The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-14 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TH

" Charles," of London,
Liverpool, March 13, 1843.
SlR,—Tbe above ship, under my command, was lying in
Savanilla Bay, when the following accident I

Barqut

nett on

board :—lt was on the 22nd of November last, the men were
at their suppers, and, as was their custom when the weather
was fine, they were all sitting on the forecastle under an
awning. They were laughing and joking amongst them-
selves, and all appeared to be very happy and in good spirits,
when one of the seamen, William Steele, decidedly the live-
jest man of the whole crew, being then •in the act of eating
his supper, after some few acts of what sailors call " sky-
larking," suddenly rose from the deck, and, jumping over
the bows, swung himself overboard by the gear of the bow-

sprit, and so suddenly that he was in the water in an instant.
Every aid was given him from the ship, and, although it was
blowing fresh at the time, one of his messmates, Peter Flatt,
in a moment threw himself overboard, and endeavoured to
get hold of him, but without success, as the unfortunate
young man appeared to reject with determination all aid,
and, though known to be a swimmer, sunk immediately.
No reason can be assigned for the act. The united evidence
of the crew goes to prove that he was perfectly sober at the
time ; indeed he was habitually abstemious, seldom drinking
the quantity of spirits allowed him by the ship.
He was a very fine young man, a native of Liverpool, and
has left a widowed mother, who was, I believe, in a great
measure dependent upon his exertions for a subsistence.
He was not mote than three and twenty.
Every exertion was made for several hours after the acci-
dent, and on the two following days, to recover the body,
but it was needless, as there are vast numbers of sharks in
Savanilla Bay, and nothing was ever seen of his remains up
to the time of the Charles sailing for England, which was
four weeks after.

I am, sir, yours obediently,
JOHN V. GILES

LANCASTER ASSIZES

THURSDAY

THE CHARTIST TRIALS-VERDICT.

The Jury, after being in deliberation about twenty minutes,
at a quarter past seven o'clock delivered their verdict.
They found the following defendants guilty on the sth count
of the indictment, namely :—Feargus O'Connor, William
Aitkin, John Arran, William Beesley, Alexander Challenger,
George J. Harney, Wm. Hill, John Hoyle, John Norman,
Richard Ottley, Samuel Parkes, Thomas Railton, Robert
Ramsden, James Sherrington, and Wm. Woodruffe. This is
the count about which his Lordship has expressed some doubt
as to whether by law it is an offence, and as to whether any
judgment can pass. The following were found guilty on the
4th count:—F. A. Taylor, David Morrison, James Mooney,
B. M'Cartney, Dr. M`Douall, John Leach, James Leach,
James Fenton, Christopher Doyle, John Durham, George
Candelet, Thomas Cooper, John Campbell, Robert Brookes,
Jonathan Bairstow, and James Arthur.

The following were acquitted, Patrick M. Brophy, William
Booth, Joseph Clarke, James Chippendale, John Crossley,
John Fletcher, Thomas Fraser, James Grasby, John Lomax,
Robert Lees, John Lewis, John Massay, Thomas Mahon,
Richard Pilling, David Ross, James Scholefield, James Brown
Smith, William Stephenson, William Storah, James Taylor,
and Albert Wolfenden. The following were acquitted during
the progress of the trial, in consequence of the Attorney-
General abandoning the case against them :—John Allinson,
James Cartlege, George Johnson, Thomas Pitt, William
Scholefield, John Thornton, and John Wild.
The Court then adjourned, it being understood the defen-
dants would be called up tor judgment during the next term.

tke subjoin a copy of the fourth and fifth counts of the
indictment on which the defendants have been found guilty—
The fourth count charges, that theretofore, on the Ist of
August, in the year aforesaid, and on divers other days and
times between that day and the Ist of October, in the year
aforesaid, and at divers places and with evil disposed persons,
tumultuously and unlawfully assembled together, and by vio-
lence, threats, and intimidation to divers other persons,
being then peaceable subjects of this realm, forced the said
last-mentioned subjects to leave their occupations and em-
ploymznts, and thereby impeded and stopped the labour em-
ployed in the lawful and peaceable carrying on by divers large
numbers of the subjects of this realm, of certain trades,
manufactures, and businesses, and thereby caused great con-
fusion, terror, and alarm in the minds of the peaceable sub-
jects of this realm ; and that afterwards. on the Ist of
August, in the year aforesaid, and on divers other days and
times between that day and the Ist of October, in the year

aforesaid, nt the parish aforesaid, in the county aforesaid, the
said defendants, together with divers other evil disposed per-
sons to the jurors aforesaid as yet unknown, did unlawfully
aid, abet, assist, comfort, support, and encourage the said
evil disposed persons in this count first mentioned to con-
tinue and persist in the said unlawful assemblage, threats,
intimidations and violence in the said impeding and stopping
of the labour employed in the said trades, manufactures, and
businesses, with intent thereby to cause terror and alarm in
the minds of the peaceable subjects of this realm, and by
means of such terror and alarm violently and unlawfully to
cause and procure certain great changes to be made in the
constitution of this realm, as by law established, against th
peace of our Lady the Queen, her crown and dignity.
The sth count charges that the defendants, together with
divers other evil-disposed persons, to the jurors aforesaid as
yet unknown, afterwards, to wit on the Ist of August, in the
year aforesaid, and on divers other days between that day
and the Ist of October in the year aforesaid, together with
divers other evil-disposed persons to the jurors as yet un-
known, unlawfully did endeavour to excite her Majesty's
liege subjects to disaffection and hatred of her laws, and un-
lawfully did endeavour to persuade and encourage the said
liege subjects to unite, confederate, and agree to leave their
several and respective employments, and to produce a cease
tion of labour throughout a large portion of this realm, with
intent and in order by so doing to bring about and produce
a change i❑ the laws and constitution of this realm, and
against the peace of our said Lady the Queen, her crown and
dignity.

