The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-09 00:00:00

THE LEAGUE FUND.

The fund continues to receive acceecioaa with
every pod, and tits correspondent* of the League so vols.
nunous in days prat, appears to hays swung into full enis•
tenet again, as if under the wand of a magician. Mr.
James Pilkington, M.P. for Blackburn, gives 1,0001., and
Mr. B. Oliveira, of London, 1,0001. The Right Ron. the
Earl of Radnor has written to *sprats his hearty concur-
rence in the steps which have been taken, and gives 1001.
to the fund. Messrs. George Andrew and Bon give 6001. ;
Meson. bison and Sun, 6031. ; Mr. Robert Stuart, 2001. ;
Mesas. Samuel Heginhottom and Sons, Ashton, 3001. ;
kit sirs. John Mason and Son, 2501 ; Mr. P. Arrowamith,
Bolton, 200/. ; Mr. Thomas Thorneley, M.P. 1001. ; and
some other tunas of 1001. down to 101. swell the total to about
I 40,0001.

THE CONFLICT ON BOARD THE QUEEN
OF THE WEST, LIVERPOOL.
In one yeatertlaye publication wo gave the
particulars of a sanguinary collision that had taken place on
itlaturday, on board the Queen of the West, American
packet-ship, lying in the Melee'', as they had then tran-
spired; and that the cams boil been transferred from Liver-
pool to Birkenhead, as the ship was lying within the
jurisdiction of the Cheshire magistrates.
On Monday (yesterday), accordingly, the magistrates
assembled withiu the justices' room at Birkenhead, to hear
the charge of mutiny preferred by Captain Mere against his
sailors.
Captain More said—l em muter of the Queen of the
W,st, an American vessel, lying in the river "lency.
On Saturday last had part of crew on board, when I went
ashore to get the government agent to clear the passengers.
When I came back, which was between 12 and 1 o'clock,
the mate was mustering the crew. I told the mate to go
below and look after the passengers and I would muster the
men. Twenty men answered to their name,. I told the
shipping master to go ashore and get six more hands,
which, including the carpenter's mate and en ordinary''
seaman, would make 28 of a crew. Oeo. Freeman*, can et
the crew, then stepped forward and asked um what
I meant by having only 26 men, when the
was 30, and swore he would not go in the shi;il=l
coolly to the man, and told him 1 bad gone to sea with km
men, and asked him if be could do more than one meals
duty ;to which he replied yes, and Olathe would bar it, do
it in this case. I told him to go forward. Ire did so. On
Freeman joining Alexander Jack and Henry Downes,
they all began muttering. I followed the men to the fore-
rigging
to see whether they would go to work. When I
got forward, Freeman said it was time to get breakfast. I
asked him what ho wanted that he did nut go to work ;1
and ho told me in answer to go to hell. Thereupon I took
hold of him by the collar, but before I could say a word all
the prisoners, particularly Freeman, Jack, Dowers and
Fowler knocked me down with handspikes, belaying
pins, die. ; and when I was down they struck me on the
head. I managed to get up, and having all the
officers except the mate below, I ran alt to the
wheelhouse, and got a revolving pistol. I went
forward again, took hold of Freeman, told him he
was my prisoner, and ordered the others to stand back, or
I would shoot them. Upon this two of them closed in
upon me and I fired at Jack. The pistol missed, and the
men closed upon me again, armed with handspikes, belay-
ing-pius, dc., knocking me down, and cutting me severely
all over the body. With that the mate came along with a
cutlass, and commenced to strike away at the crew. The
third and second mates also came forward and struck at the
men to enable me to get up. As soon as I got up I told the
mate to give mo his (cutlass and to get another, which he
did, and we :then cleared the decks in a very short time.
The Government Surveyor, Lieutenant Fryer, was on
board at the time, and went on shore in a steam tug for the
police. Eight of the crew went on shore in the steam-boat,
when be gate them into custody on landing. I then
ordered the ringleader* to be secured. Downes was
so violent on being brought aft that the three
metes could not manage him. I was at the time in the
wheel-house getting my head dressed, and I jumped
out and lent them a hand. Downes was so violent that I
tied him up to the rigging and flogged him. Soon after
Superintendent Ride came on board, and took the portion
of the crew on board into custody. lam a Berman.
Cross-examined by Mr. Aspinall (for the crew) I have
never been before the magistrates in this country for illtreat-
ing my crew, but twice at New York for illtreating pence-
gers. Did not strikOreeman. Before I went for the pistol the
men had struck me. The principal part of the men were on
deck during the occurrence. No man struck me a second
time before I drew the trigger of the pistol. The pistol was
loaded at New York out. There was no cap on. I thought
at the time there might be one cap on, and I fired with the
intention of shooting the man if he resisted. Only the mate
had a cutlass, the second mate had a belaying pin. I sung
out to the passenger, to assist me, but they did not.
By Mr. Snowball—The pistol was a revolver. There
were three caps on, and three of the nipples without ceps.
I don't recollect the particulars of the affairs for which I
was tried at New York. I was fined 11. or 21.
James P. Risk, the mate, was next examined, and gave
a similar statement to the Captain's as to the conflict. He
detailed in addition some attacks upon himself, the secur-
ing of the men, and the flogging of Downes, which he
stated the Captain did himself. In cress-examination
tho mate admitted running after the men with a
cutlass and striking at them alter the conflict was
over, but he could not say he struck any one. He
also stated that he assisted to hold up Downes' shirt
while the captain flogged him.
The second and third mate, and a little boy from
Manchester, who was aboard at the time, gave evidence
to much the same purpose, identifying allselmt portions of
the crew as being engaged in the andiet, and detailing
the manner in which they were wounded and the parties
who committed the acts. The boy Mated that Downes re-
' (rived two doom and two lashes, and *a atuaresaminatiaa
stated that he had asked • the captain an gawp nermaing
to take hint to sea with him, but he mimed tbim an the
=that he took no boys ; however, an eosin added
bile proceeding to the court in the vansiti, Its
agreed to take him with him to America.
Mr. Bradley, surgeon, stated that he had dressed the
head of Captain Mors, and found that be bad received
three contused wounds on the head, which would be in-
dieted by a blunt instrument.
John Murphy, a passenger, deposed to the general
features of the captain's evidence, and stated in addition:
—I heard the pistol click twice, and then saw it flying into
the water. The captain came out of the scuffle, and got a
man down and kicked him, while the man's hands were
tied. This man tried to get on board the steamer, but was
driven back. Saw him taken into the wheel-house, when
he was put in irons. Saw Downes seise the ladder
leading from the main to the quarterdeck, and
call for help from the passengers. He was seised
by the hair of the head, and pulled up by the first
and third mates. Then saw the captain flog him up to 18
lashes, when the mates wished him to atop, but he refused,
and gave the man two or them more. When the 'Seers
were securing the men, saw one man with his arm nearly
cut off at the elbow. A Liverpool police officer deposed to
taking the men into custody. A number of the men were
very severely cut ; some of them wounded all over the body.
Two of them, Peter Ryan and Thos. Morton, were at pre-
sent in the hospital, and he had a oertificate which stated
that they were unable to be removed. Ryan has his arm
nearly cut off, and complains sadly of his wound. Morton
is also wounded in the arm, but not so severely, and he has
also a scalp wound.
Another passenger, named Thoe. Moray, deposed to the
captain striking nem= first, and to seeing him after-
wards run after the men with a cutlass.
Sir Edward Cost here stated that there was evidence
against only Fowler, Jack, Trainer, Downes, and Freeman,
When Mr. Aspinall requested the others might be die-
charged fur the sake of the other prisoners. The magis-
trates, however, after consulting together, thought it better
to keep them in the dock with the rest.
Patrick Martin, a shipping master, deposal Os skipping
a number of men, after which, in answer to queediene Ikea
Mr. Aspinall, he stated that the shipping madam resolved
a pound for every man they shipped, of whisk me more
captains received 6•., and some 10s., copra esking asiblas.
Mr. Aspinall then proceeded to address the bomb agli
, a summary conviction. He stated that he had abundant
evidence, to ge before a jury, to gives very different odium.
ins to the case made on behalf of the captain. Mr, MONA
was addressing the magistrates when our ;mei Wes de-
spatched.

