Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-26 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES, THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1859

CRUELTIES ON THE HIGH SEAS

THE high seas are regions in which, from their
very nature, there are opportunities of committing
offences with impunity, which at home would incur
the severest penalties of the law. " They that go
down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business
in great waters," are often so completely out of the
reach of the arm of justice—and feel so sure that
-as to be under a sense of immunity which
is too often a temptation to do wrong beyond the

they are—

power of their corrupt nature to resist. The great
motive of human punishment for crimes is, in such
a case, practically out of the question. That which
is the sole consideration authorising the infliction of
punishment by human laws, namely, the fear lest the
escape of the criminal should encourage him, or
others by his example, to repeat the same crime, or
to commit different crimes,—all this is without force
when men are far away from the jurisdictions of
civil society, from the restraints of justice, and the
influences of humanity. There are men, no doubt,
who prefer a state of lawlessness and brutality at
sea, to one of restraint, and order, and benevolence
in society. "He that prefers the freedom of
barbarous times," it has been well observed, " to the
restraints of social life, with its endearments and
embellishments, may be charged with the depraved
taste of the Hottentot, who, on his return to
his native country, shook off the European
dress, nauseated European food, and indulged
in all the excesses of his countrymen." And
so is it not unfrequently found in a seafaring life.

There is a similar " depraved taste," as respects the
preference it often induces for the hardships and

privations experienced on shipboard, over the com-
_

forts and enjoyments of domestic life. And the
indulgence of this " depraved taste," it is, that
engenders other depravity. There is nothing to
soften man's rugged nature—nothing to check the
impulse of his passions—no counteracting or mollify-
ing influences to correct his degeneracy. Even in
the midst of such benign operations, there is only
too much reason, as we all know, for the complaint
of the poet, that

" Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn !"
But where they do not prevail, and there is nothing
to qualify, nothing to restrain, no wonder that
" man's inhumanity to man " should sometimes break
forth in atrocities which his humanity, if he had
any, would shudder to think of. Of course they
forget that, although relieved for the time being
from the control of human law, they are still subject
to a law—seen, as they are, by the eye of Him " who
bath measured the waters in the hollow of His
hand,"—a forgetfulness that is the great source of I
I
all -the wickedness that is in the world, whether on
ocean or on earth..

But we must s top in these our reflections, and
proceed to notice tht‘t which has given: rise to them, i

the publication, namely, of a Letter* by one of our
Liverpool Merchants, addressed to Mr. WHITBREAD,
M.P., on this painful subject of Unpunished Cruelties
on the High Seas.

The question, it is acknowledged in the outset, is
Most involved and difficult. " The fact," says our
philanthropic Merchant, "is simply this. The
majority of these cases occur on the high seas, and,
in accordance with iaternational law, the authorities
at the port, where a foreign vessel arrives, are
entirely powerless to punish any crime that may
have been committed during the voyage. Doubtless
among the English vessels etat arrive in New York
and New Orleans there are those, wherein the life
and health of some poor sailor has been endangered,

and in such instances the American authorities can
take no steps to bring the offender before a court of
justice. Certainly the converse holds true, and
American ships are constantly discharging at the
port of Liverpool men who must go at once to hos
pital, and who have no legal protection whatsoever.
If an assault occur in an American ship while
lying in the river, our police are at once called

in, the case is investigated, and the prisoner may be
punished. But if the assault occur in an American
ship some four miles off, our law is powerless, and
the hands of the American Consul are so completely
tied, that he can rarely accomplish anything. It is
true the American consular regulations declare
If a citizen of the United States be charged with a
criminal offence alleged to have been committed at
sea on board of an American vessel, it will be the

of 'the consular office to require that the

individual accused be delivered up to him to be sent
home for trial.' But practically, the Extradition
Treaty of 1842 limits this right to the crimes of
murder, assault with intent to murder, robbery,
piracy, arson, forgery, and the utterance of forged
papers. The result of course is, that ordinary
assaults, and kindred offences, nay, even man-

slaughter, escape punishment altogether." Now
this, it must be admitted, is a great evil. And the
number of instances of such cruelties which, from
time to time, are brought to light here in this port,
through the cases taken to the hospitals, by the
proceedings of the Society of Friends of Foreigners
in Distress, and other means, ought to urge the

necessity of endeavouring to obtain some remedy for
it with as little delay as possible. It is a state of,
things, too, that is a subject of loud complaint, we
observe, on the other side of the Atlantic. as well as
on this. English and American seamen are alike
addicted to the perpetration of- such cruelties, and
alike go unpunished.

