The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-19 00:00:00

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

ARRIVAL OF THE HIBERNIA.

The North American Royal Mail Steamer Hibernia,
Captain Judkins, arrived at Liverpool, with her usual re-
gularity, on Wednesday evening, bringing intelligence
fourteen days later from New York than the last packet-
ship.

These advices announce the death of Mr. Biddle, of
Pennsylvania, on the 27th ult., in his 58th year. He was
late president of the United States.
We mentioned last week that the first mate of the
packet-ship Oxford, Mr. Gates, had been apprehended on
a charge of smuggling woollen cloths. The advices by the
Hibernia mention that Mr. Gates had confessed that the
smuggled cloths seized from on board that ship, were con-
ceale and attempted to be smuggled with his consent ;
that he had received 300 dollars at Liverpool from a per-
son, whose name he has communicated to the owners, for
doing so ; and that he was to deliver the goods to the
party who should apply in New York. Gates was com-
mitted to prison, in default of obtaining the required bail
of 10,000 dollars.
A. like occurrence has taken place with the Montezuma,
of which also the mate was bribed in Liverpool. It is
hardly necessary to add that the owners and commanders
of both ships are above the slightest suspicion of conni-
ving at such transactions. Harris, the boatman, has been
admitted State's evidence.
The cotton trade remained much in the same state as at
the last departure, and there had been no material change
in other branches of commerce. We give particulars on
this subject in another column.
Congress is still engaged in discussing resolutions, bills,
and motions respecting the tariff and the Oregon territory,
without apparently making much progress one way or the
other. On the subject of slavery there has been sundry
debates in the House of Representatives;—after a great
number of divisions, the disgraceful rule prohibiting the
presentation or reception of petitions on slavery has been
abolished, by a tn,jority of 106 to 86. The speeches on
the Oregon question, both in the Senate and in the House
of Reprentatives, were exceedingly warlike, and seemed
likely, or, at least, intended to throw obstacles in the way
of Mr. Packenham tnd his mission. As to the tariff, a
bill, imposing duties of 30 per cent., and making discri-
minations for revenue, would, it was said, be recoNnmend-
ed to the committee of ways and means.
The Whigs of Connecticut held their convention at
Hartford on the 22nd ult. It is said to have been attend-
ed by ten thousands of the friends of Mr. Clay.

The Hibernia brings the details of a most frightful ca-
lamity that occurred on board the new steam frigate
Princeton, on Wednesday, the 28th of February. The
following particulars are from a New York Paper :—Cap-
tain Stockton, of the steamer Princeton, invited some
three or four hundred ladies and gentlemen, including the
president and his family, the members of his cabinet, and
foreign ministers, some senators and members of the
house, and a large circle of his especial friends, to take an
excursion with him down the Potomac this day, and wit-
ness the beauty and movement of his noble vessel, and the
discharge of his immense gun. All the invitations were
most eagerly accepted, and at about one o'clock the com-
pany were put on board the Princeton from a small
steamer, which took them from the wharf.

The day was clear and pleasant, and there were as many
ladies on board as gentlemen, and everything promised a
delightful excursion. After a salute of 21 guns from the
small pieces, the big gun was put in readiness for the firing'
of a ball, weighing 2301b5. The ladies were all " piped on
deck," and obtained prominent places to see the discharge.
The word " fire" was given, and all eyes immediately be-
held the motion of the ball upon the water, giving some
half-dozen bounds, and going a distance of about two
miles before it finally sank. The experiment was in every
respect successful, and all were delighted.
The party then adjourned to the cabin, and after the
ladies had feasted fully from the abundance so liberally
provided for them by the noble captain, the gentlemen
took possession of the table, Captain Stockton being at
the head—the President upon his right, the members of
the cabinet with the single exception of Mr. Spencer, who
was not (n board, arranged according to their official sta-
tion on the left. Senators Benton and Woodbury, Mr.
Catlin, and other members of Congress, following on the
right of the President. Toasts and Champagne spangled
together, and all were as happy and merry as could be.
In the midst of this, and as the vessel was nearing home,
the captain concluded to have another fire with his big
gun, and it was then that occurred the fatal event which I
will now detail.

The gun was ranged—and the gentlemen whom the
captain most desired should see the operation were speedily
invited up to witness it. The gun was fired—the breach
exploded ! killing with it instantly Mr. Upsher, Secretary
of State ; Mr. Gilmer, Secretary of the Navy ; Virgil
Maxey, Esq., of New York City; Coco. Kennon, Chief
of the Bureau of Conztruction ; and Mr. Gordiner, of
New York—seriously injuring Captain Stockton, also one
of the midshipmen, and three or four of the hands of the
ship, and more or less injuring some half a dozen others
of the ship's crew. Senator Benton was standing on the
right of Captain Stockton, as were also Mr. Tyson, of
Philadelphia, Colonel Strickland, of the same city, and
others.

