The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-13 00:00:00

DREADFUL MUTINY ON BOARD

THE AMELIA. OF GLASGOW.

We have received the following account of a dar-
ing mutiny on board this vessel, and which /waited
in the loss of seven lives. The schooner Amelia was
on her passage from the coast of Mexico to Hong-
Kong, having on board specie in gold and silver
amounting to about 60,0001., and which led to the
sanguinary occurrences that took place. The Amelia
was commanded by Mr. Robert L. Macnally, a
Scotchtnan ; besides whom, a Spaniard, Don Ramon
Alva, acted as supercargo and principal master. The
crew consisted of 19 person, only two of whom, lads
about 18, were British subjects, namely, Thomas
Gannon and Charles M'Donald the remainder were
Dutchmen, Norwegians, French, Spanish, Portu-
guese, and Mexicans. There were besides, as passen-
gers, a Mr. and Mrs. Sarah Selina Cook and her female
servant. The mutiny broke out about two o'clock of
the morning of the 3d of October last year, and ap-
pears to have been wholly confined to three of the
crew, Jose Torres, Andres Baldibiz a, and Jose Calero.
The second mate, Caetano Go-nez, who had charge of
the watch, was attacked and murder d by thei-e ruffians,
when Alva came upon deck, followed by Mr. Cooke, the
passenger. Tr.e former was immediately stabbed in
several places; he managed, however, to get down
into the cabin to arm himself and to alarm Mr. Mac-
nally ; but when endeavouring to force his way upon
deck, sword in hand, he was mortally stabbed when
he had reached the top of the companion ladder. Mr.
Cooke, the passenger, was their next victim ; he was
stabbed and thrown overboard. The mutineers then

went forward, called the larboard watch, and showing
their bloody knives, told them they had murdered
every one aft except Mr. Macnally, Mrs. Cooke, and
her servant, Mary Hudson; that they, the mutineers,
were in command of the vessel, and if one of them
refused to obey their orders he would be instantly
murdered. The remainder of the crew, having no
arms to defend themselves, had no alternative but to
submit. Large stones and pieces of lead were then
handed upon deck for the purpose of destroying Mr.
Macnally, who was still confined to the cabin. At
eight o'clock in the morning it was communicated to
him, that if he would lay down his arms and submit
quietly, they would not take his life. These terms he
refused, but said, if they would allow him and the
two females the gig, with the necessaries he required,
he would give them no further trouble, and would
direct them the course to steer. After a consultation
this was promised, and having got from him the
course for Malabrigo, orders were given to prepare
the boat ; the vessel was at that time lying to. Trust-
ing to their faith, he went on deck unarmed, when he
was seized and thrown overboard with weights; the
schooner then filled, and made all sail. The next '
proceedings of these ruffians were what might be
expected of them; they classed themselves in the
clothes of those they had murdered ; took all the gold
and distributed it among the crew ; destroyed all
papers and writings which they considered offensive,
with many valuables, which were thrown overboard,
land finally got at the wine, and became more or less
intoxicated. The following day, the 4th, J. Smit, a
Dutchman, W. Peter, a Norwegian ; Frank Geering,
of St. Michael's ; Jean Berenger, of Bordeaux ; and
Joze de Averasturi, a Spaniard, of Bilboa, proposed
a plan to recover the vessel that night, which they
communicated to the rest of the crew, four ex-
cepted, whom they were afraid to trust. Having
prepared for their enterprise an adze, the pump
breaks, some boarding pikes, &c., at eleven o'clock
Jan Smit dispatched Torres and Baldibiza,
who were sleeping upon deck, and then fell upon
Calero, whom he overcame after a sharp struggle.
The bodies of these ruffians were then thrown over-
board, and Jan Smit took the command with the
consent of the crew, the lad Gannon being engaged
to navigate the vessel. Their first intention was to
have returned to Mazatlan, but the state of the
weather, which came on to blow, prevented this, and
the course was shaped for the Sandwich Islands,
where, after a tempestuous passage, she arrived
safely at Honolulu, on the 12th of October, 1848.
The preceding part of this narrative has been of a
melancholy character: what follows is more pleasing.
After the mutineers had been got rid of, the money
which had been distributed among the crew was all
brought aft, and deposited in the cabin—a meritorious
instance of goad faith and honesty among so many
judicious
arrangements of different countries. Through the
arrangements of Mr. Miller, her Majesty's Consul-
General for the Pacific Islands, residing at Honolulu,
specie, amounting to 287,684 dollars, was safely
landed, and taken charge of by him; a list was like-
wise taken of the effects of those who had been
murdered ; and, in fact, everything in the vessel was
safely secured through the exertions of Mr. Miller,
to whom much praise is due. It may be useful
to mention that among the papers found on board
the Amelia were three bills of lading, with correspond-
ing letters of advice and instructions from Jecker,
Torre, and Co., of Mazatlan ; one for 150,000 dollars,
consigned to Messrs. Turner and Co., of Hong-Kong,
but for account and risk of Messrs. Finley, Hodgson,
, wnvtLOT fur 1`.40,00ii dollars to
Messrs. Turner and Co., of Hong -Hoeg, in payment
for a cargo previously ordered for shipment in the
Amelia on her arrival in China. The third bill of
lading was for 1,379 dollars, in favour of Mr. J. A.
Durran, of Macoa ; 16,304 dollars were landed' for
which no bills of lading or other documents could be
found. We have now the gratification to state that
Jan Smit, of Rotterdam, whose conduct on this
occasion is above all praise, has been presented with
1,1001. by several of the insurance companies; and
also with a valuable sextant, by Ashdown, of Finch-
lane, with the following inscription :
" Presented to Mr. Jan Smit, of Rotterdam, by
the Corporation of the Royal Exchange, the Corpo-
ration of the London, the Indemnity Mutual Marine,
the Marine, and the Alliance Marine Insurance
Companies of London, m testimony of their high
estimation of Mr. Smit's services, and their especial
appreciation of the fidelity and courage displayed by
him in rescuing the schooner Amelia, of Glasgow,
and her valuable cargo, out of the hands of mutineers,
during her voyage from Mazatlan to China, in the year
1848. London, Aug. 1, 1849." Shipping Gazette.

