The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-05 00:00:00

MANSION-HO USE.
THE WRECK OF THE " CHARLES EATON," IN' TORRES
STRAlTS.—Yesterday, at the close of the ordinctry busi-
ness, the LORD MAYOR entered into an investigat;on into
the statements made before him on the subject of the white
man who was seen amongst the savages on Murray's .Island,
Torres Straits. Mr. Buckle, the owner of the ship Man,lles ;
Captain Carr, who commanded the ship ; Mr. Bailey And
Mr. Drew, relatives of some of the individuals who ware
passengers ; and other gentlemen interested in the fate of
those who were on board the Cherries Eaton, when that
vessel sailed from Sydney to Calcutta attended at three
o'clock, and, as might be expected, a great deal of interest
was excited by the following details :
Captain William Carr stated that he was captain of the
Mangles Indiaman. The complement of men on board
was usually 48, but on the voyage in which be touched at
Torres Straits he had no more than 42 men on board. In
the afternoon of the 18th of September, 1835, he entered
Torres Straits, and cast anchor about a mile and a half from
the beach of Murray's Island. He was on his route froau
Sydney to Canton, and had not heard of the wreck of the'
Charles Eaton at that time. Next morning, at daylight,
the savages came out to the vessel in fourteen or fifteen
canoes, each of which contained fifteen or sixteen men,
armed with bows and arrows and spears. Witness
was on the starboard side (the more dangerous side).
The savages came not with any hostile intent, but to traf-
fic. In one of the last canoes that approached the siiip
on the larboa.rd side, there appeared a white man who
seemed as eager to trade as any of the savages. Witness
had not a word of conversation with him, but hearing that
he was an European, and had been wrecked in the Charles
Eaton, he gave directions, as stated in the letter transmitted
to the Lord Mayor on Thursday, to some of the crew to
lower the boat, and take him on board. The man, how-
ever, when the crew booked the canoe, dashed under the
midships of the canoe, and witness said, " Oh ! if he pre-
fers the savages to us, let him stay." The crew then re-
turned, and the boat was hoisted up. Witness was then
informed by the fourth officer of the ship, that he under-
stood there were eight or ten wore Europeans on the
island. He thought upon hearing e that such was the
case, that it was a serious matter, and he walked about the
poop' for two hours before he determined what to do. He
at last resolved to man and arm a cutter.
Mr. Bailey—Did not the European call for a rope ?
Captain Carr—So I understand, and somebody threw
him one, but it broke, and I believe he fell astern.
Mr. Bailey—Did not the European mention his name,
or the number who were on the island ? Captain Carr—
Not to my knowledge. He did not say a word to me, nei-
ther did the natives. His skin was of the colour of ma-
hogany, and he was naked, with the exception of a piece of
skin round his waist. He tried, as I heard from part of my
crew to get into the jolly boat, but the savages held him
back.
Mr. Baliey—Did you offer any ransom for him ?
Captain Garr—No; I told my men to lower the boat,
and take him in. There was no time. I afterwards
thought the best thing I could do was to go ashore myself,
and I accordingly went into the cutter, with six men and
my second officer, aria approached the shore. They brought
a European boy, who appeared to be nearly three years
old, towards us, and I oaTered them some axes for the child.
Mr. Bailey—What sort of a child was he?
Captain Carr—He had Light curly hair, and was naked.
They brought down the boy evidently to induce us to land.
I saw a matted bamboo screen, behind which there ap-
peared to be several passing and repassing.
Mr. Bailey—Did you not fancy you saw some white feet
amongst them?
Captain Carr—No ; but I saw saw a boat building about
thirty or forty yards off. The child was about six yards
from me at the time. It was decidedly anEuropean-built boat,
five planked, and capable of carrying twenty or twenty-five
persons to Java, at that time of the year. It was built
with planks, but of what kind of wood I cannot tell.
Mr. Bailey—Did you not see a lady's petticoat hanging
on the bushes?
Captain Carr—l saw with my glass what appeared to be
a female garment on the bushes ; but I have, when I have
touched at the island on previous occasions, given female
apparel to the natives. In my previous voyage I sent one
of their females ashore dressed in Mrs. Carr's clothes.
Mr. Bailey—Are the natives addicted to cannibalism ?
Captain Carr—l have been given to understand that they
eat their enemies whom they take in battle.
The LORD MAYOR—You Nieve been trafficking with
these natives before ? Captain Carr—Yes, frequently.
When they come to my vessel I alwa vs take Madoo, one of
their chiefs, on board, as a hostage. tie is a well-conducted
man ; but until this voyage he uniform:l,' recognized me and
spoke to me. Upon this occasion, how. ever, he would not
speak to me at all ; but he afterwards, ! am told, spoke of
me and of Mrs. Carr.