Mr. Tyson had one of the pieces of the gun pass directly
through his hat. The gentlemen killed were all standing
upon the leeward side of the gun, nearly in a row, and
when the gun burst the pieces went in their direction and
killed them instantly—not a groan was heard to escape
their lips. The President, but a moment previous to the
discharge, fortunately left its vicinity. As the smoke
cleared away, Captain Stockton was discovered with his
hair and face scorched, and his dress covered with pow-
der; he jumped with one spring to the top of his gun,
and exclaimed, " My God ! would that I were dead too."
lie was immediately handed down and conveyed to the
cabin, and a more heart-broken man I never saw. He is
to be pitied for the calamity, though he is in no wise to
blame, for it has resulted as I will now state, from causes
over which he could have had no control.
The public should bear in mind that the gun has been
discharged several times, and especially three times dur-
ing the day. When the accident happened she was only
charged as usual, but on examining the break and the
pieces, the only fresh break that could be discovered was
on one part, a place as big as two hands, and another
part as big as one hand.
The Secretary of War, Mr. Wilkins, had a narrow
escape ; he was standing near to Judge Upsher just
before the discharge, and remarked that " if he was sec-
retary of war, he did not like the noise, and would there-
fore move a little out of the way ; and just as he moved
the gun exploded.
One of Senator Woodney's daughters (the eldest I
think), was standing so near to the persons, that her dress
was completely spattered over with blood. Her escape
was truly miraculous, as was also that of others in the
immediate vicinity of the gun.
[The gun which has caused this dreadful calamity was
one of two of the same description invented by Captain
Stockton, the commander of the Princeton, and of which
a good deal was said in the American newspapers a few
weeks ago. So far as we can understand the description
of them, they were composed of wrought iron staves
hooped together—a construction by no means new, but
which never has answered, and probably never will an-
swer, on account of the difficulty of securely fastening the
breach (which of course must be a separate piece) to the
rest of the gun. Captain Stockton's guns were one 16
and the other 13 feet long, each having a 12-inch bore,
and carrying a ball of about 2501 b. weight. They were
the subject of much idle boasting in some of the Ameri-
can newspapers, and it was predicted that they would
astonish the British. The astonishment, however, seems
to have lighted a little nearer home.]

MELANCHOLY DISASTER IN NEW ZEALAND.

(From the Doncaster Gazette.)

In our paper of the 22d Decemter, 1343, we had the
melancholy duty of recording an account of a sanguinary
conflict having taken place between a number of the na-
tives of that island and a company of English surveyors
employed by the New Zealand Colonisation Society, in
which the latter were sufferers to a somewhat serious ex-
tent. Amongst the killed and wounded were two brothers
of the name of Bamforth, who, about a couple of years
ago, emigrated from East Retford, and whose friends have
been much distressed at the dreadful occurrence, not be-
ing altogether aware of the extent of the calamity which
had befallen their unfortunate relatives. Within the last
few days, however, a letter has been received by them
from thence, from John Bamforth, the survivor, and from
which we make the subjoined extract; premising that the
writer is a mechanic, and that, consequently, his state-
ment is in plain language, but not the less true on that
account. He says:—" My brother had sent home two
letters since we have been at Port Nelson, in both of
which he stated every particular relating to our circum-
stances and situation ; but, my dear brother, since then
what wonderful changes have taken place amongst us!
My very heart bleeds when I think: of the painful and fatal
occurrence which took place at Wairoo, which happened
in consequence of the interference of the Moories with
the surveyors, when engaged in surveying the district
called the Wairoo. The natives thought that the white
men had no right to take possession of the district ; and
the Moories, under the direction of two chiefs named
lianparaka and Radghiata, determined to prevent the
completion of the survey, and began to burn several of
the surveyors' houses, which compelled them to leave the
district. Having done so, the surveyors at once proceeded
take legal steps against the two chiefs ; and to enforce
these proceedings a party of our men, under the command
of Captain Wakefield, Mr. Thompson (chief magistrate,)
and several other gentlemen, proceeded to the Wairoo to
apprehend the said two chiefs. This was on the 17th of
June. On arriving there the chiefs refused to surrender,
or submit to our laws, and the natives plainly told us
they would rather fight than that their chiefs should be
taken prisoners. Our authorities being determined upon
the enforcement and execution of the warrant against
Ranparaha and Ranghiatia, a most sanguinary battle took
place. There were about forty men on our side, and as
near as we can estimate, there were from 100 to 150 of
the Moories; owing, however, to the unskilfulness and
inexperience of our men in bush fighting (which the Moo-
ries practise from their childhood,) they soon succeeded
in obtaining a victory. They fired upon our men and we
upon theirs. Our fire, however, had but little effect upon
them, and some of our men took to their heels. This be-
ing observed by the Moories, gave them great encourage-
ment, and they soon succeeded in taking several of our
men prisoners, and afterwards put them to death in a
most cruel manner; so that ultimately the number shot
and killed amounted to 22. About 10 of the natives were
killed in the affray. In the midst of the conflict my dear
brother Henry was killed dead upon the spot, and I got a
shot in my left arm, and was obliged shortly afterwards to
have it taken off at the shoulder joint. I am, however,
as well as can be expected. My poor brother Henry's
wife is near her confinement, an/ God only knows how
we shall get on here, for we are still, in a great measure,