The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-18 00:00:00

THAMES.

Mr. Robert Pride, the master of the ship Governor
M'Donald, was brought be fore Mr. Yardley, charged
with assaulting and falsely imprisoning David Isbaster,
a seaman, at Camaroon, on the west coast of Aftica,
in May last.
Mr. Vessey appeared for the defendant.
The case was one of a most extraordinary cha-
racter. It appeared from the lengthened statement
made by Isbaster that he and another seaman, named
Bainbridge, were charged with plundering the cargo
and broaching a cask of rum at Cameroon, and they
were ordered to prepare to go on shore. Expecting
very horrible treatment from the natives, they refused
to leave the forecastle, and were hauled up. A black
chief called King Bill was on board at the time, and
he promised Isbaster and Bainbridge that they should
not be flogged. They were forced into a canoe and
taken on shore by some Kroomen and others, King
Bill's subjects, and put into a miserable hut, and
confined until next day, when the chief mate came on
shore with a pound of bread for their subsistence,
but no water was served out, notwithstanding
they were suffering from a dreadful thirst and the
intense heat of the climate. The chief mate,
who said he was acting by the master's orders,
directed the natives to take Isbaster to another
old hut, with the side of it knocked down, and
he was chained to a tree in the middle of the hut
by the leg, the chain having about three fathoms
drift, to enable him to walk. In this state the sea-
man was kept for about five weeks, and his sufferings
were dreadful. He bad nothing but the damp earth
to lie on by nigh:!, and he was exposed to a burning
sun by day ; his feet were burnt and bitten by mus-
quitoes and other insects, his legs were severely cut
by the chain, and he was compelled to exchange a
portion of his daily allowance of bread for water, of
which he had a very scanty supply. Some of his
clothes were also disposed of to the natives, to obtain
a few necessaries. He was frequently taunted by the
blacks, and threatened that he should be eaten. Bain-
bridge was told more than once, by the chief mate,
that he would be permitted to return to the ship, if he
would ask the captain's pardon, and admit his guilt ;
but as he had not done anything wrong except drink-
ing some rum which another man gave him, he re-
fused to do so, and he was kept in confinement until
the ship was ready to sail, when he was taken on
board. He had never entirely recovered the effects of
the horrible treatment he met with on the coast of
Africa. A great portion of the bread was stolen by the
natives, and by his sable Majesty King Bill, on its way
from the ship to the hut. Bainbridge, who was also
treated and chained in a similar manner, fell sick; and
about four days before Isbaster was taken on board
his chain was taken off his leg, to enable him to attend
on his afflicted shipmate, who never rallied, and he
died five days after he was sent on board. The hut
where Bainbridge was confined was described to be a
very stinking place, filled with cobwebs. The old
king, and father of the monarch, King Bill, had died
in it, and it had been inhabited by no one but the two
sailors since his death.

James Taylor, a seaman, confirmed the statement of
Isbaster as to what occurred on board, the sufferings
of Isbaster, and the death of Bainbridge.
The defence set up by Mr. Vessey was, that Is-
baster and Bainbridge had been plundering the cargo,
getting drunk, and committing acts of insubordina-
tion, and

Air. J. Farmer, the chief-mate, was examined on
the captain's behalf, and endeovoured to make out that
the African (King Bill) was a most important per-
sonage, and was on board with his guards (six black
slaves), and there being no place to confine the men
on board, King Bill was consulted, and said he would
take care of them on shore. The complainant and his
shipmate said they would not go on shore, unless they
were compelled, and threatened to knife him; and
during a struggle on deck he was cut with some sharp
instrument. He visited the two seamen every morn-
ing on shore. They were chained lay their legs, but
they appeared to be in good health ; and the first day
he saw them they were playing at draughts. The
seamen abused the witness, and when he reported it
to his Majesty King Bill and the supercargo, his
Majesty ordered them to be separated.
Mr. YARDLEY—M*2V, indeed l stuff and non-
sense. What sort of a place was the hut where the
two men were confined ? Mr. Farmer--The king
lived up one pair of stairs, and one man below.
Mr. YARDLEY—They were confined in the King's
palace, then.
After some further evidence, and a long discussion,
from which it appeared that Isbaster and Bainbridge
were chained up from April 18 to the 4th of June,
and that both stood in great danger of being killed
by the savages,
Mr. YARDLEY said this was a very extraordinary
occurrence indeed, and deserved a grave inquiry. He
should not decide upon the case himself. He wished

there was some one to conduct it, and arrange t"
evidence.
Mr. Pelham said the man had been with him, and
be had cffered to conduct his case, and sue the csr
tain in the County Court for damages, or take it to
the sessions. The man had made a very long atilte;
ment to him, which he would now put in ; and he had
received a letter in reply to one written to the car
tain, which was to the following effect :—" Gre°;l:
venor-street, Commercial-road, Oct. 14, 1850.---L"
in reply to your note of the 11th instant, respecting
the illegal imprisonment of Isbaster, I beg to :tote
that he was found in the hold of the ship, bron""rjb
the cargo, which is stated in the mate's log-book, she
parently making arrangements for trading with t"
negroes. considered him to be a dangerous chore'
'
ter, and deemed it necessary to codine him on Aar
in irons. My consignee, Mr. l‘iatthews, would hal
had him put in gaol, had he not promised to return
to his duty. I forgave him, and on arriving in li°i
don, about two weeks back, paid him his balance
o
wages, without any deductions for being off duty, far
which I have his receipt.

