LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 479, 30 December 1875, Page 3

LITERATURE.

MUTINY ON BOARD. Continued, Plausibly as Williams always talked, I mistrusted him. I noticed that he had established a considerable influence over the other convicts, and constantly surprised him speaking earnestly in corners to groups of live or six of them. On my appearance these conferences broke up, aud in spite of all affectation of indifference, I was certain on more than one occasion that anxiety was felt lest I should have caught some word in passing. And I knew, without being able to prove it, that secret signs were exchanged between Williams and at least a score, whom I could have pointed out, habitually. Another convict who evidently had some power with his fellows was Lloyd, a Welsh sailor who had stabbed another in a quarrel, and narrowly escaped the gallo »vs. But it was natural enough that an experienced sailor should obtain the hearing of landsmen during a voyage of such length, and I never suspected him of striving to influence the others with any sinister designs, as I certainly did Williams. But soon I had no time for idle speculation aud suspicion; the sickness, a fever,

attended by sjmptoms which were unfamiliar to me, increased. Soon there were a score of convicts, several seamen, and one of the marines down with it.

A man died, was sewn ixp in his hammock, and launched from the gangway with a shot at his feet, Mac Nab reading the service over him. During the ceremony one of those phenomena which make sailors so superstitious occurred. As the body touched the water the wind sank, and in half-an-hour there was a perfect calm. In many minds a calm at sea is associated with all that is peaceful and beautiful; in mine it is a horrible nightmare. For a week we lay on the broad, smooth sheet of glass, without a speck in sight to break the monotony. Glass ? Molten silver rather, for the heat was so fearful that I sometime imagined that it would seethe. The sun seemed like a mass of white hot iron close above us, and the pitch oozed and boiled between the planks. Poor Phipps could not go on with his sketching, for the perspiration dropping from his forehead blotted his work, and even MacNab’s ardour for chess relaxed. But I had little time to play with him—under such aggravating conditions the fever raged. Deaths were of daily, sometimes of hourly occurrence ; we soon had to cast the bodies overboard without ceremony. On the fourth day the captain and one of his mates sickened, and the shattered constitution of the former caused him to sink at once. Then Phipps took the fever, and though it was a mild attack, he was so feeble as to be unlit for duty. Such of the convicts as escaped the fever began to hold their heads erect, and look you full in the eyes as they passed, as though they felt that death was bringing us all to an equality. The sixth day was the most oppressive of all—it was literally difficult to draw breath, and though I escaped the fever, I was knocked up for the first time. To do my work amongst the dying and the dead was a physical impossibility for me ; I threw myself down under the awning on the quarterdeck, and lost all consciousness, probably remaining in a state of torpor for hours. I was roused by the most tremendous crash I have ever heard, and found myself in darkness, but only for a moment; the next, sea, sky, and ship were lit up by a violet glare, while a zigzag line of fire, so intense that the eyes ached at it, Hashed, and left the gloom more profound than ever. And again came that awful thunder, compared with which the loudest ever heard in Europe is a whisper. That moment of fierce light revealed to me men in the rigging, taking in the sail which had been spread to catch the slightest breeze; and a spar hanging awkwardly and all awry. Also Mac Nab and the mate who now acted as captain standing near me.

‘ We sliall never be able to manage without help, we are so terribly underhanded,’ said the latter.

‘Weel then,’ replied Mac Nab, ‘we will pick half a dozen of the deevils, uae more. One I ken has been a sailor, and - ’ Another Hash and deafening roar, which drowned his voice.

‘Eh, Mr Glover, lad,’ he said, when the lull came, ‘are ye there? Ye had better just go below. Your work is done, and ours is beginning. There will be breeze enow to blaw the fever away presently, and ye will be in the way. ’ I had often determined, if there were a storm, to remain on deck and see it; the freshness of the air too was delightful to breathe ; but fatigue overcame all else, and I was glad to take MacNab’s advice. Imagine what I had gone through that week, in such a climate, with patients dying by dozens in my youthful hands, many of whom I felt could have been saved with better nursing, and you will not wonder at my prostration.

