The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-20 00:00:00

1 Sir C. DOUGLAS assented to the proposition, and
the debate was adjourned accordingly.
On the motion of Sir J. GRAHAM, the Manchester,
Birmingham, and Bolton Police Bill was read a first
time, and ordered to be committed this day.
The Report on the Prisons Bill was brought up and
agreed to, and the Bill was ordered to be read a third
time this day.
The Customs Act Amendment Bill was read a se-
cond time, and ordered to be committed.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER obtained
leave to bring in a Bill to transfer the Stamp Duty on
Game Certificates in Ireland to the Excise.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of,
and the House adjourned et Two o'Clock.

TRIAL FOR PIRACY IN FRANCE.
The Maritime Tribunal of Brest has been engaged
in the trial of a case of piracy and violation of the
existing treaties between Frame and Spain, against a
continuation of the slave-trade, The hearing corn-
mewed on the 88th ult., and lasted till the 3d inst.
inclusive, The whole of the important and interest-
ing circumstances, as exposed by the proceedings, are
camprised in the following statement :—A Mexican
brig of war, called the Pocha, taken by Admiral
Baudin's fleet in 1838, became by successive sales and
transfers the property of a Spaniard named Vivo, re-
sident at the Havannah. Vivo, who had been pre-
viously engaged in the slave-trade in a subordinate
capacity, had her fitted out as a slave-ship, and en=
gaged a crew of 45 men. As thiti traffic was pro-
hibited by the laws of Spain, he, by fraudulent
representations, furnished himself with Portu-
guese papers, and sailed on 25th December, 1830,
from the Havannah, direct for the coast of Mozam-
bique. Being thus apparently under the Por-
tuguese flag, he had not any visits to fear, exeept
from the Eglish cruisers, and from them he hoped
to escape through the superior sailing of his vessel.
When he left the Havannah he had no merchandise
on board, but had provided himself with an ample
sum of money in spate. On his arrival at the Mo-
zambique, the slave-trade had been prohibited liy
Portugal, and the Governor, in obedience tcy exclefs
he had received from his Govermnent, fined Vivo
2,500 piastres for contravention of the treaty that had
been entered into, and, having seized and taken away
from his ship all that could housed in the illicit +
he commanded Vivo to return 0,
Havannah,
giving him papers expressly fp,
. tins destination, and
appointed a rortun--
, •
_oese subject, Captain Costa
N'ianna, to tale the chid command of the ship. He,
at the same k,tito, NiAtiarlial in her seventeen men who
VACAT. Ship, as passengers for the Havannah.
.4yq, notwithstaiiding the new captain placed over
Wm en Waving the coast of Mozambique, retained
The f4Ell command of the vessel, and by his represen-
tatinns, indueed the crew and passengers to consent to
deviate from the course to the Havannah, against the
will of the Portuguese Captain Costa Vianna, who
protested, as he has since declared, against the violation:
of the Governor's orders. Steering to Bombestock, he,
4q his arrival there, found three American vessels, from
which he procured water-tanks, provisions, planks, fifty
muskets, and the other stores necessary for his first
projected trade. Having obtained these, he sailed to
the coast of Malla, Here, by deceit, he gained posses-
of a small boat, called a pangaille, got her crew
of six men on board, and secured them in the hold or
between decks. When the chief of the boats remon-
strated against this net of fraud and violence, Vivo
justified hinmir on the ground that it was but a re-
tlliatit4o for the money of which the Governor of the
Mozambique had robbed hint. On the following
morning the Pocha fell in with, and, by main force,
captured a large pangaille, manned by 18 free Arabs,
and containing 120 blacks. Having taken on board
these, and all the provisions and stores the boat con-
tained, he set it adrift with two old Arabs, of whose
fate nothing has been heard. The Pocha then re-
turned to Bombestock for the Lieutenant, who had
been left at that place to purchase rice. Thence she
went to •Nossibe, where Vivo found the French sloop
of war Prevoyante, and went on board to visit Captain
Jehenne, who received him politely, invited him to
breakfast, ''and promised to return the visit the next
morning. 'Although no doubt of the Podia being a
slaver could be entertained, Captain Jehenne was re-
strained from searching her, as Portugal did not
admit that right. More serious suspicions, however,
arose, when, early in the morning, instead of waiting
for Captain Jehenne's return visit, the Pocha was
seen making off with all her sails set. In the course
of the day the whole shore was in commotion, it
having been discovered that she had landed some of
her men at another point of the island, and carried ofY
many men and women, after killing one man
who had offered resistance. The Prevoyante found
the Pocha again at the Island of Mayotte. As
the sloop approached, the men at her mast-head saw
many heavy bodies, but of what nature could not be
distinguished, thrown from the Pocha into the sea,
and then water was drawn up and dashed upon the
deck, as if to clean it. No doubt was entertained that
the objects thrown overboard were the poor blacks,
or some of them. Captain Jehenne sent an officer
into the vessel, who discovered in confinement the
Arabs who had been captured in the two pangailles,
and at the same time ascertained that the vessel was
without any papers warranting her appearance in
that latitude. Upon these facts the Prevoyante took
possession of the Pocha, and carried her into the
island of Bouibon. Here the vessel was condemned,
and her crew sent to France to be tried for piracy.
On their arrival at Brest a correspondence took place
on the subject between the Governments of France
and Portugal, at the end of which the latter power
renounced all claim to the prisoners as its sub-
jects, and left them to be tried before the French
tribunal. After reading the indictment and the re-
port of Captain Jehenne, and the other documentary
evidence, the prisoner Vivo was interrogated. He
admitted all the essential facts, but denied his being
guilty of piracy, justifying his seizure of the two pan-
gailles as a mere act of reprisal on the Governor of
the Mozambique, for taking from him the 2,500 f.,
which he maintained was a robbery. He denied
having been guilty of any outrage on shore, and of
this it does not appear any evidence was produced.
He also denied that any blacks were thrown into the
sea. Vianna, the nominal Captain, was next called
upon, to account for being engaged in these infamous
transactions. He declared that, although put in com-
mend of the Pocha by the Governor of the Mozambi-
que, he never had the least authority in her which
was assumed and maintained throughout by Vivo, un-
der whose orders every transaction took place. He gave
his evidence with great reserve, being evidently under
strong fears of the consequences which might arise
from Vivo and his mate, who is evidently a man of
determined resolution as well as great physical
powers. Hamis Ben Omar, the owner of the smaller
pangaille, who came willingly to France to appear as
a witness on the trial, was examined, and gave, in
the French language, which he spoke well, a clear
and distinct account of the treacherous manner in
which he, his men, and boat, were gained posses-
sion of, and detained by the Pocha. He also acted
as interpreter in the examination of Bacari Iman
Bacos, the master of the larger boat. This witness
repeated the account of the capture of her by Ripoll,
and a crew sent out in the smaller pangaille. He
stated that he had in his boat 120 slaves, which he
had purchased for working an estate he possessed at
Langibar, and affirmed that he and his men were free
and independent, and that the Governor of Mozam-
bique had no property or interest whatever in the
slaves, which belonged to him alone. They both
complained bitterly of the treatment they received
on board the Pocha, and more particularly at having
their beards shaven, which was a Bros violation
of their religious iteelings as Mahometans. Vivo,
however, justified the act as necessary for cleanli-
ness and the preservation of their health. The evi-
dence 'of the numerous other witnesses tended to
establish the truth of all the facts stated. The
Commissaire Rapporteur, the public prosecutor in the
French Admiralty Courts, in delivering his requisi-
tory, insisted upon judgment against Vivo, Vianna,
and Ripoll, as having been guilty of piracy in seizing
and detaining the two pangailles, and plundering the
merchandise they contained, leaving the rest of the
prisoners to the discretion of the Court. The Tribu..
nal, after a very long deliberation, pronounced Vivo,
Vianna, and Ripon guilty of piracy, but with exte-
nuating circumstances as to the two latter. Conse-
quently Vivo was sentenced to close confinement,
with labour, for ten years, and Vianna and Ripoll to
the same punishment for five years. The rest of the
prisoners composing the crew of the Podia, forty-five
in number, were acquitted.

