The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-24 00:00:00

SUSPECTED CASE OF PIRACY.
THE SALADIN.

The above vessel, commanded by Captain Mackenzie,
bound from Valparaiso to London, was lost on the 21st of
last May, near Ireland Harbour, Nova Scotia, and was com-
municated in this paper upon the 17th instant. Since then
circumstances have transpired whicn lead to a very strong
impression that a terrible act of piracy and murder was
committed previous to her destruction, and which has en-
gaged the attention of the naval and civil authorities of
Halifax since the time of her loss; and although nothing at
present of a positive character has transpired to fix the
crime upon a portion of the ship's crew, there is much rea-
son to fear that if not guilty of the more serious crime, they
are not quite blameless as regards the lesser one. So strong
was this impression entertained by the authorities at Hali-
fax, that the crew had been taken into custody, and had
undergone an examination, and from the evidence collected,
in the words of the writer of a letter received at
Lloyd's, there can be but one opinion as to the
fate of the officers. From the particulars furnished
by Lloyd's agent it appears that this vessel was
bound from Valparaiso to London with a cargo of
70 tons copper, guano, 8,500 dolls. specie, and some bars of
silver; that she left the former port on the 17th of February
last, that Captain Mackenzie, her commander, died about the
middle of April, and the mate about three days after. The
second mate and two men were subsequently lost from the
fore-yard; that no log had been kept after the 14th day of
April (about the time the captain died), or any notice of
sickness on board up to that date (circumstances, it will be
presumed, of a very suspicious nature) ; and that the com-
plement of men when the vessel was lost was six. She went
on shore, however, during a thick fog, which certainly gives
some reason to suppose that she may have been lost acciden-
tally, but at the same time does not do away with the im-
pression that such an opportunity may not have been waited.
The Admiralty Court at Halifax had taken possession of the
cargo saved from the wreck, in consequence of the suspicion
of piracy. All the letters on board which were supposed to
contain invoices, bills of exchange, or bills of lading, are
said to have been torn open by the crew, and that many
were missing, as also about 1,000 dolls. The articles saved
from the wreck consisted of 730 pegs of copper, seven bags
containing about 7,564 dolls., thirteen large and one small
bars of silver, two chronometers, one gold and one silver
watch, and two silver stones ( ? ) with all the materials, &c.
The most suspicious indication of one of the most revolt-
ing crimes to civilised nations having been committed is the
sudden death of the captain, for sudden it would imply to
have been the case, from the fact of no mention of sickness
having been made in the log-book, at any period of the
voyage, previous to his death; and most of our readers do
not require to be told that the illness of the commander of
the vessel (who, when at sea, is more of a monarch, as re-
gards actual power and influence, than any reigning sove-
reign) is too important and serious an affair to be treated
lightly, and should have been, according to practice, in-
serted in the log. The next suspicious circumstance is the
deach of the mate, upon whom, by the decease of his com-
mander, devolved the charge of the vessel, &c. ; and subse-
quently that of the death of the next officer in authority on
board, which, though it is alleged to have occurred, together
with that of two of the crew, from falling off the fore-yard,
there is, when all other things are taken into consideration,
some ground for supposing it to have been anything but an
accident, and this appears to have been the view taken at Ha•
lifax upon the subject.

STEAMER GREAT WESTERN.—LIVERPOOL, SUN-
DAY MORNING.—After experiencing the " law's delays," this
noble steamer started from our port yesterday afternoon about
three o'clock. The uncertainty which existed until within a
few days past as to her departure operated against her ob-
taining a large number of passengers, but her berths were
tolerably well filled.
SOUTHAMPTON, JUNE 23.—At twelve o'clock this
day the Royal West India mail-packet the Avon, Capt. Sturtt,
arrived at her moorings in the river, and landed her mails,
which will be forwarded to London by the two A.M. mail train
to-morrow. Her dates are—Jamaica, 24th of May ; Deme-
rara, 20th ; Trinidad, 21st ; Grenada, 26th ; St. Thomas's,
June 1 ; and Fayal, 15th. The Avon has sixty-eight pas-
sengers, and a small quantity of specie. The Oriental Com-
pany's steam-packet Little Liverpool, from Gibraltar, is
hourly expected with the Peninsular mails. The following
large steamers are now lying in the docks and river :—The
Oriental, 1,673 tons ; the Pacha, 550 ; the Lady Mary Wood,
556 ; the Iberia, 650 ; the Teviot, 1,743 ; the Clyde, 1,850 ;
and the Avon, 1,600 tons.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE NEAR GOLDEN-SQUARE.--This
morning, at half- one o'clock, a fire broke out on the
premises of Mr.- Wright,\V corn-chandler, situate behind the
dwelling-houses in Great Pulteney-street, Golden-square.
The fire was first discovered by a female servant, who was
awoke by smoke entering her 'sleeping apartment ; she in-
stantly raised an alarm, but so rapid was the progress of the
flames, that the ewners of the buildings had not sufficient
time to save any of the property. Several engines were soon
on the spot, and water being obtained, they were set to work,
and a great body of
.water was thrown upon the burning ma-
terial ; notwithstanding, the flee continued to rage most fear-
fully, and strong apprehensions were entertained lest it
should reach the extensiveflba;ewsewryas
of
stayed Messrs.
byßt
wr ooaod scvl oo oc
The further progress of the
not, however, before the premises in which they commenced
were levelled with the ground, and the adjoining buildings
damaged. The loss must be somewhat considerable, and un-
fortunately Mr. Oxarn, who had a large quantity of his em-
ployer's goods in the place, was not insured. The origin of
the fire Is unknown.
AUT.—The Duke of Ri,