The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-21 00:00:00

subsequent to - the Navy- Island affair,- enlisted in the
United States Second Artillery.-
' Mr.. Wells informs us that he purchased the steam-
. boat darolite a few weeks before she was destroyed.
Though—POSesged. of considerable property, he had
never owned a steam-boat before, and was very proud of
the Careiline.
The Navy Island expedition had proved a failure ;
there were not more than 300 men on the island ; pro.
visions had stopped coming in ; they were in a state of
starvation and anxious to get of from the island.- For
that purpose they made overtures to charter the Caro-
line. These Mr. Wells wholly refused. He got out the
hint upon the sole condition that he should run her. upon
his own hook, charging what he pleaSed for ferryage,
andgoing when and where he pleased. Per this purpose
he took out regular papers from the United States col-
lector at Buffalo. Subsequently he submitted the
whole case to Mr. Garrow, United States Marshal, who
decided that he had violated no law in-the whole transactism.
Mr. Wells was in the Caroline when she was boarded.
The only weapon on board was a pocket pistol, in the
pocket of Captain Haggarty, commander of the brig on
Lake Erie, which he did not probably know he had,
which was not loaded, and which there was not powder
enough on board to load. .

Mr. Wells stood under the deck when the party from
Canada boarded her. At first he supposed that the pur-
pose of the party was simply to take possession cf the
boat. He had no idea of any other violence than being
turned ashore, until he heard a cry. of " No quarto- !"
and the commencement Of the work of death.
He saw I)urfee taken from the fire• room, and supposed

when the man approached for that purpose that he was
coming for himself. The darkness concealed him, and
Durfee was taken instead.. There was a scuffle of a few

moments, and he saw Durfee no more until,he was lying
dead upon the deck. It is the belief of Mr. Wells that
this was the man that killed Durfee, and that it was done

with a pistol.
On the part of the prosecution, the fact of the Caro-
line being unarmed and unchartered will be fully proved.
No man will swear that he saw M'Leod shoot I)urfee.
The one who offered such evidence proved to be a miser-
able wretch, who could not tell in what year the Caro-
line was destroyed, and he was advised by the States'
Attorney to take the first boat west.

The evidence of. those upon the boat in relation to the
.dentity of I%l‘Leod is much less conclusive than that of

those .IVho swear. lhey. saw him go and return with the
expedition, from the Canada shore.
We judge, that though a strong
,case will be made
opt against • .I.lfLeod, the Jury will not agree upon a
reidict. However thii may- be, the trial is of the
highest importance in a -national point of view, for, it
will be shoWn beyond all further question, that • the de-
struction of the Caroline and the murder of her crew
were an outrage not warranted by the character of the
boat and the businessin which she was engaged, and
wholly indefensible—one for which England should make
the most ample reparation. No less clearly will it be shown,
that this act was regretted by the officers of the provin-
cial Government at that time, and the responsibility
taken by the Governnient shbsequently only for the pur-
pose of retaining the loyal services of those who would
otherivise be given up to the authorities of this State to
be punished by our laws. •