The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-22 00:00:00

HORRID MURDER AT SEA.

(From the Liverpool Standard of Friday.)
Yesterday an investigation was entered intered into be-
fore the Mayor in the private room of the Poliee-offiee,
touching the death of Captain Grocott, of the merchant
brig Amelia, late of this port, and several of the crew, who
are supposed to have been cruelly murdered on the coast of'
Africa by two black seamen, then employed on board the
Amelia, who are now in Liverpool. The particulars of the
murder appear to be of the following horrid nature :
About two years ago the Amelia set sail from Liverpool
for the purpose of trading in Africa. Having arrived there
and finished the business of the voyage, and returning to
England, the seamen in their berths below were
aroused one night by hearing the cry of murder.
Gould, the mate, went on deck, and found that tho
Captain and many of the ilea had been attacked by
two negroes, who were employed as sailors. On seeing
this he immediately retired to load the fire-arms, but whilst
doing so an explosion was heard, and one part of the
deck of the vessel was blows away. The captain was not
to be seen en board the vessel, but it was subsequently
ascertained that the blacks had cut his throat, and whilst
they were fighting with others on the deck, he in the agony
of death had made a spring upon a skylight belonging to
the cabin, and, upsetting a lighted candle, it ignited with
some gunpowder, which blew up the forepart of the vessel..
The two blacks imagining that the vessel was speedily going
to pieces, went to the stern of the ship, took boat, and
escaped. Gould and two or three others were left on board.
the rest being murdered, and they would have met with a
watery grave had they not -secured the long boat, with
which, after many huffetings with the billows, they made
the African shore. It was subsequently reported to
Lloyd's and other places for the reception of marine intel-
ligence, that the Amelia, of Guernsey, had fired and foun-
dered at sea, which was universally believed. A short
time, however, after the lamentable affair, Captain Irving
of the brig Mars, on his return from Africa to this coun-
try, saw a boat manned by two men in the open sea. He
hailed them, but no answer was returned, and therefore
fired over their heads, on which both dived into the sea and
left the boat. They were subsequently taken by Captain
Irving's crew, and turned out to be two black men. The
boat being examined, a gentleman's cloak was found to
have been used as a sail, which has since proved to have
been the property of Captain Grocott. The men, on being
interrogated by Captain Irving, said they belonged to the
Amelia which had foundered at sea, but gave no reason for
their strange conduct, when frst hailed. They wore brought
by Captain Irving to Falmouth, since which tin v) they have
remained in England. Gould, before mentioned, was one of
the persons who escaped to the African shore, and he having
subsequently arrived in England, detailed the particulars of
the shocking occurrence to the relatives of some of those
seamen who perished in fheir sleep at the hands of the
black men. These relatives, under the circurastanoes,
plied to the authorities of Liverpool, who ascertained tleat
the black men alluded to were inmates of the workhouse
one afflicted with tho small pox, and the other also unwell.
The latter was placed at the bar yesterday I)efore the Mayor, when Captain Irving, of the brig Mars, identified him as one of the men whom he picked up in the open sea
as before described, and bq \vas remanded until Gould, the
late mate of the AinZ-la could be in attendance.
A flArth'7l- investigation is expected to be entered into this

A,._
~44.