followed the captain on deck, was attacked by another Swede, since dead, who struck him several blows with the cook's axe, and he and the captain being both brought down, Palm and two other Swedes, both of whom are since dead, threw their bodies overboard. The mate called out, "Boat, boat," after he was in the water, but they heard no more of him or the captain. After this all hands went below, except the boy at the helm, and Palm producing a bible, each took an oath upon it, wishing they might never see the light of heaven if ever they divulged what had passed; the boy at the helm was afterwards sworn also. Previous to this time, the captain had taken two black men on board at St Thomas's, and after the bodies of the captain and mate were thrown overboard, the two Swedes procured each a pistol and a glass of rum, and giving the rum to the blacks, whilst the poor fellows were in the act of drinking it, each of them received the contents of a pistol in his body, one of them was killed on the spot, and the other was only wounded, but both of them were, with the assistance of Palm, immediately thrown overboard. The wounded man swam and caught hold of the ship's rudder, but Palm taking up a spade, swore he would chop his hands off if he did not let go. The unfortunate wretch upon this let go his hold, and was seen no more. After this they plundered the captain's property, and Palm had five pounds. He then took the direction of the vessel, but it was afterwards determined to scuttle her, take to the boats, and endeavour to make the coast of Guinea. This was accordingly done, two boats were prepared, provisions put into them, and the crew, consisting of eleven persons, got six into one boat, and five into the other; they were three days and nights before they made land, and then one of the boats was swamped, and a boy drowned. They walked along the beach till night, and then lay down on the sand to sleep. Next morning they proceeded up the country, and seeing some smoke rise from among a cluster of trees, they made up to them, when the blacks rushed out upon them, overpowered them, and they were plundered and stripped. After this they were driven further into the country, where they were kept for several weeks, and then sent to Port Lopez, from whence, Palm, Mades, and the deponent, found their way to Liverpool. A few days after the Adventurer left England, the crew were put upon short allowance, and so continued through the voyage. The men grumbled much, and said they might as well be killed as starved. On the morning on which the captain and mate were murdered, deponent heard Palm say, whilst striking a light, he would kill the captain. The Swedes said it should be so, and those who did not agree to it should share the same fate. The deponent lent a hand to heave the blacks overboard, but did not touch the captain or mate. Palm's statement was as follows: He sailed from England as second mate of the Adventurer; he had no quarrel with the captain till they got to the coast, and then it was about wages. He recollected the captain's bringing two black men on board from St Thomas's, and that soon after the captain was accidentally pulled overboard and drowned, by the bite of a whale line getting round his leg, after he had struck a fish. Mr Smith, the chief mate, was an old man, and died of sickness while at sea. With Palm and Telling were on Tuesday brought up for re-examination. Henry Mades, a boy about 13 years of age, who was apprentice to Captain Keith, and on board the ship at the time, and in consequence of whose information the prisoners were apprehended, was again examined. His statement was precisely the same as that originally made by him. On the night on which the murders were committed, he was sleeping in his hammock, near the captain's cabin, who, as well as the chief mate, were in bed. A boy, named George Rose, was at the helm; and either in the first or second watch, he was awoke by Rose's calling to the captain, in a low tone down the hatchway-"Captain Keith, Captain Keith! something wrong is going forward on deck." The captain got out of bed directly, and went up in his shirt, but returned again immediately, and awoke the mate, and they went on deck together. Soon after he heard the mate callout "O Lord, O Lord!" He was alarmed, and got out of his hammock, and, as he was standing by the side of it, he saw Palm and others throw the captain's body over. board. There was no resistance, and he supposed the captain was dead at the time. Soon after he heard the mate in the water, call out, "Boat, boat." In his account of what fol. lowed, viz. administering the oath of secrecy, the murder of the two blacks, the scuttling the vessel, and taking to the boats, their afterwards falling into the hands of the blacks on the coast of Guinea, and their subsequent arrival in England, he fully corroborated Telling's statement. On his arrival in this country, he stated these circumstances to a gentleman, named Scrivenor, who took him to Unionhall, and, in consequence of his deposition, warrants were issued by Mr Evance, for the apprehending of Palm and Telling. Palm, on being questioned, denied having been at all privy to the intended murder of Captain Keith, till the morning when it took place; he was then told that if he did not agree to it, he would himself share the same fate; he had, therefore, joined in it to preserve his own life. He had not stated this before, because he wished to preserve his oath. The prisoners were both fully committed for trial at the next Admiralty Sessions. 