The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-06-06 00:00:00

Germano.

STEAM COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LIVERPOOL
AND HAMBURG DIRECT.
Taking Goods for Harburg and Altona.
By the Union Steam Company's First-class
Screw Steamships
UNION, 380 tons Captain BALSTON.
5AX0N.......... 450... ...... Captain Re.oww.
8R1T0N......... 450... ...... —Captain SEARL.
The Steamship
U N I O N,
Is intended to be despatched from the Nelson Dock, Liverpool, for
Homburg, on SATURDAY, the 21st instant, at Noon ;
And from Hamburg r.n the 10,h instant, and Ist of July.
Bonded Goods must be shipped the day but one before sailing.
Freights by these Steamers will be found moderate.—For further
information apply to _ _

WM. LAIRD & CO., Agents, 23, Castle-st., Liverpool

offence,

CHARGE OF MURDER ON THE HIGH
SEAS BY AN AMERICAN.

Yesterday, at the mornirig-sittings at the police court, before
Messrs. Maxwell and Alderman Turner, a case that attracted
great attention came on tor iovestigatioti. It was a charge of
murder, alleged to have been comfilitted On the high seas, by
an American citizen (a sailor) named Theodore Stephens: For
the better understanding of the case, the following facts may

be stated : Tho man Stephens was in custody of the
pplice, and it appears ho had been the second mate of the
American ship, Mary Ann Balch, arrived here from New
Orleans. The charge was that, en or about the 14th of April,
whilst the ship was on her voyage from Mew Orleans to this
port, prisoner struck a Swedish boy named Ross, a blow on the
head with an iron pin, which blow killed him, and that afterwards
the prisoner flung the body overboard. A gentleman from the
American consul's office attended for the prosecution, and Mr.
Chilton appeared for the prisoner. The case was brought
tinder the international Statute, which gives the magistrates of
this country the power of hearing charges of murder against
American citizens, and of then handing the accused over to
the authorities of that country to be forwarded and dealt with
at home. The evidence given in the case was as follows :—A
native of Scotland, named Charles Alexander, who was a sailor
on board the ship, deposed that the prisoner was the second
mate of the ship ; there was a Swedish boy on board ;
he is dead. We left New Orleans on the evening of the
10th of April; some four or five nights after I was going into
the forecastle door with my mug to get ready my supper, and I
saw the boy standing, at the door. The prisoner came up and
said " You G— d —d son of a —, come out of that, or
I'll knock your brains out." He then struck the boy with an
iron pin, and knocked him down on the deck, and kicked
him when he was down. I never saw the boy after that
night, and, in consequence, I gave information when we came
to Liverpool. The boy was sixteen or seventeen years of age.
I had no quarrel with the prisoner, nor had the boy any, that
I know of. The boy, 'previously, appeared to be quite well.
I did not report the fact to any one then, but three or four
days before we arrived here I reported the facts to the mate.
I was fearful of reporting it before, as I was afraid of the
prisoner. There was nothing said on board about the missing
boy.

Mr. Matctelt asked if there was any notice of the fact

entered in the logbook ? and Mr. Chil

on said thero was a

notice on the log of the missing boy; he would produce the
log, and also the captain of the ship. The witness further said
that he told the facts to two men, a week before he mentioned
it to the mate.
In reply to Mr. Chilton, the witness said the men were
mostly drunk on the first night they came on board. The
boy was On the port-side of the ship at the time he was struck.
It was between five and six o'clock at the time. There was
a man at the wheel, but I did not see any one else. The
skipper and mato were on the poop, as I think. T:ie second
ma.e came to look for the boy after that, as I thought.
I don't remember the captain asking the crew if
they could give any information about the boy.
Mr. Chilton said there was an entry in the log which
stated that no one could gite any information about the
missing boy. The witness, in reply to Mr. Chilton, said he
did not recollect if the boy was on the top of the forecastle
along with one of the men who was crazy.
John Watts, a seaman on board, and who was at the wheel
at the time, was examined, and he stated in substance what

was related by the last witness. He added that he observed
the boy lying on the deck, when be saw the prisoner come and
lift him by the collar, lay the body on the rail of the ship, and
tip it overboard, by taking hold of the legs ; it was just getting
dusk at the time, and was between five and six o'clock. The
prisoner then came aft. The captain was speaking to the mate,
leaning across the rail of the poop-house, not the rail of the
ship, at the time. When the prisoner came up he looked very
pale. I went over to the ship's rail to spit out, and I looked
over, and saw the body sinking in the water. I was afiaid to
tell of the matter, because the prisoner carried pistols and
knives about him.

The witness was cross-examined at some length, but his
evidence was unshaken in any point.

Mr. Jacob T. Woodberry, the master of the ship, was then
examined, and stated as follows :—We arrived here from New
Orleans a fortnight ago. The crew consisted of 19 men,
besides a foreign boy, named Ross. There were four
or five boys, but only three passed for boys. We left New
Orleani on the afternoon of the 11th of April. I remember
the boy being missing some four or five days after we left.
The chief mate told me the boy was missing. I told
the mate to 'look for him, and he said he had done so,
but could not find him. I enquired who had seen the boy
last? and ascertained that the carpenter had seen him last.

