The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-03 00:00:00

lIIE PRIVATEER SUMIER.

The following letter gives an authentic account
of the whole affair of the escape of the Sumter
privateer from the vigilance of the United States'
steamer Iroquois, as reported by last mail :

" St. Pierre, Martinique, Dec. 2, 1861.

g, . . . . After all, the Sumter has escaped. Under

the protection of the faction that espoused her cause, aided
and abetted by the local Government, she has managed to
slip off in clever enough style. On Saturday, the 23d
ultimo, at a few minutes before eight p.m , a very cloudy
and dark evening, cutting away the moorings and
leaving her anchor behind, she quitted her berth at
the Mouillage de la Galere, and at full speed
steamed off in a southerly dire( tion close in shore till
she attained the point beyond the roadstead, where she
made a pause. The Sumter's taking thus to flight at a mo-
ment the least expected, and at the very nick of time when
her adversary happened to be too far out at sea to perceive
her movements, excited the most indescribable indignation
and vexation among the population. As a witness myself
to the decampment, I really could not remain a stranger to
the commotion that ran through the crowd of people on
shore, extending from La Galere to Place Bertin, all shout-
ing as if to give the alarm, unwilling to entertain the very
idea of the privateer escaping, anxious, if it were possible,to
arrest her course. A man of the Iroquois, stationed on board
ono of the American merchant vessels in the port to keep
an eye on the manoeuvres of the Sumter, and, in case of
hor starting, to throw out a rocket in the direction she
might take, for the information of the Iroquois, had no
sooner given the signal agreed upon, than the Sumter,
awake to the hint, made a stop so as to allow time for her
pursuer to pass on in the direction which had been thus
indicated ; and when the latter was fairly at her speed in
that direction, the wily privateer turned to the northward,
coming back almost to the same place (that is to say,
between the two French steamers l'Acheron and St.
Pierre, placed at the buoy with the design, no doubt,
of deceiving the Irequois), and continued her route south-
ward along all the sinuosities of the coast, masking her-
self under the land. 'I he Sumter emitted little or no smoke,
and had all her lights extinguished, although it is forbidden
by our harbour regulations for any vessel, especially a steamer,
to quit or traverse the port after sunset without displaying
twu lights at her yardarms, and thus she very nearly ran
down the French schooner lsabella,which was then sailingin.
The Iroquois, by way of acknowledging the rock et signal,
had hoisted a light to her masthead ; so that while the
deep obscurity of the night prevented her from discerning
the privateer, the latter was enabled to mark the course she
took and dog all her movements. After having run to the
southward for a whole hours the Iroquois had to reverse
her course at full speeed, and guided by another rocket
sent up from the shore to put out to sea ; but, unfortunately,
the privateer had already gained a considerable distance,
and was quite secure under concealment of the land.
The Iroquois went at the rate of 17 miles an hour, while
the Sumter's speed did not exceed 14; so we see it was not
by speed that the former was outdone, but by trickery.

BENSON'S WATCHES AND CLOCKS..-. 44 Perfection of
mechanism."—Morning Post. Gold watches, 5 to ICO guineas;
silver watches, 2 to 50 guineas. Benson's new Illustrated
Pamphlet, free for two stamps, descriptive of every construc-
tion of watch, enables persons in any part of the world to
select with the greatest certainty the watch best adapted to
their use. Watches sent free and safe by post on receipt of
a remittance. —J. W. Benson, 33 and 34, Ludgate-hill, 40 and
47, Cornhill, London E.C. Egtablishcd 174/

[ADVERTISENIEIsiT.]—HoIIoway's Pills.—The Right
Road to Ifealth.—ln selecting the most appropriate medi-
cine for a particular ailment there may be some difficulty,
unless one can be found to purify, regulate, and strengthen.
Holloway's possess and exert these three qualifica-
tions
i Pillsnanextraordinary degree. >They enable the stomach
to digest any ordinary food, they increase the secretory
powers of the liver, cleanse the blood, expel all morbid
matters, and throw into the circulation the purest elements
for sustaining and repairing the frame, and preserving it
from unnecessary " Wear and tear." These inestimable
Pills are cipecially useful in broken bodily health, where
the system is out of order without any assignable cause.
With this knowledge nom should trifle with life or death.