As I reached the cabin stairs the rain came down in sheets ; there was a booming, roaring sound; the ship heeled over and raced through the water as the storm came down upon her. A flash of lightning showed me that the sea was already white with foam. I went below, made a hearty meal off some salt beef and biscuit I found on the table, drank a stiff glass of rum and water, and turned into my berth to renew my nap, weariness drowning the sense of danger. How long I slept, or what happened in the time, Ido not know. When 1 awoke, the ship was rolling heavily, and there was a ontinuous, ominous sound, thud, thud, thud, accompanied with the pouring of water, which caused me to hurry on deck, where a scene of terrible confusion met my eyes, for it was broad daylight. A mast had gone ; the deck was littered with cordage and broken woodwork. All was confusion, authority in abeyance; convicts, sailors, marines were mixed up together, hurrying to and fro, or working at the pumps. The gale had abated, was dying out in fact, but there was a leak which could not be discovered, though, in consequence of the number of hands to relieve one another in pumping, the water did not gain upon us. Finding I was not wanted there, I went below again to attend upon Phipps, who had been left 1 knew not how long, and was too weak to help himself much. The fever had left him, but he was low and desponding, and asked me to read the Bible to him, which I did. After a time I heard Mac Nab come down, and went into the saloon out of which our private cabins opened to speak to him. I round him loading his pistols. ‘ The leak has been found and stopped, ’ he said, ‘but 1 dinua like the look of the convicts ;

some of them ha’e got arms, 1 fear me. ’ While he was speaking shouts and shots were heard above, and he rushed to the cabin stairs, I following him. Directly we reached the deck we saw a body of convicts coming aft, headed by Williams, who had a musket in his hands.

‘ The ('game is up, lieutenant,’ he cried; ‘ you had better surrender. ’ (To he continued.')

IHB EEOENT CHINESE DIFFICULTY.

The Chinese Mail learns, from a native source which can be relied on, certain particulars in connection with Mr Wade’s negotiations with the Tsung li Yamen, on the Yunnan question. It says that one of Mr Wade’s demands was the opening up of Yunnan to trade. To this the Tsung li Yamen replied that Yunnan was a province that had been of late suffering from universal anarchy, and that if it were opened to trade now serious complications would arise. Supposing some of the English merchants were killed, the Chinese Government could only undertake to bring the guilty parties to justice, that is save life. Mr Wade said that meantime soldiers could be sent to put the country in proper order, and then the scheme of opening the province to trade could be gradually carried out. The Yamen replied that the popular feeling there was against it, and the Government could not overcome it. Formerly the Mahommedans and Chinese there had a difference which rose to such magnitude that the Government was powerless, and it became a formidable rebellion, which took the Government more than ten years to suppress. If the Government were now to compel the people there to open the place to trade against their will, it feared great trouble would be sure to follow. Mr Wade then said that if the people of Yunnan were such a turbulent race, and the Government was unable to rule it, what would the Yamen say to English soldiers being sent from Burmah into Yunnan to assist the Government 7 The Tsung li Yamen is said to have stated in reply that if a collision occurred between the English aoldiers and the inhabitants there, the Chinese Government would not be responsible, Mr* Wade then asked for the removal of the Governor of Yunnan, but the Yamen replied that the recovery of Yunnan was entirely due to Shen-yu-ying. If he were removed, the place would be again disturbed, so that the tradal scheme would be rather retarded than facilitated by his removal. The object of the minister was no doubt enlarged trade ; but would it not be better to wait till the time for the next revision of the treaty. Referring to the murder of Mr Margary, the Yamen said the deceased was escorted out of the country safe and sound, that it was on his re-entering Yunnan that he was murdered. The Chinese Government had already sent a high official to investigate the matter, but prior to that, confidential instructions were sent to the authorities to have the matter strictly inquired into, with the view of the question being settled in a way satisfactory to Mr Wade; It is said that Mr Wade, seeing what the Yamen said was reasonable, consented to yield his points. Li Hung Chang then casually brought forward the little unpleasantness that took ?lace between himself and Mr Wade at Tien sin. He referred to the occasion when Mr Wade called on him, and was delayed by his not coming out in time to receive him. Mr Wade took it as a slight, and went away without seeing him at all, but left straight for Tsz-chu lin. If (Li Hung Chang observed) they had not been on good terms, they would not have visited each other. Being on good terms then, was it consistent with friendship to go off like that when the host was unavoidably detained for a moment by his putting on his court dress ? He also intimated to Mr Wade that, according to Chinese etiquette, it was not allowable while discussing public matters to strike one’s fist on the table if anything that came out in the discussion displeased him. Now that intercommunication was established between the different Boards of Government and the Foreign Ministers, he would observe that the mutual visits would be only in a private character, and must not be regarded as official. Therefore, if any unpleasantness should occur, it should not be a cause of complaint For it would be unreasonable to expect a man engaged on official business to cast aside his public duties to attend to the private virft of a friend. -This is a gist of the discussion, and only three demands were granted, viz., intercommunication with the Boards, the mission of apology to England, and the mission of inquiry to Yunnan. The China Mail of Ist November mentions a rumour that Li Hsieh-tai, the late Governor of Yunnan, has been arrested by the Yunnan authorities, and is now being held in confinement, pending the arrival of the commission by whom he is to be tried. This, if true, is significant, and indicates an intention of keeping faith on the part of the Chinese with which they were scarcely credited. The Yunnan Mission, consisting of Mr Grosvenor, Second Secretary of Legation, Mr Davenport, Vice-Consul, and Mr Baber, Consular Interpreter, started on 27th October, under the escort of two Chinese gunboats. The Rangoon Mail reported that a merchant here has a letter from Manwyne, reporting that Chinese officials are vigorously investigating the circumstances attending Mr Margery’s murder, and heavy contributions are being levied to meet compensations, and some of the inhabitants are being tortured to obtain confession.

