The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-29 00:00:00

HATMARIES

Tale IMMO, LI'ITLIDiIfrY.—IIiMKITII lITILLIR. Mr
Bothers —OVA AMERICAN COMIC Messrs. Sotharn, Buck-
atom and Chippendale Mesdames Angel, Snowdon, and
Harris—And A KIM IN THE DARE. Mr. Clark.

_Farm

THU Eviumte, PAUL'S iiitraN7 Mews. Vining, Nelson.
Nisbet )(cuisine& Marston and Kate IlavUle.—THE COMEDY
OF ERRORS. Mean Vining, Nelsen, and the &others Webb.
—And JACK'S ARRIVAL FROM CANTON.

.LIrCIITIL_

raj: EVlSaaa. THE LOST CHILD. Hr. Widd'comb and
Mho P. laclerce.—BlL DitIONIO. a Love Story. Mom.
p.m.,. Brougham. EMIT, Charles, sad Jordan . Moor
Hate Terry, Lansaw, Sad EISWOsO7. Sad Hrs. Los.

3IIThJIwTA:

Tau Evrxnia. Till (WICTSiB. Mows. Reynolds. Cran-
ford. and Drummond; Mesdames 'Tarsal &114 Miles—And
RICKORY, DICKORY, DOCK. Meedmes S. Use and Cratere.
The Fr, tsch Clowns -The Fairy lessee&

MOO WAN= AT LONDON WOOL
ito Das Veralm 51L 50•4.....1111a5amL fm.
TJ.MoDNOW Nora Log, .A.l44weam. eh- 56w..

LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29.

THE " Correspondence respecting the capture of
" the Saxon by the United States ship Van
" derbilt," which has just been published, throws
light on the circumstances attending the seizure of
the British barque, as well as on that more painful
one, the violent death of the first mate at the
hands of an American officer. With regard to the
first point, the capture of the Saxon, the Corre-
spondence supplies the evidence on which the Eng-
lish Government has decided that there is no
ground for withdrawing the question of its lega-
lity from the jurisdiction of the Prize Court
to which it has been referred. The seizure of
the vessel appears to have involved no violation
of British or neutral territory, and one of the
owners of the Saxon virtually admits that she
was engaged in conveying to market part of a
prize cargo belonging to Captain SEMMES, of the
Alabama. The second point, the alleged murder
of the first mate in cold blood, is one of
wider and more urgent interest, one that
comes home to the feelings of every English-
man, of every member, indeed, of any
community sufficiently civilized to regard the
rights of the person and the security of life as
supreme interests. On this vital question the
information contained in the official Correspon-
dence just issued is full and detailed. The pa-
pers supply, indeed, in the shape of statements
made by the master, the second mate, and the
crew of the Saxon, all the evidence that can at
present be obtained on the subject, and this evi-
dence certainly supporta the allegations respecting
the murder of the first mate. It must of course
be kept in mind that we have at present only one
side of the case, the depositions of officers and
men belonging to the captured barque, and it may
be added that on one material point the testimony
of those witnesses does not perfectly agree. Still
in the main it carries an air of almost unmistake-
able truth, and on the supposition of its trustwor-
thiness the British Government was bound
to urge on the American Government
the immediate trial of the officer who shot Mr.
Guay, as well as to ask for reparation. The
American Government immediately complied with
the first request, and Mr. DONOHOE, the in-
criminated officer of the Vanderbilt, is now on his
trial before a Court of Inquiry assembled at the
Navy Yard, Boston. It appears, indeed, from the
papers that apart from any application from the
British Government, this officer would have been
brought to trial immediately on the return of his
vessel to America, the captain of the Vanderbilt'
having placed him under arrest on hearing the cir-
cumstances connected with Mr. GRAY'S death.
. . _

It is satisfactory to know that the whole case is
now being legally investigated before the proper
tribunal, and will be judicially decided on the
fullest evidence. Meanwhile it is important to the
interests of international justice that the
material facts, so far as they already depend,
should be accurately known and kept in view on
this side of the Atlantic. They are brought out
most fully in the detailed statements of DANIEL
Air, HISON, is‹ e ind mate, and HORACE CARREW,
seaman, on board the Saxon—both of whom
were within about half-alozen yards of Mr. GHAT,
the first mate, when he fell. From these state-
ments, confirmed in every essential particular by
the evidence of STEPHEN SHEPPARD, the master of
the barque, it appears that the Saxon sailed
from Capetown early in September, with a
cargo for Ascension, and having landed the
cargo, proceeded to Angra Pequefia, on
the west coast of Africa, arriving there
about the middle of October. Here, on the 27th
of that month, she commenced taking in a cargo
of skins and wool, which had been discharged
there a few days before from the Tuscaloosa,
the Federal merchant ship taken by the Alabama
and subsequently converted into a privateer.
Three days later, just as the crew had finished
loading and the Saxon was ready for sea, the
Federal war-ship Vanderbilt rounded Angra Point,
anchored abreast of Penguin Island, and sent off
a boat's crew, with two officers, armed, to board
the barque. The senior officer--a Mr. KEEFE—
asked for the ship's papers, and after inspecting
the cargo told SHEPPAHD, the master, that
he must take the papers to Captain BALDWIN, of
the Vanderbilt, charging him not to weigh anchor
until his return, and leaving his junior officer,
Mr. DONOHOE, to see that the order was executed.
The master of the Saxon replied that he was ready
for sea, and would go, "papers or no papers," as
soon as hehad had his dinner. This threat had its
effect. In less than an hour another officer and
beat's crew were armed and despatched from the
Vanderbilt to take charge of the Saxon, with
orders to get her under weigh and bring
her down the lagoon. The master was
ordered below, the crew being told by
him to knock off, and not in any way to inter-
fere. Shortly after occurred the circumstances
which led to the violent death of the first mate.
About four o'clock, or an hour after the vessel
had been seized, half-a-dozen men from the shore
who had been assisting in loading the vessel, came
off in a boat with some fish, and asked for some
bread and meat to take back, as they had had
nothing since breakfast, Sur.rrAwri, ear master,
says :—" I told my chief officer (GRAY, the mate)
" that he might give them some, but that he must
" first ask the officer in charge of the ship. He

