The American. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1857, 1857-09-23

4 n; - ~ business connected witt
A nv pri''S1'' ADSs 9. Il W. StFisST FESToS 3 +"
II ,-ys,.3 Washington City, d. G.
- getting all the women and children ON board Of
y her, ana some Of the steamers crew, topethe
WY wv lew passengers, Jumped on the brig, aftel
Mlicn she was toyed into Norfolk on Friday last
AZ small Saa steamer belonging tethat port, which
I the brig "fN'a'7'' 'F''7'' : iN'Ns'n''' -
William Birch Communicates singular fac
| ~ reference TO the captain Of the Norwegian
bafque Ellen. He says that his opportune pre-
sence IN the vicinity of the wreck was strikingly
iIrovidential Owing to the fight of a bird which
new IN ms lace, twice that fatal night at short in
teryais, the supefsttiOus captain OF the Ellen was
induced to divert two points from his destination,
ana thus steered directly TO. lwhore the Central
America foundered. Otherwise the opportunity
would not have been his Of acting so noble part
IN the general rescue. bo3ioiaa
Inc passengers also tell an anecdote concerning
MT. Birch, which we may meIstions After he went
aowh with the ship hcwas Immediately upborne with
such force by his life preservers as that in striking
fragment OF the wreck he was wounded to the
quick, but managed to grasp and crawl on floating
| hatch window. Several others, by dnt Of severe
struggling with the waves, finally got on also and
for sometime kept his company. ...
Ihey were all respondent, however, and their
escape 30 far from watery grave, a worse fate,
apparently than death ITSELF quickened as their
memories were at a sense of their losses. and at
the awful forebodings still overhanging the future.
Birch, nevertheless, was as cool us a cucumber.
10 keep up their spirits he mimcked the sea mon.
ste's told numerous stories, in his own peculiar
way, and on that frail bark stretched on his back,
bleeding from wounds, at midnight, tossed to and
| tor upon the angry waves of mid-ocean, he not
only showed himself a true philosopher, but in
spred coursge in others, nor did he cease his vivi-
| tying haaangue until an Overwhelming billow
choked his utterance
~ Affairs in India.
"A Hong Kong correspondent of the London
Iiines gives the following account Of an American
pirate: while am upon this subject of piracy
let me mention that an American, named Eli
Boggs, was tried at Hong Kong ron Wednesday
last for piracy and murder. His name would do
for villain of the Blackboard class, but in form
and feature he was the hero of sentimental
novel. AS he stood in the dock, bravely battling
for his life; it seemed impossible that that hand.
some boy could be the pirate whose name had
been for three years connected with the boldest
and bloodiest acts of piracy. 1t was face of
feminine beauty. Not down upon the upper
lip, large, lustrous eyes, a mouth the smile OF
which might WOO COY maiden,t aflluent black hair
not careessly parted, hands 80 small and so deli
catcly white that they would create sensation in
Belgrava--such was the Hong Kong pirate Eli
Boggs. iE
lie spoke for two hours in his defence. and he
spoke well-without a tremor, without an appeal
Tor mercy, but trying to prove that his prosecu-
ton was the result OF a conspiracy wherein Chi
nsse bumboat proprietor and sub-official of the
colony (both of whom he charged as being in
league with all the pirates the coast) were the
chief conspirators. The defence was, of course,
fall l,aI L.. Il
| junk, and destroyed by cannon, pistol, and
sword, fifteen men; and that having forced all the
rest overheard he had fred at one of the victims,
who had clutched rope and held on astern. No
witness, however, conld prove that he saw man
die from blow or shot struck or fired by the
pirate. The jury, moved by his youth and courage,
and strainiDg hard their consciences, acquitted
him of the murder, but found him guilty of piracy
He was sentenced to be transported for life
A CARAVAN DESTROYER.
Letters from Syria report the total destruction
in the desert of q caravan. The latter consisting
OF 500 persons and 900 camels, laden with mer-
chandise, started from Damascus on the 29th Of
June, and by some mismana cement lost its way
The entire caravan perished, with the exception
of some 30 persons, who were rescued from GER
tain death in the sand by wandering Arabs. The
merchandise was naturally considered a lawful
prize by the latter, but the Governor Of Damascu.
has sent in a claim in the name OF the heirs This,
however is subtlety Of the law which the Arabs
do not recognize. ...,,,,
EXTREMITY OF THE MUTIsERRs
The Daily News says: 1--WE learn from one of
| Colonel NeilPs letters that the mutneers in his
district have expended their percussion caps and
were converting their detonators into matchlocks
A cassid from Lucknow is said 90 have declared
that the mutineers there were ia want of shot.
and were reduced to the necessity Of firing stones
fbn A nalh
appear TO have been wanting, ahdlthe small arms
men, from want of ball, we're using shgs made OF
electric telegraph wire. 1t is also reported that
latterly, having no fuses for their Shells they bad
been obliged to have recourse 10 some very made
quatc substitutes. This is serious disadvantage
under which il was from the beginning obvious
that the mutincers would soon come to labor"
...f .. SHARP FIGHrISG.aa
correspondent speaking Of the siege Of Delhi,
says: ..., .-.,...., ,,n.n
"Thc sharpe.t fighting we have yet had was on
the 23d of June This was the Tooth anniversary
Of the battle Of Plassey ard the day predicted for
tho termination Of our rule in India They fought
from halEpast 5 A. NJ. till haf.past 6 p. ", and
| lost great many men, 700 OF 800 at least On
| ourside there we're about $50 killed aud wounded
more than we can spare. There was another sharp
skirmish on the 27th another the 4th inst, and
again on the 9th, OF which last occasion the mu.
l tincers were well punished. They had made them.
selves quite drunk with native drug called bhang
l and consequently more Courageous than usual and
1 charged our men two and three times at one Of
our batteries small party OF the Goth Rifles
killed in one spot 50 men, and 90 men Of the
Guides Corps killed so in another. Altogether
they must have lost that day about 600 men.
| Many of our men were 80 done up that they sank
| down on the road even under fire, dead beat and
wont to sleep. There were also, several cases o
| sun-stroke. ...,.
| THE AFFAfE AT AGRA.
| On the 9TH of June the Kotah Contingent, mus.
tcring some 700 strong, of all three arms, who
we're brought into cantonments with the idea they
could be trusted, mutinied and shot their sergeant
Inaor, the officers having all escaped back to can.
| tonments from the place about three miles off,
! whore they were ordered 10 form an advance
post. Seeing that matters were becoming serious
the Lieut. Governor induced to remove into
| the fort, when a bloody battle followed between
the Kotah Contingent (who had been joined by
the Necmuch mutineers aud other rabble,) and
the third Eu opean regiment and seventy or eighty
II ,NaIk k.x.. rT