The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-16 00:00:00

DARING ROBBERY AND SUPPOSED MURDER

AT FALMOUTH.

Great consternation prevailed at Falmouth on
Thursday, in consequence of an extensive robbery
having been committed on board a vessel in Fal-
mouth Harbour, and the supposed murder of the
mate, and an attempt to murder the apprentice
boy belonging to the same vessel. It appears
that the schooner Viscata, of Aberayron, from
Portsmouth, David Jones, master, in ballast, put
into Falmouth, on Sunday last, having sailed
from Portsmouth on Saturday morning. The
crew consisted of the master, the mate, Martin
Haly, of Cork, who is described as a short set
man, having no whiskers, aged 25, two seamen,
who gave their names as John Brown, aged 25,
and William Ellis, aged 19, and James Jones, an
apprentice aged 18. Brown and Ellis shipped at
Portsmouth. The vessel was lying in St. Just
Creek, in Falmouth harbour, and on Tuesday the
captain came ashore in company with Brown,
Ellis, and the mate, leaving the apprentice on
board. On Wednesday afternoon the captain and
the three same parties left in their boat to go on
board another vessel in Falmouth harbour; the
captain and mate remained there, but the two sea-
men, Brown and Ellis, left to go to the Viscata, it
being then about five or six o'clock in the afternoon.
About eight or nine o'clock the same evening, the
mate also left the vessel to go on board the Viscata,
and at about half-past 10 the captain, accompanied
by Capt. W.Jon es,of the schooner City of Chester,also
went on board, when to their great astonishment
and alarm they found no one on board but the ap-
prentice boy, who was then in the cabin quite in-
sensible, blood flowing freely from his head, and
lying in his blood in the cabin. His head was
severely cut, the skull bone being broken an inch
deep; the state-room had been broken open, locks
wrenched off, the captain's clothes, his watch, two
£5 notes, four sovereigns, and 10s. in silver stolen,
the ship's register and other documents removed,
and a great deal of property damaged. From
the large quantity of blood on deck, and other
matter, as if from vomiting, it appeared that
a scuffle had taken place there, and it
is feared that the mate, who it is supposed
came on board before he was expected, was also
attacked. Although every search has been made
for him, be has not been heard of, and it is supposed
that he was murdered and thrown overboard. The
apprentice, who is removed to the Sailors' Home,
is recovered a little, and states that he did not go
on deck ; that the two seamen, Brown and Ellis,
came down in the cabin to him ; that Brown struck
him on the head with a piece of iron, and from that
time he was insensible, but that he never saw or
heard the mate. Both Ellis and Brown were ap-
prehended at Falmouth, each having on at that
time some of the captain's clothes. There was also
found on them two £5 notes, two sovereigns, the cap-
tain's watch, and some silver. They were brought
before Jacob Olver, Esq., mayor, and Thomas
Rogers, Esq., and the case is remanded until Mon-
day. The two prisoners slept at the King's Arms
on Wednesday night, and on being asked for the
mate, said that "he was gone ; he was no good."
Ellis says that he belongs to Brighton, and Brown
that he is from Exeter. A piece of iron about 101bs.
in weight, was found on board, with blood on it, to
which was attached some human hair from the
head. The boat belonging to the schooner is mis-
sing. The prisoners were observed to enter the
George and Dragon beerhouse on Thursday morn-
ing, and they ran through at the backdoor, making
their escape over a wall before they were captured.
They are both delicate looking young men, and not
such as would be supposed to commit such a
dreadful deed.

THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

In the Gazette of last evening three despatches, received
by the Secretary at War from the officers in command of
the forces in New Zealand, appeared. The despatches
contained a description of the engagement with the natives
on the 6th of November, which has already appeared in
the columns of The Sun. The names of the officers re- -
turned as having distinguished themselves on the occasion
are :—Liutenant-Colonel Sillery, Deputy Quartermaster-
General, who was slightly wounded in the pah; James
Mouat, Esq., Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals;
Lieutenant-Colonel Cary, Deputy Adjutant-General, as
usual most conspicuous ; Henry Bartlett, Esq., Assistant
Commissary-General; Lieut. Forster, R.A.and A.D.C.;
and Lieutenant King, acting as Militia A.D.C., and the
following officers commanding corps :—Captain Strover,
Royal Artillery; Captain Mould, Royal Engineers; Major
Hutchins, 12th Regiment; Lieutenant-Colonel A. Leslie,
40th Regiment; Captain Turner, 65th Regiment; Major
Herbert, Taranaki Militia ; Lieutenant Urquhart, 65th
Regiment; and Colonel Mould, Royal Engineers.

The Emperor has decided that a statue shall be
erected at Pan to Marshal Bosquet, and as the Marshal's
mother has no fortune, his Majesty has granted her a pen-
son of 6,000 f.

