The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-02-16 00:00:00

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ALLEGED CRUEL TREATMENT BY A CAPTAIN
DEATH OF A SEAMAN.

On Friday, a long examination took place, before the
borough coroner, relative to the death of John Dominic°

.ecently arrived. It appeared that th
deceased shipped from this port in August last, for Benin
Whilst in the Benin river he caught the yellow fever

Albert Doc

which considerably reduced his

whole of the homeward pas

,mplained of area.

less, though able to eat ;mu,
atter part of the voyage he I

)(wing the

was, on

severely beaten by the captain. He had been struck,
kicked, and beaten by him with a rope's end, on several

_
occasions. A few days before the arrival of the ship, the
captain, it was stated, again struck him violen-ly, and his
face was afterwards observed to be much bruised. Two
days afterwards he took to his berth, and died. On the
coroner adjourning the inquest till Saturday, Mr. Dow-

ling, who ;at in court part of the time, said he considered
it his duty, from what he had heard, to take both the
captain and chief and second mates into custody. The
_ _

examination lasted upwards of five hours

On Satura

(the captain and m

only witness N;rhosse tesiimonv was of import was Mr.
Woods, surgeon, who had made a post mortem examina-
tion. He stated, in effect, that he found the deceased
had been internally diseased naturally for a considerable
time, and that this complication of diseases was sufficient
to cause death ; but that he had also found an injury of
the brain, which had accelerated the death, and that the
injury alluded to had been produced by external violence.
He scarcely thought this injury could have been produced
by a blow of the fist ; but it was probable that it might
have been occasioned by a fall, or a blow given by a rope,
knotted or loaded. The coroner briefly summed up, and
the jury, after an absence from the room of nearly four
hours, returned a verdict of " manslaughter" against the
captain, but exonerated the two mates (Taylor and
Thompson). The coroner, on his warrant, committed
the captain for trial at the next assizes, and discharged

the mates. The prisoner was taken in custody of a police-
officer to Kirkdale gaol, but will probably be released on
bail on application to headquarters.
The several witnesses were on Saturday morning taken
before Mr. Rushton, but that gentleman, after briefly
examining them, declined to interfere officially, leaving
the case in the hands of the coroner.

The following bills were read a second time in the
ITouse of Commons on Friday :—Birkenhead Improve-
ment (Gas Works) and Purchase of Birkenhead and
Claughton Gas Works.
At eleven o'clock to-day will be launched, from the
building-yard of Mr. Peter Cato, a fine new ship, of about
570 lons, and we believe she is to replace the Duke of
Lancaster in the China trade.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CHURCH, TOXTETTI PARK.
—On Sunday last, in obedience to the Queen's Letter, a
collection was made for the distressed Irish and Scotch,
when the sum of £6l lls. Od. was raised after a sermon
by the Rev. James Hassall.

On Sunday morning last, a sermon was preached at St.
Mary's Church, Bootle, by the Rev. John Crump, in aid
of the funds for the distressed poor in Ireland, and in the
Highlands of Scotland, and after a most powerful and
eloquent appeal the sum of £lOO 33. 6d. was collected for
the above objects.
MASTERS AND MATES.—At a meeting of the Board of

on Downes

hip, one of the `British and North American royal mail
iackets, and Mr. Jas. Sparrow, first officer of the steamer

Levantine, of London, were examined, and found so well
acquainted with all the higher kinds of nautical astronomy
and surveying, as to entitle them to first class extra certi-
ficates as masters. At a meeting of the same board, held
on Saturday the 13th instant, Mr, Francis Alexander
Sims, mate of the Joshua Waddington, was found duly
qualified for a first class certificate as master. Captain
John Leary, of the ship Queen, was also examined, and
found so well acquainted with the higher branches of
nautical astronomy and surveying, as to entitle him to a
first class certificate as master.

