The National Register.
London, England, 1820-07-31 00:00:00

NYEDNLSDAY, JULY 26.

The House was summoned to the House of Peers to hear the
Royal Assent given by Commission to the Insolvent Debtors'
Relief Bill.
COLCHESTER ELECTION.—Mr. INNIS presented a Petition
from three Burgeon* of Colchester against the, late return of H.
Bariug. Esq.. as Member for that borough.
The Pennon was laid on the table, and ordered to be taken
into consideration on the 27th of August.
PREVENTIVE SERVICE.--OR the Motion of Mr. HUME
the accounts laid before the House, stating the number of per-
sons employed in the Smuggling Preventive Service, and the
expences attached to that branch of the public service, were
ordered to be printed.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE House.—Mr. LUSHINGTON
moved, that the House at its rising should adjourn till Monday,
the 21st of August.
BANK Fon nnenies.--Mr. HUME rose, not to oppose the
motion of Adjournment, but to submit a question which he
regretted he had to introduce in the absence of any of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers. He understood the Royal Assent had been
given to the Bill for repealing the law which inflicted the punish-
ment of death for (forging Bank-notes.—(Cry of no.)—lie was
then misinformed. Under the impression that the statement
made to him was correct. he wished to have asked a question of
Ministers respecting an application that had bean made to the
Secretary of State for the Home Department.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL begged leave to inform the
Honourable Gentleman, tßill-at the for altering the capital
punishment in cases of forgery of Bank-notes, stood over fur di*
cussion after the actiournmenf.
Mr. HUM E said, that being the ease, his application was quite
useless. It had been his intention to enquire, conceiving the
Bill to have passed, whether it was intended. in three eases of
conviction for forgery. that the sentence on the ufortunate per-
sons would be put us execution tomorrow. The ground- on
which his application was to have been put being erroneous, he
should of course desist from asking the question.
GIRRALTAIL—Mr. HUME lamented the delay in putting
certain papers on the subject of Gibraltar upon the table, as it
was his intention to call the attention of the House to it soon after
the adjournment.
Mr. LUSH INGTON said he should, with all posstble dis-
patch, have the papers laid before the House.
Actjourned to th.l2lst August.

FROM THE .4.4IEHICA,N* PAPERS.

MURDER AND PIRACY.

Norfolk (Virginia) June Ig.—On Saturday last five
seamen, who had conic up from the beach near Corr--
tuck Inlet, stopped at a tavern► a short distance beyond
the draw-bridge, where they deposited their baggage,
and came into town. They rimmed that they belonged
to an English brig bound from New Providence to Li-
verpool, which had foundered off the mast of North
Carolina; but among other circumstances, that or their
having each a considerable number of Spanish dollars,
which they carried about them quilted in halts, led to a
belief that they had been engaged in some piratical en-
terprise , and yesterday our vigilant chief magistrate issued
Ills warrant to have them brought up fur CXJanitiation,
and accordingly Thomas Jones, John Radcliff, Charles
Rogers, alias Nicholas Wilemn, force, and Na-
'h.:it Smith, were conducted into court.
Nathan Smith, a native of Belfast, State of Maine,
was summoned as a witness in the case, and, being
sworn, stated, that he shipped at New York, in the ship
Curiazo, bound to Buenos Ayres, where she remained
(Ito months. Ile wasthen compelled (having no money)
to titter ou-L.•oard the ship Union, a patriot pro atter ;
remained on board the Union 6 111011;hs ; was sent in
Spanish prize to Buenos Ayres. He then shipped in the
Patriot brig General Rondeau, Captain David Miles,
and sailed on a cruise. He detailed the transactions on
the cruise, which extended to the coasts of Spain and
PornigaJ, and in the Mediterranean. They returned
through the Straits, and proceeded to the V. est ;tidies.
he witness Limo stated as follows :—"The Cap•
tail' (Miles) used the men sery ill ; and the day
alter we passed the island of -Barbadoes, the crew
mutinied, and rose opt' the officers. I was below at
the time the mutiny took place, being a little in
heard a'great noise upon deck, as of a number of pen.
pie in a scuffle, mid now and then the clashing of
swords.

