MUTINY ON BOARD THE WILLIAM TAPSCOTT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 180, 28 July 1873, Page 2

MUTINY ON BOARD THE WILLIAM TAPSCOTT.

Our telegrams on Friday last announced the arrival of this ship in Wellington with the captain ia irons. The following particulars are given by the Fosloi (hat date: The Willi»m Tapscotfc is a ship of uo les3 than 1630 tons register, and rather more than 20 years of »»e. She was hound from Enderby Isslnud to Q'leenstown. Ireland, with 2000 tons of guano on board. The captain, according to the crew's story, soon began to indulge in the wildest, excesses, and commit the utmost brutalities ou his men, who for a time bore them patiently. One of hia reported freaks appears to have originated in a laudable desire to improve the cleanliuess of the erevv; accordingly, he insisted an j having them all scrubbed with birch brooms, in spite of strenuous remonstrance-'. This, and other eccentricil es, at length roused the seamen to resistance, which at first did not improve the state of affaite, the chief recalcitrant being cut down with an axe, another " pinkad " with a cutlass, and a third shot, beside a liberal administration being made of handspikes aud belayiug-pins. Happily none of these affrays ende4 fatally; but at length the captain proceeded to make a target of the firat mate. On this, the other side were compelled to open fire, and being disabled, and "raked fore and ;iff,"he had to succumb, and was accordingly handcuffed uml confined to his cabin under a strong guard. To add to the complications of tha affair, the ship proved to be leaky and makiug water so rapidly that it is suited she must have foundered in a very short time, unless she had succeeded-^in reaching this port, when she was brought into harbor by Pilot Holmes. The crew seem to have adopted a novel expedient for recording the true report of the occurrences, namely, by entering in the log a moat elaborate pictorial representation of the various sensation scenes — the captain, with axe in one hand ami revolver in the other — the man at the wheel just cut down, &c, a cupital subject for some startling theatrical scene-painting. We fear, however, that this work of nautical art will scarcely be legal evidence in a court of law. The American Consul, Capt. M'lntyre, went on board soon after arrival, accompanied by the captain of another American vessel, the Horatio Sprague, for the purpose of investigating the case. The mutiny and subsequent occurrences having been committed on (he high seas, and under tha American flag, we believe our courts of law have no jurisdiction, and if the offenders, whether captain or crew, are to bo brought to justice, they will have to be forwarded to America for trial, on the application of the Consul, and under the provisions of the Extradition Treaty. A survey is to be held on the ship. Since writing the above, we have received the captain's version of the affair, which ia briefly as follows : — The ship left Enderby Island on the 9th June, aud all proceeded quietly and well until the twenty-third day, when off the Navigators Islands. The chief mate then sulked duty, and was therefore ordered to his cubin by the captain. The mate denied the captain's authority, and challenged his power to keep order. Ho also asked that all hands should be called aft, iv order to hear the grounds on which he was placed under arrest. This was complied with, the mate stopped the captain from explaining the matter and complained to the crew of the ship being unfit to proceed round the Horn. He used violent language, and the crew also became violent, insisting on the vessel being run to the nearest port. The captuiu replied he did not think the circumstances justified this course, but, if necessary, he would adopt it. The crew then refused duty. After some negociatiou between captain and crew, the latter rushed the former, knocked him down, put him in irons, and by the orders of the second and third officers, confined him io his cabin. Iv the evening, tho captain got the irons off one hand, and arming himself with the only available weapon, an axe, went on the poop. The second mute threatened to shoot him, and was about to carry the threat out, when the captain struck him with the axe on the cheek. The mate had previously fired a revolver shot fro.n the main deck at the captain, but without effect. A second shot took effect in the captain's left knee. The crew then began to pelt the captain with all sorts of missiles, aud live other shots were fired at him by the mate. The captain was at last obliged to go below, being severely bruised, and since that he has been kept in his cabin in close arrest. For remainder qf *eu>a see fourth page.

