PIRACY IN THE CHINA SEAS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1243, 25 December 1885, Page 3

PIRACY IN THE CHINA SEAS.

-The whole of the orow of the sohcjoner Rlihai.t O wtle, with'the except! >n of two. w»re maaanc'ed hy llio Natives of the Solomon islands, and one of those who etci] ed was nftovwar.ls drowned; "The survivor’s ia D'vid. Bro vn, ,The following i> his statement :

The Briluh vessel JSlih.nik Castle, of Byd ney, sixty f ivjr lone, Captain Hewitt, sailed from Brisbane in October I '*t y ar, with a cargo of knives, bread, tobacco, calicoes, 'etc., for t.bn Solomon Islan Is., First tonelin’ at Teste la<aml ( which lies to the east of New Ouin-a, lint the missionary who Uvea up >ll jt w»» away. After two' days we went to Bentley Is’and, twenty miles farther. Here Captain Howit Imught a pi«co of land from the head man of the islandem, and built» woo l«n shed to store ' conn an I other gmuls he could obtain, from Natives. Two of the crew were left in the | «hed. and the vessel went on to Oood win Islands, about a week's-passage; an * took in copra. She then sailed to the. S demon ' group, taking fonr Native boat hoys with her. The vessel was a topsail schooner. _ i Whilst at these is'anda tra dog with Natives, the captain went on shore one morning with one Kurt pan seaman and three Native*. A bolt seven o’c eck they returned with a boatload of copra, and woo accompanied by some Native-*, who took articles in exchange. The cap ain, with *he same crew, went on th»e again, with other articles of trade. When the boat’s crew reached the beach they ware attacked i by'the Natives., about 490 yds from the vessel, and all were murders 1. Then the Natives began;firm*, at the view -1 with tifles | Those on Hoard slipped the chain an I made j sail for Pot Douglas. i The verse’ went to the Solomon fslauds under the comm ml of Captain Roach, the < *.wner, and tonohed again at Tea e Island and Bentley Island, where they heard that noe of th ■ men who hat boon left there on the previous voyage hat liven mnrdeed, an I toe oth«r hid made his way to Qironsl:m l. The vessel„ went to thi Solomon Islan Is and snehvol. About fifteen or twenty Natives came on Imard, currying ■o ■ ahawlcs and spears Nearly all wore nakel. The captain was showing them articles of trade, when they suddenly attacked the crew. .'David Brown was to the f.i eoistle when he heard the cries. He took'fais revolver, and was going on deck, when one Native itrncst him with a tom »• hawk aud droimed bun -belov, Another seaman, mined Hugh fill tie, cinie. down,; having one side "f his face open wit| a tomahawk. They hlith rem iine t below until eveuiug, when the Natives- 1 , were stripping ,t'i« .vessel, pf .»W; ca;g*>. tJ The i. ><earing a ti"i-*p, |hey went jtlirangh the 1 nlkbesd in the forcastlefiri’o the hsd, 1 an i' got up tne main'hatch. ' Just asitwaii gert. ing daifc they a >w a light in *he ; C.»*i y, and !> iing aft met a Native com tig oat.. of, it. Brown fired at him, but the r. yo'v<frmissed tire, amt the Native grvppled with Jiini. The revolver went of in the struggle, and the hul'et went through Broad's hau l. He < ailed O'lt t’ Oil >ie to fire, an I hj ■ shot the Native in the brad. They fell down the cabin ladder. The sailors closed the coqioanion, sinl fired through the cabin windows at the other Natives, wh > were Inside, and killed them both. It'then got 1 diik. They sioiiel the cable and made rail.; I'i the lumping the deal by lies ofthe captain. m'rtC,'coi»kl«nlSl» am»n. and a • Native >siy were all f-ran-l Iyiii2*nt theaieek, I terribly gashed, ami were buried at sea. | what Brawn &bp[si*ed to **<o No-v (iuii(ea..an-.l e ra ijly l;yn aj;eifc .It gyt 03. Inj le >fe ils • Hvfly th it the two m n pat .af ihe|iiovisidu» and'wuher and the ship's . pijie is inti> IHa host.: Od the aduth rfiill west'side.of No v .O got into a ' gale, *and the' sail Jibing suddenly when rou"ding an island, t<» whch they w> ri tunni’ng.foc shJltef.'fhJ ■ 'o*mi caught I'll'lie and knoeks I him overboard. There was a ’heavy sepo i. Browp did,hi| hest tp save 'him. but coiil! ndt'Tfelp faim. Brown then. ;ii ' the Has -1i i Ciu 1.-'s ii'tug ‘’a id drifting k suit for:focJy-ei jht Java, w ten lie reabho 1> ■K y Island, aid ws oick up hy-a Ditiish hiTg'o i Sopte ii'ivr 21 ; . Ha had exhaust d. jail the pnirt'i 'nS'ih'tSfa’><i’it.' T.iecaiit sin took him to K. »i tula, an 1 thence he was tik'n m Rourahaya by a—Dutch s eamer, wheio-.he re «r*4!d .hiniseJif to tips British Consul, who-fo •warii&l lT|m'*ni Singapore. Brown was £bp yn>y man of the former crew who vteut on the * a m I voyage. .Tuv-ctew-gs msistuiTcf tlia paiiia n-tpa'e, cok, three seiin p. art-1 » ®fstif(rf#, 'iill of wbbin pensfis 1 except-Boiw.i. The Consul stare i that the boat would bo sol tsivl the papain -eat to Sin-.-apore* • w . ,