The Sun. — 1848-08-03 (London, England)

PIRACY AND MURDER.—On May there was a special session held at _Singapore, by Sir Christopher RawHugon, the Recorder, ,tor the trial of twenty-six Chinese convicts, escaped from the General Wood. After an investigation, which lasted two days, they were all found guilty, and sentence of death recorded against them, except four. on whom sentence of death was passed. Of these four, three were hanged on the 26th of May, the fourth being respited. The twent2 -three convicts have been sentenced to transportation to Bombay, chiefly for life. Several new facts were elicited on the trial, but the confessions of the culprits have served chiefly to explain the way in which the catastrophe was brought about. It appears the ship's carpenter, a Chinese, planned the undertaking, with the assistance of two of the crew (also Chinese); all three were found guilty, and sentenced to transportation to Bombay. Sixteen of the Chinese on one chain it was arranged should be released by the man at the end of the chain forcing the lock. One of the convicts, who acted as a cook, tapered pieces of firewood to be used as means of attack. The 16-head men were to divide themselves into four parties, each party to attack and murder the captain and his three officers, whilst the Chinese crew and the carpenter were to persuade the Lascars to take to the rigging. According to the confessions, on the sixteen being released, they first killed the sepoy in charge of the key, and with the latter released the other Chinese secured on another chain. On reaching the deck they murdered the captain and chief mate, and threw the bodies overboard; the second mate was wounded and missed—he could not be found; the third mate fought the Chinese at every point until nearly exhausted—he made for the misen- top, from whence he was dragged down by Ung-Hee (a Chinese lascar), and dispatched with a sword just before dawn of day. It formed no part of the original plot to kill the passengers, as the Chinese were riot aware of there being any on hoard until the night the vessel sailed from Singapore. But it appears never to have entered into the minds of the convicts to have seised the vessel until instigated to ' do so by the,Chinese carpenter and three Chinese lescars, one of whom, ling-Hee, had been three years in the ship. CORONER'S INeUEST.—Yesterday an inquest was held at the Angel public house, in Lambeth-walk, before Mr. William Carter, the coroner for East Surrey, and a respectable jury, touching the death of Mr. William White. It appeared that the deceased, who was sixtyfive years of age, and who resided with his son, a stationer in an extensive way of business in Lambeth-walk, had for some time past exhibited signs of imbecility, and had a particular fancy for lighting pieces of paper arid bits of wood in the candle. On Sunday night he retired to rest at his usual hour, and some time after his son, who slept in the same room, was horror-stricken on entering the chamber, and finding his aged parent crouched up in a corner of the room, and burnt in a shocking manner. It appeared that lie had gut out of bed and set himself on fire, and was in the agonies of death when found by his son. A verdict of " Accidental Death" was returned. NovEL