MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 368, 10 February 1849, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Horrible Massacre. —On Thursday morning, the 12th instant, the English schooner Amelia, of Glasgow, arrived at this port, in distress, part of her crew having mutinied and murdered the captain, supercargo, first and second officers. The particulars of this tragic occurrence are, as near as we have been able to gather them, as follows : — The Amelia left Mazatlan on the 9th of September, and the coast on the 19th, with a cargo of 300,000 dollars in specie, bound for China. Mr. Cook and lady, and Mary Hudson, a serving-maid, passengers. On the night of the 3rd October, in the middle watch, three of the crew attacked the second mate and killed him. The captain and Mr. Cook, hearing the noise, come on deck. One of the ruffians was stationed at the forecastle hatch to prevent the watch below coming up, and the other two attacked the captain and Mr. Cook, killing the latter and badly wounding the former. The captain succeeding in getting down into the cabin, and having procured a cutlass, was again going on deck, when he was stabbed in the neck, and fell back a lifeless corpse. The ladies, affrighted at the noise and groans of the murdered, were ordered to their state rooms, the mate was secured in his, and the murderers took possession of the cabin and shaped their course for the coast of Peru. On the following morning, the mate was told that he could have the boat, and provisions, if he chose to leave the vessel and take the ladies with him. Under pretence of lowering the boat, they induced him to go on deck : when they fell upon him, and having wounded him badly, threw him overboard, — they then threw all the letters and papers overboard, and getting out a large quantity of gold, divided it among the crew, compelling all of them, at the peril of their lives, to take a share of the money ; and then calling for wine, commenced gambling. For two days they held undisputed possession, compelling the ladies to sit at table with them, and threatening them with death if they did not comply. It is more easy to imagine than describe their feelings. No ray of hope beamed on the future ; but thanks to kind Providence deliverance was at hand. On the night of the sth of October, the murderers having drank freely the remainder of the crew planned to deliver themselves and the ladies from the hands of the mutineers. Abont one o'clock, one of the crew, John Smith, a native of Rotterdam, killed two of the murderers with an axe, and struck the third, cutting off his arm, and with the assistance of the carpenter and cabin boy, threw him overboard. Finding it impracticable to go to Mazatlan, the vessel's course was shaped for the islands. The following is a list of those who were killed by the mutineers : — Mr. Cook, for some years a resident of Mazallan, Captain Robert L. M'Nally, of Dublin, Ramon Alva and Citano. The three mutineers were Mexicans. Three natives of the coast have been placed in confinement for the purpose of examination. It is thought that none of the crew except the three who were killed were aware of the plot. The youth who so nobly rescued the lives of those on board by that of the villains in whose hands they were, is deserving of lasting gratitude. The following is a list of those who were concerned in the plan to deliver the vessel from the mutineers : — John Smith, of Rotterdam ; John Beringer, of Bordeaux ; Thomas Gannon, of London ; Charles M'Donald, and Frank, a Swede. Terrible as was the result, there is reason to rejoice that the farther sacrifice of life was spared by the heroic conduct of the crew. We trust those who have acted so nobly will not go unrewarded. The specie has been removed from the vessel to the vaults of the Treasury, by order of the Consul- General. Mrs. Cook and servantare residing on shore. — Polynesian, Oct. 14. j

A Subterranean Fire. —At Lower Haugh, near Rotheram, on the estate of Earl Fiuwilliaro, an extensive bed of coal beneath the. village is on fire, and has been in that condition, burning with greater or less intensity, for at least twenty years. A gentleman residing in Sheffield,- whom curiosity induced to visit the locality one day during the present week, has* published in the Sheffield

Times the following particulars: — "The coal in certain places bassets out — that is, it comes up to the surface of the ground ; and it was at one of these bassets that the fire originally commenced, having been ignited by a 'clamp' — a fire for burning stones intended for road materials. The subterranean fire has continued to advance in various directions up to the present time, its progress being manifested by the appearance at intervals of smoke and flames at the surface of the ground ; the spread of which has generally been stopped, however, by puddling the eruptions with clay &c. A feeling of apprehension as to the ultimate fate of the village has always continued to prevail, and it is stated that a good many years ago, the destruction of the mausoleum of the Westworth family was threatened by the approach of the fire, but happily the calamity was averted by severing the bed of coal, for which purpose a shaft was specially sunk. Latterly the work of destruction appears to have been going on with unwonted rapidity, and naturally enough has created a corresponding degree of alarm. Our informant saw two beautiful detached cottages, the foundations of which are so much undermine ed and sunk that one or both of them had ceased to be occupied ; the walls of one of the cottages had quite separated, and the building must have tumbled down had not means been resorted to for keeping it together. The ground, in several large tracts, is one huge hot bed, and where the heat is not so intense as to destroy vegetation, the villagers turn it to very good account in raising early crops of vegetables. Peas were seen some weeks ago flourishing in the open air ; and potatoes are so forward that one crop has beeu already secured, and a second crop got into the ground. The exposed earth is quite warm, even in the depth of winter. The unnatuaral heat engenders a disagreeable smoke, which is continually ascending and adulterating the atmosphere, doubtless to the detriment of animal health ; and the houses in the worst localities are often filled with warm air strongly charged with sulphur, rendering them, as habitations, little better than a coal pit. The cellars are worse. It is impracticable to keep food in them — not unfrequently they cannot be entered with safety."

