The Sun. — 1864-01-07 (London, England)

PARTMEN T. G overnment Secarities (including Dead Weight Annuity) £10.957,330 Other Securities '22.432,763 Notes Gold and Silver 6:2,494 Coin  X,1,518.440  .£41,518,44 .IISIIALL, Chief Cashier.  Liverpool Cotton Market—This Dap•  Sales probably only about 1,000 or 2,000 bales, at id. to -Id. below Thursday. Import, 2,403 ; previously, 8,416.  Mr. Bright and the Pirate,  (From the Birnzingham .Post.)  Those of our readers who remember the bankruptcy of Mr. J. Rubery will no doubt remember also that Mr. J. Rubery had a brother, younger than himself, who, being sent out to Now York to " settle accounts" with a Mr. Hill, wandered off to California with, it was stated, certain moneys in his possession. The young man was the object of a great deal of discussion and evidence in the Bankruptcy Court, and if we remember rightly the case was adjourned once, or more than once, for his production as a witness. He never came, but in his place Hill made his appearance, remarking, when asked what brought him here, " The steamship Europa." Hill, if our recollection serves us as it should do, stated that young Rubery had called on him, settled accounts, and set out for California. As to the " set,ling accounts" we know nothing--but it was agreed on all hands that California was the destination of Mr. J. Rubery's brother. It now turns out that the young man has, through the influence of Mr. Bright, M.F., narrowly escaped hanging. So far as we can make out, Rubery (of Califon' ia), getting money somewhere, became part proprietor of a steamship, which set out from New York with supposed supplies for California. At all events, whether part proprietor or not, he was supercargo ; and the " cargo" of which he was " super" seems to have consisted chiefly of arms and ammunition, with a great deal of quicksilver thrown in as "a blind." The real object of the journey, however, seems to have been a piratical one, the plan being to lie off San Francisco until an outward bound gold vessel should fall into the clutches of the crew of the " supply" steamer, in which case there is lithe doubt that the crew of the gold vessel would have been murdered, and their cargo stolen. Two of Rubery's sailors, however, got ashore, and divulged the whole business, whereupon the supply ship was seized, and Rubery and his companions were in imminent danger of being hanged, if, indeed, they were not already sentenced; we do not know how this was. This, however, is pretty certain : Rubery wrote home explaining that he had an objection to being hanged, but stating that he did not care much for a term of imprio sonment, his apartments at the gaol bring the most comfort. able he had occupied for some time past. As was natural, his friends here were greatly concerned ; and feeling that Mr. Bright and Mr. Cobden were about the only persons  in this country who had influence enough in America to get a commutation of the young scapegrace's sentence, they applied to the friend of both gentlemen, Mr. Charles Sturge, ex-mayor of Birmingham. Mr. Sturge, a strong advocate for the abolition of capital punishment, at once wrote to Mr. Bright, and Mr. Bright at once communicated with the Federal Government at Washington. The result was a commutation of Rubery's sentence to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of ]O,OOO dols. Here Mr. Sturge's efforts ended. The crime of which Rubery was convicted was, as he took it, a very serious one, and the only ground on which be had been induced to interest himself in the young man's behalf was his belief that capital punishment was simply judicial murder. Mrs. Joseph Sturge, however, together with certain members of the Society of Friends in Birmingham, looking at the young man's youth, his previous good conduct, and the influences by which he was surrounded, moved Mr. Bright to obtain, if possible, a full pardon. Mr. Bright, it would seem, complied with this request, and by the last mail received a letter from a high authority in Washington—at all events such a letter has been communicated to Rubery's friends— containing the following passag,: :—" Rubery's pardon will issue as soon as the papers can be prepared. There is touch feeling in Calfornia against the crime of Rubery and his associates ; but the judge who tried him, and both senators say, that everybody will be satisfied if it be known that Mr. Bright, the good friend of our country, desired the pardon."