The Northern Daily Times. — 1853-10-05 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.  of the word—once so wide spread and 89 com mon that' the dangers arising therefrom formed as much a matter of calculation for the shipowner or the underwriter, as those from fire, wars, or shipwreck—have, as before said,. been put down by the united energy of civilized nations ; and of such perils no Vessel leaving port, manned even .aCcording to the most approved peace fashion, need entertain a dread. But there is another species of piracy to which merchant vessels, especially those trading to or from ports of half-civilized countries, and in consequence frequently having a few • natives of them among their crews, are still subjected ; and •of this fact our columns lately afforded a truly fearful exemplification. The details of the catastrophe, as we are possessed of them, are as brief as they are horrible—we will place them once more before our readers. The Aratoon Apcan clipperbark; belonging, it seems, to Calcutta, left Hong Kong a few months since, on her return voyage. She was under the command of Captain Henry Lovett; and, besides her compliment, (made up principally of Bengalese, with ten 'Chi.neSe, the mates being English), appears to have had two or more Chinese passengers and two English on board. According to the last entry made in the log book of the ill-fated ship, Green island was distant at noon on the day of their departure N.E 52 miles. At midnight the pilot took his departure, leaving the ship in charge of Mr. Woodburne, the second mate. Half an hour after this, the Chinese portion of the crew, with the two Chinese passengers, rushed up, armed with sharp square knives, and after murdering and throwing overboard the unhappy mate, made their way into the cabin, where the captain, the chief mate, a young relative of the former, and the two passengers, one a surgeon, and the other, the late commander of a merchant vessel, were in their berths. All these, with the exception of Captain Lovett, who was mortally wounded and left in the cabin, were either thrown or jumped overboard. The man at the wheel, it seems, and some Lascar seamen, who were on deck at the time, made their way into the rigging, and, about two o'clock, contrived to communicate the dreadful scene they had witnessed to the gunner, who occupied a berth forward, and was in utter ignorance of any thing extraordinary having occurred. Meanwhile the villians, having spiked the guns, cut away the topsail halyards, and endeavoured to set the ship on fire, made their escape in the quarter boats. Great hopes are entertained of their capture, as also that some of their victims who are missing may have .succeeded in reaching, a small island near which the ship lay at the time of the outbreak. Thus, then, we see that the discipline even of an English ship, commanded by English officers, may prove inadequate to .forstall or contend against the diabolical daring and cunning of exasperated or greedy savages—for the cause which provoked their passions in the present case is yet unknown—or how far their object, whatever it may have been, beyond murder, was effected. The one lamentable fact before us, that British officers have been murdered, a British vessel captured and afterwards abandoned, by a small band of cowardly savages, is, we think, a sufficient justification for bringing it thus prominently before our readers. If there is once place more than another especially interested in such a tragical occurrence, it is assuredly the Port of Liverpool.