14th.-ELECTION OF SCOTS PEERS. Yesterday came on, at Holyroodhouse, the election of sixteen peers to represent the Scots nobility in parlia❤ ment, when the following noblemen were chosen : CORONER'S INQUEST.-On Thursday evening last, an inquest was held at the Eagle and Child public-house, Shoe-lane, before T. Shelton, Esq. to enquire into the circumstances which led to the death of Elizabeth Chaplin, who was murdered the preceding evening by her husband. After the usual inspection of the body of the unfortunate woman, which exhibited a most terrific spectacle, the throat being mangled in a shocking manner, the coroner proceeded to take the depositions of the persons in attendance. John Chaplin, also came to the house and asked for another pint of beer. Witness at first refused to serve him, observing that his wife had just taken his beer home for him.-Chaplin, however, said, " he must have it, for he had murdered his wife." Witness having formerly heard him say that he would kill his wife, now suspected that he had carried his threat into execution, and immediately gave him the beer with the view of detaining him. He then went to the tap-room, where some of his customers were assembled, and communica ted to them what he had just heard. They all immediately came out, and went to Chaplin's house to ascertain the fact, but they found the door shut, and a perfect silence prevailed within. While they were gone on this errand, Chaplin remained at the public-house, but soon afterwards went out and proceeded to his house, the door of which he unlocked and opened; upon which the body of his wife was discovered lying on the floor weltering in blood. He was instantly interrogated respecting the horrid deed, and confessed, without hesita tion, that he had first knocked his wife down, and then cut her throat. The constable stated, that in taking Chaplin to the Counter, he wanted to go to a pawn-broker's in Fleetmarket, and he went with him to observe his conduct. He put down the bundle without the least emotion, and conducted himself generally so as not to excite the slightest suspicion of his perfect sanity. The pawn-broker J. Bedford, the landlord of the having declined any dealings with Eagle and Child, stated, that on him, he said to witness, that he must Wednesday evening the deceased go to some other person in the same came to his house about half-past line, as he must get money to obtain nine, and had a pint of beer, which victuals for the short time he had to she took away in her own vessel. In live. He said he was then happy, ten minutes afterwards, her husband, and hoped his wife was equally so, as she was a very good woman. On searching him a shilling and some halfpence were found, but no knife. On being asked what instrument he had used to commit the murder, he said he had cut his wife's throat with a razor, which he had wiped and put away. On being conducted the next morning before the alderman, he was composed, and asked for a woman to whom he had given some halfpence to buy him some tobacco; he was told he should have it when she returned. M. Taylor, the landlord of the pri. soner, said, that he had known him and his wife for many years, that he was much addicted to drinking, but he never considered him deranged. Mr Bailey, the surgeon, proved that the wound on the prisoner's wife was from ear to ear, and about two inches deep. The jury brought in'a verdict of Wilful Murder against John Chaplin. 15th.-On Tuesday se'ennight was brought on Brighton beach, a singularly large fish, which has excited very general curiosity among the visitors and residents; and the exhibition of it is likely to prove highly lu crative to the proprietor, who, we understand, is an industrious and provident man. It is supposed that this inhabitant of the deep was attracted to our shores by the shoals of herrings, which are at this time abundant. It was discovered by the fishermen very near their boat; they threw out several large and strong ropes, which it snapped asunder in a moment. At length they entangled it with fifteen nets, many of which were irreparably injured.