The LORD MAYOR—Can you assign any reason for the
European dashing away from you, and so suddenly rejecting
your offer of protection ? Captain Carr—Not at all. I
have no idea what could have been his motive ; but when
he saw my men were determined to have him, he threw
down his paddles and eagerly escaped.
The Rev. Mr. Worthington—How many guns do you
carry ? Captain Carr—We have eight guns mounted on
board. •
Mr. Worthington—Are not the savages greatly afraid
of guns ? Do they not throw themselves on their faces
when a gun is fired ? Captain Carr—They do. They are
excessively afraid of them.
Mr. Worthington—My object in asking is so show that
there was an adequate force to attempt to rescue those
Europeans who might be detained on the island.
The Lotus MAYOR said that if it were meant to charge
Capt. Carr with having committed an offence in not maiaing
an attack upon the savages he must stop the investigation.
The Captain might have hazarded the vessel and her large
cargo if he made an hostile attempt. His heavy responsi-
bility was a serious consideration.
Captain Carr—lf I had killed a single savage the lives of
all the Europeans on the island would, in all probability,
haVe been sacrificed, and there is no knowing what la-
mentable consequences might have resulted.
Mr. Drew—Was there no signal made to you at all
from shore at any time ? Captain Carr—None at all.
Mr. Drew—Did you offer no ransom for the Europeans
when you heard that eight or ten of them were on the is-
land? Captain Carr—No ; I offered ransom for the child.
Mr. Drew expressed himself strongly on the statement
as to ransom, and seemed to be much overpowered by his
feelings as to excite gencial commiseration. He was la-
menting the fate of his wife's brother, detained, most pro-
bably, by the natives of that horrible island.
James APAlicken, fourth officer of the Mangles, stated
that he was on the larboard side of the ship when the canoe
in which the European was came alongside. Witness asked
how be came on the island ; but received no answer. Upon
being questioned again he said that he had been cast away
in the ship Charlei Eaton, about six weeks before. Witness
then asked how many white men were ashore, but did not
hear the answers ; the black fellows interfered. Witness
tried to grapple the European, and asked him to come on
board ; but the savages kept him from doing so.
Mr. Bailey—What sort of a person was he ? 1114Micken
—He appeared from eighteen to twenty years of ago,
about five feet eight inches high, had a fair complexion, and
was rather stout. I could not tell the colour of his hair. •
When I asked how many men there were on shore, one or
the black men put his hand to my face, and held up both
of his hands, as much as to say there were eight or ten.
The black Chief was on board the Mangles after their
Captain knew the white man was among the savages.
Mr. Buckle—Did you know that a man named Ander-
son, one of the crew, took hold of the white man by the
hand ? M'Micken—l believe that Anderson reached out
his hand to the white man, but I don't know whether it
was taken hold of.
Mr. Wm. Eames, Chief Officer of the Mang/es, stated
that when the boat hooked the canoe witness called to the
white man if he wished to be released to jump into the boat.
" No," said the white man ; " but this man will," pointing
to the savage. " No," said whoess, " I want you," and
tried to get at him. The white mai:, however, dived into
the water, and got away.
Mr. Bailey—Whose child do you suppose the boy you
saw on the shore to be from what you have heard ? Mr.
Eames--I believe from the description I received at Cal-
cutta that he is Captain Doyley's. It was months after-
wards, when, upon hearing of the child of Captain Doyley,
I was struck with the identity. We did not know texcept
from the occurrence at Murray's Island that there was any
white man on the island.
John Williams, seaman on board the 112 angles, was one
of those who lowered the jolly-boat for the white man to
get into. Did not think that one in the ship shook hands
with the white man. The jolly-boat was lowered so far as
that be might have got in, but the natives pulled him by the
back.
Mr. Carr, jun., (son of Captain Carr), confirmed in most
points the statements of his father.
Mr. Drew handed a statement which Anderson, the sea-
man, had made to him upon the subject. Anderson had re-
ceived from him half-a-crown, and promised to attend at the
Alansion-house, but did not make his appearance at all.
The LORD MAYOR read the statement, which was as fol-
lows :—" To the best of his belief the ship came to an an-
chor off Murray's Island about two miles from the shore in
the afternoon. Saw no canoes from the shore that after-
noon. At about nine o'clock the next morning, Captain
being on the poop of the Mangles, the deponent in the jolly
boat, which had been partly lowered, but not into the
water, there being with him in the boat Captain Carr's son,
Probett, and Tucker, boys, tie deponent saw a canoe with
a white man in it, coming right away from the shore, which
canoe pulled under the ship's stern, astern of the jolly-boat,