'• It immediately occurred to me that the crew were
engaged in wassacreing the office's, and on going on
(leek the next aiming, 1 had but too iotl grounds for

THE NATIONAL REGISTER,.

my suspicions. The deck was sprinkled with blood,
and six officers, viz.—Captain David Miles, Second
Lieutenant M'Sweeny, the Captain of Marines, Ser-
jeant of Marines, Purser, Master's Mate, awl 4 privates
of Marines, were missing, and several of the crew on
board severely wounded. I was informed that the offi-
cers and marines who were missing were scut away in
a boat. This happened about i 2 miles front an island,
the name of which I was ignorant or.
" The crew then took charge of the privateer, and
appointed Robinson, the gunner, Captain—hailed the
prize-brig, which was still in company, and told the
prize•master to Fo where he pleased. Shifted our course
fur the United States, and in MC) days made land ; we
then stood for Charleston, and, three days after, ban
three men on- board an English brig, and paid the Cap
rain for their passage to England 20 hags ofsugar. Three
days after, spoke a shop, bound to New York ; wanted
to put some of our men on board of her, but the wind
blew too hard ; two days after, spoke an American
schooner from Savannah for Boston, and pot 13 or 15
more of our men on board of her, paying 20 bags of
sugar for their passage Next day made the land again,
which proved to he the coast of North Carolina, when
15 or t 6 of the stoutest men remaining on board turned
to and plundered the privateer of every thing valualle,
which they carried ashore with them in a boat, and
abandoned the General Rondeau, leaving me and 13
more on

" Robinson (the Captain) then proceeded to run into
Wilmington, and give the privateer up to the United
States, which was determined on. Off the bar we were
boarded by a pilot, who remained on board two days,
when he left its, and went ashore with Robinson, and
five of the crew. We were then chased two days by an
United States' revenue cutter, and escaped in a heavy
blow. 'foe General Routleau leaked very badly for two
or three days after the blow, and as soon as we got her
within 20 or 30 miles of land we scuttled her, and took
to the boat, bringing with us only our clothes. We
landed on Currnuck-beacii at night, where we found
lodgings, and the next morning proceeded to Black-
water in a boat, and there hired three carts to fetch us
on to NoriOlk."

The motley which these men had, they say, was taken
out of one of the feluccas captured up the Straits. One
states the sum taken to hare been 6,000 dollars, and
another 14,0q0 dollars; but the whole was divided
amongst the crew after the mutiny. A few bales of
cochineal were also taken out of the felucca, which was
on board the General Rondeau when they abandoned
her. The amount found upon the prisoners is 9,272
dollars, 2.5 cenis, which has been deposited in the United
States' Bank. There are two more of the party who
cause ashore at Cumuli, but they were left on the road
from Blackwater, being too unwell to trine!.
After a patient examination of nearly the hours, the
prisoners were all committed to gaol.
Smith, whose deposition is etren above, is the only
American of the party. The rest are all Englishmen
It is also stated that the crew of the brig was composed
chiefly of En6lish and Spaniards, or natives of South
America.

Robinson and his five companions, who left the pri-
vateer off IViltnington bar, have been apprehended at
Smithville, North Carolina, and 4 of the 15 or IG who
had previously left her, are also in custody at IVilming-
ton, North Carolina.
Charleston, (South Carolina), June 14.—The particu-
lars of the piratical proceedings or the seamen now in
confinement at George town and this place arc gradually
developing. A letter received yesterday from the former
place states, that one of the six in confinement there
has turned States' evidence, that much property belong-
ing to then' has been seized, and that seieral of the
crew of their accomplices have escaped into the inte-
rior.

One of those confined here (the boy), who states that
his name is John Steele, and that he is from Sunderland,
in England, asserts, that they are part of the crew of the
Buenos Ayreati brig of war General Rimileatt, lately
commanded by David M. L. Miles, of Baltimore , that
they have been cruising in the Nleinterraneatt, wnere a
boy of the name of Perkins, of Boston, was landed
upon an island by Captain Mules. It will be reuteur
'Wed by our readers that this vessel hoarded on the i ith
of April, MI Cape Palos, in the Mediterranean, the
ship Garonne, o inch arrived at New York pith front
and requested to he reported.