The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-05 00:00:00

MURDERS ON THE HIGH SEAS.

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.

A grand reception took place on Saturday even-
ing at the Tuileries. The ladies of the Diplomatic
Corps and of the great officers of the crown were
accompanied by their husbands in full costume,
military uniform, or court dresses, as far as the
Galerie de la Paix, whence they proceeded alone
into the Salle des Mar4chaux and the Salle du
Tame. The Emperor and Empress on leaving
their apartments were accompanied by Prince
Napoleon, the Princess Clothilde the Princess
Mathilde, and the other princes and princesses
having rank at court. Their Majesties having
placed themselves on the throne, the doors leading
to the throne-room were thrown open, and the
ladies advanced, their names and titles being an-
nounced by the grand chamberlain. After the ladies
had all passed, their husbands followed with the
same ceremonial. Their Majesties, after conversing
for a short time with some foreigners of distinction
who were present, returned to their apartments.

The Archduke Maximilian and the Archduchess
Charlotte were the first among' the foreign princes
to send by telegraph in the morning of New Year's-
day their congratulations to the Emperor and
Empress of the French.
During a rehearsal of the ballet of Fiammetta,
at the Grand Theatre of Trieste, last week, the
dresses of several of the figurantes caught fire,
nod before the flames could be extinguished one
poor girl, only 14 years of age, was so dreadfully
burnt that she died a few hours after.

The C7iarireiri publishes a wood-cut in which Old
Father Time is represented seated at a table acting as
an examiner, and scrutinizing the performances of a
number of pupils. One, representing the year 1863,
is just being sent away in disgrace :—" You are
nothing but a silly fool," says he with scythe and
hour-glass, "you have not been able to resolve
any of the problems set before you. Be off ! We
must see what another can do. This one next you
(1864) looks more intelligent."
M. Guizot, having completed the six volumes of
his memoirs, is said to be about to publish three
other volumes, entitled " MiSditatious Ittligieuses."
The cold in Paris continues with full intensity, a
strong frost taking place not only at night, but
during the whole day. Yesterday at three the
thermometer marked 3 below zero C. (261 F.) The
accounts received at the Observatory of Paris show
that severe weather has set in all over France. The
lowest temperature in Europe is at St. Petersburg,
being 10 below zero C. (14 deg. F.)

The five men who were brought home from
Monte Video in the Brazil mail steamer Parana, and landed
at Southampton on Saturday, charged with the murder of
the captain and some of the crew of the ship Flowery Land,
and scuttling the vessel, were taken before the Southampton
magistrates yesterday for examination. There are in all
ten of the crew implicated in the crimes, five of whom,
with two witnesses, were sant away from Monte Video in the
steamer Uruguay for Liverpool, and the other five, also
accompanied by two witnesses, came home in the Parana.
The British Consul was afraid tossed them all in one batch,
they being such • desperate set of characters, and offered
to send a file of soldiers to keep guard over them, but the
above arrangement was ultimately adopted. The men
brought by the Pantos were heavily manacled. Their
names are Marco Varto, a native of the laden
Islands ; Marciliano Lacroix, a Greek ; Miguel
Lopez. a Malay George Carlos, and John Williams,
three of them being men of colour. The magistrates
on the beach yesterday were ?deems. J. R. Stabbing,
F. Perkins, J. H. Cockney, and R. COW. The facts of the
case will be found detailed in the evidence of James Early,
whose examination was taken. This witness stated that he
was a sailor on board the Flowery Land, which sailed from
the West India Docks on the 2dth of July last, and
the five prisoners, four of whom could speak a little
English, also formed part of the crew. The captain's name
was George or John Smith, and the vessel was bound to
Singapore. All went on well for five or six weeks, but on
the 10th of September one of the crew, • Brazilian, not
among those who arrived by the Parana, struck the mate.
Witness was on the look-out house, and spoke to the mate,
when they struck him again, and told Early to go into the
deckhouse. He dil so, and called the carpenter, who was
asleep in his berth, end he went out. The mate was then
lying on the deck. Some of the men struck the carpenter,
who meet beck to the deckhouse and stayed with witness all
night. During the night he heard a noise on deck, but was
afraid to leave the deckhouse. Between 5 and 6 o'clock in
the morning witness went on deck, and theme into the cap-
tain's cabin, where he found the second mate and some of
the men. Tbey were around the dead body of thecaptain,
which was covered with canvas, and the prisoner Lopez put
arort:rzod it and pulled it up, and then they threw it
v There was a good deal of blood about the
decks, and the men washed it away. Witness also missed
front the vessel the chief mate sod the captain's brother.
The sailors then got the money and the clothes that were
in the cabin. One of them took command of the ship, and
the second mate navigated it. They sailed the ship for
twenty-two days, until they arrived at the entrance of the
River Plate. where they determined on scuttling her.
Witness got into • boat with the steward, cook,
and second mate. The sailors ordered them to
return, and they all did so, excepting the steward,
at whom they threw bottles of wine, what stnick
him several times. He remained in the host till he was
very much cut about, and then be got out into the water
and wee drowned. The sailors threatened what they would
have dose with the steward if they bad had him on deck,
and said it was too easy • death for him to die. After the
steward was dead the men ordered Early to go down and
clear the bottles out of the boat. The ship sank in about
two-and-a-half hours from that time,and witness thought that
the cook and the lamp-trimmer went down in her, for be
never saw them again. Some of the men stopped on board
till within a quarter of an hour of her sinking. They placed
in the boats some clothes, bread, ham, and bottles of wine,
and proceeded to the shore, landing on the open beach, and
went into the country. The second mate managed to
escape from them, and made his way to Monte Video, front
which place a moo-of-war was immediately despatched in
search of them, and after • few days they were all taken
prisoner,. At the termination of the witness Early's evi-
dence the magistrates remanded the five prisoners fur •
we.k, to afford time for communication with the Board
of Trade.