The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-14 00:00:00

THE ROMANCE OF A SAILOR'S LIFE.

At the last petty sessions held nt Rhyl, North Wales,
three weather-beaten sailors, who gave their names as Sul-
livan Fagan (a native of the isle of St. Helena), George
Grceenwood (of Philadelphia, descended from a Lascar),
and Robert Martin (a negro, born in Jamaica), were brought
up in custody, charged with being in the illegal possession
of a ferry boat, and with unlawfully damaging the same.
The priseners were apprehended on the sea coast, near
Gronant, on the morning of the 4th inst., and were after-
wards brought to Rhyl and placed in the custody of Mr.
Gregory, to whom the prisoner Greenwood made the fol-
lowing roma:itic statement. He said :—" lam a native of
Philadelphia, and I and my comrades here shipped on board
the American beig Consignment on Friday evening, the
Ist inst bound from Liverpool to Mobile, North America.
Our crew consisted of al.,eut 30 hands, and we arrived off
the Ormeshead on the 3d inst., having in the meantime
been tossed about in a vers' heavy sea, the head winds
blowing terrifically off the shore. During the time we were
on board the captain treated us rather harshly, and being
dissatisfied with the seaworthiness of the ship, and, in.
fact, feeling that we could never make the voyage in suck
a vessel, we determined to desert her, and accordingly in
the dead of night on Sunday last, while at anchor off the
Welsh coast, about two miles from Beaumaris, we con-
structed a raft, consisting of two 18ft. planks and a spar,
Which we tied together and hove overboard, taking along
with us two smaller pieces of wood to use as oars. There
was a heavy gale blowing from the shore at this time, and
the sea ran frightfully high. We resolved, however, to
risk the chance of being cast ashore on our little craft, or
being swamped, to making the voyage to America in such
a ship. We remained on the sea tossing about on this
raft the whole of that night, being unable to make for •
the land, as the wind was off the ooaSt, and the
breakers were continually surging over us, and we suf-
fered severely from the wand and sea during the
seven or eight hours we were on the raft. The follow-
ing morning the wind changed, avd we were drifted ashore
at the mouth of the Voryd, on the Denbigh coast. We
walked a short distance and discovered a boat, which we
unloosed from her fastenings, and attemptod to press over
to this place (Rhyl), but the waves still ruining high, we
were carried over the bar out to sea; and after knocking
about on the breakers for some time, we were washed on
the beach near Gronant, where we were apprehended by
the Coestgu.idetuen." The officer Gregory, doubting the
truth of this remarkable story, telegraphed, previous to
the examination of the prisoners, to the police authorities at
Beaumaris, requesting them to make inquiries as to the
ship, and as to whether they knew of any charge against
the prisoners; and in due course he received a reply to the
eilect that such a ship had been at anchor off Beaumaris,
but that she had then left, and was 15 miles out to nett.
Liverpool police were also communicated with, sin
they stated that three coloured men had been shipped on
board the brig. The prisoners, on being finally examined,
at once admitted that they had taken and damaged the
boat, as charged, but pleaded in extenuation the foregoing
singular facts.
The Magistratee, considering that there might be some
truth in what Greenwood had said, although they much
doubted the probability of the story, ordered the defendants
to pay D. each, being the amount of (images and costs, or
a month's imprisoment.
The prisoners stated that they had no motley with them,
but that they could obisain the amount immediately in
Liverpool ; and upon their agreeing to pay the expenses
of an officer to Liverpool, tho Magistrates ordered him
to proceed to that place with one of the prisoners, the
other two to remain in custody in the meantime.—Lirer-
pool Mercury.