The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-03 00:00:00

REVOLT OF THE CONVICTS AT

ADEN.
The following particulars of this occurrence, with
which we have been furnished by our corresprtdent at
Aden, may be relied upon as p-rfectly correct :—" On
June 21st, whilst the convicts were at work about two
miles outside the main or northern pAss, they surprised
and dis awed their military guard, a niisting of a Havillar
and twelve Sepoys of the 47th Regiment M. N. I
It appears that at twelve o'clock noon the prisoners
had, as was usual, left off work till one o'clock, at which
time, it seems, the guard and the convicts were corn-
ple•eiy mixed together inn very tinteilitary manner :
at a preconcerted si iial three or four prisoners seised
each Sepoy and wrenched the musket from his
hand, with which they ran seawards, and took posses-
sion of an Arab boat, which they tried to launch,
evidently supposing that once afloat they could
easily manage to gain the Arabian side of the. bay,
distant abut a mile and a half. As many of the con-
victs had been fishermen in the Concert, this plan was
perfectly feasible, and only failed from the tide being
too low to float the boat. Being bold, resolute, despe-
rate villains, they instantly dashed in o the sea.
fetterel as they were, with the intention of
swimming to the opposite side of the bay;
By this time the Sepoys had recover 'd from their
confusion, and having also recovered their arms,
opened a fire on them, by which two were shot dead, and
five badly wounded. Many of the prisoners not being
able to swim, and finding the water dfeper than they had
evidently calculated on, came back and surrendered. A
great many persevered, and thirteen eff cted their
*
escape—twelve were drowned, and one was subse-
queutly found dead on the Arabian side ; thus making
the total loss of life on this melancholy occasion fifteen.
Of those who escaped, four were recaptured, and one
was brought back by the Arabs. Seven are still at
large, aad have found shelter in Fouthli country, the
chief of which has written to the political agent to say
that he will send them in prisoners. This he will not do.
As the prisoners are Hindoos, they will doubtless prefer
the Mahomedan religion to irons and hard work on the
roads for life. After they have embraced the tenets of the
Koran, no true Alussultnan can, according to the creed,
give up the proselyte, One of the prisoners, whose arm
was much shattered by a ball, has undergone amputatioe
by the civil surg-ein. It has appeared on evidence that
not one of the guard, thirteen in number, in charge of
sixty-four desperate convicts, all of whom are condemned
to
hard
go labouron tortw
ed the
th e roads,mslves to be surprised and
either for murder or gang
robbery with violence, had loaded muskets. That they
completely disarmed without having been able to inflict
the slightest injury on a single convict, will appear some-
what singular to our n .n-military readers. There is
e
not a shadow of doubt but that the guard mixed in a
very familiar, ,manner ‘pith the prisoners, contrary to all
military pt inciples. It has been fully ascertained that
the rising was previously planned and arranged,
and that the unusual remissness of the guards en-
couraged them in their well organised plan to re-
volt. The prisoners were also aware that they had
no danger to apprehend from unloaded muskets.
They ssy that they had no intention to endeavour to
escape previous to their being worked outside in a man-
ner which they were physically incapable of per-
forming in a climate so unusual to their former places
of imprisonment ; that the work was greater than
their debilitated frames . could endure ; and that
they rush' d on certain death rather than bear their
present life of endless toil and unsupportable misery.
A military court of inquiry has been assembled to
inquire into the circumstances of the escape of the pri-
soners, and strange to say. it acquits the guard
of ail blame. Government should not rest satisfied
with this very singular decision, which the cir-
cumstances of thwti,c4caniseilitd„irtyndoitsciapttriael.l sTopheponr,t).re-cTomhe
opinion of the court is eminently calculated to act in
_
command of the guard ought to
da a vnegreyr' iutsi j 1161..aioyus man
with
a general court martial. There
the guard with unloaded arms ?
missioned officer in
have been hr. iughe befere
still remain two po:nta not disposed of ins satisfactory
manner—why were
and why did they permit themselves to be surprised
and disarmed ?"—Boalb4Y Times, dilly 13.

OBJECTIONS TO VOTERS THROUGH 'NIS POST-
ofFic E. —We understand that a great number of objections to
parties on the register of county voters, posted en the 25th
inst., and on previous days. did not reach the overseers to
whom they were addressed till Thurs.lay morning last, the 28th,
though in due course of post all notices bearing the Manchester
post-mark of the 24th, a, posted nn that day, should have been
delivered on 'he following day in ?Manchester and the contiguons
townships. The clerks foued it altogether impracticable to
sort for delivery on the '?sth the thousands of notices of obj,c-
on the 22d, 23d,
obj-c-
-tion which were posted and 24th inst., and
hence the delay—one which neither the objecting parties nor
the overseers could obviate. and for which none but the Post-
offi a department can be regarded as strictly answerable.—
,t cheater Guardian.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT PUTNEY.—On Saturtlay
a melancholy accident occurted oa the river, near Putney-
bridge, by which a 4,1, shout fifteen years of age, namcd.
Thomas Ilrown, an aoliren!iee to Mr. Stiles, captain of the
Rainbow steamboat, lost his life. Some of the crew sliep on
hoarel, and deceased was one of the number. After the boat
had been moored on Saturday night, he proceeded on shore
to buy provisions. He did not again make his appearance
below, although the fact of his having returned to the boat
was apparent, by the boat being found made fast on the follow-
ing morning. It is supposed that atter he had made the boat
fast he returned to her stern for his bundle, and that his head
coming In contact with the steamer tilted hint over into the
water. No cries for help were heard, The bundle was found
at an early hour on Sunday morning, floating through the
third lock of Battersea-bridge. His body has not yet been
recovered.
RAILWAY CELEBRATION.—The workmen of Messrs
Stephenson and Co., the eminent civil engineers, of Newcastle,
celebrated the triumph of the locomotive over the atmospheric
railway system, in the passing of the Newcastle and Berwick
Railway Bill, yesterday (Friday), hy walking in procession
through the principal streets of the town, and afterwards dining
in sections at the different inns. The workmen, upwards of
eight hundred in number, assembled in St. Nicholas's-square,
and formed in vocesatoot-with-iwo bawds of- amiss •and several
appropriate banners.—Setvcasre Journal.
Nuts and filberts are very plentiful this season,
particularly near Raeford, ROss, and C'aeritow..— Cambrian.