THE s :

" did so, and the officer in the . armissoe.
Law
" said they might have some, ,bu , aftelltrwards
" changed his mind, and said sellth
_. ' ns
" that they should not have • bit." Th.; second
mate, in his affidavit, givesrather a different account
of the circumatancee :—" Captain SHEPPARD asked
" Mr. K 2112 for permission to send on shore
" some s•lt beef, pork, and bread for six men,
" who had been assisting in loading the Saxon,
" until asupply should come for them from Cape
" Town. Lieutenant KEEFE granted permission,
" and a signal being made for the six men, they
" came off in their boat. They were men who
" carried on the business of digging guano and
" sealing, and had been for eight months and
" upwards at that and other neighbouring places
" on the coast, under charge of Captain Bows.
" When the men came on board they went to get
"their provisions out of the mak, under the super-
" intendence of the muter and mate of the Saxon.
" There was some little confusion, and Lieutenant
" KEEFE told Captain SHEPPARD that the men
" had got enough provisions, and ordered Captain
" SHEPPARD and the mate GRAY to go intothe cabin."
The cause of this " confusion " is more fully
explained in the very minute and circumstantial
deposition of the seaman HORACE CARREW. He
says:—" The men from the boat went forward
" to where the meat was kept (in tube between the
" forecastle and the galley). One of the Vander-
" bilt men came and told the senior officer that
" these men were taking all the meat out of the
" ship. They were taking too much, I suspect.
" The officer said, ' I'll be damned if they shall
" ' have any, then.' Our captain was standing
" by, and said, ' I'll be damned if they
" ' shan't, then.' There was something like •
momentary quarrel between the late master of the
vessel and the officer in charge, and Site men on
either aide appear to have shared the excite-
ment. The master immediately went aft as
he was ordered, and retired to his cabin. The
chief mate, Mr. GRAY, appears to have been in
the fore part of the vessel at this time, and on
hearing the captain was ordered below attempted
Ito follow him. In doing so he had to ascend the
1 short ladder of three steps leading from the deck
Ito the poop. At this time the Ametkan senior
officer was standing on the raised top of the
cabin, having a look-out on the whole deck. I
The second officer, DONOHOE, was standing on the
poop just above the three steps on the port aide,
which GRAY the mate was ascending. Doxo-
HOE seeing him coming up, at once told him to
II go down. The sequel may be told in the words of
I the official " statement " made by the crew :
" Mr. GRAY did not go immediately, not exactly
" knowing what was the matter, when the officer
" repeated the order, saying, ' If you do not, I
" ' will shoot you,' at the same time shoving
" him. Mr. GRAY'S foot caught in one of the
" steps of the ladder, when he turned half
" round and looked up in the officer's face,
" who then drew a revolver and shot him dead."
The master, SHEPPARD, rushing on deck, imme-
diately said to the senior officer, KIWI., "Why
" have you shot my mate !" He replied, " It was
"an accident." He then turned to the junior
officer, and asking him why Gaav had been shot,
received for reply, " Poor fellow, I am very sorry
" for him, but must obey orders." At this point
there is some discrepancy in the evidence, the
second mate's account being—" I heard DONOHOE
" say, ' We must obey orders,' or 'He must obey
" ' orders,' lam not sure which. About •
" minute afterwards he added, ' Well, it is an
" ' accident ;my revolver was cocked.' " The
evidence appears decisive against the latter sug-
gestion that the mate was shot by accident, but
the testimony is almost equally emphatic to the
effect that no order for this hostile act was given.
RICHARD CABLE, one of the seamen, said he
heard no order given ; and further deposes that
the senoir officer most strongly condemned the
act, saying he was very sorry for it. CARREW'S
testimony is still more decisive as to no order
having been given. He says he was quite near
enough to hear, but that be heard no order given.
Captain BALDWIN, of the Vanderbilt, expressed to
SHEPPARD, the master of the Saxon, his great re-
gret at the tragic occurrence, and stated that
Dosottoe was under arrest. There is so far every
reason to believe that justice will be done in the
matter, but the Government must continue to give
its attention to the case.

The Queen has commanded that a drawing-room
shall be held on Saturday, the 19th of March next,
by the Princess of Wales, on behalf of her Majesty.
All presentations will be considered as being made
to her Majesty. The usual regulations will be
observed. It is not expected that gentlemen will
go to the drawing room, except in attendance upon
the ladies of their families.