The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-02 00:00:00

THAMES.

ALLEGED MURDER OF AN ENGLISH SEAMAN ON
BOARD AN AMERICAN SHIP.—Mr. Walter Cole, of 25,
York-street, Blackfriars-road, came before Mr. Yardley
and stated that his brother-in-law, James Matthew Hum-
phreys, an ordinary seaman, had been beaten and cruelly
murdered on board the ship Devonshire.
Mr. Yardley—When, and upon what voyage ?
Mr. Cole—He was beaten in, a niost savage manner be-
tween Ist and Bth of December, and upon the last-named
day he was again beaten by the second mate, who shook the
rigging and east him overboard, and he was drowned.
Mr. Yardley—Where is the Devonshire ?

My. Cole—ln the London Docks. She arrived on Satur-
day.

Mr. Yardley—ls the Devonshire a British ship ?
Mr. Cole—No sir; an American ship—one of the New
York liners.

Mr. Yardley—Then I have no jurisdiction whatever.
Mr. Cole—What am I to do, sir ? My relative has been
beaten and murdered. How am Ito obtain redress ?
Mr. Yardley-1 would advise you to make application to
the American Consul.

Mr. Cole, who was accompanied by. Mr. John Charles
Humphreys, the brother of the deceased, then retired.
Before leaving the court they handed to our reporter a
statement, of which the following is a copy, and said if the
American Consul did not give them redress they should
apply to the Home Secretary and the Board of Trade.
James Matthew Humphreys, an Englishman, joined the
ship Devonshire, at New York, as ordinary seaman, on the
Ist of December last. He was kicked by the captain on the
first day the vessel sailed The second mate of the ship
frequently ill-used him. On the night of the 6th of De-
cember the second mate beat the deceased with a belaying
pin, kicked him in a savage manner, and sent him up to the
main royal mast head. Humphreys was then so seriously
bruised about the breast that he could scarcely draw his
breath. On the 7th deceased went to the chief mate of the
Devonshire and obtained some opodildoc to rub
his breast. On the 7th of December the second mate
went down into the forecastle and called the
deceased a d-d loafering: son of a b- and:a d-d
London thief, and struck him two or three times in the
face, and gave him five minutes to get out of the forecastle
on to the deck, and threatened if he exceeded that time he
would pull him out. On the Bth of December the finishing
stroke was put to the cruelty of the second mate. All
hands were engaged in reefing the maintop-sail. The
second mate eame up the rigging with a marling spike and
beat the unfortunate deceased off the rigging, saying, " Go
over you God d--- son of a b-," and the poor fellow
went overboard and perished. No means were adopted to
save him, and no boat was lowered. Mr. Cole added that
he received the names and addresses of several of the crew
and passengers who were witnesses to the brutal punish-
ment inflicted on the deceased.

Her Majesty's steam-ship Urgent will not leave
Queenstown for the Capo of Good Hope until to-morrow.
Letters, &c., will be in time for her if posted at the General
Post-office to-night.
ATTEMPTED MURDER BY A MARINE.—A woman
of the unfortunate class, named Annie Fossett, is now re-
maining in a very precarious condition, under medical treat-
ment, at the Greenwich union workhouse, in consequence
of having been stabbed with a knife by marine at Wool-
wich, named John M'Carthy, who has been apprehended,
and is now in custody on the charge.
INQUIRY INTO THE Loss OF THE INDIAN SCREW
STEAmER.—The inquiry was resumed on Saturday in the
St. George's Hall, by Mr. Mansfield, Liverpool stipendiary
magistrate, and Captain Harris, nautical assessor; but the
evidence adduced was simply a recorroboration of the state-
ments recently made as to the probable cause of the wreck
of the vessel. The government charts, however, were stated
to be very incomplete in their bearings on the currents and
soundings in the vicinity of the place where the Indian was
wrecked ; and Captain Harris intimated his intention of
laying the subject before the Lords of the Treasury, with a
view to the coast being surveyed and the chart rearranged.
Captain Smith, the commander of the Indian at the time she
wont ashore, was exonerated from all blame.
THE NEW YEAR.—This is a " bissextile" or
leap-year, and next month there will accordingly be 29
days instead of 28, as usual. There will be four Sundays
after the Epiphany (Friday next) ; Lent will commence on
the 22d of February, and Easter day will fall on Sunday,
the Bth of April—a fortnight earlier than last year. Whit
Sunday will occur on the 27th of May, and Trinity on the
3d of June. There will be 25 Sundays after Trinity;
Advent Sunday will recur on the 2d of December, and
Christmas Day will fall on a Tuesday, two days later (owing
to leap-year) than this year ; that is, according to the solar
cycle, when the reckoning is by the days of the week exclu-
siyely,