New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-21

Some recent proceedings in the Liverpool crimi-
nal courts, in relation to occurrences on board
American vessels, have led to very severe comments
on the part of the Liverpool press. "Killng, says
The Lrerpool Courier, is evidently considered
"no murder on board American ships; We have
" fresh proof Of this, on an average, about every
"other week"
We are sorry to say that the disclosures con-
stant'y taking place in our own courts are OF
character to afford TOO much color TO these lament
able representations. A very large part of the
business Of the United States Courts in this city
consists in the investigation of charges of atrocious
cruelty, going sometimes to the length Of murder,
brought by sailors against the officers Of vessels and
for one charge thus investigated there are doubtless
many in which no COMPLAINTS ~ de. Everywhere the
complaint is on the other side and the sailors are
proceeded against for mutDy, it very often turns
out that the mutiny was not without cause other
than the z ere wickedness Of the sailors, having
been provoked by gross misbehayior on the
part of the officers. In the cases before our
New-York Courts the Liverpool packets come in
for II cir full share There is one charge Of mutiuy
against the crew Of one of these packets now pend
ing, and we yesterday published an affidavit made
by one Campbell respecting bis treatment on board
the packet.ship Ellen Austin, which will doubtless
Lad TO judicial proceedings against the officers Of
that vessel.
We very much fear that these cruelties, which
are beginning to give the American merchant ser
vice very bad name, have been encouraged to
certain degree by the tendency Of the owners and
matters OF vessels, and even to considerable ey.
tent Of the public and the Courts, to look with
too lenent ard eIcu!patory eye upon cases Of tits
kind. Under the idea that discipline must be pre-
served, there has been strong disposition to SUE
tain the officers Of ships against the complaints Of
their crews 1t is said that our sailors are most Of
them wretched SET, only to be Kept IN order By the
sternest severity. The sailors may be very bad
We fesr many Of them are-but it would ap-
pear from the evidence in many Of the cases TO
which we refer that the officers are sometimes not
much if any Letter. Nor can the existing state of
things contribute to the improvement Of either
officers or men. What person Of any seli-respect
will consent to enter Il service in which he is eX.
posed to suffer or to irAict the outrages, Injustice
and brutalities habitual, we nsy say, on board 80
many American ships What more reasonable than
things our crews and cur shipmasten should con-
tiIue to deteriorate, AID TO be made up more and
more Of the dreSs CT creaton7 TIE worse the
crews become the greater tie occasion for severity
ard the more severity the worse the crews become
THUS the evil goes on prOpagat;sg itself.
Al Ill. r Z.
hat it becomes more and more difficult to get crews
Of any kind, aud hence resort h a system Of
fraud on the part Of thOee whose business it is TO
supply crews, praet:ced alike OF tie sailors and the
tficers, and leading naturally to the worst state Of
feeling between them at the very commencement Of
the voyage, and often to shoe king scenes Of vio-
leDce AID cruelty. The men are slipped when
drunk upon voyages which they did not intend and
do not wish TO 60 and the officers, instead Of able
seauen who understand their duties and are capable
Of performing them, have palued upon them mere
drunken land ubbeTs, whom they yaiuly attempt 10
drive 70 the performance Of duties Of which they
are Incapable, and whose failure often proyokes
them to ciUelies rs useless SIS they are atrocious
Ills isa state of things which even upon eco
Lomcal cot siderailo1s aore, ought TO attract The
attention Of the owners Of American ships. We
s'e chiefly dependent on foreign ccuntre, for the
sailors employed in our fore.sn commerce; aud to
allow the idea 10 spread suopg them that hard and
cruel treatment is The rse on board American yes,
sels and net the rare exception, cannot but esd 70
ct n~querces very disastrous TO cur Navigating H.
terests.