The National Register.
London, England, 1822-06-02 00:00:00

CIIILD-STEA LINO.

A man and his wife, who reside at No. 32. Joiner's Street,
Southwark, and who are under the necessity or being out every
e ,y to earn their living, on Saturday last left their two youngest
e!.ildren at home. the one a girl of nine or ten years, the other a
lsoy of seven or eight. On returning home on Saturday evening,
about rive o'clock. it is not ease to pouttray their distress on
riiis:ng both the children, of whim the lodgers in the house could
p. re no other intelligence than that they were both at home an
Nur before. The most diligent search was made after them.
ai tl every inquiry made, but to no purpose—not a trace could be
obtained as to what had become of them. There is every reason
t-i iu;pose that they have been decoyed away, as they were never
known to have left the house in the absence of their parents; and
-picion attaches to an old woman of mean appearance, dressed
i:c light gown and shawl, and an old black bonnet, who, on the
preceding Tuesday. when the parents return home earlier than
tisual, came abruptly into the apartment, which is on the ground
I.o'r, facing the street, but on seeing the father sitting there,
2,a,tily withdrew, say ing she had made a mistake. The little girl
to:d her father that the woman had been there twice before, in—
tin lodgings.
1; is hjjtcd that police °Teets and beadles will give every
asi.ist :ince in their power, and apprehend any supicious character
t.i:ll a limn might be found either or both the children, whose
names are Mary Arm and Aaron Champness. They are both of
4. fair complexion, blue eyes, and light sandy hair • the girl had
or a dark s•uff gown, black straw bonnet, and black velvet spec-
ter ; the boy a dark cotton corderoy dress, and leather cap, with
1 or. The parish officeis of St. (Nave's have most readily, on
le.irning the circumstance* caused litunlbilis to be printed and
circulated, and every publicity given to this distressing glair.

A COVIIT MARTIAL—A Court Martial has been
held on board his 31ajesty Queem Charlotte at Portsmouth,
to inquire into the circumstances attending the death of a sea
wart, named \Vtu. Lewis, late belonging to a sloop culledthe
A live. of Weymouth: and to try Lieut. T. Hills, commander
n! the Pigmy schooner, for the alleged murder of the said man,
lie having died in consequence of a wound received from a taus-
kit shot tired front that vessel. The circumstances of the case
appea.ed to be as fellows :—On Sunday, the 21st ult. the
oil' Portland, discovered a vessel which afterwards
proved to he the Attire of Weymouth, standing in for land.
lie Pigmy immediately bore up in chase of lier, aud she was
then o!),er% ed to be throwing something overboard, which was
asipliofwil to be her cargo ; and it being concluded she was a
seiaggler, the Pigmy hating her colours, commenced a firing
of musketry to bring her to. The tiring was continued about
twenty minutes, as the vessel appeared to be using her utmost
endeavours to effect her e.....ape. When the firing commenced
the shot did not reach the vessel, but before she hove to they
went over her; and on her bringing to. it was discovered that
doting the chase William Lewis, the seaman beforementioned
Ii it'. been dangerously w ounded, by a musket bah hating passed
t'lrouAb his body. The wounded mail was taken on board the
Pigmy, and landed at Weymouth, were he died soon after
wards. Nothing contraband was found on board the vessel.—
A surgeon who attended the wounded was examined at the
Court Martial, as were also the crew of the Actiee.--The de-
positions of the latter, taken berate the coroner at Weymouth,
went to prove that the shot which caused the man's death was
fred from the Pigmy, subsequently to the Active having hove
ht ; but their tesithnony at the Court Martial wan so contra-
dictory, an to call forth the atiimititv ersions of the Court ; and
the Court having beard the whole of the evidence, and fully
investigated the case, pronounced sentence as follows :—" The.
Court is of opinion, that the conduct of Lieut. Thos. Hint lies
been perfectly correct aid justifiable, under all the circum-
stances adduced in ev iderce, and that the charge of murder
hits not been proved against him, and duty therefore adjudge
the said Lieut. T. Hills to he fully acquitted "—The President,
the conclusion of the trial, informed Lieut. Hills, that be had
tie pleasure to return hiat his sword unstained: and observed,
Cud es thy. laws of our country are administered with justice
and mercy, so thy require to be adopted with firmness and
a lour.

Papers from Calcutta to the 16th of December,
centaiu advices tiom the settlement of Sincapore to
the 4th of November, which arc interesting, as de-
noting the state of the trade is that quarter_ Mr.
D; organ, a merchant of Sincapore, had recently re-
t ..rnea from a voyage to Siam, and brought very
fivourable accounts of the disposition of the King
of Siam towards the settlement. It was feared.
however, that the commercial intercourse with that
country would not, for that season, be on a large
stale, in consequence both of the failure to a certain
degree of the crops, and from the ravages of the
.h 141 a morbus among the lower orders. The trade
with the island of Borneo had experienced a great
'increase, scarcely any of the vessels from thence
Lacing passed over to Malacca, or to Penang, but
vine the preference universally to Sincapore. The
trade with the island of Celebes was also flourish-
lag aria extensive, not less than from 80 to 100 of
the vessels of that island being in the harbour of
Sincapore at. the date of the letters, besides many
that had gone up the Straits. The vessels from
Celebes generally brought up the cargoes of the
greatest value, and those islanders had acquired a
larg,e share of the carrying trade of that quarter.—
The trade with Java was limited from the same
cat:ses'as those with Siaw. The population of Sin-
capore gradually Increasas, iu consequence of its
eJunnercial prosperity. The Calcutta papers con-
tans nu Peninsula news of the least importance.
Ariticarc Cos ostv.—Extract of a letter from Cape
Town, dated Feb. 7, 182t1:—" I am sorry to say
we continue to receive very distressing accounts
respecting the emigrants, many of whom arc shso-
letely starving, on account of their crops having
tWne failed, and the Government rations have been
r,th;ced. The committee for their relief at Cape
Town have .already distributed 10,000 rix dollars,
at. 3 the balance now in hands is may 1,600 rix
dol-
It any of our friends feel inclined to help
their poor. fellow-countrymen, tionations will Le
thankfu:ly received, and, I think• I may add, will be
well applied through the means of the committee."

The Lords of the Admiralty have issued direc-
tions to all naval officers. &c. to state to them with-
out delay their respective ages, with the amount of
any public pension they may be in possession of,
or any place, with the amount of salary attached
thereto, independently of their half-pay. The same
is also required of all pensioners, &e. throughout
the naval departments, including the widows of
office rs.