Glasgow Courier. — 1853-03-19 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

MASSACRE OF THE OFFICERS OF THE ENGLISH SHIP BERENICE,  AND BURNING OF THE VESSEL. A most tragical event was made known at Lloyd's on Tuesday, as having unhappily befallen the master, his lady, and officers of the 'English ship Berenice' in the Straits of Gasper, while ova voyage to Sydney, who were horribly murdered on hoard, and their ship afterwards destroyed by fire. A previous mail had given rise to some fears of a vessel having been burnt in the Straits, sodas impression was entertained that the ill-fated ship was the Berenice, which was missing; and from the fact of some of the fragments of the wreck having -been picked up bearing the Berenice's initials, little doubt was felt In the matter. Much anxiety then ifisse as to the fate of those on board, who comprised apt. Candy, his wife, first and second ntates, a Frenchman (a passenger for Australia), two servants of Mrs. Candy, and about 35 hands. With the exception of the officers, there were but few Europeans among the crew, who for the most part were Java and Manilla men. The ship sailed on the 6th of June from Singapore for Shangime, and then fr.sni that port to Sydney on the 4th of November,with the intention of calling at Java. Several of the crew evinced a strong desire to leave the vessel on her reaching that island, but the captain holding out an increase of wages and additional rations to take the ship on to Sydney, they were induced to remain, and the vessel proceeded. Nothing was heard of her until about the 10th of December, when a report reached Marabaya, the residence of Togel, of the remains of a burned wreck having been discovered in the Straits. A day or two previously a boat containing fifteen persons arrived at Marabaya, who, on landing, dispersed themselves inland before the authorities had time to institute inquiries about them ; and on the day following another boat came in with a similar number, and the same character of men, a mixture of Java and Manilla men. When interrogated they stated that they were the crew of a prahu belonging to Rltio. laden with gambrie, mm hich they repres,ted had capsized, and that a boy had been drowned. The whole of them adhering to that one statement, they were released, their story at the time being believed to be true. 'The police, however, had their suspicion aroused by the conduct of some of the men, as they displayed much anxiety to part from each other's company and to leave the place, and it was not until they had been subjected to a °lost searching inquiry that the truth was revealed. Some of them at length confessed to having belonged to the Berenice, and to the horrible fate which the captain and his officers met with. According to their representations It seems that, on the 2d of December, a mutiny broke out amongst several of the Manilla men, on account, as alleged, of the master not having allowed them the additional rations which he had previously promised. About midnight they got Mr. Candy on the quarter-deck, when they horribly murdered him. His wife, hearing his cries, rushed on deck with two of the officers, w! en they also immediately fell a sacrifice. The third mate and the French passenger, who witnessed the tragedy, leaped overboard to escape the vengeance of the wretches, and perished. Mrs. Candy's servants shared a similar fate as their unhappy mistress. The whole of the bodies, with weights attached to them, were hurled into the sea. The ringleaders then took to plunder the ship of everything that was portable ; and, after some two or three days riotous living on board, they commenced destroying her. Having lowered the boa s, they kindled a fire in several parts of her, and when she had got completelyalight they abandoned her. By the last accounts the authorities were using every eltort to bring the prindipal actors in the barbarous acts of piracy and murder to justice, and as many as nine had been lodged in the jail of Togel. The Berenice was ! freighted with a valuable cargo of tea, and her loss is, therefore, conside,able.—Morning Post.