The Sun. — 1863-11-06 (London, England)

PIRAT: ES IN THE CHINESE SEAS.  The folk )wing letter has been received in Liverpool Ann°. anciars the fate of the ship Parana and  her crew :,  " Hongkong, Sept. 24, 1863.  "Dear Sirs,—Referring you to enclosed press copy of our last respects under date of the 10th inst., it is now with most sincere regret that we have to announce to you the reported loss of your bark Parana, and the still more melancholy fact of the murder of Capt. Morrish and the entire crew. The following are the fullest particulars regarding this; most unfortunate affair.  si As We wrote you on the 12th inst., Captain )lorrish started on his homeward voyage from hence .on the 2d inst. On Saturday morning, the 12th inst., news arrived from Macao (about 40 miles from this), where the Parana loaded, that some mandarin boats had had an engagement with piratical junks, -which ended in the former capturing one or more of the junks, as also 20 prisoners. These they brought over to Macao. On reaching the junk it was found to contain about 300 cases of cassia, -which the agent of the Parana found to be marked ' O. and Ca., Parana,' and a portion of the cargo he had shipped by that vessel. On an examination of the pirates by the mandarins, one of them stated that 103 en close by Latai they attacked and boarded a foreif;n vessel, plundered her, and then set fire to her, after having killed the captain and crew. '` Oar senior, with one of the firm of Oxford and Co., the charterers, waited on the senior naval officer inar aediately after the receipt of the news and corn. intenicated the facts of the case to him, upon which he ordered the Opossum gun-boat out with orders to procure any tidings they might bs able to gain of Capt. Morrish and the crew, or any other parti.culars of the unfortunate event. The gunboat returned on the 21st inst. They had twice visited the piratical haunt, destroyed 13 prisoners, a small l in all five of their junks., and brought with them qaant ity of cassia, a timepiece, and some ship's gear, which has been. proved to have belonged to the Parana. Tbe examination of these 13 men took place on M.onday, the 21st, at the Police-court, in the preser.ce of our senior, when it was proved by the Chin a pilot of the gunboat that one of the 13 men ac'S .Howledged to at least being cognizant of the whf )1e circumstances attending the affair. His story v /as that five boats had attacked a foreign vessel, taken all her valuables out of her, put the crew b Blow, battened down the hatches and set fire to the vessel. This, if true—which we have little doubt of—is in its result the most barbarous pira• tical attacks we have ever heard of, even in China. We regret, to say that after the conclusion of the exe.mlna',ion the magistrate thought there was hardty sufficient evidence to convict them of murder. He could only there enema them for Piracy, but gave us the option of a remand for farther evidence, of which we have availed, and have addressed her Britannic Majesty's Consul, 31r. D. B. Robertson, at Canton, with full details of the case, requesting that he would lay the matter before the proper Chinese authorities, ih Whose custody is the first batch of the prisoners taken by the mandarin boats, in order that they might, it possible, aid us with any evidence tending to convict the above 13 men of murder. To this we have not as yet received any official reply, but from a private source we gather that six of the 20 taken by the mandarins have confessed to having been in the piratical attack ; that the vessel'was boarded out at sea in the night, pillaged, and burnt, all the Europeans on board doubtless perishing; ' bat of this there is no Actual certainty. We shall hope to hand you the official report per Peninsular and Oriental steamer, which will, we trust, be of such a nature es will enable the authorities here without any difficulty to convict the whole of them of murder, as also of piracy. " The arrival of the English mail yesterday, so close on the departure of the French steamer, prevents our writing you at greater length, and trusting to be able to give you farther intelligence per Peninsular and Oriental steamer on the 27th inst. —We are, dear sirs, in haste, yours faithfully. " WALKER, BOKRODAILE, and Co. " Messrs. James Poole and Co., Tower-buildings, Liverpool."