Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1866-11-16 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE TORNADO.  Mr Ed ward M. Collier, master of the stelmship Tornado, seiad by the Spaniards and taken to Cadiz. writes from on board that vessel under date Cadiz, Oct. 31st, as follows:  "Having observed in the English newspaaers so many accounts of the outrage on the British fl tg and seizure of the screw steamer Tornado, of which I sin the commander, I take advantage of the earliest moment afforded me to forward you a con eat statement of the facts of this most daring act of piracy. " Tae Tornado is British built, carries a British register, is manned by a British crew, and owned by British subjects. These facts, I understand, have been fully proved to the satisfaction of the English Government, and thus most effectually proves her right to sail under the British flag. Having received my instructions to proceed from Leith to Rio de Janeiro, I shipped my clew, obtained the usual clearance from Her Majesty's Customs, and my bill of health from the Brazdian ViceConsul, and proceeded to see, putting in at Madeira, for coal and fresh provisions on the 21st of August, and sailed thence on the following day. Soon after leaving Ma ieira I heard a gun fired front a frigate, and shortly after a second and a third, the last of which passed about three feet above my head, upon which I ordered my engines to be stopped, and was soon after boarded by the offieers of a Spanish frigate, the Gerona, and was taken with my chief engineer at once on board the frigate, when the coinmander, who even refused to look at my papers, detained us for about two hours, and then sent us hack to tuyship. During my absence the crew of the Tornado had been in ist disgracefully used by the Spaniards. They had been brutally cut down in their hammocks, some by the head, others by the feet, the former being seriously injured by the fall. . They were forced on to the poop, like so many pigs having nothing on but their trousers, with loaded revolvers on either side of their heads, and kuives an bayonets behind them. All for whom irons could lie found ' were immediately wadefast, no discrimination being made between officers and men, and the others were int' irme I that they would have shared the same fate had there been sufficient for the purpose. When I attempted to remonstrate against such outrages I was ordered to my cabin, and informed that if I attempted to again interfere I should be put in irons. " I ant unable to describe the scene of wanton and wilful destruction that occurred. Every part of my ship was ransacked, the property destroyed, the men robbed of clothes and money, my provisions stolen and shamefully wasted, one of my engineers, a steady, quiet man, put in irons from nine a. in. to four p.m„ and generally my officers and crew treated with barbarity and cruelty ; if any remonstrance was made they were threatened with more seveie punishment, and I have no doubt, had they not quietly submitted, they would have been murdered. I cannot even now believe these men can belong to the navy of a European nation ; their conduct being more like Riff pirates titan men of a civilised country,—indeed, it is impool* to nuderstand how such men can exist in the 19th century. "On the 26th of August we arrived at Cadiz, and here we have been detained as prisoners of war to this date; for many weeks we were not allowed to communicate with the British Consul or he with us, and during this period about 50 of my crew were unable to get water to wash or a change of clothing. Many of them having had only a single shirt for more than a month, they were absolutely  eaten up with vermin and filth; and although I requested permission to furnish my own provisions and clothing to these unfortunate men, my request was with the usual Spanish politeness refused. " We have been examined by some Spaniards without any one being pres,mt to protect us, or our being able to understand the n iture of the examination; and, although we have been about ten weeks detained as prisoners of war, I am quite igoorant of the charges made against my ship or crew.