~ Che Examiner, —

AND

“THIS IS TRUE LIBERTY WHEN F

New Series.

REE-BORN MEN~HAVING TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC—MAY SPEAK REE,’

i CHARLOTTETOWN, OCTOBER 2, 1850.

SEMI-WEREKLY INTELLIGENCER.

'—Minttron’s EuRIPIpEs. leak » Vol.i: No. 70

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BRLEGT TALE.

The Pirate.

Kighteeen years ago, the ship I com- manded was dancing over the waves, on a mission of mercy. Ladea by the gene- ral contributions of New England, she was bound to the Cape de Verds with bread for the famine-stricken and dving. Brighter ekies never gladdened the sailor's heart than those which were bent over ws; pleasanter gales never filied the sails ef the sea-journyer, than those which sped usto the haven where we should be; “and now may God have the ship m his holy keeping,” the prayer which concluded the old English bili of lading, was heard and granted, we felt,as we trod on the deck of the stout craft, whose errand was to succor the destitute.

We were all in high spirits, forward ww the forecastle and aft in the cabin. Sailors, who are often so hungry, liable at any moment to be put upon shortallow- ance, and compelled at times to fast en- tirely, know better than the landsmen how to pity those whom famine threat- ens, Jack has ready sympathy for the man who has no biscuit in his locker.

It was now the fourteenth day out— juat in the first gray of the morning-—that the mate aroused me with the startling intelligence that a suspicious veesel wae in sight. With the firat ray of light, the valiant officer had descried her, and she wes #0 near as tobe made ont with a gisss. I was on deck in an instant.

The first glance at the strange ship al- most dispelled the fear that the mate’s alarm had oecasioned.

‘Why Mr. Larkin,’ [ said, laughisg as I spoke, ‘teere’s nothing suspicious im thet lubberly-looking craft. She's a Portuguese brigantine—she can’t sail.’

‘She looks like that build,’ said the mate,‘ but she is built for sailing, and ahe’l! spread canvas ina wind like this, that'll send her skimming like ea gull over the sea. And look mow at the men on ber deck.

One glance througk the telescope wae enough to satisfy me that the mate was right. The vessel was sherp-built, of light draught, and rigged like a brigan- tine. Her masts raked very slightly: besides the canvas usual to such a rig, she was fitted to carry a lugger-sail, which when spread before the wind would add toherspeed. In addition she was pierc- ed for 22 sweeps. Her decks were crowd- ed with men.

‘It’s no honest craft, Mr. Larkin,’ I seid; ‘but she may not be a pirate for ali that. One need not beurprised to fall in with a slaver hereabouts.’

*She’s vo slaver, captein.’

*Why do you thiak se ?’

* Because there are guns on her deck restead of water casks.’

‘] did not say she hada cargo of slaves in,’ PT replied.

‘Tren why does she carry so many guns on deck? If without e cargo her gans should be below ; if with one, there should be more guns on deck. If that aiu’t & pirate never believe me again.

As if to put an end to our speculations and clear up the raystery, the suspicious erat began to spread more canvas, and as she gathered way with the freshening breeze, they ran up to her feremast a flag, which when it reached the truck unshook itg folds to the wind. On a white ground we saw the terrible insignia of the free- booter, the death’s-head and cross-bones, painted in diabolical black.

* I thought sp,’ said Mr. Larkin, quietly, ‘and the ship has no guns.’ Hse

‘What arms haye you, M:. Larkin?’ ‘| eked,

‘ An old horse-pistol, with the lock out of order,’

‘And I have only an old fowling-piece and a pair of pistols. I fearthese fellows will make their own terms with us.’

‘Yes: cut our throats, and administer

to our effects afterwards,’ replied the mate, walking forward, ' We made all the sail we could, but fifteen minutes satisfied me that escape was impossible. ‘The report of a gun froma the pirate, and a shot whistling over us, speedily brought us to. The pirate came quietly along, like a panther, which, Sure @f its prey, was in great hurry to seize it, The moment he came within speaking distance he hailed, and ordered me to launch a boat and come on board. We got the quarter-boat and I was about to juinp into her, to pay my respects in person to the villains, when Mr, Larkin asked leave to go.

‘If they want the captain,’ said he, ‘ let them seni for him. Tl see ifthe mate won’t answer as well.

He had scareely put his foot on the deck ofthe pirate, when he again ap- peared on the rail, and descended to the boat, which began to pull back. Almost at the same instant a Jauneh was swung over the rail, into which twenty savage looking rascals armed to the teeth, sprang and pulled towards us. Ten minutes afterwards they were on board my vessel, and began clearing away the main hatch.

The leader, a swarthy fellow, whose square, compact frame indicated strength, and whose eyes, black and hazy, and half-concealed by the lids, expressed cruelty and cunning, approached the ca- bin-hatch, where I stood and addressed me in tolerable English,

‘ Are you the captain of this vessel ?

‘Yes, [ replied.

‘ What’s yeur cargo 2

‘Flour,’

*‘ Where frem ”

* Boston.’

* Where to?’

‘Cape de Verds.’

‘Why, they are all starving there,’ he said, opening his eyes and looking full at me,

‘Yes; and the flour in my vessel was freely given by good Christians to feed those starving people.’

The rascal continued his deliberate gaze a moment, then turned towards his men, and, in a rough commanding tone, spoke a few words in Spanish, which 1 cou!d not make out. The men looked up ia astonishment, and then withdrew to the side, where they stoad gazing cauti- ously towards their captain, for such was my interrogator. He thrust his hand be- hind him and walked quickly to and fro for five rainutes; then, turning to me, he said sharply.

