The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-06 00:00:00

TORRES' STRAITS.

INTERESTING DISCOVERY AND RELEASE OF AN ENG-
LISHMAN AFTER SEVENTEEN YEARS' SLAVERY
AMONGST SAVAGES.
The Essington schooner, Captain Watson, which
arrived on Thursday night, brings with her a young man
named Joseph Forbes, picked up by Captain NV Watson at
Louran, Timor Laut, in Torres' Straits, on the Ist of
April last. Forbes, it appears, is the only survivor of
the crew of the schooner Stateseonib of London, which
was forcibly taken possession of and ultimately de-
stroyed, and the crew massacred by the savages at
Timor Laut, in 1822. The lad states that he
sailed as cabin boy from London in the Statescomb,
Captain Barnes, in 1821, bound on a trading voyage
among the islands in Torres' Straits. At Melville
Island Captain Barnes resigned the charge of the vessel
into the hands of the chief officer. The schooner reached
Timor Laut at night, and the next morning the Cap-
tain and the boat's crew went on shore to trade, leaving
Forbes, the steward, and another boy named John Ed-
wards, on board. About noon Forbes took the glass to see
whether the Captain was returning to dinner, and to his
horror saw the savages attacking and murdering the Cap-
tain and boat's crew. Apprehensive that when the tra-
gedy going on on shore was completed, the savages would
put off to take possession of the vessel and subject
those on board to the same fate as their companions
ashore, the boys slipped the cable, intending to get un-
der weigh, to avoid the impending danger, but before
they could accomplish their purpose the savages came
off in their canoes and took possesson of the vessel,
letting go the small anchor to bring her up again.
The boys took refuge in the rigging, but the steward
was immediately surrounded by the savages, one of
whom dashed his brains out with a piece of a
handspike, and threw the body overboard. The
boys remained at the mast head till the evening.
The savages, in the meantime, made several efforts
to go aloft, but desisted, from fear. Several ar-
rows were shot at the boys, but fortunately none
of them took effect. Fearful, however, that they could
not much longer escape, they at last resolved to come
down ; the savages immediately stripped them, put them
into the canoes, and took them ashore. On their arrival
the boys found that the savages had arranged the head-
less bodies of their murdered companions in a line on the
beach, over which they were compelled to walk, Forbes
recognising the remains of his brother, one of the crew,
in the third body on which he had to tread. On the
following day the bodies were thrown into the bay. The
heads were tied together and hung upon a tree in the
centre of the village, round which the savages danced
for three successive days and nights. Subsequently
when decomposition had advanced to such a degree as
to become offensive, the heads were taken down and
placed alongside a stone near the beach, where they re-
mained until buried by the boy Forbes, without the
knowledge of the savages, about six years afterwards,
On the day succeeding that on which the massacre took
place the savages ransacked the vessel, and after
taking everything out of her to which they took a fancy,
they hauled her on the beach and set fire to her.
The boy Edwards (survived his captivity about seven
years, when he died through the effects of exposure to
the sun, and the ill-treatment of the savages. After his
death his remains were placed in a basket and hung up
on a tree on the beach, where they remained until the
bones fell piece by piece through the basket, which had
become decayed, and were picked up and buried around
the root of the tree by his surviving companion in mis-
fortune. During the day the boys were employed in
planting cocoa-nuts, yams, melons, tobacco, &c. and dur-
ing a portion of the night in fishing. Their food generally
consisted of yams and fish. At first before Forbes became
acquainted with the language, they used to knock him
down and otherwise maltreat him if he did not imme-
diately do what they told him, whether he understood
them or not. Subsequently when he became better ac-
quainted with the language he was treated much more
humanely, but during the whole seventeen years he
remained on the Island he was treated as a slave.
The savages cut his ears and suspended from them
large earrings, nearly half a pound each in weight.
His teeth were filed to; the gums, his arms burnt, and
the back of his right-hand tatooed. Whenever a vessel
hove in sight he was bound hand and foot, and
carried into the interior until the vessel had gone.
About four years ago, two vessels let go their anchors
at Olillet, a village adjoining Louran, and offered gown-
pieces and other articles of traffic as a ransom, but the
natives refused to give him up, even if they should offer
the vessels themselves. In March last a Dutch man-
of-war anchored at Olillet ; the natives went on hoard and
informed the commander that there was an Englishman
on the island, whom they would give up for some mus-
kets and ammunition, (the boy was at this time unable
to walk from disease in his feet), but the offer was re-
fused. The Dutchman fell in with the Essington about
a week afterwards, and Captain Watson having learned
what had occurred, much to his credit, resolved to proceed
to Timor Laut, and rescue the captive if possible. On
the 31st March the Essington reached Olillet. Several
natives, among whom was one of the principal chiefs,
came on board. This personage Captain Watson took
immediate measures to secure, and, having succeeded,
the others were driven off and informed that the chief
, should be held captive until the white man was delivered
safe on board. Several stratagems were resorted to in
order to get the chief off, and an attempt was even made
to capture the vessel, which fortunately failed. Capt.
Watson, finding that moderate measures were useless,
then gave the chief to understand that if the white man
was not given up immediately he should execute sum-
mary justice on him. The chief beginning to get
alarmed, thought it the best policy to comply with the
Captain's demand, and the lad was accordingly given up.
The chief was then presented with three old muskets,
some handkerchiefs and fish-hooks, and dismissed. Be-
fore the boy was taken on board the savages told him
that they were determined never to hurt another Eng-
lishman. The chief next in authority to the captive,
cut the arm of another chief sufficiently deep to draw
the blood, and with his finger crossed the sword with
blood from the wound ; the chief then tasted the blood
and told the boy to do the same, which he did, this be-
ing their mode of imposing the obligation of an oath.
When the lad was brought on board his hair was of im-
mense length, hanging down nearly to his knees ; his
ears were extended to an unnatural length from the
weight of the ornaments he was compelled to wear ; his
feet were so much diseased from the effects of the burn-
ing- heat of the sun on the sand, that he was not able to
walk. He had completely forgotten his native language,
retaining only a sufficient recollection of it to be able to
pronounce his own name ; he was not able even to un-
derstand what countrymen had rescued him. In the
course of a short time, however, he recovered his
recollection of the language, and now speaks Eng-
lish as fluently as ever he did. The crew of the
Statescomb consisted of the master, six men, and
two boys, all of whom were massacred, with the excep-
tion of Forbes and Edwards. Forbes states that
about three years ago the savages took possession of a
Dutch vessel at a place called Larrat, some distance
from Olillet, massacred the crew, and set fire to the
vessel. The Dutch Government at Copang sent a man_
of-war to punish the murderers, as soon as intelli-
gence was received. The village was entirely destroy-
ed by the Dutch, the cocoa-nut trees cut down, and
the plantations destroyed. The inhabitants, who on
the first alarm had taken to the bush, escaped ; but
some elderly persons who were unable to leave their
huts, perished in the flames. We trust Captain Wat-
son's humane exertions in the matter will be rewarded
by some suitable mark of public approbation.—Syd-
ney Gazette, July 20.

