The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-18 00:00:00

MASSACRE IN THE BERENICE AND
BURNING OF THE VESSRL.

A most tragical event has unhappily befallen the
master, his lady, and officers of the English ship Berenice,
in the Straits of Gaspar, while on a voyage to Sydney,
who were horribly murdered on board, and their ship
afterwards destroyed by tire. A previous mail lied given
rite to some fears of • vessel having been burnt in the
Straits, and an impression was sntertaiaed that the di-
lated ship was the Berenice, which was missing ; and
from the fact of some of the fragments of the
wreck having been picked up bearing die Berenice'.
initials, little doubt was felt in the matter. Much
anxiety then 'arose as to the fate of those on board,
who comprised Captain Candy, his wife, first and
second mates, a Frenchman (a passenger for Austra-
lia) two servants of Mrs. Candy, and about 35 hands.
With the exception of the officers, there were but few
Europeans among the crew, whn, for the most part,
were Java and Manillamen. The ship sailed on the 6th o:
Jane from Singapore for Shanghae, and then from that
port to Sydney on the 4th of November, with the intention
of calling at Java. Several of the crew evinces! a strong
desire to leave the vessel on her reaching that island, hut
the captain holding out an increase of wages and additional
rations to take the ship on to Sydney, they ware induced to
remain, and the vessel proceeded. Nothing was heard of
her until about the 10th of December, when a report
reached Marabaya, the residence of Togel, of the remains
of a burned wreck having been discovered in the Straits.
A day or two previously, a boat containing 15 persons ar-
rived at Mamba's, who, on landing, dispersed themselses
inland before the authorities had time to institute in-
quiries about them; and on the day following another
boat came in with a similar number, and same character
of men, a mixture of Java and bliusillamen. When inter-
rogated, they stated that they were the crew of a pral.o
belonging to Rhio, laden with gambrie, which they repre-
sented lied capsized, and that a boy had been drowned. The
whole of them adhering to that one statement, they were
released, their story at the time being believed to be true.
The police, however, had their suspicion meowed by the con-
duct of some of the men, as they displayed much anxiety to
part from each other's company and to leave the place, and
it was not until they had been subjected to a most searching
inquiry that the truth was revealed. Some of them at length
confessed to having belonged to the Berenice, and to the
horrible fate which the captain and his officers met with.
According to their representations, it seems that, on the
2nd of December, a mutiny broke out amongst several of the
Manillamen, on account, as alleged, of the muter not having
allowed them the additional rations which he had previously
promised. About midnight, they got Mr. Candy on the
quarter-der k, where they horribly murdered him. His wile,
hearing his cries, rushed on deck with two of the officers,
when they also immediately fell a sacrifice. The third
mate and the French passenger,'who witnessed the tragedy,
leaped overboard to wimps the vengeance of the wretches,
and perished. Mrs. Candy's servants shared • similar fate'
as their unhappy mistress. Tne whole of the bodies, with
weights attached so them, were burled into the sea. The
ringleaders then took to plunder the ship of everything
that was portable, and, after some two or three days'
riotous living on board, they commenced destroying her.
Having lowered the boats they kindled a fire in several
parts of her, said when she had got completely alight they
abandoned her. By the last accounts the authorities were
aging *very effort to bring the principal actors in the bar-
barous acts of murder and piracy to justice, and u many as
nine had been lodged in the gaol of Togel. The Berenice
was freighted with a valuable cargo of tea, and her loss is,
therefore, considerable.