As I have already related, the year 1874 was a disastrous one for dismastings; and when the _Loch Ard_ struggled into Melbourne, she found the _John Kerr_ and _Cambridgeshire_, both on their maiden voyages, lying there in a similar plight to her own. Besides these ships and the _Loch Maree_, the following were also dismasted this year on their maiden passages:—_Rydal Hall_, _Norval_, _Chrysomene_ and _British Admiral_. The latter was refitted in England, only to be wrecked on her second attempt, on King’s Island, on 23rd May, 1874, with great loss of life. The _Loch Ard_ on her unfortunate maiden passage had been commanded by Captain Robertson, who, also, was skipper of the _Loch Earn_ when she collided with the _Ville du Havre_. On her third voyage the _Loch Ard_ was taken by Captain Gibb, who was a stranger to Australian waters. He married just before sailing. The _Loch Ard_ left Gravesend on 2nd March, 1878. She was spoken by the _John Kerr_, Captain W. Scobie, on 9th April. But between 5 and 6 on the morning of 1st June, the day after the _John Kerr_ had arrived in Hobson’s Bay, the _Loch Ard_ went ashore 27 miles from the Otway, at Curdies’ Inlet, between Port Campbell and Moonlight Head. Out of 52 souls on board, only two were saved, an apprentice and a passenger. About these two a romance has been woven, which would have done for Clark Russell. Tom Pearce, the apprentice, displayed such gallantry and pluck in saving the passenger, Miss Carmichael, that he became the hero of the hour in Australia. He was one of those people, however, who have the name “Jonah” attached to them by sailors, for a year later he suffered shipwreck again, in the _Loch Sunart_, which was piled up on the Skulmartin Rock, 11th January, 1879. The story goes that Tom Pearce was washed ashore and carried up in a senseless condition to the nearest house. This happened to be the home of Miss Carmichael, who fittingly nursed him back to health, with the proper story book finish that he married her. Whether this is true or not, Pearce lived to be a Royal Mail S.P. captain. He finally retired from the sea in 1908 and died on 15th December of that year. I now commence a series of tables of outward passages to Australia. These have been compiled with as much care as possible, but slips will creep into lists of this kind, and I should be very grateful if any reader who is able to correct a date from an original abstract or private journal would write to me, so that the mistake may be set right in future editions. I have not always filled in a date, as where there was any want of proof I have preferred to leave it blank.