THEATRES AND MUSIC SALOONS.—Last Thurs- •
day a meeting of lessees of our London Theatres, took
place on the stage of the Adelphi Theatre, when most of
our metropolitan managers were present. Resolutions were
passed to employ counsel to ascertain and report the actual
state of the law as regards their theatrical position, as wel

as to the extent of power the Music Saloon Licenses can be
properly used.
The diplomatists who remained with Francis
It. at Gaeta were M. Gianelli, apostolic nuncio, M. Ber-
mundez de Castro, Count Szecheni, Baron de Verger, and
Count de Kleist-Loss, the Spanish, Austrian, Bavarian,
and Saxon Ministers. The Russian ambassador, Prince
Wolkonski, remained at Rome, and the Prussian, Count
Pert oncher, was at Berlin.

STRANGE IF TRUE.—It is rumoured that Mr.
Bright is so disgusted with the conduct of the Government,
that he has tendered his support to Lord Derby and his
party, if they will take office, and introduce a measure of
Reform similar to the one they produced the year before
last. It is also said that Lord Derby can overthrow the
Government at any moment he pleases.• -Era.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF LONDON.—
At the comitia majora extraordinaria,leld on Thursday,
the following gentlemen, having undergone the necessary
examination, and satisfied the college of their proficiency
in the science and practice of medicine and midwifery,
were duly admitted to practise physics as licentiates of the
college :—William Williams, Penryn, near Holyhead ;
Charles Radford Suffield, Harborne, Birmingham ; John
Bowes, Herne Bay; Frederick James Prior, Tewkesbury
Arthur Roberts, Montpelier-square, Brompton ; Henry
Wheeler, Clifton; and Harry May, Longton, Staffordshire.
THE BALLOT SOCIETY.—The usual weekly meet-
ing of the committee was held on Tuesday, at the offices, 5,
Guildhall-chambers, Mr. Sydenham Nodes in the chair.
Mr. Whitehurst, Mr. Dale, Mr. Bontems, Mr. Elt, Mr. M.
E Marsden, Mr. Lemaitre, Mr. Man, &c., were present.
Messrs. J. W. Bishop, J. Fairburn, T. Gowing, Richard
Jaques. J. W. Smith, all of Ripon, members of the com-
mittee of the recently formed ballot Society in that city,
and Mr. William Hickes, secretary of the Leeds Working
Mon's Parliamentary Reform Association, were elected
members of the council of the parent society. It was re-
ported that 2,000 tracts had been distributed in the course
of last week in various parts of the country. An applica-
tion for 1,000 tracts for the Pembrokeshire boroughs was
granted, and it was resolved that a conference between the
executive committee and some of the Parliamentary friends
of the ballot should be convened to consider the best mode
of promoting the ballot in the present session.
GREENWICH HOSPITAL AND PAUFERISIII.—Last
night a fully-attended meeting of the vestry of Greenwich
was held at the parish church, to take into consideration
the burthen inflicted upon the ratepayers by the large
annual amount paid in the shape of parochial relief to
Greenwich pensioners and their families, and to adopt
measures for obtaining from the Government payment of
rates in respect to the property of Greenwich Hospital.
The chair was occupied by Churchwarden Huntley, and a
return was read to the effect that at present 53 pensioners
and their wives, with 87 children, were receiving out-door
relief ; 39 pensioners' widows and 28 children were inmates
of the workhouse; the total cost per annum being £1,835.
A letter was read from Mr. Angerstein, M P., stating he
had communicated with the Home Secretary on the subject,
and entertained hopes that Greenwich would be included
amongst the parishes to which the Government had con-
sented to pay an annual sum in lieu of rages. Several
members urged that Greenwich had a more just claim upon
the Treasury than dockyard parishes, inasmuch that thou-
sands of men were employed in the latter, and their wages
expended in the locality. A petition to Parliament in
favour of the objects of the meeting was then adopted.
SUPPOSED SUICIDE IN DUCKETT'S CANAL.—This
morning, about half••past seven oa;clock, a police 'constable,
named Robert 1 himbleby, 119 It, had his attention drawn
to a coat and hat on the banks of Sir George Duckett's
canal near the Grove-road bridge, Old Ford, Bow. The
sleeves of the coat we re turned inside out, and the lining
was marked " Sal." The constable, suspecting that the
body of a man was in the canal, immediately sent to the
Regent's-canal lock-house for the drags. The canal was
then dragged by Thimbleby and Russell, the lock-keeper,
and after an hour's exertions, the body of a man was
found, hauled on shore, and laid on the banks.
The deceased, who appeared to have been a very
short time in the water, was without a coat. He
appears to be about forty years of age, 5 feet 8 inches high,
large features, dark complexion, sandy whiskers, dark hair,
and was attired in two black cloth waistcoats with spots of
red paint upon them, white shirt, white cotton stockings,
blucher boots, girdle belt, pair of cotton braces with brass
holes, and black silk necktie. The garment found on the
bank of the canal, and which no doubt belonged to the
deceased, is a frock coat with velvet cuffs, black buttons,
and pockets behind. Thimbleby found in the pockets of
the deceased 16s. in silver and ls. 3d. in copper monies.
The body was conveyed by the constable to the Cricketers'
publichouse, OW Ford-road.