The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-22 00:00:00

SLAUGHTER OP A EUROPEAN CREW BY

MALAYS.
The Overland Free Press, dated Singapore, Tues.
dey, Nov. 4, says :—" Amongst the news this month
from Singapore is an account of an outbreak of the
Malay sailors on board the Bitish barque Fawn,
while on her voyage up the Straits from this
to Calcutta, resulting in the murder of the
whole cf the European officers and passengers,
and the destruction of the vessel by fit e." The
particulars as fir as they have at present tran-
spired, are as follow :—The barque Fawn, a new
vessel, owned at Calcutta, arrived from China at Sin-
gapore, and left the latter port in progress of her
return voyage to Calcutta on September 28. When
at Singe pore, Captain Rodgers, the mister of the
EMT, discharged a portion of his Calcutta-shipped
crew, and in their stead took Malaya, Javanese, and
a Cochin Chinese who had turned Mahommedan.
The captain, it appears, was rather of an irascible
temper, and what is termed a strict disciplinarian.
On the sixth day, after leaving Singapore, about
noon, the burra-tindal (head of a native crew)
and with letters to the Raja of the country
dared themselves to de-
tothtehefoproel-ibceat,ebhutsmthoeksiengar;i3
have taken any other part in the out-
ob3erved sitting on the
ui:on which the chief officer spoke harshly, and
asked him if he intended to set the ship on
fire. Words arose between them, and ultimately
tile chief mete gave a thrashing to the hurra-
fiedal with a rope's enn'. Toe captain appears to
have approved of the mate's cuoduct. Indian
Lascars do not much heed this summary mode of
punishment, although few experienced commanders
in the country service would disgrace his chief
native officer in such a manner before the crew.
Malays are prcverbiel for resenting any such indig-
nity, nod, as in the present instance, take the earliest
opportunity of revenge. Apparently the matter was
parsed over; bu; such was not the tiler. The burra-
tindal gained over some of the Malays, Javanese, and
the Cochin-Chinaman, and resolved to be re-
venged on all the Kafiri (Christians) on board.
It is usual when ships sail at night through
the Straits of Malacca fur the captain to remain on
deck a!! night, dozing occasionally in a chair. This
circumstance was taken advantage of by the muti-
neers. At midnight the burra-tindal and his confede-
rates found the unsuspicious captain sleeping in a
chair on the poop ; they dispatched him with
knives, and threw his body overboard. The por-
tion of the crew (Bengales) not in the plot, at once
fled to the ship's tops, or other places in the
ship. An European named Elphick, who was pro-
ceeding in charge of a horse to Calcutta, also sleep-
ing on deck, was likewise murdered, and his body
cant into the sea. The chief and second mates retired
to their cabins and armed themselves ; they offered
a stout resistance until after midday. The infuriated
Malays literally cut the second mate to pieces;
but, finding they could not get at the chief mate,
they commenced with axes to cut through the poop-
deck into his cabin. Fiading they had effected an
entrance, the mate rushed out of his cabin and
jumped overboard. All this time the captain's wife
and a Mrs. Becham, who, with her child, was
voyaging for her health, were spectators of the
frightful slaughter going on. Having got rid of
all the male Europeans on board, the burra-tindal
and another ringleader proceeded to Mrs. Rodgers'
cabin, adding the crime of rape to their previous
atrocities, and behaving in the most outrageous and
revolting manner, totally unfit for publication.
These two ladies, the child and cuddy, male and
female servants, were then placed in one of the
quarter-boats to be lowered and sent adrift in the sea.
On the order being given to lower the boat, the
fiend burra-tindal stood by and held on the after
fall, so that the wretched inmates were cast into
the sea and perished, save one man and a woman,
whose husband was one of the crew. The wretches
then fired the vessel, crowded all sail, and steered
for the land. On nearing the shore the ring-
leaders quitted the vessel in the long-beat, casting the
latter adrift, and landed at a place called Bruits, about
48 miles distant from Penang. The remaining por-
tions of the crew, finding the fire gaining on the
vessel, quitted in the captain's gig and pulled for the
drifting long-boat which they secured, and then set
the gig adrift. Those in the long-boat proceeded to
Singapore; when near the latter place two of the
men took advantage of the others being asleep,
swam on shore, and reported all that had occurred
to the authorities. After some days several of the
men were captured, including the Cochin-Chinese,
others delivered themselves up, but six escaped.
The Hon. Company's steamer Hooghly was dis-
patched to Bruits to see if the vessel could be saved,
liver
utp the guilty parties. In the meantime some of
not beliepv:ducteoeded in a native boat to Penang and
i surren
,-s than
' I rag' such as they were in a measure compelled
to do by threat,.
Pensutt tiefe ringleaders, after some ex-
g,
where
„li,t.js, were secured and
17,h of November, by tnej will be tried. on the
tcaul: ee as otno the n
the Recorder, Sir William
Jrffcott.
from
when she was Bombay,on
bound to China, passed the e
The barque Rajah, of Lie_e,rapwoonli,
quarter-
fire standing in for the land, but did not proceed
to her assistance, or it is probable some
of
the
unfortunate creatures canted out of the
boat might have been rescued from a watery
Amon
grave. The master of the Rajah on the following day
fell is with her Majesty's ship. Amazon, and
what he had witnessed the previous day. The Amazon
went in the direction indicated, but found no vestige
of any vessel, the Fawn having, it would appear,
burned to the water's edge.

CUATIIAM GATIBISON.—The troops in garrison
have been placed in orders for the practice of roe
marching during the winter months. The usual
amount of leave granted at this season of the year
IS
already thinning the garriion.
AralY RFTIREMENT >-2,14j0r AAmore, 16th
nicsnt,.is about to retire from the service by the sale
nJ comnai.sion. He entered the army in
February, 1826.