The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-17 00:00:00

CHARGE OF MUTINY.

Nine seamen, named Aneas Dunkin, Anthony Thomp•
son, John Bull, William Cornish, Hugh Mulholland,
Samuel Armstrong, James Shields, James Linard, and.
John Weakling, were brought before Mr. Ballantine, at
the Thames Police-office, charged under the 6th section
of the Merchant Seamen's Act, with refusing to pro-
ceed to sea in the ship Katherine, on her intended
voyage to the East Indies, after signing the articles of
agreement.

The seamen came up from Gravesend voluntarily,
with Mr. Barnard Robert Matthews, the Master of the
Katherine, for the purpose of obtaining the magistrate's
opinion on their alleged grievances, but he refused to go
into the case, unless it was regularly put before him.
The men were then given into the custody of Inspector
Horn of the K division, and their names entered on the
police charge sheet.
Captain Matthews then stated that all the prisoners
had signed the ship's articles and received an advance
note for two months' wages, which each man got cashed.
On Thursday afternoon the ship was below Gravesend,
off Leigh, in Essex, and he gave orders for all hands to
heave the anchor and get the vessel ready for sea. To
his great surprise the prisoners refused to do any duty,
and said they would not sail in the vessel. He was
therefore compelled to bring the seamen to London and
detain the ship.
Theseamen, in reply to the charge, objected to proceed
to sea on three grounds:—The first was, that the ship
was a leaky one and not seaworthy; secondly, that the
provisions were bad, and the bread like bricks and
mortar baked together; and, lastly, that the full com-
plement of hands bad not been shipped.
The Magistrate inquired the tonnage of the ship, and
the seamen declared she was 900 tons burden, and that
fact was marked on the combings of the hatchway.
Captain Matthews, however, declared she was only
753 tons by the new measurement.

The seamen said the crew, including the captain, only
consisted of twenty-eight hands, and she ought to hare
at least thirty
Captain Matthews, in reply, said the ship was per-
fectly sea-worthy, and had recently come out of Fletcher's
dock, where she had been copper bottomed and repaired.
The provisions were good, and he had brought some as
a specimen. He contended that the ship was not short•
handed.

Mr. Ballantine thought she was, and that the master
ought, for a vessel of the Katherine's tonnage, according
to the Act 3d and 4th William IV., cap. 54, at least to
carry thirty men.
The men insisted the ship was leaky, and that they
had had a good many spells at the pumps already.
Captain Matthews said the ship did not leak much,
and that, from her construction, all the water ran into
the well, where there might be a few inches of water,
while the rest of the hold was dry. He wished the
magistrate to examine the provisions.
Mr. Ballantine declined doing so, and asked the cap-
tain if he was disposed to take the men back, and ship
two additional hands.

Captain Matthews said there were two men whose
conduct had been so very bad that he could not wait
himself of their services. If he did they would foment
disturbances. He afterwards said he would rather not
go to sea with any of the prisoners.
Mr. Ballantine—What, after advancing them two
months' wages?
Captain Matthews—Yes, Sir. The advanced notes
for which the men have obtained cash will not be paid.
Mr. Ballantine said the master could request him,
instead of committing the seamen, to cause them to be
conveyed to the ship again ; but as he would not do so,
he did not think it necessary in this case to send them to
gaol, because it did appear the vessel was short handed.
He would discharge the seamen, and the master coal
discharge them too, and take care to forward their re—
gister tickets to the proper officer of Customs. He also
recommended the captain to make up the number of
his crew to thirty at least, and thought he was bound to
do so.

Captain Matthews said he would act on the magis•
trate's suggestion.
The seamen asked the magistrate to order the restora•
lion of their clothes, chests, and hammocks, now on board
the ship.
Mr. Ballantine—l shall make no order about that.

