The Express.
London, England, 1858-06-21 00:00:00

I= NEW LINEVP TILdreUTLANTIC

87L4KIM.

An effort is being made to establish a new line
of steam communication between Galway and America.
Mr. J. 0. Lever, corn-merchant, of Mancheater (who is the
owner of a line of steamers plying on the west oast of
Ireland, between Galway, Westport, and Liverpool), was to
start the pioneer ship at the end of last week, from Galway.
She is a paddle-wheel steamer of 6,000 tons burden, named
the Indian Empire. Full of hope in the future, her owner
accompanied her from Portsmouth to Galway, whence she
was to start on Friday. In entering the Channel, the
Indian Empire, while still in charge of the pilots, struck
the San Marguerite Rock, where she remained until floated
' off with the tide. She then proceeded to Galway, where
the pilots (Burbage and Wallace) were plead in custody,
=1 with having intentionally and wilfully run the
the rock. The, y were taken before a full bench of
larrlon Thursday, when
Coll Rochfort, on the part of the harbour commis-
sioners, stated the care for the prosecution spinet the men,
who, be mid, through providence, had been debated in their
abominable attempt to ruin • great national project, and
destroy, wilfully and ma:iciously a noble and valuable ship,
and in doing so had endangered the lives of many persona on
board. The two prisoners were taken on board the Indian
Empire off Arran, at 10.66 on Tuesday night. The
eeptain communicated to them that she wee going at
high speed, but they did not stets that there was any
necessity to slacken, and had their wishes been fol-
lowed in this respect the ship would now be a total
wreck. The rock upon which they ran the vessel wee well
known to every man In Galway—it was marked plainly and
distinctly on every chart of the port. The water was inn-
Ittjazd the night clear. They were also within • short
of the lighthouse. The prisons' knew well the
coarse of the ship when they got on board, and yet the
direction they gen with respect to the buoy was to look for
it on the starboard, the fact being that it was es the port
side. What could any man conclude from these bete but
that the men who acted in this manner wanted to destroy
the ship ? In doing so they involved the risk of destruction
of a peat number of persons ; of this they were accused,
and he called on the bench to s•ounit them for trial on the fol-
lowing charge :—" That the defendants, being licensed pilots
in Galway Bay, did wilfully and maliciously, and
wilful neglect and breach of duty, cause the Arm:
Indian Empire to strike upon Santa Marganita Rock in
Galway Bay on the morning of the 16th of June, 11168
thereby tending to the destruction and serious dump of thi
said ship, and to endanger the lives of these on board."
Numerous witness were examined, and
The Bench decided to send the case for trial.
Mr. Regan applied to have the prisoners admitted to bail.
Mr. O'Flaberty. having consulted with his brother magis-
trates, said they all regarded the case as cos of great import-
ance, and were unanimously of opinion that, in order, with-
out meaning to prejudge, to mark their sense of the very
powerful evidence laid before them, they should refuse bail.
They were fortified in this determination by the knowledge
of the fact that, if the prisoners felt they were aggrieved, they
could apply to the Court of Queen's Bench to admit Asa to
bill.

The prieaewa were sent for trial at the seat amino.
The Indian Empire was to have sailed on Friday morning,
but it being deemed desirable that her bottom should be ex-
amined, and her machinery inspected, she wee detained.
The mails arrived from London on Friday morning, and
were put on board, and in the afternoon a diver examined the
keel and bottom of the vessel. The report of the diver being
estidectory, and the repairs in the machinery baying been
oompleted, the Indian Empire sailed from Qeiwey for New
York, &c., on Saturday night.