" Yours, respectfully,
ROBFAT FBI°.

" To J. Pelham, Esq."
aid ea
Mr. eaneeer should have been very glad
if the case had been in Mr. Pelham's hands.
hors
The complainant said he could not stop on s-
and wait till the case was brought before a jury. ht
Mr. Pelham—The delay would only be a fortnigd.
or three weeks. I told him I wanted no fee in
vance. In such cases I don't ask for such a thing:de
Air. YARDLEY said he should certainly not deli,
the case. It must go before another tribunal. to o
could only regret the seaman did not leave his ease,j
the hands of a gentleman who offered to take it 7
for him. The seaman had been used in a very 15;;1
gular manner, chained up and left amongst sole
for several weeks.
Mr. Farmer—Oh, no ; they are not sarageigi
King Bill and his guards said the prisoners shellet
not be eaten. I beg your pardon, they are no
savages.
ere
Mr. YARDLEY—What do you mean? They
not the less savages because they did not eat the Is,
seamen. I did not mean to eay they were canniib:
To chain a seaman up for five or six weeks unue. Mfr
burning sun amongst savages is not to be thought °I;
not to be tolerated. To treat King Bill and his h'eci,
slaves or Kroomen as a regular court of judicature
absurd.
The Chief Mate—lt was dangerous to keep tl9lll
on board.
Mr. YARDLEY—I am very sorry indeed this Faye
not in the hands of the gentleman to whom it II
originally entrusted. to
Mr. Pelham—Perhaps you will be so kind as d
adjourn this case for a week. One seaman has wej
from the effects of his horrible treatment in Afritis
am quite unprepared to go into all the details at '
late hour.
bail
Mr. YARDLEY—The defendant must find goo-
to appear here this day week. of
The Magistrate then directed Inspector Griffin,' ot
the Thames police, to make further inquiries Avo),
the death of the other man, and see if there was sop
evidence forthcoming regarding him.
Finally, the investigation was adjourned until Vera
day, Captain Pride putting in bail, himself in 801• e°
two sureties of 401. each.
LAMBETH.
Thomas Hardy, alias Ovens, and Edward Slo'be
alias Elliott, two expert burglars, were placed at t,
bar before Mr. Elliott on the following charge. e 0
From the evidence it appeared that about elecere
o'clock on the preceding night the prisoners woo
met in the Kennington-road by Inspector Enre" ;
Sergeant Goff, and other officers, and Goff held
knowledge of their character, and observing that iitoet
had something bulky in their pockets and %ie.
their persons, endeavoured to secure them. Tlw rot
goners, observing his object, instantly started off,
001.
after a sharp chase they were secured, when /evi.
coats, a telescope, and other property, which were.,ere
dently the produce of some recent robbery, ion
found upon them. There were also found upon tte in
a number of skeleton keys, and two instrualet ino
the form of large plyers, by the means of which ere
planation robberies are committed. Goff, in lif ore
planation of the use to which these instruments the
applied, said that hitherto the greatest security tO,OO
prevention of picking the locks of street-doors so
that of leaving the key inside, for while it W9Fhe
placed a skeleton key could not be introduced.
this
else of the instruments produced, however, destroyed t"ho
security, for with them the end of the pipe 01 :of
door-key was laid hold of, and, in nine cases au -%
ten, was turned round so as to unlock the door. bo
however, the lock was so stiff as not to act by t a
force applied to the key, the key itself was turn%
round to a position to enable the burglars to force
from the lock, and then introduce a- proper filtil3ea
skeleton key. Again, its application
as a
, q
was most effectual, as it mattered not whether '"-et
part entering the pipe of the key was round or squat g
the instant it was caught by the end of the p, o that instant would the bolt be forced back. There
was another ingenious instrument amongst the liS"
and that was a parlour- door key, or dummy, without(
wards, and covered with wax, for the purpose 0
taking the impression from the lock. Golf
formed the magistrate that the prisoner Ovens: Tee
been once transported for ten years, and since "rem
turn had been frequently summarily convicted. t
other prisoner bad also been frequently in ellso°two
and convicted summarily ; and, in tact, they vier'
of the most expert burglars in England.
The prisoners, who said nothing in defence, "
remanded until Monday next.