„,
DREADFUL ACCIDENT.—On 'Tuesday afternoon,
about three o'clock, a melancholy occurrence, attended
with loss of life, took place at Mersey-mills, Stockport,
belonging to Messrs. Kershaw and Co. A young me-
chanic, named Bracegirdle, had been working in a well
about thirty feet deep, for the purpose of loosening e,
valve connected with the gasometer pit; he remainedhea
down the first time about a quarter of an hour, and then
came to the top to breathe more freely. I
heard minutes
went ffown and
to, another mechanic, named Horton
at workhe descended
and
come to his assist-
ance,foreman of the mechanics, Leech, to
and was in the
being
dnsnhooat
shouted
who, without. hesitation, complied,who
had got Bracegirdlo
found him senseless at the bottom. 'He called to the
act of pushing behind Hoon
Horton became faint and found
on his shoulder, when
his senses going. I immediately ascended the ladder
Le which becoming entangled
calledout to him to cut it off, which.
at the top, Leech h ,
course of '
instantly did.
lie In ” Leech a minute or two
a ds he called out to. to come up the ladder
afterwards
the end of the rope h %It. him, but, receiving
alone and threw down a rope, .
and bring .
no answer, atter. again calling, he ran for further assist-
ance; on returning, a light was lowered into the pit,
ton mi n
au tr et
and an explosion took place. This so alarmed the men,
no one would venture to
that no. one
indurst descend. Dr. Rayner was sent for,
,sp;e round his body, and went
descend,and arr arrived
he
e fastenedte
down about twenty feet. Finding that the air was not
so impure but that it could be respired for a short time.
he ascended, when a man named Wood volunteered,
under the direction of Dr. Rayner, to go to the bottom.
A rope was fastened round him, and he was ordered to
shout "Right" every time he felt a check at the rope.
He succeeded in laying hold of one of the bodies, but
had not strength to bring it up, so he came to the
top, and, after breathing the fresh air for 4
few minutes, took courage, got to the bottom,
and
as speedily as possible, laid hold of Bracegirdle,
.. . _
both were pulled to the surface.
.The latter exhibiting
no
the
no signs of life, he was immediately tatkeern
applied to
open air, his wet clothes removed,. hot
face
.
he shortly
the chest and cold water dashed in the a
d by Perseverance
began to move and breathe gently,
elan mined unconscious
for some time was restored, bu.tasr
sent down the pit as
for some hours. Another man
ut"but the air had became
soon as possible to get Leechhcourse' of two minutes he wa
more impure, and in
At e
lamp was put down, which was
pulled up senseless.
extinguished, and on being repeated a slight explosion
This
cleared the air somewhat, when a
,
took place.
third
inn), volunteered to go down. He
succeeded
putting
man, named Stan
a rope round the foot of Leech.
and at the second descent round the other, and thus he
was taken out ; but though every means were tried, he
did not exhibit any sign of life ; his mouth was full of
sand and small stones, so that he had, doubtless, been
first rendered senseless by the gas, and then drowned by
the rush of water from the gasometer pipe. He has lets
a wife and two children, the youngest about a month
old. He was a man very highly respected by his em-
ployers and fellow workmen. It is probable that Leech
had died before Bracegirdle was got out ; the latter was
sitting upright, the former lying down. Bracegirdle
was in about three-quarters of an hour, Leech about an
i hour and a quarter. Had Leech been first take out,
I most likely both lives would have been sacrificed.
Bracegirdle was slightly scorched about the' face epri
hand* by the fiat explosion.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, July 16.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock.

Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from an in-
dividual, complaining of the Tithe Commutation Act.
The Noble and Learned Lord also presented a petition
from Mr. Robert Owen, praying their Lordships to ap-
point a Select Committee to inquire into the plan he
proposed to adopt for the improvement of the condition
of the people of Ireland.
CONFERENCE.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL appeared at the bar, and
requested, on behalf of the Commons, a conference with
their Lordships, on the resolutions adopted by their
Lordships with respect to the reception of Bills.
The LORD CHANCELLOR informed the Noble
Lord that their Lordships had agreed to the conference.
The following were the Noble Lords composing the
conference:—The Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of
Radnor, Lord Monteagle, Lord Sidney, Lord Strafford,
the Earl of Wicklow, Lord Colville, and the Earl of
Redesdale. Their Lordships having retired for a few
minutes, returned, when
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE stated that the Com-
mons had agreed to the resolutions proposed by their
Lordships.
DRAINAGE OF L AND (SCOTLAND) BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.
PUNISHMENT OF VAGRANTS (IRELAND)