Our Liverpool Merchant suggests, as a remedy for
this great evil, the revision of odr international laws
with the United States. "An extension of the
Extradition Treaty," he observes, " would, I am
afraid, be of but little use, for the impossibility of
securing witnesses would constantly frustrate the
ends of justice. And though I know how difficult it
will be to arrange for a revision which must intro-
duce a new principle into international law, still,
without such revision, we can practically accomplish
nothing. Why might it not be suggested to
the Government of the United States that we
should, all jealousy set apart, determine to make
those seas that divide us safe for the poorest
sailor of either nation ; that we should not ,
limit our power of repressing violence by. the
distance of three miles from our respective shores ;
that we should honestly and fairly examine those
cases which may thus come before us, as now we
honestly and fairly award justice where the offence
has been committed in our own waters ? Of course
we should make what further stipulations might be
requisite. Indeed the mere machinery of the law
would be all which the nation trying the offence
need contribute to the cause. On the other side an
English, on this an American, jury would pass their
verdict. Arrangements, moreover, might readily be
made by which an English prisoner taken into
custody at an American port where he was unable
to obtain an English jury, might be relegated for
trial to New York or elsewhere, while a similar rule
would of course hold for an American prisoner at an
English port."

These suggestions appear very judicious. They
point out a plan that would seem to be feasible. • Of
course, it must be done by reciprocal arrangement.
And we feel satisfied that the Government of the
United States would gladly enter with us into such
an arrangement. Let us hope, then, that this
Letter of our Liverpool Merchant may have the
effect of directing the attention of our own Govern-
ment, at least, to a subject which they may evidently
take up with a good hope of providing a sufficient
remedy for a very crying and increasing evil.

* Unpunished Cruelties on the High Seas. A Letter to
Samuel Whitbread, Esq., M.P. By A Liverpool Merchant.
London : Ridgway.

LIMERICK, Wednesday Evening.—The Coroner's inquest
on the persons shot at the recent election for this city, on
the evening of the 4th instant, has just resulted in a verdict
of manslaughter against Edward Bell, R.M., and twenty-six
policemen who composed the firing party.

_.-_.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

The Cunard Company have sold four of their screw
steamers to the Spanish government, as they were intended
to be replaced by vessels of greater power and size.
MAIL STEAMERS. The Montreal Steam Navigation
Company's steamer Indian, Captain Smith, sailed yesterday
afternoon with the Canadian mails, and about 150 passen-
gers. Shortly afterwards the screw-steamer City of
Washington, Captain Petree, sailed for New York viel
Qapengtown, with the semi-weekly United States' mails,
and about 300 passengers. The Pacific Ocean Steam
Navigation Company's fine steamer the Lima, will sail this
day (Thursday) for Valparaiso via Cape de Verdes, St.
Vincent, and Rio Janeiro. In- addition to a considerable
number of passengers and a miscellaneous cargo, the Lima
will carry a ship's mail, the Post-office being open until
11.15, and with late fee until 11.30 a.m.

ANOTHER VICTTM TO INTEMPERANCE.—IsabeIIa Bodell, a
woman some fifty years of age, and wife of Thomas Bodell,
a labourer, residing at 30, Lower Mann-street, was found
dead in bed on Tuesday morning. At the inquest yesterday,
it would appear that the deceased was addicted to drinking,
and that in general she was a healthy woman, being stout
and robust. On Monday she was in drink. She slept very
well during the night, and on Tuesday morning bhe got out
of bed about half-past four, and made a cnp of tea for her
hnsband and herself—the former of whom went out to his
work A daughter of the deceased got up about six o'clock,
and found that she was sick and vomiting. She went and
lay down on the bed, and a little after ten o'clock she turned
on her side. Breathing became very thick, and, at twenty-
five minutes past ten, the daughter went to the bedside to
arouse her, when she found her mother dead. Verdict,
" Died from excessive drinking."
THE WRECK OP THE POMONA.—ANOTHER DEATH.—A
seaman, named Charles Thompson, who was on board the
Pomona, which was wrecked on the Irish coast some time
ago, and on which occasion nearly 400 people were lost,
was sent, on the 3rd inst., to lodge at the house of Mr.
Kelly, who keeps a public-house, in Thomas-street. He
was very ill when he .went to the house, and he said he had
suffered very much from being in the water. After being
there for a few days, he expressed a wish to be sent to the
Infirmary, where he was.taken Clll the 7th inst. He was