FIRE AT THE LONDON AND VAUXHALL GA`
Woaxs.—Yesterday afternoon, about two o'clock, consider-
able excitement was caused in the neighbourhood of the Lon-
don and Vauxhall Gas Works, situate at the back entrance of
Vauxhall-gardens, by the outbreak of a fire in a tar shed on the
Company's premises. It was caused by the boiling over of a
large put, containing a quantity of tar. From the inflammable
nature of the material, the flames shot up with great rapidity,
and the building where it originated was soon destroyed. That
portion of the building is situated in the olose vicinity of two
immense gasometers. The West of England and several en-
gines belonging to the brigade were on the spot, but they were
not allowed to enter the premises, ttie Company's men having
fortunately succeeded in subduing the fire.
INQUEST.—An inquest was held last week at the
Lord Nelson, Old Kent-road, on the body of Mr. William
Railton, aged 49, a gentleman who for many years was con-
nected with the Bank of England, whose dead; occurred under
the following singular circumstances :--44 From the evidence
adduced it appeared that the deceased had been for a number
of years empkyed in the Bank of England, and through the
ability and talent displayed, he had been selected by the Direc-
tors of the Bank to go down to Birmingham, and there manage
the braiteh department. As a reward for the services of the
deceased, a short time since the Bank sent down a notification
that his salary had been increased either to 5701. or 5901. This
being unexpected, Mr. Railton came uti to London for the pur-
polo of communicating his good fortune to his family. While
he was talking about his future prospects he was noticed suddenly
to fall back, at•parently in a fit. The fwily.beeame alarmed,
and medical aid was ipatantly procured, but it was of no use.
His death-was by apoplexy, produced by excitement, the de-
ceased having previously had two fits, which had been occasioned
by similar causes. The jury accordingly returned a verdict of
Natural death."