Mr. O' Con nell's Courtship and Marriage.—ln his Life of the late Agitator, Mr. Daunt has the following :— " On one of our Repeal journeys — namely, to Waterford, he adverted, as he frequently did, to the memory of Mrs. O'Connell. ' I never,' said he, 'proposed marriage to any woman but one — my Mary. I said to her, ' Are you engaged, "Miss O'Connell?' — She answered, 'I am not.' • Then,' said I, ' will you engage yourself to me ?— ' I will,' was her reply. — * And I said I would devote my life to make her happy- She deserved that I should — she gave thiity-four years of the purest happiness that man ever enjoyed. My uncle was desirous that I should obtain a much larger" fortune, and I thought that he would disinherit me. But I did not care for that. I was richly rewarded by subsequent happiness.' — * And your profession made you independent?' — ' Yes — the first year I was at the bar I made £58, the second year about £160, the third year £200, the fourth year about 300 guineas. I then advanced rapidly ; and the last year of my practice .1.,g0t. '£9,000, although I lost one term.' — ' Did- your wife reside in Tralee V— l She did, with n.er-grand-mother ; and it was my delight to quiz the old lady, by pretending to complain, of her grand- daughter's want of temper. ' Madam,' said I, ' M ary would do very well, only she is so cross.' — * Cross, sir ? My Mary cross? Sir, you must have provoked her much ! Sir, you must yourself be in fault 1 Sir, my little girl was always the gentlest, sweetest creature born.' — ( And so she was, he added after, a pause. ' She had the sweetest, the most heavenly temper, and the sweetest breath.' "

Marriage in America. — The American papers have made many comments of late on important changes in the marriage laws which at the close of the last month were effected by the State Legislature of New York. The bill will disgust most English Parliamentary lawyers from its brevity and intelligibility ; it is as follows : — Section 1. The real and personal property of any female who'rnay hereafter marry, and which she shall ow.n at the time of marriage, and .the rents, issues, and profits thereof, shall not be subject to the disposal of her husband, nor be liable for his debts, and shall continue her sole and separate property. Section 2. The real and personal property, and the rents, issues, and pro- . fits thereof, of any female now married, shall" not be subject to the disposal of her husband,' but shall be her sole and : separte, property, .as; if she were a single female, ,ex§epj; so. far as , the same may be liable for the, debts"-of/her : husband heretofore contracted. -—Sedtion S.It shall be lawful for any married female to receive by gift, grant, devise, p,r bequest, from any. person other than her hu&band, ,and hpjd tq her, sole and separate i\se, as if she wer,e at singl&jfemale, xea\ and personal property, and

t^ie rents,, issues, and profits thereof, and the same shall not be subject to the disposal of her husband, nor be liable for his debts. — Seption 4. A}\ contracts made between persons ty cdntefcnplation of maniage shall remain hi fa^l- force after such marri&ge shall take place. "— " During the passing of the act," remarks a very able journal, the New Yor\ Literary World, "we have seen several petitions presented to the Legislature which threatened a declaration of independence upon the part of the women in this state, unless something was done in their behalf that would be in consonance with the spirit of the age. Wiser than Louis Philippe, our Legislature has now responded to the demands of progress, and every woman of New York, married or single, may hereafter battle with the world with her own hook, and paddle her own canoe as she pleases. It is, however, the fourth section that has called forth the most comment and the most banter. The three first we look upon as merely placing the sexes on the same democratic footing — a lightening or loosening of the yoke of matrimony ; but, if all contracts 'in contemplation of marriage' are to be legally binding after the coil of single blessedness has been shuffled off by the loving swain and nymph responsive may not many a puzzlement henceforth aiise V

{The following account of an Earthquake in Wales will be read with some interest in New Zealand, from the visitations of a similar nature experienced in this part of the colony.— Ed. N.Z.S.]

Earthquake in the Principality. — The concurrent testimony of accounts from different localities leave no doubt of ths fact of smart shocks of earthquake having been felt in South Wales, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of Tuesday senight, the 16th inst., at Landaff two shocks following in rapid succession, accompanied by a noise similar to distant thunder, the discharge of heavy artillery, or the blasting of rocks in a pit, mine, or tunnel. Many persons were alarmed, and one who lives near the Cathedral exclaimed that the Gasper Tower was falling ; so unusually strange was the noise, that a mechanic who, was working at Radyr Church scampered out under the impression that it must have teen -what the Welsh call "Tolath" (moaning). The alarm extended to the villages in ■toe neighbourhood. At Cudiff the frames and cases in the printing office of the Advertiser were shaken "violently, the desk vibrated for a moment and then all was still. About half-past 3' o'clock a very extraordinary noise was heard by the inhabitants residing on the canal banks, Pontypbol, an J at the same time a number! of persons felt as if the houses were shaken to the foundations, one little girl who was sitting at dinner with her aunt, in 'George-street, was thrown off her chair, and many felt as if they were falling on their faces ; the persons residing in the neighbourhood were dreadfully alarmed, and were seen running from house to house enquiring of~ each other if a similar shock had been felt, and ob receiving answers in the affirmative, their terrors were increased. In the neighbourhood of Hiska, and other parts of the mining country, so violently was the shock ■experienced in some pits that colliers in many instances, ran from their work in the headings, under an apprehension that an explosion •of fire damp had taken place. At Newport, Monmouthshire the tumbling ■noise and soaking of premises sent many persons to their windows to ascertain some palpable cause for the visitation, the barometer was not affected as it remained stationary all 4*y at 29-8-10. It was on a Sunday morning, in December 1832, that the last serious shock of earthquake was felt in Wales. With reference to the present event, we may mention to the curious inquirer into the cause and extent of these phenomena, that about a week before, a itrong convulsion of the earth was felt at Flolence. — Bristol Times, Dec. 4, 1847.