I told the first officer to hunt all over the ship, and look for
the boy; he said ho had, and I directed him to look again,
and he reported that he had done so, but could not find any
thing of the boy. The mate made an entry in the log,
which I produce. The entry is in the mate's handwriting.
The witness read the entry, the substance of which was the
missing of the boy, and search for him, and that no one
could give any intelligence about him. The witness said I
never bad any conversation with the prisoner about the boy,
The chief mate was the only person who mentioned the affair
to me, next morning at breakfast, and I don't remember any
other.

In reply to Mr. Chilton, the witness said, the morning after
sailing there was a fight on deck, and -

The magistrates interposed, and said that had nothing. to
do with the present case.
Mr. Chilton went on to cross-examine the witness, who
said the rail alluded to by the last witness was too high to lean
over, and he also said be did not allow men to stand in the
way, as described by that witness, and that the boat and
spanker would have prevented the other witness from seeing
forward, but there was one position in which, if he stooped,
he might see. I only hold communication with the chief
officer. The mate told me the last time the boy was seen
was on the forecastle, with a man that was crazy—in fact, I
knew nothing of this, except what the mate told me.
Mr. Maxwell said, the evidence, to his mind, was quite
sufficient to commit the prisoner.

Mr. Chilton produced Wilson, the carpenter of the ship, on
behalf of the prisoner. The witness, although having an English
name, is a foreigner, and spoke English very badly. The
amount of his evidence went to show that the prisoner was not
guilty of the alleged offence, as the witness was with the prisoner
at the time of the occurrence.

Mr. Maxwell again said he was quite satisfied that the
evidence was sufficient to commit the prisoner The prisoner
was then committed until the usual warrant from the Home

Secretary is delivered to the American Ambassador, who will
then hand over the prisoner to the consul here. The prisoner
will then be transmitted to America, there to be tried for the

THE SUPPLY OF COTTON

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES

Sir,—lt may be, that at this moment, the United States
planters not only hold less cotton than at the same time
last year, when 200,000 bales, at least, had to be held over
for the following season, consequent upon their low rivers
not getting it to the sea, but that they, the United
States planters, hold less cotton, in addition to these
200,000 bales, to the extent of 300,000 bales this year, as
in 1853, less cotton to come down the next three months.
Compared with last year's receipts, the rivers have been
this year fully as early up as in 1853 ; and more so, the
past month or two, from continuous heavy rains, as in
France. The receipts came down last year. Total.
1851-52, May 289,000, June 155,000, July 145,000, 589,000
1852-53, May 181,000, June 59,000, July 35,000, 275,000

The excess of receipts next three months was 314,000
last year abore 1853, and a similar excess or greater may
be above 1856, this present year. Upon contemplating this
deficiency of 300,000 receipts the next three months in the
United States, and also further of 200,000 receipts the
next season, receipts to meet the increasing consumption
expected above last year, we further contemplate the
deficiency of 200,000 bales in our own consumers'
stocks in this country less now than at this
time last year ; then, the Bank of England's rate of
interest was reduced in June, last year, to 34 per
cent, and made consumers and speculators both buy in
April and May, a corresponding equal increase, above
what has been bought same mouths this .year, while this
rate of interest by the Bank of England last year, went
up from 3* to 6 and 7 per cent., Sept. 6th, 13th, 27th, and
Oct. 4th, from 3} to 4 per cent, 4} to 5 and Si per cent.,
cotton went down Id. to lid. per pound. Now, we have
interest money gone down from 7 to 6 and 5 per cent.,
and will go immediately from sto 4} and 4to 3}. Cotton
prices, contrary to last year, must go up, when receipts
will commence to fall off, as in the years 1852-3.-1 am,

FATAL RESULT AT THE METROPOLITAN REJOICINGS.—
On Tuesday afternoin, an inquest was held by Mr.
Bedford, coroner for Westminster, on the body of George
Smart, aged 17 years son of a cab driver. Mrs. Mary
Ann Clarke, wife of deceased's master, deposed that on
the night of Thursday last, the deceased accompanied
her, and her child eight years old, to see the fireworks.
They had been there a qulrter of an hour, and it was near
ten o'clock. Deceased had just touched her on the
shoulder, and observed, "how beautiful those fireworks
are," when he suddenly fell, as if shot. She raised an
alarm, and he was carried by four men to a doctor's,
and thence to the Charing cross Hospital, all the time
bleeding profusely from the mouth. There was a
wound on his head, the blood from which soaked
through the cap he wore. Mr. J. Humphreys, house
surgeon of the hospital, stated that when deceased was
brought in Le was insensible, bleeding from the mouth,
and had a lacerated scalp wound on the top of his
head, which he should consider had been inflicted by
some obtuse instrument, such as a rocket case, falling
from a height in the air. Deceased never rallied, and
died at seven o'clock the next morning. There was a
fracture at the base of the skull, and on opening the
head he found death had resulted from an effusion of
blood, resulting from that fracture. A rocket case was
produced, and one end of it presented a most formidable
weapon. Dr. Golding, physician, observed that a lady
had come to the hospital with an arm broken by the
thick end, and a man whose foot was wounded thr,tigh
his boot by the other end of a rocket stick. The jury
return a verdict, that deceased died from fracture of the
skull, received while viewing the fireworks in the
park, but how it was occasioned there was no evidence
to show.

