The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-17 00:00:00

THAMES-POLICE.

On Tuesday twenty seamen and others, part of the
crew of the West India mail steam-packet Isis, lost
near Bermuda, made an application to Mr. Bro d erip
for a summons against Capt. Smith, the master of the
Medway, another of the mail steamers, in which they
came to England, after the loss of the Isis.
An intelligent old man, named Henry White, the
spokesman of the party, stated that on the last voyage
of the Lis she ran upon the rocks at Porto Rico, on
her voyage out. This happened on the night of the
12th of September. After being an hour upon the
rocks, during which time the vessel sustained consi-
derable damage, she was got off by backing the en-
gines astern. The ship made so much water that it
was necessary to keep all the pumps going until day-
light next morning, when she proceeded to Turk's
Island, and thence to Port Royal, Jamaica, at
which place some trifling repairs were effected, and
she was considered qualified to convey the return
mail to Turk's Island and Nassau. There were some
doubts whether she could make the voyage home in
safety, unless she was accompanied by another
steamer ; and, by orders, he believed, of Captain Pager,
commander of the Magnificent, 74, at Jamaica, the

Medway steam-ship joined the Isis at Nassau. After
the specie and mails had been transferred to the Mc-
way, that vessel kept company with the Isis until she
arrived within thirty-seven miles of Bermuda, when
the weather became so tempestuous that little hopes
appeared of saving the Isis. The gale increased, and
the water gained on the Isis to such an extent that the
engines were stopped, the vessel was abandoned, and
the crew and the passengers were transferred to the
Medway. All were saved with the exception of a boy,
who perished. The crew took with them their clothes
and hammocks, but on coining alongside the Medway
the Captain would not allow them to bring a single ar-
ticle of wearingapparel on board, and threatened to cut
all the boats adrift if anything was handed up. The
boats were eventually cut adrift, and the people:be-
longing to the Isis saved nothing but what they stood
in. He and his shipmates considered they had been
very harshly dealt with, and wished to summon Capt.
Smith, of the Medway, for the value of their clothes.
Mr. BRODERIP said the conduct attributed to the
Captain of the Medway appeared very odd, but he
was at a loss to know how he could assist the parties.
The contract was made with the Captain of the Isis,
and not with Captain Smith, of the Medway, who
merely brought the people home after the Isis was lost.
White said they were servants of the West India
Mail-Packet Company, to whom both steamers be-
longed.
Mr. BILODERIP said that made no difference. The
contract entered into must have been with the Cap-
tain of the Isis, and the master of the Medway was
not liable for the loss of the clothes, and might have
had orders from the owners or agents not to re-
ceive them.

White—You see, Sir, this was not an accidental
occurrence at all. The Isis, when she left .Jamaica,
was not considered seaworthy, and it was not ex-
pected she would ever reach England. We were as-
sured by Captain Paget, the Naval Commander at
Jamaica, that the Medway would keep by us, or we
should not have gone away in her at all. The Isis
was actually expected to go down when she left Port
Royal, and our clothes and hammocks, at any rate,
ought to have been saved. The loss is a most serious
one to us all.

Mr. BnonEßlp—l have no doubt of it at all, and I
wish I could afford you a remedy. The affair seems
to me an extraordinary one altogether. Have you
applied at the offices of the Company ?
White —We have, Sir, and the reply to our appli-
cation was, " how can you expect anything of Captain
Smith ?" The day after we left thtilsis the weather
was very fine, she was still afloat, and boats were
passing and re-passing to her, and every article belong-
ing to the crew might have been saved, if Captain
Smith had allowed our things to come on board.
Mr. BRODERIP repeated that he had no summary
jurisdiction in the matter, and it was doubtful
whether the crew had their remedy by action. They
might apply to an attorney, who would advise them
what to do.—The men retired greatly dissatisfied.

THE METROPOLITAN PRISONS
FOR DEBT.
CLOSING OF THE FLEET AND MAR-
SHALSEA.

The metropolitan prisons for debt have within the
last few days presented a different appearance to what
they have exhibited for some time. The Fleet and
Marshalsea prisons have been closed. The former was
shut on Saturday, and the latter on Thursday last.
There were seventy in the Fleet, and only three in
the Marshalsea, and their removal took place to the
Queen's Prison under an Act passed during the last
session, authorising Lord Denman to issue his war-
rant for their passage from one gaol to another. From
Tuesday to Saturday the removals took place from
the Fleet. Some of the prisoners had been confined
a very long period, and a few upwards of twenty
years. An eccentric character, named Jeremiah
Board, had been an inmate of the Fleet twenty-
eight years, having been committed in 1814. The
case of this man, who has been removed to the
Queen's Prison, is very singular. He was a farmer
at a place called Newton Farm, and was committed
to the Fleet in 1814, where he remained with-
out much disturbance except some Chancery pro-
ceedings until 1838, in which year the present Act
for the Insolvent DebtorS' Court was passed, and in
this Act an important" alteration was made, giving
power to creditors to proceed against parties who
preferred imprisonment to taking the benefit of the
Act, by which proceeding they would be compelled
to give up their property. The provision has been
productive of considerable benefit—persons have been
proceeded against in the Insolvent Debtors' Court,
and compelled to disgorge, their property ; others have
arranged with their creditors and gone out of custody.
In the case of Board a gentleman named Richard-
son, as executor of Mary Chappell, filed a petition
under the compulsory clause, and a vesting order was
made, under which he was appointed assignee, and by
a decisive act a good deal of property was obtained.
A messenger of the Court was sent to the prison, and
on the person of Board, and in his possession, a large
sum of money and securities for money were found,
which of course the assignee seized. Mr. Richardson
claimed to be a creditor for 8,185/., andthe matter had
been before Mr. Commissioner Harris. Advertise-
ments had been inserted to discover creditors, but
very few 'were found. There was somewhere about
1,6001., and a dividend was declared. Board is now
sojourning in the Queen's Prison, where he is of
course a "character." At the present period there
are in the Queen's Prison: about 280 persons, a very
few in the rules, and those who had the privilege when
the Act consolidating the prison was passed were al-
lowed to remain for twelve months. Day rules have
already ceased, and the other privilege will be denied
at the time mentioned. There are 228 rooms in the
prison, and in some of these compartments by the re-
cent increase "chums" have been placed, that is, two
have been lodged in one room. Some alterations
have been expected in the classification of prisoners,
which will now probably take place. In Whitecross-
street Prison there are about 360, and 120 in Horse-
monger-lane Gaol. The total number of prisoners
for debt in
.London may be now stated at about 760,
and some years. ago there were as many in one prison.