‘You Americans are all heretics—why should you send flour to feed starving Cathelics ?’

* Because they are our fellow men, and their Saviour is our Saviour,” I answered, astonished at the conduct of the man.

‘If you lie to me? he eried, with start- ling fiercenese, ‘if you lie to me, ’!] nail you down to your own deck! Is this cargo the gift of your countrymen to the starving ?”

‘ll prove it to you by my papers,’ J answered.

‘I don’t want to see your papers,’ he returned ; ‘swear by the Saviour, whose name you have just pronounced.” As he spoke he crossed himself devoutly.

‘I swear by the Holy Trinity,’ I replied |

solemnly. The pirate lifted his cap and bent his

head devoutly, when I mentioned the

Trinity. He stood still, with head bent over, while one might moderately have counted fifty. When he raised himself

‘

Buk 28 bor oe

up, it seemed to me there was less fero- city in his countenance. His eyes were no Jonger half-closed, but open and clearer in theirdepths. I looked steadily at fim.

‘Captain, said he, cotrteously, ‘can you supply me with two or three casks of water?”

{ gave the order, and the water was lowered into the boat. A word from him sent his cut-throats over te side, but he lingered behind, and after a moment's hesitation, as though he half-repented of his resolution, and was almost ashamed of what he was doing, he epproached me with his hand extended.

‘God bless you,’ he exclaimed, as he felt my grasp, ‘and send you where the starving are praying for bread.”

The next moment he was gone. It is very probable that tlie piratical rascal was afterwards hung as ne doubt he deserved to be.-—But however terrible his fate, I am sure that from his heart, seareé and callous by crime, and self-desecrated, there burst forth a little warm glimmer of light which mitigated somewhat the desolation, and relieved, though it could not entirely dispel, the gloom of his dying hour.

Ehe Examiner.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1850.

THE TREASURER.

Ir is now well known, all the Island over, that the Treasurer left this place two or three weeks ago, on leave of ab- sence, with the alleged view of visiting a relative in New Brunswick. It may not, however, be generally known, that the term for whieh leave was granted has expired, and that the “honourable gen- tleman” is non est inventus.

The plain unvarnished fact is, that the Honourable John Spencer Smith has secretly betaken himself to the United States, with the intention, as every body believes, of never returning—being the second runaway within the short period of six months from that distinguished batch of public officers, who were regard- ed, (and are still regarded so by those of their own party who have not been “sucked in”) as the only intelligent, rich, honest, and trustworthy people in the Colony !!

We do not choose to believe all the fraudulent transactions ascribed to Mr. Smith; but there is no denying the fact that he has utterly destroyed his own character, and seriously compromised the Government, which is believed to have connived at his departure from the Island, by the gross deceptions he practised upor honest trades-people and shopkeep- ers in trafficking with Bills of Exchange, drawn upon houses in which he had neither credit nor funds, It is not the fault of the distinguished Treasurer that only two parties have suffered by his flying kites aeross the Atlantic, for when one of the Bills had come back protested, he offered another party a Bill on the same house, (Codd & Co. we believe) with the inducement, that a portion of

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the cash might remain in the hands of the purchaser of the Bill, in psyment of an old account,

The easiest and the safest way of raising the wind, which Mr. Smith a dopt- ed with singular success, was his taking sums of money from ignorart people in the country, and giving thein a simple receipt, which the poor fools were led to believe was a good Government security. We have heard of many such dupes— know most of them personally; and we confess that we have very little sympathy for them,--for, when two or three years ago, the Libera! party in the Assembly endeavoured to bring about an investiga- tion of the Treasury, they were howled at by those and others of the same kidney, for daring to do anything which might affect the character of Mr. Smith. Had that investigation been thoroughly made, it is more than probable that Mr. Smith would not have been in the Treasury to do them and others harm. While the Liberals in the Assembly have beer revularly libelled es a set of unprincipléd fellows, who were anxious to get an Op- portunity of robbing the public—whom it was not safé to trust in a Government office,—all the officials have been as regularly praised sky-high, as the most honest and patricti¢e men alive: and just two of them have “cut and ran” withina period of six months! “I would take the chost’s word for a thousand pound,” says one of the players in Hamlet; and there is some people who would have oeen no less accommodating to the Treasurer, a few days before he left the Island. Seduced by the prestige of office, there are some who deem those ts be fit objects of worship who happen to hold situations under the Crown. We don’t pity such fellows when their ides are thrown down, even if they lost twice as much in the fall.

It was reported at a meeting of the Iex- ecutive Council yesterday that the T'rea- sury was left ina correct state. We hope this may prove to bethe case. We never had any confidenee in the present Government, and less since some of those who are high in that Government con- nived at the Treasurer’s late proceeding : we, therefore, naturally fear they are de- ceiving us whea they may be stating the truth.

It is said that it is not the intention of the Government to appoint at present a successor to Mr. Smith; butthat he shall be allowed to return and resume his office. Don't they wish they may get him? We Gare say the Executive would be bad enough to allow him to continue in office, if he should return to the Island; bat such a thing would not be tolerated in England, as will be seen by the following paragraph, which is taken from an En- glish paper. It is remarkable thet the case of Lieut. Nicholson is very like that of Mr. J. S. Smith, only the latter ie

somewhat worse :—

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