CHILD MUTILATION AND SUS-
PECTED MURDER.

COLCHESTER, SATURDAY.—Yesterday afternoon
J. M. Churchill, Esq., coroner for this borough, held
an inquest at the farm-house contiguous to White
Hall, St. the residence of H. Winter, Esq.,
upon the mutilated remains of a child discovered in
the water-closet of that mansion.

It appeared that the body, which had been literally
cut up limb from limb, and was in a highly putres-
cent state, was discovered by Eliza Herman, the
housemaid, on Tuesday morning. Jane Simmonds,
the cook to Mr. Winter, had been accused by her
tellow•servant of getting stout and being in the
family way, &c. She said Charles Jennings, the
groom, was the father of the child, and had got her
in to trouble.

On Friday week she complained of being ill, and
went to her bedroom, and on the following Sunday,
from her appearance, there was no doubt she had given
birth to a child.

Mr. C. E. Blair, surgeon, said he had examined the
remains of the child, and had come to the conclusion
that it was still-born. The portions he had examined
were the bones of the skull, the thorax, the thighs,
and one arm, of a full-grown male child, together
with portions of the liver, lungs, and intestines ; the
thighs and other parts appeared to have been sepa-
rated at the joints with a knife ; they were clean and
evenly cut. Witness had seen Jane Simmonds, and
ascertained she had been recently delivered.
The CORONER observed that he saw the child im-
mediately after its being taken from.the closet, and so
completely had the body been separated that there was
only enough to show the sex of the child, it having
been, in fact, cut up into small pieces.
The jury returned a verdict "That the child bad
been still-born."

Simmonds, on her recovery, will be taken before the
magistrates for concealing the birth.

THE FINANCIAL REFORM MEETING TO-DAY..--It
is said that no fewer than twenty Members of Parlia-
ment have already signified their intention to he present
at the great financial retorm meeting in Drury-lane
Theatre, which takes place at six o'clock this evening.
Intelligence has b :en received from many large towns
that meetings are to be held there, and long before the
commencement of the next session a sort of correspond-
ing society will be formed, greater in number and as
great in intellect as the celebrated and successful Anti-
Corn-law League. Conjoined with this movement will
be the extension of forty-shilling freeholders in every
district where any chance exists of oust ng Tory or
merely Whig Members, and returning pledged friends
to financial and political reform.
THE BROUGHTON MUNDER.—It will be remem-
bered that at the Spring Assizes for Worcester a
hardened outcast named Pulley was convicted of the
murder of a young orphan girl named Mary Ann
&night, by beating her brains out with a bludgeon in a,
retired lane near Pershore, in that county, the girl
having giving him off,,nce by resisting his attempts to
corrupt her chastity. A witness on the trial deposed to
having seen Pulley shortly after the murder with blood
on his trousers, but these trousers (a pair of moleskin)
could not be produced on the trial. They have now just
been found under circumstances which betray a con-
sciousness of guilt on the part of the prisoner. As a
man named Howse was cleaning out a pool near the
scene of the murder he round this article of dress tightly
rolled up, and containing a brick and stone, evidently
placed therein in order to sink them. They were, how-
ever, in such a state of decay, owing to the length of
time they bud been in the water, that no traces of blood
could be discovered upon the m.
HALF-PASTTHE SUNDAY,
NORTH
rWE
ir. MAILS.
Te
Northßlß M I
mail,NG A
whichMt S
4,
due
in Birmingham at ten this morning, bus been detained
by the floods. It has not arrived at this hour.
The Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel preached yester-
day morning, as a Bapti,it minister, in Mr. Evans'
chvel, John street, Bedford-row, the same place in
which the Hon. and Rey. Oeutleuaan was baptised on
Thgr6day muisi