The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-01 00:00:00

LIPSES IN 1852.

__—
Jan. 6. Total eclipse of Moon, visible at Greenwich,
begins 4h. 21.3 n. morning; total 6h. 6m., ends at Bh.
Jan. 2I: Partial eclipse 0f Sun, invisible at Greenwich,
begins sh. 33m. morning, ends Bh. 52m.
June 17. Partial eclipse of Sun, invisible at Greenwich,
begins 2h. 56m. afternoon, ends 7h. 2m.
July 1. Total eclipse of Moon, invisible at Greenwich,
begins lb. 37m. afternoon, ends sh. 14m.
Dec. 11 Total eclipse of Sun, invisible at Greenwich,
begins lh. 26m. morning, ends Sh. 55m.
Dec. 26. Partial eclipse of Moon, invisible at Greenwich,
begins 1 ill. 33m. morning, ends 2h. 32m.

CHARGE of MURDER on the HIGR SEAS.
Two Italian seamen, named Francisco Moraty and
Burto Mayo Argenti, were brought before Mr.
Yardley, at the Thames Police office, yesterday,
charged under the 58th section of the General Mer-
chant Seamen's Act, the 7th and Bth Vict., cap. 112,
with the wilful murder of Peter Getland, or Gotland,
at Mobile,_in the United States of America, in April,
1850, while the prisoners and the deceased belonged
to and were seamen of the British ship Albuta, of
Liverpool.
The prisoners have been in custody one year and
nine months, and the circumstances which led to their
being brought to England were of a somewhat ex-
traordinary hature. The alleged murder was com-
mitted in • the harbour or roadstead of Mobile, in
April, 1850. The British consul, having taken the
depositions of the master and crew, sent the prisoners
in irons to Quebec, to which place the Albuta was
bound. The case was again investigated at Quebec,
before a magistrate, who committed the prisoners for
trial for wilful murder, and in due course of time a
true bill was found against them, on which they were
arraigned, but their counsel took an objection to the
jurisdiction of the tribunal (the Court of Queen's
Bench at Quebec), and, after a long argument,
the Chief Justice of the colony decided
in their favour. The colonial authorities, how-
ever, determined that the alleged murders should not
escape, detained the men until they received instruc-
tions from the Home Government, by whom orders
were given to transmit the prisoners to England.
They arrived here in the ship Lady Bulwer on Tues-
day, in the custody of two Quebec constables named
Michael Barrett and James Station. Several wit-
nesses accompanied them. The Quebec officers took
their prisoners to several station-houses, but the in-
spectors on duty would not receive the charge. At
last the constables presented themselves at the Thames
police-station in Wapping, where Mr. Evans, the
superintendent, at once entered the charge on the
police sheet, and detained the prisoners.
Mr. Powell, of the Treasury Solicitor's office,
appeared for the prosecution on the part of the Go-
vernment, and handed to the magistrate the deposi-
tions taken before the British consul and the autho-
rities at Quebec, and other documents. The prisoners
were described as Anthony Bruto Urgent and Frank
Murray in all the papers, but M. Gazen, the inter-
preter, gave their propr appellation. Both can talk
English tolerably well, but Mr. Yardley gave instruc-
tions that everything should be translated to them in
their own language.
Mr. Powell briefly stated that the papers now
produced had been transmitted to the Colonial-office,
and that the prisoners had been sent to this country
by an order of the Court of Queen's Bench in Que-
bec. The prisoners were the same parties as were
described on the papers.
Mr. Yardley said it did not matter how they came
here, so long as he had jurisdiction.
James Colwell, a seaman, deposed that he shipped
on board the Albuta, at Liverpool, in the capacity of
steward, on the 30th of January, 1850. The prisoners_
and Peter Getland, or Gotland, the deceased, sbipe_ed
at the same time in the capacity of able seamen. 0n
the 16th of April following the ship entered Mobile
Bay, where she came to at. anchor. Two days after.
wards one of the men came aft, and asked for a piece
e, Which
of candle for the purpose of sealing a ltter,
he intended to send home to his friends in England.
forecastle door.
In a few minutes he went
_forward .with a pieee of
' candle which he gave to a
man et the t
Peter Getland was then seated on. the Windlass, and
quietly smoking a pipe. The prisoners were sitting
pieces of wood),
on the night heads (small upright
right forward on each side of the bowsprit. He was
talking to Getland about boarding-houses, and the
deceased asked
when he saw the him
soners pri if he could recommend him one,
who had advanced about
three yards from the Place
where he first observed
top-gallant forecastle, just
them, standing on the
above Getland. Before he could give the deceased
warning, Argent], raised a large adze, with which
be struck Getland a blow on the skull with the
sharp end of the weapon. Getland fell streaming
with blood' Which flowed copiously from the gash.
He uttered some exclamation and staggered against
the foremast. Argenti made a second blow at witness
with the adze, but he avoided it by stooping, and
staggered against Getland. The crew came from
both sides of the vessel to seize the prisoners, when
Argenti raised his adze, apparently intending to cut
down any one who came near him, and Moraty
flourished his knife. The crew then began to arm
themselves, on which the Italians ran up the fore
rigging, one on the starboard and the other on the
larboard side, and remained aloft. Assistance,lhow-
ever, was obtained from other ships in the bay, whose
people armed themselves, and blank shots were fired
at the prisoners in the rigging to induce them to come
down, but they would not stir. Sentry was kept all
night, but the prisoners would not come down until
the officers and crew of an American revenue cutter
came on board. The captain of the revenue cutter
allowed the prisoners five minutes to decide, and
called to them that if they did not come down at
the end of that time he would shoot them down. The
Italians submitted, descended the rigging, and, directly
they reached the deck, were made prisoners, and
conveyed to prison. Some days afterwards they were
again brought on board the tAlbuta, and taken to
Quebec in irons.
In answer to questions from Mr. Yardley, Colwell
said that Moraty was a little on the left side of Ar-
genti when the deceased received the blow, and both
were on the top-gallant forecastle, right above Get-
land's head. Getland was conveyed into the cabin
and the wound was dressed, and he was afterwards
taken to the hospital in Mobile, where he died in
seven days. Getlandwas either a Swede or a Nor-
wegian.
Mr: yardley,. looking at a paper Were' binlttissid•
the prisoners were charged with feloniously assaulting