Glasgow Courier. — 1863-07-30 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

PIRACY AND MURDER.  A charge of piracy and murder on board the British ship Beatrice, 470 tons register, has been brought before the Supreme Court at Hong song. Four English seamen, named Timothy Driscles, George Bailey, Charles Atkins, and William Hardy, were charged with the wilful murder of Mr John Adams, the chief officer of the ship. It appears that very bad discipline was kept on board, and that the crew were in the habit of getting into the hold, and drinking spirits and wine, which formed part of the cargo. On the night of the 10th of June the deceased, having charge of the watch on deck, was sitting on a hencoop on the poop, when one of the prisoners came behind him, and knocked him down by a heavy blow on the head. Almost immediately afterwards Atkins picked him up, and threw him overboard. The poor fellow screamed " Murder!" several times, and cried " Help, help !" but no effort or alarm was made to save him. The prisoners had endeavoured to prevail on most of the crew to join them to take the ship. After disposing of the mate they went to the cabin to secure the captain and the rest of the officers. The second mate, hearing the scuffle on deck, was coming up the companion ladder to iiscertain the cause, when he was met by Atkins, armed with a harpoon or boarding pike, and a thrust was made at him, which luckily missed. He then returned to the cabin, and the captain and he armed . themselves, as also the carpenter who was with them. I One of the gang, named Baynes,fivent to the skylight of the cabin with the intention, it was supposed, of doing mischief. The captain, seeing him from his cabin, and hearing that the mate had been thrown overboard, Galled upon the second mate to shoot him. Howard, the officer, obeyed, and shot the man dead on the spot. This act had the effect of overawing the prisoners, who all went went forward, when they were seized and placed in irons. The jury found three of the prisoners (Drisdes, Hardy, and Bailey) guilty of piracy, and Atkins guilty of wilful murder. The verdict was accompanied with a statement to the effect that to a gross mistnanagement and neglect of their duties by the captain and' officers was to be attributed in a great measure, if not entirely, all that had happened on board. The prisoner Atkins was ordered for execution.  Prince Frederick Lof Prussia, brother of the King, is (lead.  The Marquis of Normatiby, KG., died at five o'clock on Monday morning, The Court of Bankruptcy has refused to release Colonel Waugh from prison. The expense of the defence in the case of the Cre• morne rioters amounted to nearly £3OOO. The Earl of Mornington is dead. The title now devolves on his cousin, the Duke of Wellington.  A concert, under influential patronage, —is to he given in Liverpool in aid of the fund nowbeing raised for the Poles. _ _  On Saturday. Mr John Fenton, banker, and first M.P. for Rochdale, died at his seat, Crumble Hall, near Rochdale.  TheDukeof Hamilton and Lord Charles Hamilton, have left to join the Duchess, who has returned to Bailen•Baden from Paris.  We regreat to her that a rumour is current in Edinburgh circles that the Duke of Athele has been attacked by cancer in the neck, and that a fatal result is apprehended by his Grace's physicians. An act of Parliament has just been printed to continue the Poor-law Board to the 231 of July, 1864, and to the end of the then next session of Parliment, with power to the Urown to appoint a commissioner in the event of a vacancy occurring in the meantime. _  The Hon. Mrs Yelverton, who, by the law's delays, is still kept hack from the vossession of her just rights, left last week for London, thence to proceed to the south of Franco on a visit to her friends. There will be nothing done this year in the TIAN a Loa% Witl3 Ma* YolvertQu's akpoal.  MR