PROGRESS OF TEMPERANCE.—AIthoup,h the
have no Father Matthew in England working miracles and
attracting thousands to his temperance pledge—the people here
are, nevertheless, becoming less intemperate. In the countre
particularly we hear everywhere of teetotalism, of temperancv
halls, and of total abstinence pledges. In the Liverpool " col-
lection," 973,000 bushels of malt were used by brewers in 1837,
and 798,000 in 1839; by licensed victuallers, 97,000 bushels in
1837, and 47,560 in 1839. In the Halifax " collection," the
consumption of the licensed victuallers has fallen from 240,000
bushels in 1837, to 194,000 in 1839 ; in the Sheffield " col-
lection," from 294,000 to 205,000 bushels ; but in each of
these two cases an increase has taken place in the quan-
tity consumed by brewers, but not to any great extent ; the
increase in the Sheffield " collection" being only from 247,000
to '266,000 bushels, being about 19,000 bushels, while
the consumption of licensed victuallers has decreased to
the extent of 90,000 bushels. In the Sheffield " collection,"
there has been a decline in the consumption of other exciseable
articles also, the excise revenue having produced 137,000/. in
1837, and 129,000/. in 1839. In the Leeds " collection," the
amount from the same source was 352,000/. in 1837, and
314,0001. in 1839. In the York " collection," a decrease of
10,0001. has been experienced, the excise revenue of 1837
having yielded 105,000/. and in 1839 only 95,0001.
MELANCHOLY SUICIDE.—On Friday after-
noon an inquest was held before Mr. Higgs, at the Coach and
Horses, Chester-mews, on the body of John Edwards, aged 32,
potman at the said house. It appeared from the evidence of a
fellow-servant that the deceased latterly frequently said he was
not right in his mind, and that his heart was broken in conse-
quence of the extravagance of his mother, whose main support
he was. She had, deceased told witness, lately contracted new
debts, although he had but just paid her rent and liquidated
her former debts ; and she had pledged his linen, which was
in her possession for the purpose of being washed. Oil Wednes-
day morning deceased called on an old comrade, and on taking
his leave said, " Good by, Bill, I am going to heaven in a
coach and four." In about an hour afterwards he was found
hanging by means of a rope from a rafter. The mother was
called into the inquest room, and, not being able to palliate her
conduct, the Coroner and Jury most severely censured her,
telling her that she was not worthy of the name of mother, and
that she might consider herself the moral murderer of too good
a son. Verdict—" Temporary Insanity."
THE NIGHT-SCENTED STOCK.—A specimen
of a very extraordinary flower, known in this part of the coun-
try by the above name, has been shown to us. It grows in the
open air is. Cornwall, and flowers in the summer time ; but the
stock presented t us was forced in the hothouse at Mr. John-
son's, Somersall, whose gardener is Mr. Boston. During the
day this flower, which is small and delicate, has no smell, but in
the dusk of the evening, and during the night, it gives forth a
strong and delicious perfume. We are not aware that the at-
tention of the florist has hitherto been directed to it ; but it
certainly appears to he one of the most beautiful and extraor.
dinary ornaments of the flower garden.—Derbyshire Courier.
About eight o'clock on Wednesday evening last,
an impudent fellow went up to the shop-window of Mr. Eames,
pawnbroker, Goose-gate, dashed his fist through a pane of glass,
and snatching a card with twenty or thirty gold rings upon it,
he took to his heels. A peiwernitri t.%.ts soon afterwards on the j
lert, but the villain escaped.—Nottinghani Reviex.