MANCHESTER COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION AND
Faun TsAnn.—A special meeting of the directors of the
Manchester Commercial Association was held yesterday, at
which Mr. James Aspinal Turner presided. Sir John Potter
moved and Mr. Johnidaloolm Rose seconded the following
resolution : " That this association, deeply conscious of the
great advantages that have accrued to the general interests
of the country from the adoption of a frec•trade policy,
feel called upon to deprecate in the strongest manner any
attempt at the reversal of the commercial legislation of the
last few years. That this association is firmly of opinion
that any return to protective duties cannot be permanent,
and that any attempt at their re-establishment would only
lead to continued and organised agitation. That a state of
uncertainty is at all times prejudicial to the operation of
trade and commerce. This association, therefore, would
respectfully but earnestly call upon her Majesty's govern-
ment at ones to declare its future commercial po-
licy." Moved by Mr. John Peel, seconded 17
Mr. W. A. Wood, " That the above views be
embodied in petitions to both houses of parliament, and
also in a memorial to the Right lion. the Earl of Derby.
That the petition to the House of Commons be entrusted to
Wm. Brown, Req., M.P., and that to the House of Lords
to the Right Ham. the Date of Newcastle. There were
present at the wasting, In addition to the gentlemen above
maned, Messrs. Imam Atherton, D. R. Davies, R. J. Far-
bridge, J. C. Presoak Robert Smith, Samuel Schuster,
Leopold Reiss John Peel, R. J. Jones, Faraday Smith,
Wm. Oibb, John Hunter, Stephen Franghiali, and Mr.
Hugh Fleming, secretary.
AccESSION TO THE RANKS Or FREE TRADE.—We
have learnt with unmingled satisfaction, that one of the
leading men in this county—Sir Wm. Heathcote, Bart , of
Hunley l'ark—has renounced all faith in protectionist
delusions, and is prepared to assist in consolidating tho
operations of free trade, end to support an extension of the
sue* Loot so tar as the late proposal of Lord John
ItumelL—Mots Independent.
EXTENSION Or RAILWAY TELEGRATIDL—The tele
igraph is now nearly completed over the route of the Greet
Northern Railway from London to Lincoln and Hull. It is
also being constructed—by the Electric Telegraph Company,
who have about 1,000 men daily at work—on the Lancaster
and Carlisle, Maryport and Carlisle, and along the western
coasts ; also on the Shrewsbury and Chester and Shrews-
buiry and Hertford railways.