SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT SINGAPORE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 560, 16 March 1868, Page 4

SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT SINGAPORE.

(From the Free Tress, 9th January.) A MOST shooting tragedy Ims occurred on board (ho Navarino, a British barque ■which left our anchorage about G o’clock in tho morning for Hongkong. We cive the particulars as nearly as we can gather them, but of course do not pledge ourselves to the correctness of more than the primary facts. It seems that the mate took the vessel out, and (hat both he and the second mate were drunk at breakfast time, and the captain asleep in his cabin ; that at about half past 11 o’clock, the second mate being in charge of the deck, ordered eight bells to be struck, and then went below, woke the captain up, and asked Idm to have something to eat, and then went into tho first ma'e’s cabin and turned him up. They both then came into the cabin, and in course of couversa tion with the captain, the latter said the mate was drunk ; that tho pilot had told him (the captiin) to, and said he (the pilot) was afraid to take tho vessel on; because of it. The mate fetched the pilot —a native —down before tho captain, and befortf him the pilot denied having said so. At is the captain laughed, but after wards accused the second mate ot being drunk, which he denied, and some words ensued, and the captain ordered the latter to leave tho cabin. The second mat; squared up to the captain (who is an ole man), and told him if he was not so old he would strike him, or words to that effect. The captain on this shook hi? fists, and said that had he possessed the strength he once had he would hav« thrown both of them (tho mates) out oi the cabin, and pcrcmpto’ily ordered th< second mate out of the cabin or he would stab him, and the carpenter, who was alsi present, says that 1 e s uted tho action to the word, and drawing a bayonet from the rack of arms at the side of the cabin, struck the second mate in the throat with it. The carpenter helped the woundeii man up the companion, leaving the cap tain and first mate together, and w .thm a very short time after was followed upon deck by the latter, who leant over the companion door for a moment or so, aiul| then the captain rushed upon deck and either pushed or struck the mate down. At this time the second mate was lying on the forehatch having his wound dress ed, as well as the cook could do it, with water and wet cloths. The first mate went forward to the forecastle and there laid down, and pulling up Ids shirt up over his loins said ho was stabbed, and it proved to be so. While the men were attending to the first mate in the forecastle, the second mate died on tho hatchway. Tho native pilot, or some of the crew! (Europeans) signalled to TTAI.r’. Zebra, and some officers and men from the Bain-! bow, together with the master attendant,j went on board and took proceedings necessary in the matter. The captain, of course, was brought on shore, and remains' as a prisoner. 11 is name is Young. The second mate’s name, who is dead, is Richard White, and that of tho first mate John Grant. The body of tho second mate was brought on shore last night and carried to the hospital to await an inquest to be held to-day. The first mate is on board, stabbed in the back, and of course under medical treatment.

Thu Gold in the General Ghaut.— The Wellington Independent, of the 25th ult., says:—“ An effort is about being made by Messrs Spence Brothes, of Melbourne, to recover the gold which is supstill to bo on the wreck of the General Grant. For this purpose, Mr Tier, and a party armed with a diving apparatus, were despatched to the Bluff by the It t ngitoto. As the ill-fated vessel lies submerged in about eighteen fathoms of water, an experienced diver accompanies the expedition, which, when the Eangitoto sailed from the Bluff last week, but was about to start in the steamer Southland for the scene of its labors. It is supposed that in addition to (he 3,000 ounces of gold known to have been shipped on board the General Grant, at Melbourne, there are other quantities for which duty had not been paid, and it is hoped that some of the wool may also be recovered. In orderj that no obstacles may stand in the way of the success of the party, Mr Tier has taken down with him to the Auckland Islands a considerable quantity of blasting!powder with which to blow up the wreck if necessary. Messrs Spence Brothers are sanguine of the result of the expedition, as one which it is thought will amply repay the expense it has entailed.” Paper Boats. —lt begins to be evident, according to the Dublin Evening Mail, that paper has been put to few of the uses of which it is capable. The principal demand may continue to be for printing, writing, wrapping, and paper collars, but experiments now in progress show that Dcpormakrrs will soon find extensive uses for their product outside of the present principal sources of consumption. It has already been found (hut paper can be used advantageously for making water pipes and tanks, and in the construction of fireproof buildings ; it is almost certain that ran be made to take tho place of leather for machinery belting, and George A. Waters, t-f Troy, New York, lias demonstrated that paper makes the best material for shell boats, by constructing one thirtyfeet long, which weighs only forty pounds, and is in every respect superior to boats made of wood. It is quite thin, lighter than a wooden boat, is rendered impervious to writer by u coaling of oil and other compounds, and it is asserted that it is more durable, and that it will stand shocks which would destroy a wooden shell.

The Fenian Prisoners on Hoard the llotJOOuwoNT.—The Perth Gazette says : —“The voyage of the Hougoumont is staled to have been a very quiet one, the Fenian prisoners, of whom there are fiftyseven, having especially well-behaved and amenable to the regulations of the ship. A newspaper conducted by two of the political prisoners, was well got up, and contributed greatly towards ameliorating t lie monotony of the voyage,” The Charleston Fenians. —The Grey River Argus, of the 1 tth February, says ; —“ Wc are informed, by a recent arrival •rotn Charleston, that the result of the late Fenian funeral procession in that town lias l-een a determination on the part of its promoters to hold a grind demonstration in Gicymoi;!ii, on fct. Patrick’s Day, at which several thousand men are expected to be present. Fortunately, the Greymouth race meeting takes place on the same day, and perhaps the Charleston head-centre (if there be such an individual) intends to ‘ kill two birds with one stone.’ ”