The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-19 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

,

ARRIVAL OF THE HARBINGER.
The General. Screw Steam-shipping Company's
'steam-ship Harbinger Captain. Lane, • arrived at
Southampten yesterday morning from Australia,
having left Sydney on the 11th, and Port Philip
on the 22d of January; and St. Vincent's (Cape
Verde) March 31st. • . -
On the outward voyage the Harbinger touched
only at St. Vincent's, making the passage in 77
days, the weather being fine, but with bad trade
viinds, and frequently. with the wind ahead. The
homeward passage has occupied 86 days. The
Harbinger rounded Cape Horn 28 days after
leaving Port Philip, since which she has had nothing
but contrary, winds and fine weather. She passed
through quaAtities of ice from long. 160 to 115
,
weat.

. .
The Harbinger. brings 36 passengers, and. on
freight 16,174 ounces of 'gold from Sydney,, and
57,168 ounces from Melbourne '; total, -'73,342
onnees, of the value' of about 293,68/. sterling,'
besides some small amount.; in the hands of Passen.'
gers. ,She has also 150 bales of wool, and a
.heavy,
mail, consisting of 10 bags and two boxes from.
Sydney, and 41 bags and 5 boxes from Port
,Philip.
• Her Majesty's ships Calliope; Helena, Bramble,
and Aolie'ron were at Sydney, and the Electra at
Port Philip -when the Harbinger sailed. She reports
the following vessels off Port Philip Heads ::-4he
Maitland, Boomerang, Bonny Douro, Puenge,
and Robertiva. At 9 p.m. yesterday .the Harbin-.
ger came in contact with a large ship with. painted
ports, supposed to be the Maria Hay, from South
ampton, bound to Geelong. The collision carried.
away her jibboom and.. the 'Harbinger's port
quarter boats.
On the 9th of Match,.in lat. 21 S., long. 31. W.
spoke the Henry _Reid, barque, from London,
bound to Launceston, 49 days out. March 17,
lat. 3 S., W., the Anna Agatha galliot, of Rot-
terdam.. March 20, lat. 2". N., long. '22 W., the
British schooner Balkan, from 111I.Luritius to'Liver-
pool. March. 21, the French' barque- Solen, of
Cette. March 29, Int. N., long. 16 W., the French
brig Alceste, of Marseilles. March 34 the sciew
steam-ship La Plata left St. Vincent's. for BuBilos:
Ayres, and the Jer,eY barque Angera, for the
Brazils. 'April 5,' 27 N., 30 W., the Swedish brig
Amalia,.for St. Thomas's., April 9, 35 N., 24W.,
the Hamburg brig Hansa, from Brazil to Falmouth.
The ,Harbinger ii'dini3harging her cargo, having
been offere&to Government for the transport ser-
vice. She is to be ready for sea as soon as possible.
• • •

Despatches were received at the Colonial-office, yes-
terday, from the Governor of Canada and the Lord iligh
Commissioner of the lonian Islands.

_ .
DESPERATE RENCONTRE ON BOARD AN AMERICAN
STEAMER.—We have often heard of meeting a murderer
on tne high. seas, but seldom have to record such scenes
of violence as occurred on the steamer. S. F. J. Traube,
on the Mississippi river, (hiring her recent trip from New
Orleana. .As is usual at this season of the year, the boat
was crowded with deck passengers,_ chiefly. flat boatmen
from the Wabash and coal boatmen from Pittsburg:
Among the latter was a setof turbulent, quarrelsome men,
who were about half drunk *hen they got on the boat at
NeW:Orleans, and had fought among themselves before
the, boat left p0rt...,-.Captain Tucker was: notified ,by a
"friend who recognised one or two of the men that he
would belie trouble with them, and they would try
to take the boat. • Soon after the boat was under
way, and before she had proceeded many miles up the
river, one of ,the 'Pittsburg coal boatmen attacked
a Wabath 'Mau, Who was quiet and peaceable . and.
had said nothing to him, and.knocked him down, and
beat him drea,dfuly. Two of -his friends - interfered
to save him from further ill-usage, when they were
beset and beaten nearly to death, and one of them had
his arm broken by a blow of an axe in thi, hands of one
of the rioters. The deck bar was open, and another
passenger, a small man, stepped up after the first fray
and called for a drink.' While .he was in the act of
drinking, •a burly-fellow, a bully among the coal hoat,
men, stepped up and seized him by the peck, choked
him, and threw himto the deck as if he were a chicken,
and then stampedon hini. He was suffered to getup; an
, d .
as Soon as he regained, his feet he drew a knife and inflicted
a terrible Wound in the big map's right,breast , which .
placed him on his back during the' rest of the trip,
and on the arrival Of the boat here he was sent to the
hosPitg. Not _long :after.
. boatmen. became perfectly ,wild with
anxiety for a fight, and were re_
the would take the this. Occurrence the Coal
ild• with liquor' or their'
heard to swear that
viaend do as they
boatwith -passengers, pleased.
Thadeck was crowded
and orderly
had do-peace or rest, and were beset every
moment. Captain
TuckerTuckerthen determined to quell
the. riot,'arid summoning his.. crew, among whom were
•21 Spaniards, armipg'them with abort. clubs, hatchets,
and whatever weapons he cooK„he: marched J. the
lower deck and endeavoured to-restore order, and'plit the
rioters on shore. The. rio'ters laughed at him, and one.
big fellow Shenk his fist under his nose and defied the ,
.whole crew. The Spaniard, in solid. phalanx, arined.
..with a club and a long knife, were ordered to advance
and seize the ringleader. • -Then -ensued a scene of strife
and confusion seldom seen on -the deck of a boat. : 'rho
Spanish crew, however, were Victorious, and managed
to secure four of the ringleaders, 'Who were tied meek
and heel, and peace was at, once restored. The chief of
the mob was not caught, and fer several days could not
be-found:and it was thOught that, be, with four
or. live 'others, had' jtiMped overboard, and either were
drowned or swam ashore.
~, several, of the cabin passen-
gers aver. that 'they. distinctly: saw three or four men in
the river,: and as the actair..o9Rnrred PQO/1 after!thc boat
'len Nr.e.*`Orleans.,- it was impossiblato tell who-;wan
During the'?itelje a coal bi'oatman of the name of Blakely,'
.
•.: was. much hurl; and datig,. eronsly Nabbed in the side.
He was taken cai•eLlof:llx)'. the
.efticers-of.-the boat, and
sent to the hospital. Theleateof -the Traube.received
" .1 cut in the head from a kMfe, which he caught just as
none of the mutineers made a lunge at him. The four
that. were arrested were put off the -boat soon atter the
affray was quelled, and:when the -boat was in the neigh-
bourhood of Millikin's tend the higfellow who had been
missing was found, and Was forthwith set ashore.-:" 116
had -been secreted-: under q*.Cylind-er timbers. No fur-
then, ontbrea,k, occurred, during . the trip, though many
threats .were made just befo. reybeboat reached the port.
The diacipline of
_the449iArdpi..and .the determination
-of 1126 officers of the. boat, -put -aft—e-ffectiial stop to the
lawlesialeis of the -con; boatmen...4llo7/d Courser.