The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-12-09 00:00:00

THE LATE OoNVICTION OF SEAMEN
AT WEYMOUTH.

The British &wan arid Onsediari, referring
to the late e evict' .n of wen et 04NVoymouti,
cop.:—' The circounv•oces under which eight of the
crew of • etesinehlp beloaging to Newcastle were
charged and sentenced t severe punishment by the
rescristratee at Weymouth demand Immo list. mien.
Um. The cam briefly t is this :—Four memos an.l
four firemen, who had signed articles end wore shipped
to serve oa • yoyse• on baud the etearnel i a.
owned by • Mr. Cray. of Newmetle, knocked if 'luty,
and refused to work became ths ship was too deeply
Wm, and f•ir 166 di nos they were put on bre .4 sal
wider for ton day.. an on the arrival of the ship at
Weymouth they were chii4.d bef we the m tegistratos,
se stated, and eenteoced to imprisonment fdr six
weeks, with hard lab Now, if d had biro proved
that the ship was Dot too deeply mdc, thou wir
would at once have admitted tha the momum paeord
by die mssietrates was Jost. Micellen on board •
strip must be maintained. But that meu shoal I t-ra
puolelted before lb* as..is fully sod fairly invint.g.t.d
lea. outreie no all jo.te.. Tb• aee was not fully
Investigated, and Uoin the facto that ,e have now
before ns wean .11. 10 at t. that the Plna..ll ro rk
wee bI iw wame m ris. Cho .sip ere • in lot
'airworthy no amount .1 b.isig e. amply lade.'. T
seamen were not on y I totaled in eefu.log 0 do •lotr
on board a rimgeroue rimed, bat they had • right
chim the support and protection .4 tie I.w in so
duiug. But forted .4 dd. ere 61.1 thou tott throogh
the farm of • trial and thrown intq prison. ..5 too
unsupported evi fence I iher caotain •cot his mem-
mem. S rah s condi ti oi of thin • .n.in t pane so.
ethellerg•d, nor Will w• met until the tnen oh • have
been arbitrarily co..d.chued—very unjustly cu.
deemed we say are released from gaol,
sad just recompenser •ererded to them. Tre
whole tried seems more Ides a ciremotiou to harms
the melon, who rightly &Kneed to do th.ir duty ea
board • ship that the law of Zeeland had declared to
be uossawou by, than the sdmialstratioa of justice for
der•lietioo of duty. It is roldoni we email the admin.
'omelet of the law. Happily, to. lootanow are not
many that require 000demostion. Weems no hmitia.
lion In condemning the action of the Weymouth
magietrates for their drcieion in the cam .4 Um crow
of the Oordin We freely ideto the& the u efortunal•
sallon did sot rootlike full jostle.. They were not
allowed the thanes of peoviug that the .hip was too
deeply laden. The matter demand* immediate mid
prompt attention. Mei an act of high-headed
tyranny shall not go unchallenged. After all that has
bees said about over-laden Twee—after the clear
. legislative easements about the Naimoli mark—dial
we find magietretes reedy to Ignore the requirowes
Of the law, and punish we who were clearly In the
right' This Is what ban been dons in Weymouth.
Th• sailors who were charged with refusing I. do
duly had a right to have their &Weevil, that tim
Cerdic wm too deeply liven, fully inq tired int.
but their inquest was treated with morn sof a .nt•ept
and they Were hurriedly sod faronaWy eomign. d t
gaol. Tim atteotion .4 thee who have ma le ,1 their
duty to defend and prJtent our seamen hal hien
directed to the to•tter, nod we hope at once t • her
of • full investigadoo being made into 1,. eircuni-
ofsoom of the c.f., which will lead at ones to the
Moretti° of the andeened memo