The Sun. — 1834-12-22 (London, England)

HORRID MURDER AT SEA.  (From the Liverpool Standard of Friday.) Yesterday an investigation was entered intered into before the Mayor in the private room of the Poliee-offiee, touching the death of Captain Grocott, of the merchant brig Amelia, late of this port, and several of the crew, who are supposed to have been cruelly murdered on the coast of' Africa by two black seamen, then employed on board the Amelia, who are now in Liverpool. The particulars of the murder appear to be of the following horrid nature : About two years ago the Amelia set sail from Liverpool for the purpose of trading in Africa. Having arrived there and finished the business of the voyage, and returning to England, the seamen in their berths below were aroused one night by hearing the cry of murder. Gould, the mate, went on deck, and found that tho Captain and many of the ilea had been attacked by two negroes, who were employed as sailors. On seeing this he immediately retired to load the fire-arms, but whilst doing so an explosion was heard, and one part of the deck of the vessel was blows away. The captain was not to be seen en board the vessel, but it was subsequently ascertained that the blacks had cut his throat, and whilst they were fighting with others on the deck, he in the agony of death had made a spring upon a skylight belonging to the cabin, and, upsetting a lighted candle, it ignited with some gunpowder, which blew up the forepart of the vessel.. The two blacks imagining that the vessel was speedily going to pieces, went to the stern of the ship, took boat, and escaped. Gould and two or three others were left on board. the rest being murdered, and they would have met with a watery grave had they not -secured the long boat, with which, after many huffetings with the billows, they made the African shore. It was subsequently reported to Lloyd's and other places for the reception of marine intelligence, that the Amelia, of Guernsey, had fired and foundered at sea, which was universally believed. A short time, however, after the lamentable affair, Captain Irving of the brig Mars, on his return from Africa to this country, saw a boat manned by two men in the open sea. He hailed them, but no answer was returned, and therefore fired over their heads, on which both dived into the sea and left the boat. They were subsequently taken by Captain Irving's crew, and turned out to be two black men. The boat being examined, a gentleman's cloak was found to have been used as a sail, which has since proved to have been the property of Captain Grocott. The men, on being interrogated by Captain Irving, said they belonged to the Amelia which had foundered at sea, but gave no reason for their strange conduct, when frst hailed. They wore brought by Captain Irving to Falmouth, since which tin v) they have remained in England. Gould, before mentioned, was one of the persons who escaped to the African shore, and he having subsequently arrived in England, detailed the particulars of the shocking occurrence to the relatives of some of those seamen who perished in fheir sleep at the hands of the black men. These relatives, under the circurastanoes, plied to the authorities of Liverpool, who ascertained tleat the black men alluded to were inmates of the workhouse one afflicted with tho small pox, and the other also unwell. The latter was placed at the bar yesterday I)efore the Mayor, when Captain Irving, of the brig Mars, identified him as one of the men whom he picked up in the open sea as before described, and bq \vas remanded until Gould, the late mate of the AinZ-la could be in attendance. A flArth'7l- investigation is expected to be entered into this  A,._ ~44.