-It continued alive three hours after its entanglement, and was brought with great difficulty seven miles by this solitary boat, which was then joined by another, and both together they towed it the remaining three miles. It evidently belongs to the class Mammalia of Linnæus, and order Ceta. It seems most to resemble the genus Physetea, but differs from every other species of this genus in some striking particulars. We have met with no description exactly answering to it in natural history. In the year 1801, a fish as nearly as possible resembling it, was caught on the shores of Dorsetshire, and was after. wards exhibited in the metropolis. It measures twenty-seven feet three inches, from the nose to the end of the tail: in circumference it is about fifteen feet in its extreme bulk, is rather less towards the head, and gradually diminishes towards the other extremity. Its head is singularly shaped, rather small considering the magnitude of the body. Its eyes are very near the nose, and are like those of an ox. It has two spiracles on the snout like nostrils. The width of the mouth is about three feet and a half, and is capable of receiving a very large man it has nine rows of small curved teeth, both in the upper and lower jaw. It has five amazingly large gills, which fall down to. wards the shoulders like so many capes of a fashionable box-coat. Each of its putural fins measures four feet six inches. Its dorsal fin, which seems to answer the purpose of a rudder on the back, measures three feet and a half. Its tail is horizontal, and is eight feet wide. It has two small fins, nearly opposite each other, towards the tail. It is a female, and the mamme are of a very singular construction, and on opening one of them to the view of the spectators, the fisherman's hand was covered with milk.-There are two fins concealed with the mamma, which mea sure each two feet six inches. The skin of this wonderful creatureis uniformly rough; and it appears to us to have only one large spinal bone extending from one extremity to the other. From the liver of the fish of a similar kind caught on the shore of Dorsetshire, four hogsheads of oil were produced. The footpad who shot himself on Saturday see'nnight, near Wands worth, (see p. 180) after robbing Mr Thorley, has been recognised by his friends. He proves to be a journeyman bookbinder, (James Galar,) who resided in School-house-lane, Ratcliff. 16th.-On Monday se'ennight was interred, Mr Brookman, of Londonstreet, Reading, and, according to his desire, was buried in an inch and half oak shell, which he had caused to be made four years previous to his death. About five days before his decease, he called on an undertaker, and went with him to the churchyard, and pointed out the spot he meant to be laid under. On his return home, he removed his coffin from its obscurity, and having in spected the proper cleansing of the memento mori, took to his bed, and died in the ensuing week. BRISTOL. An inquest was held here last week, on the body of J. Allen, servant to Mr Rodgers, whole sale shoemaker, Ellbroad-street. It appeared in evidence, that the deceased had been upwards of fourteen years in the employ of his master, at Stafford, and in this city, in the confidential situation of foreman, and that Mr Rodgers had for some time suspected that he had been robbed. Mr Rodgers, perceiving a journeyman whom he suspected coming to receive a certain quantity of goods, waited till he had been helped, when he demanded to see the quantity, which proved to be much greater than he was entitled to. This led to further enquiry, the effect of which was, that the journeyman absconded, and the deceased, upon being taxed with a connection with him, likewise absented himself for a day or two ; but he again came to his employ, when Mr Rodgers called him into his room, and acquainted him with the charges preferred against him, at which, in the first instance, he pretended much surprise; but his master persisting in his guilt, and on condition of his impeaching the whole of his accomplices, intimating hopes of pardon, he said, with a sigh, " I have robbed you, sir." In reply, Mr Rodgers said, "Then how can such a crimidal expect mercy from me?" and repeated, "How can you expect it, knowing the confidence I have reposed in you?" Allen and his wife, who had accompanied him, fell upon their knees, and imploring pardon, exclaimed, "Oh! we have robbed the best of masters, and God will never forgive us!" To which Mr Rodgers replied, "That he was convinced he had not told the whole truth." Allen begged for time, and was detained by Mr Rodgers at his own house, from half past seven in the morning till about a quarter past four in the afternoon, when, after taking a little refreshment, Mr Rodgers returned to the room in which he had left Allen, and on opening the door he beheld the unhappy culprit drawing a knife across his wind-pipe with great violence. Allen, on seeing him, endeavoured to stab Mr Rodgers, and also a friend of the name of Haynes, who had come in to his assistance.-An alarm being given, he was secured, but expired almost immediately. Verdict of the jury→→→ |