FRIDAY

LIBEL ON A ROMISH PRIEST.

This was an action preferred by the Rev. Thomas Sher-
borne, a Roman Catholic Priest, against Thomas lastwood,
Esq., a magistrate of this county, and residing at Lancaster.
for writing certain false and detiimatory libels, which had
been published in the Lancaster Gazette.
Mr. Sergeant Murphy and Mr. Segar were for the prose-
cution ; Mr. Eastwood defended himself.
Several numbers of the Lancaster Gazette having been
put in, containing articles reflecting on the conduct of the
prosecutor, by inducing persons on their death-beds to leave
their property to the church.
Mr. Eastwood addressed the jury on his own behalf. He
said the counsel for the prosecution had said the prosecutor
sought only the vindication of his character. if that were
so, he (Mr. Eastwood) was prepared with evidence to prove
all he had alleged, but that he was prevented by the form of
form of the present proceeding from doing so.
His lordship summed up briefly, and stated there could be
no doubt the libel was fully proved.
The jury, on understanding what the law of the case was,
returned a verdict of guilty, but under the circumstances re•
commended the defendant to the consideration of the court.
His lordship then required Mr. Eastwood to enter into his
own recognizances in £5OO, to appear when called on.
The assizes terminated on Saturday.

IMPORTANT TO SALT MANUFACTURERS AND BOILERS
OF SUGAR, &C. IN OPEN PANS.—The following improve-
ment in the manufacture of salt has been tried and proved
available by Mr. Benjamin Smith, salt manufacturer, of
Droitwich, (although he has not claimed it in his patent for
the manufacture of salt,) and he wishes to make it known to
persons in the above business, as it will be a great saving
both of fuel and pans. Over the fire or fires, where the most
rapid boiling takes place, put a cover, made with anythinz.
which can be removed on or off at pleasure; by so doing it
will be found to move the greatest part of the salt that would
form itself on or over the fire backwards, with the brine in
agitation, to the back part of the pan. It may be done by
having a number of boards nailed together, similar to a d'mr,
with a rim upon the top side about four inches high, over
each fire, with the front pert of the boards a little lower than
the back ; and as the evaporation moves backward from glider
the cover, the greater part of the salt will move back w, rd
also, and thereby, in a very great measure, save the pan from
burning. By adopting this method there will be very little
boiling observable, though, in reality, the boiling will be mire
rapid. The brine will be in constant agitation from the b; *f-
ing part being covered in part, and thereby cause the crystals
to fall more freely than under the old system of op n pans.
We understand that persons wishing further inforn ation upon
the subject can obtain the same by applying to Mr. Benjamin
Smith, Droitwich ; so that such information required does
not relate to any part of the patent which he has had granted
to him for the manufacture of salt.

SANITY.—" The principle on which we are to proceed
in awarding punishment is very simple, if we do but steadily
keep in mind the end of human punishment—prevention. If
a man intends to do what he does and not otherwise, he is a
proper subject for punishment, because a person so circum-
stanced may be deterred (as is well known persons con-
fessedly insane often are) by the fear of punishment. If it
is clear that he did not intend the act, whether the absence
of intention be referable to insanity or to any other cause,
his punishment would answer no good purpose. If a man
for instance who raises a lire can be proved to have laboured
under such a kind of insanity as not to know that fire would
consume, he is properly exempted from punishment, on the
very same ground that another would be who should throw
a spark over gunpowder which lie believed to be dust; be-
cause no punishment denounced against incendiaries could
operate on persons so circumstanced, viz., those who have no
design of the kind. But if a man design to burn a house, or
to do any other act, we have nothing to do with the causes
which led to his entertaining such a design. We know, on
the one hand, that no one can be, strictly speaking, in a
sound state of mind who designs any crime; and we know,
on the other hand, that many who have been impelled to
such designs by the strongest and most evidently morbid
aberrations of intellect have vet shewn by the precaution they
have taken for accomplishing their purpose undetected that
they were fully aware of the particular act they werefmgmec.l
in ; and consequently that they and others similarly
stanced might be checked by apprehension of punishment.
In In fact, although no one considers the brute animals.s6ile to operate
agents, every one is well aware that it is
It is not reckoned an
on them through fear of punishment.
useless cruelty or an absurdity to attempt to teach a dog by
beating to abstain from worrying onesheep,Aany.ctrained by
therefore
who well knowing that irrational animals
tray b
fear of punishment to check their impulses, yet would m
v be partially or wholly
pro-
claim impunity to any
reduced to the state ofmaann iwrhraottlocalitl animal, such an one
plainly shows that. he. is allowing his views to be influenced by
irrelevant consideration."—Archbishop Whalely's Thoughts
ou Sersont(ary Punishments, page 29,