A private letter from Mandalay to the Rangoon Mail states that the King of Burmah is now wonderfully kind to the Chinese traders. He has accepted their presents, which were declined on a late occasion of a feast by one of the Queens. Instructions have likewise been issued to refund the duty levied on “ returned ” goods, and orders have been given to head men of villages to afford every facility in recovering outstandings or redressing grievances of the Chinese. The King blames his Ministers for past misunderstandings, and people are all wondering at the sudden change of his attitude towards the Chinese.

A private letter received from a gentleman on the fleet of ships employed in the diving operations connected with the sunken Vanguard contains the following interesting information: —The ships engaged at the wreck consist, first, of the Goshawk, a large gunboat, intended to lie at anchor near the wreck ; second, the Amelia gunboat, which goes with the despatches, provisions, &c., to and from the wreck to Kingstown ; third, the steam-tug Malta ; fourth, the steam-tug Oarron (these two are the most powerful paddle-tugs in the dockyard service) ; fifth, two lumps, or large powerful barges, fitted with gear for lifting 100 tons each ; sixth, the lightship to warn vessels off the wreck ; seventh, several large boats, each of which will carry 75 men. These comprise the fleet, and the men employed number over 500, The fleet was caught in the gale of Sunday morning, and for some hours we all expected the lumps to go to the bottom with their crews. They were at last taken io tow by the two tugs, and till late in

the day they struggled against wind and tide until finally we reached Kingstown harbour, drenched to the skin, and with the life nearly knocked out of us. On the night of the 4th, Captain Batt, R.N,, sent one of the divers down with a Denazrouze submarine lamp, and two other divers accompanied him. The Denazrouze diver had the speaking apparatus attached to his helmet. He took down the lamp unlighted, and when six feet under water he lighted it by the aid of the automatic lighter with which it is fitted. The moment he lighted it we on the surface could see the light, which radiated for twenty feet all round, Three divers then went to the bottom. The first diver had a newspaper, and in a moment after reaching the bottom the three divers were gathered round the lamp, and one of them was reading up the speaking tube the “ naval intelligence” from the Irish Times. He gave the paper to each of the other divers, and they could see to read the smallest print with perfect ease.—London Correspondent of The Scotsman.