5 P.I7E2IIIITED MILITARY MURDER
Al MALTA.

Thee folio wing are copies of the charges against
th t late Gunner John Edwards, the finding and
SCL '.fence of the court-martial, and the approval of
his . ri, xcraenev the Governor :
" Head-quarters, Valetta, Dec. 21, 1861.
" GENERAL ORDERS.

"No s. 3. Tho general court-martial, of which Col, F.
Hardin g, Ist battalion, 22/ Foot, is president, is
dissolv

,6 No . 4. At the said court-martial, held at Malta on the
9th day ' of December, ]B6l, was tried No. 554, Gunner
John E glwards, 3d brigade, Royal Artillery, on the follow-
ing chs rge

1 " CHARGES.
t" 1. For having, at St. Elmo, Malta, on or about the
4th day of I )ecember, 1861, offered violence towards Cap-
tain. and Adjutant Edward Keate, 3d brigade, Royal Ar-
Very, by diocharging a carbine loaded with ball at him,
he, the said Captain and Adjutant Edward Keate, being
his (t. he prisoner's) superior officer, and then and there in
the ex ecution of his office.

2. For having, at or about the same time and place as
stated 't the first charge, re-loaded his carbine with ball
cartridg s, and made use of the following threatening lan -
guage al rainst Captain and Adjutant Edward Keate, 3d
brigade, loyal Artillery, in saying, I have just fired a
shot at th s Adjutant, and I am going to fire another,' or
words to that effect; such conduct being insubordinate,
outrageous,, and to the prejudice of good order and military

" FINDrNG.

"The Gaud having considered the evidence in support o
the- prosecut ion, together with that the prisoner has urged
in bcis defence, is of opinion that the prisoner, No, 554,
Gun. tier Join' Edwards, 3d brigade, Royal Artillery, is
guilty- of both the charges preferred against him."

" SENTENCE.

The. Court, having found the prisoner guilty of both
the char,ges preferred against him, which being in breach
of the At des of 'War, and taking into consideration his
former coat iction.s and general indifferent character, do now
sentence hit the prisoner, No. 554, Gunner John Edwards,
3,1 brigade, Royal Artillery, to be shot to death by mus-
ketry at sucl t time and place as the confirming authorities
may direct "(Signed) F. P. HARDING,
"Colonel and Lieut.-Colonel, Commanding
t. Ist Battalion, 22d Regiment, President.
cc (sig. ned) SYLVESTER F. WILSON,
"Major of Brigade.
" Officiating Deputy-Judge Advocate.
"Approved anki. confirmed,
" (Signed) JOHN GASPARD LE MARCHANT,
"Lieut.-General Commanding,
"and Governor of Malta.
"Dated at Malta, IX
c. 11, 1861."
"The sentence to bo• ,carried into effect at Fort Ricasoli
'ember, 1861, at 7 a.m.
on Friday, the 20th of D'et,

" (Signed) Jo] m r GASPARD LE MERCHANT,
,uout.-General Commanding.

"Malta, Dec. 13, 1861."

"I have felt it my duty to approve and confirm these pro-
ceedings, because it is clearly '.established by the evidence
that the prisoner discharged hi carbine at Captain and Ad-
jutant Dente with the full inter 't to kill him ; that after the
first shot he reloaded it with the e ,itt,ge purpose ; that in per-
petrating these acts he acted with fu 11 deliberation, without
any provocation at the time, and with out any apparent pre-
vious provocation.

" (Signed) JOHN GASPAIW LE MERCHANT,
" Lieut.• General.

"Malta, Dee. 13, 1861."
"The sentence of this court••martiai is hereby approved
by me, in her Majesty's behalf, as Civil Governor of
Malta.

" (Signed) JOHN GASPARD LE MARCHANT,
" Lieut.-General and Govern or of Malta.
"Dec. 13, 1861."

COUNTRY MARK]; 2 AS.

,h_.,

MANCHESTER-JAN. 2.

At our market to-day there was a moderate attendance,
and business in either home or foreign whoa t wag limited.
Holders generally showed no disposition to press sales at
any reduction on previous rates, but in occasional instan-
ces, to promote business, slightly lower rates were ac•
cepted.