--rMRPOOL, FRIDAY.

THE REAL POSITION OF THE GRAND TRUNK
li, iTLWAY COMPANY OF CANADA, AND
MESSRS. BRASSY! & CO., THE CONTRACTORS.

Mr. Holmes, the vice-president of the Canadian Board of
Directors, has addressed a letter to the members of the
House ofAssembly, refuting the gross calumnies propagated
against the credit and honour of the English contractors
The pecuniary embarrassments of the company appear to
have been entirely caused by the inertness of the
Inspector-General, Mr. Cayley, in not issuing the govern-
ment payments when due. Mr. Holmesis letter has
caused a great sensation, and it was expected the
Inspector-General would be obliged to resign, unless he
came forward with the necessary aid to complete this
national undertaking, especially the Victoria Bridge,
when the voyage from Liverpool to New Orleans will be
accomplished in twelve days, via Portland, Grand Trunk
and Illinois railway, from Chicago.
I must confess that it has frequently been a source of
regret that the public has identified too closely the com-
pany With its contractors ; and it will be necessary to
enter into some explanations on this point, as there can
be no doubt that the opinion has generally prevailed that
the interests of the contractors have on every occasion
been paramount. The contractors have been known as
the Canadian contractors (Messrs. Growski and Co.)
and the English contractors (Messrs. Pete and Co ); the
former having the line between Toronto and Sarnia, and
the latter the remainder of the Grand Trunk Works. The
amount of the first contract was £1,376,000, payments for
which were to be made in cash on engineers' certificates ;
and beyond this Messrs. Growski and Co. have no interest
in the company, except some 40 shares in the company's
stock. With the Canadian contractors the company has
kept faith and met its payments punctually; not so, how-
as regards the English contractors, who have always
been in advance with their works, while the company has
of late been greatly in arrears to them. It may be well
here to state that Messrs. Peto. Brassey and Co., under-
took their contract on a condition of mixed payment—
part in cash, part in bonds, and part in shares, and were
also deeply interested as stockholders, being original sub-
Tiber's to a large amount ; and they further undertook to
'ume such B shares and bonds as were not taken by

the public; while in addit
were actually indebted to I
guarantee was given of £9l

o this heavy amount, we
.m in cash, when the last
), upwards of £400,000.

- •
- These facts will explain the large interest these gentle-
men have in the company, and the position Mr. Brassey
has taken in his letters, "as a shareholder as well as a
contractor." It will be seen that in no instance have the
contractors failed in the fulfilment of their contracts.
With a view, also, after the £900,000 had been granted,
of ensuring a more rapid completion of the work, they
assented to a modification of their contract, and this at a
time when the shares were at a heavy discount; and by a
supplentetital contract it was stipulated that, in payment
of the works between St. Thomas and Toronto, half should
be paid in cash, and half in B Bonds and shares; and that
the remaining cost of the Victoria Bridge should be paid
in the same bonds and shares, the whole of which latter
works had previously been payable in cash. The original
guarantee of £1,811,500 was to be handed over to the
company in the proportion of 40 per cent. upon the work
performed, which was subsequently amended to 50 per
cent. upon the works then to be rapidly proceeded with
between St. Thomas and Stratford; and at the passing of
the last Guarantee Act, in order that the company should
receive every assistance from government, it was deter-
mined that, as soon as the engineers appointed by
government reported upon the works, 75 per cent. of the
£900,000 should be handed over to the company on the
necessary certificates being submitted ; but, owing to
misconception of the terms, or other causes not explained,
government withheld a sum which amounted in December
last to over £600,000, and up to that time—it being well
known to government that the company was in staightened
circumstances owing to these delays—not a farthing had
been received of the £900,000 voted in May. These
astounding facts have in no small degree assisted in
bringing the company into its present dilemma.
The engineers, who should have been appointed in May,
were not appointed until two months back ; and then,
when their report was made, exhibiting provincial deben-
tures due to the company (releases having, in the mean-
time, been made of £465,000) to the amount of £310,000,
only 110,000 was released ; and it was not until a second
report was made that a further release of £120,000 was
made. Is it to be wondered that the company is in mone-
tary difficulties, when the moneys due to it by the
province were kept back by government? The reports
exhibit a balance to complete the road between Brockville
and Toronto of about £350,000, for which the full amount
of the guarantee has been kept back. In proof of the
determination of the English contractors to assist the
company by every means in their power, arrangements
have been made by them to complete the section between
Brockville and Toronto early next fall—being a year in
advance of the time specified in the agreement.