -were hundreds of craft crossing and recrossing the Atlantic, but that derelict brig seemed to dodge them all. Having run our course to the south-west, we figured on the direction of her drift and bore up for the north west, with our bowsprit pointing for the banks of Newfouirfland. We had run about, a hundred miles -when, we spoke the Belle of Halifax, a brig hound for Liberia. Her captain reported that on theoiighi previous, jusfc before midnight, heiad passed a brig drifting off before the wind. Her jibboom and bowsprit and foretopmasfc were dragging >n the. water at her bow, and he believed her to be abandoned. You will ask why an investigation was not made/? In spite of all you may have read and heai/i, it wag none of the Captain's business to I investigate. He could not have spared men I ewough to sail her into port if he found her vimttk saving, and he waa sailing close hauled and did not want to loso the time. To pick up ; a shipwrecked crew at sea means to crowd the cabin and deck-house of the rescuer. In a sailing craft it may mean a shortage of pro visions and water. To lose half a day of fair wind at sea may lengthen a voyage by a week. Owners of veesels count hours and ship's biscuit. In this case not even a shout was raided to ccc if it would bring an answer. The Captain satisfied his conscience and Bayed an hour's time by quietly making up his mind that the wreck was abandoned. 