Speaking of thr- former acts of specimen stealing at the Thames and Coromandel gold- fields, the Advertiser says: — '■' Men who had never lived otherwise thaD from hand to mouth suddenly became possessed of handsome balances at tfie bank, and their wives flushed about smothered in jewellery. Mioerß who had never earned more than £2 to £2 10s per week went home to England, after a few months' work, with handsome fortunes. L' t no man think lightly of the if jury lhis caused to the goldfield, and to every honest muD on it. Men left the fit-Id who Bad known of the wholesale robbery of the mines that went on, and spread reports of the dointts at the Thames over New Zealand, Victoria, and New South Wales. Our Thames meu in New South Wales write that the Thames gold-field is a byword for the dishonest practices carried on upon it, and that; it has become almost a proverb that an honest man has no chance there." Miners' Franchise Extension Bill. — Even the Grey River Argus does not wholly approve of the extension of the proposed privileges to the holders of miners' rights. In its issue of Wednesday last it, says: — We are informed by telegram tl>at the Miners' Franchise Extension Bill contemplates that very change in regard to the election of Superintendents which we conceived would besought, for by the population of Westland in any measure modifying the existing form of Government. That the Bill will be carried without a struggle, we are however, hy no means prepared to believe. However acceptable it may be to a community such as that of Westland, where the mining interest is paramount and intimately associated with eviry other, there will undoubtedly be strenuous opposition to it on the pivrt of (he friends of thft present Government of Nelson, if not on the part of the Superintendents of other Provinces, and of those who in each case constitute the political "tail" of their Honors. Its passing, and especially its coming into force from that time henceforward, would unquestionably end all tha chances of Mr Curtis being re-elected, for thereby time would not even be given for the adoption of one expedient which has been suggfs'e-l as a legitimate resort on the pirt of Nelson residents — the procuring of miners' rights applicable to the Wangapek* or Collinywood GohinVlds The announcement, that Mr Curtis U prepared lo tt>ke the fit-U against all comeis must certnii.lv I aye been ma<)e io ignorance that such a measure was intended, or in ihe belief that it was certain lo be negatived, Otherwise that gentleman must b<crediied with more conn* /enco upon the support of the West Cnust constituencies than ever he has had reason to feel hitherto. So in Auckland Province, the circumstances would be so altered il-at, some of the candidates would ceuntnly find discretion to be the better part of valor, and wisdom in retiring, but they will possibly first exercise th< j se qualities in preventing this 8.1 l becoming law. The result, ii we may hazard a gueps v is more likely to be the raising of the larger questiou of extending i be franchise on ihe basis of manhood suffrage, for among even those who, because of their associmious, are favorable to this enlargement of the privileges held under the miner's right, there undoubtedly is a feeling that it is a form of franchise which is anomalous, and which dons not even on the goldfiel'Js themselves euablti the population to be, in number, intelligence, or interests, fairly represeuted. A prominent object in the East River between New York and Brooklyn is the gradually rising pier of the East River bridge, which is to connect the two cities. Work has been going on a long time at this structure, but little progress seems to be made, and some impatient people despair of its ever being completed. The bridge will lead inlo the heart of lower New York, and will be high enough to allow the tallest masted vessels to puss beneath. List week work was begun on a second bridge across East River several ■ miles above the first one. This projected bridge is to cross from Seventy-seventh-stroet, New Yoik, to Long Island City, a suburb of Brooklyn, and the ground was broken on the. Long Island side. The bridge crosses Black vel/'s Island, on which piers will be erected, and it will be elevated i 135 ft. above high water. The bridge •wiil have a total length of 9,500 ft, and a width of 74ft, a single span, crossing the channels on either side of Blackwell's Island, there being a smaller intermediate spam on the island. The spans over the channels are to be 720 ft, each. The bridge is to be euspended from cables, the towers being 206 ft. above high water. Irs coat is estimated from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 dollars.

High Watz-b at Nelsok. ?if.ovu. Af'.wni/O''. Monday July 28 ... 1131 1146 Tuesday „ 29 ... 1 1 59 12 13 Wtuiitrtday „ 30 ... 12.23 12 42 Thursday „ 81 ... 12.59 119