The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-13 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CONDUC7 OF A
MERCHANT CAPTAIN.

On Tuesday t' ere was a sitting of the Bristol Local
Marine Board, at their offices in Prince's-street, to investi-
gate a singular charge against a mcrchant captain, a fey:
particulars of which we have already placed More our
readers. The members of the committee present were Mr.
R. P. King, in the chair, Mr. Whitwill, Mr. Lucas, and Mr.
R. Rowe. Mr. H. Brittan acted as legal assistant. The
charge was preferred by Messrs. T. Beynon and Co., of
Newport, against Captain Henry Mathias, and was to the
effect that he, being the master of the barque Usk, of New-
port, on an intended voyage from Newport to Caldera, in
the Brazils, was, when the vessel had arrived off Cape Horn,
guilty of a gross act of misconduct, in having, without
proper or sufficient cause or reason, neglected or omitted
further to proceed on the said voyage, and navigated the
vessel back to Newport.

Captain Mathias promised to deliver up his certificate to
abide the result of the inquiry, which was then proceeded
with. He had no legal assistance, and said he wanted
none, but would conduct his own case. 'When asked, after
hearing the evidence against him, if he desired time to pre-
pare his defence, he replied in the negative, and expressed
his desire to enter upon it at once. He conducted his
defence and delivered his address in a cool and intelligent
manner.

The case having been proved, the captain proceeded to
address thecommittee on his own behalf. He spoke of the
heavy weather that prevailed, and of the confidence and
comfort he felt, nevertheless, up to a certain time. He then
went on to say that he had been a professor of religion for
17 years, and made it a practice about ten in the morning to
read a chapter and then to enter his service to his Creator.
After that had passed ono day he felt a pressure on his
mind that he had not ever before felt, and he asked himself
what this could mean, for he had generally felt light and
comfortable under all circumstances in life—in fact there
had only been one or two peculiar circumstances in his life,
though he had been at sea for 32 years. He repeated that
he began to inquire what was the meaning of this pressure,
and he thought he would go and make a point of prayer of
it, and be did so, when he found that a small still voice spoke
within to return to Newport with the ship, but he strove
within him most firmly against it. The more he strove,
however, the worse it resisted him, and he found the power
to be so strong that it was irresistible. He remained in
that state. He did not make known the state of his mind
to a soul in the ship. No one in that ship knew his mind or
feelings or tvlything concerning him, but if the truth were
properly spoken by each individual on board that ship that
power must be known by every person. He remained until
the afternoon and began to consider " What did it mean ?"
for the same still voice spoke audibly and distinctly within
him, "Excepting I would give up my purpose that He
would break me without remedy." Visions he saw none ;
he saw no bodily shape. He saw nothing but his own
feelings, the same as any other Christian man would
see. As he had told Captain Beynon, so he (Captain
Mathias) would now tell the board, that with regard
to returning home he said within himself " Well, 1 should
like to have a sign to know for certain that I may
not be deceiNed in my own heart, and deceive my own
self in the presence of my Creator," and that voice
spoke to him again, and told him " That the glass should
rise immediately if I would do, and be obedient to the
command given to me." He (Captain Mathias) implored
the Divine compassion to allow him to remain till the Sun-
day morning daylight, as the storm was terrific, and he
held that the vessel would suffer less lying in a tropical
sea than running before such a storm—it was terrific.
He could not sleep or rest, and no doubt the mate and the
men in the cabin must have known that there was
something in the expression of his countenance that
was never seen there before. As it required so much
to change that will of his (the captain's), which Wt's
so determined to accomplish that voyage; that lie had
on :two occasions commenced, he would leave them to
judge what it must be to change the wilts and minds of
men. Eight days he suffered, and on the ninth day he felt
more easy. He turned the ship at his own private will. No
other person had any connection or anything to do with the
ship, and he had not made known his desire or anything of
the kind. He had told the mate he might take the respon-
sibility of the ship, but he had never applied or aimed to
take the ship from him ; neither the mate nor the men, nor
anyone in the ship, aftor he gave the order to square the
yards and alter the vessel's course, disobeyed his orders.
Everything had, been carried out according to the orders he
had given ; there was a very favourable wind, and he de-
tected the hand of Providence in the voyage home. He had
_ _ _

foretold the time when his ship would be in dock, though h•
did not know that there would he a pilot, and the weather
was bad. Yet everything came as he had foretold. He be-
lieved the men and officers saw everything transacted in a
manner they could not account for, but he could see it and
under- tood it. He had given his evidence from first to last
as he had given it to Mr. Beynon. He (Captain Mathias)
was desirous of impressing on the gentlemen not to think
he had seen any form in a bodily shape, or any vision, or
anything of the kind. Let that be banished. He had
known nothing but a Christian experimental feeling. That
still small voice had spoken to him audibly, He had had
the hand of God pressing him sorely previous to the voice
speaking to him.

Mr. Brittan—Do you want to call any witnesses, captain ?
Captain Matthias replied in the negative, and said no ono
was capable of knowing, The witness existed between God
and himself. He stood 'entirely on his own responsibility.
His responsibility ran thus—to suffer whatever the law and
whatever man could place upon him. He Etood as a being
to suffer, and he would suffer whatever the law or anything
could force on him. He would stand and suffer for it what-

ever it might be, at any moment or at any time.

The court was cleared for the deliberation of the commit-
tee, and after a short interval, upon its being re-opened,
The Chairman said—We have come to our decision in
this painful case, and Mr. Britten will now read it.

Mr. Brittan read the following :—"That this board do re-
port to the Board of Trade as follows :—" That Capt. Henry
Mathias, Late master of the barque Usk, of Newport, on a
voyage of that vessel from Newport to Caldera, which
voyage commenced on or about the Ist day of June last, did,
when the said vessel had arrived off or near Cape Horn,
whilst under a mental delusion, and without any proper or
sufficient cause or reason, instead of proceeding on the
said voyage, put the said vessel back and return with her
to Newport aforesaid ; and that this board considers Cap-
tain Mathias to be still labouring under such delusion, and
incompetent to take charge or act as master of any ship or
vessel, and this board doth, therefore, cancel the certificate
of the said Captain Mathias."
Captain Mathias promised to give up his certificate forth-
with.