BURNING THE BODIES OF ENGLISH SAILORS.

Evening Star, Issue 3254, 25 July 1873, Page 3

BURNING THE BODIES OF ENGLISH SAILORS.

The Western Morning News quotes a letter in one of the Cape newspapers relating a curious circumstance which came to the knowledge of the passengers of the mail steamer Roman on her last outward trip. While at Madeira their attention was attracted by a column of smoke rising from the western part of the island, away from the town of Furidhall, and inquiries elicited the answer : “ Oh, they are burning the captain of the English brig that was wrecked the other day.” It appeared that the brig Champion of Banff went ashore while the English fleet wore at anchor in the roads, and that the captain and four men were drowned. Their bodies came ashore, but as the Roman Catholic law did not permit of the decent interment of heretics, the five sailors were coated with tar and publicly burned, in spite of the remonstrances of several resident English. It was the smoke from the bodies that attracted the attention of the passengers of the Roman. The crew of the brig Juan offered to bury their fellow-countrymen at sea, and when the Roman left were not allowed to go on shore, for fear of their making reprisals. The letter adds that “ the Church of English is well represented by more than one or two clergymen, and the usual antagonistic High and Low parties.”