We understand two sermons will be preached on Sun-
day next, in St. Andrew's Church, in behalf of the dis-
tress in Ireland and Scotland ; that in the morning by
the Rev. John Jones, and that in the evening by the Rev.
Hugh M`Neile ; and with such advocacy, in such a cause,
and the acknowledged liberality of the congregation, we
look forward to an amount being collected worthy the oc-
casion ; nor will we for a moment entertain the idea that
the circumstance of there having been three handsome
collections in that church during the last two months will
in any degree steel the hearts of the congregation against
that unparalelled and overwhelming distress, with which
an Allwise Providence has visited the sister kingdoms ;
but from which, so far, we have been mercifully spared,
and which distress (extending as it does to starvation)
needs immediate relief. We may add, that a new organ,

both chaste and elegant, the workmanship of our towns-
man, Mr. Bewsher, has been lately erected in the
church, and will be opened on Sunday next.

THE WEATHER.—On Tuesday last there was a slight
thaw, but in the evening frost set in, with a strong easterly
wind, accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning. On
Wednesday, about noon, there was another heavy fall of
snow, followed, however by a thaw, which cleared the
streets considerably. During the night frost again re-
turned, and on Thursday the atmosphere was keen, though
the sun was shining. On Wednesday a fine sledge, drawn
by one horse, was driven rapidly through the town. On
Thursday, the curlers were at work on the lake in Prince's
Park. The frost continued, and the snow remained thick
on the ground until Saturday, when the thaw set in in
good earnest. On Saturday night and Sunday rain fell,
which helped to clear the streets of much of the dirty
snow, which gave them so cheerless an aspect. On Sun-
day, we had a brisk but mild breeze from the westward.
We gather from the newspapers, that the snowstorms of
last week were very general throughout the country. In
the south they were particularly severe, and the railway
trains-have, in many places, been greatly retarded.

PROSPECTS OF POon.—'Contrary to expectation, the
grain markets have again risen. In London, the fall of
Monday week has been pretty nearly recovered. And at
Wakefield, yesterday, a panic of purchasing seemed to
have seized the buyers. It is, nevertheless, the opinion
of those who may be presumed to be best informed, that
there is no scarcity of

rain to justify any such prices as
Scotch and Enzlish naners con-

cur in representing the quantity of grain held by far

at_iresenti than the average usually helc

Drdinari demand

this Period. Whilst to meet the ext
arising from the failure of the potato crop, the import
have already been large, and are likely to be greatly in-
creased. As, however, winter has returned upon us again,
the holders of grain are realising a temporary harvest.
But the scarcity by which they profit is one of specula-
tion, not of profit. The stock of flour in Liverpool at
the commencement of this month was 500,000 barrels.
And the arrivals in Liverpool alone, during January; ex-
ceeded 250,000 quarters of grain, and 1500 tons of pro-
_ .

The quantity yet

come from America

Irn from

Peters-burgh, that, on ti

shipments of graiii will be made to the extent of 1-10,000
chetwerts of wheat, and 800,000 chetwerts of oats, rye,
and rye-flour. These purchases have already been effected,
and it is said that other 900,000 chetwerts are held, and
coming down for shipment.

The following letter from

SEED FOR POTATOES
Messis. Keeling and Hunt, eminent fruit broke!
London, is of some interest. These gentlemen were in-
structed by Government to search for supplies of seed
potatoes, and the letter announces their failure so far as
the search has proceeded. Bermuda, they say, is their
last resource ; but has South America been tried ? We
presume there was not time for that, nor would it matter
much if there had been. There seems to be a blight in
the air or in the earth, and, until that be " killed," the
soundness of the seed will not save it
"Monument Yard, London, Bth February, 1847.

" Dear Sir,—Your's of the 3rd is to hand. We iegret to
state, that with all our exertions to obtain potatoes for seed,
hope turned out a failure. France has prohibited the exporta-
tion. The Azores have likewise stopped the shipment, the
drain for Indian corn from that quarter compelling the autho-
rities to fallback upon the crop of potatoes to prevent a dearth
of provisions themselves, in proof of 'which the shipment of
Indian corn is now stopped as well. We have tried Russia,

both by steam and sailing vessel; both parcels were landed in
a bad state, and disheartenect us from another attempt.

"We haiie sent out instructions for a supply from-Bermuda,
which will be our last resource. It is very evident that Ireland
must fall back upon grain food; we look to the present visita-
tion as a Providential warning as to the futility of depending
upon so precarious a root as the potato. The affliction will, no
doubt, be severe ; but it will tend to the regeneration of Ire-
and--and God grant it so speedily, with the exercise of His
mercy,--Faithfully your's, KEELING! & HUNT,"