The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-07-19 00:00:00

SOLAR ECLIPSE.

Yesterday, a partial eclipse of the sun took place. The
sky was unfortunately clouded, and rain fell at intervals.
The clouds prevented any accurate observations being
taken by Mr. Hartnup at the Prince's Dock'Observatory.
According to his calculations, the eclipse commenced at
21 minutes 19 1-10 seconds past one o'clock, and ended
about seven or eight minutes to four, Greenwich time.
The time corresponded within the least trifle of the cal-
culation* of Mr. Hind, publishod in tho London Times.
There were two or three large spots apparent on the
sun's disc, but in consequence of the intervention of the:
clouds, no observations, from whhh any valuable deduc
tions might have resulted, could be made. If we consi-
der the diameter of the sun to be represented by 100,
then, at all those places situated on or near a line join-
ing
London and Liverpool, 83 parts of the diameter of
the sun was. obscured ; at places situated near lines
parallel to the abcive, drawn through Ditblin and Edin-
burgh respectively, 87 such parts were obscured at the
former, and, 79 on the latter ; and at intermediate places,
the magnitude was intermediate. The greatest eclipse
in the British Isles was therefore in Ireland, and the
smallest in. Norfolk.

The point of the sun's border on which the moon first
impinged was situated on the right hand, and a little
below a horizontal line drawn through his centre, and
the last contact was at a point on the left hand, or
eastern border, above the horizontal line passing through
his centre.

The eclipse was attended by no extraordinary dark-
ness here. We may expect important' facts in connec-
tion with the eclipse, from the astronomers who wore
stationed in Spain near the line of totality.
At London the weather was also cloudy, but the sun
was visible from many parts on several occasions during
the eclipse. Exactly at the anticipated minute, the
commencement of the phenomenon was perceptible, and.
again, towards the middle and most important period,
at about a quarter to three, an admirable view of the
strange sight, was obtained. The light was greatly
subdued.

BRUTALITY ON BOARD AMERICAN

SHIPS.

It is the disagreeable duty of those connected with

the press to make frequent record of the acts of brutality
committed on board merchant ships belonging to the
United States, One case of this kind has just occurred
in the Sound, at Plymouth, in which it is difficult to
decide whether brutality, cowardice, or infatuation was
in the ascendant. It appears that about a month since
the ship Connecticut, Captain Spedden, with coal, put
into this port leaky, from Liverpool bound to Woosung,
that she has been repaired, and is now ready for sea.
The original crew, twenty-two men, deserted her one
by one, in coneequence of which a Mr. Salomons,
of London, obtained a crew there, who received
:Advance notes, and were then put in charge of his
runner, who on Thursday evening last arrived by rail,
and at ten-o'clock conveyed the whole by boat into the
Sound. They represented several nations, comprising
two Englishmen, two Americans, two Swedes, one Rus-
sian,.one Finlander, five Frenchmen, one .Belgian, and
seven. Germans, one of whom was from Hamburg. Ac-
cording to their statement, they were called by the third
mate at half-past four on Friday morning, and in five
minutes called a Second time. When all were on deck
he addressed them in most disgusting language, and
ordered them to their several duties. Charles John-
son, a Swede, was sent aloft to take the battens
off the mainstay, but,. not understanding his in-
structions, he returned to deck, when the third mate
took hold of the hair of his head, and pulling it, said
with an oath, " I shall let you off this time, but look
out next." Another man was directed to scour the
brasswork of the capstan, and having placed the rag
on the deck near the capstan, th; second mate kicked
him, and ordered him to take it away. When he went
aft to the other brasswork, the third mate kicked him to
make him go faster. One man on a stage suspended
against the side- of the ship, was struck with a rope
while at his work. The act, however, which most exas-
peratedthestrangers occurred when the crew were ordered
to hoist the topsail yard. They endeavoured to comply,
but the end of the halliards being insufficient for all
some had to wait to get a pull, when the third mate,
Thompson, asked what they were waiting for. On
hearing the question, a Dutchman turned round, and
the third Mate struck him with his fist- and knocked the
skin off his rose. The Dutchman shortly after went up
the rigging and on the foreyard arm, and, looking
towards her Majesty's ships Orion and Greyhound,
lying some distance off, cried out, "Murder, murder !"
and held up his shirt as a sign of distress. Thompson
went to the foreyard, threatening to throw the ocher
overboard. On approaching, the Dutchman took out
his clasped knife, and, shedding tears, said, " For
Christ's sake don't come near. me, .1 don't know
what I may do." The third. mate on hearing
this descended, and going aft, picked up two small
iron marlins Pikes, which he *lashed together, -With
the intention, apparently, of attacking the Dutchman:
On the interference of the chief officer the other placed
the marlinspik.es near the forecastle and went aft, and
the Dutchman, being re-assured by the chief officer,
descended, and went below into the forecastle, when the
crew determined to cease working. The captain in the
afternoon discharged the third mate from the ship;
and sent, him' and his clothes ashore. The second
mate went in the same boat on leave. About midnight
the second mate returned and brought a boatswain,
whom he took into the forecastle and introduced,
using, at the same time, very abusive language to
several of the crew as they lay in their berths. On Satur-
day morning the captain discharged the second mate,
and offered to allow the strangers- to select a second and
third mate from among themselves, but they, fearing
that the original mates would join the ship outside the
port, persisted in their refusal, and ultimately all wont
ashore. They, however, first furled sails and did other
duty of their own accord_ for the protection of the ship.
On Sunday, at noon, the second mate was on the
Barbican-quay, at Plymouth, when he offered to shake
hands with the Dutchman and three others of the
crew. They declined; and one having tripped him up,
the four set on him and kicked him so viciously that
in a short time he would have been killed but for the
kindly interference of Mr. Padden, of the Brunswick
Hotel, and of Vromia, the policeman, who took him
into a house. Shortly after these seamen left Plymouth
by the turnpike-road for Exeter One of the first crew
received such illusage on board the Connecticut that on
landing his face was a mass of bruises ; and it is said
that another poor fellow "stole " the forehatch in the
middle•of the night, pitched it overboard, .and, then
lowered himself' down the ship's side in the forelorn
hope of being picked up. He has,never been heard of
since. , The recital- of the cruelties practised on board
this ship has created a very bitter and dangerous feeling
among the waterside population at Plymouth. •

ARISTOCRATIC FEELING OF THE SlClLlANS.—Gari-
baldi and his followers have learned a curious-lesson in
Sicily. Hating Roman Catholic priests, and little
caring for aristocracy, they were at once brought into
contact with a people who love their priests; they found
monks who were patriots, bishops and archb'.shops who
bless the arms of the iusurgents, and an aristocracy
which, residing among its tenants, wields an influence
not to be despised or even ignored. With all his demo-
cratic tastes, Garibaldi had to consent that %dictatorial
guard should be formed consisting of about 200 men,
the privatesarnong them bearing the rank of lieutenants,
and the officers a corresponding higher rank. Since he
would not allow any exception to be made in the law
about the conscription, this was the only way to get the
young dukes, princes, marquises, and counts into the
army ; they are not yet accustomed,' as in France or
Sardinia, to stand in the same, ranks as privates with
the sons of the peasants; proud of their old Norman
blood, they do not bow to French ideas of equality. If
it is really true that Mazzini is in Sicily he will soon find.
that the island is completely hostile to hisidcas. It was
the despotically levelling tendencies of the Neapolitan
Bourbons that drove Sicily into rebellion, and demo-
cratic levelling is equally unacceptable to the descen-
dants of the Norman conquerors.