194
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

Lordship's consideration a case of recent date.
The British ship "R. B. Mulhall," arrived here a
short time ago with a mixed crew of white and
colored seamen shipped at Liverpool, Nova Scotia,
for a term of twelve months. Soon after her arrival,
several of the men deserted (as is invariably the case
here), but one colored man and two white men
remained by her. When she was nearly ready for
sea, the Captain told me that the shipping masters
positively refused to ship a white crew on board the
vessel so long as the colored man remained there.
This colored man the Captain informed me was an
excellent seaman, whose services he was as anxious
to retain as the man was desirous to remain by the
vessel until the expiration of his term of service.

My instructions give me no authority to compel a
seaman to leave a ship without just cause, and yet I
felt that, the case being without a precedent as far
as I am concerned, I should not be justified in
delaying the departure of the vessel for an indefinite
period. I therefore determined, if necessary, to take
some responsibility on myself by discharging the
colored seaman and sending him home at the ship's
expense.

Fortunately, however, I was later able to persuade
him to take his discharge on payment of additional
wages. And the matter was so settled.

Under these circumstances I would solicit your
Lordship's instructions as to the means I may be
permitted to adopt if cases of a similar nature
present themselves again, but when the colored sea-
men insist on remaining on board the vessel until
their time of service shall have expired.

Mr. Hammond to Mr. Consul Rainals.

Foreign Office,
30th November, 1867.

SIR,-I am directed by Lord Stanley to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your Despatch, No. 25, of the
11th instant, reporting a difficulty which had arisen
in consequence of the refusal of the shipping masters
at Baltimore, to ship a white crew on board the
British vessel "R. B. Mulhall," as long as a colored
seaman remained on board that vessel.

As it appears from your Despatch that the negro
in question subsequently accepted his discharge, it
is unnecessary for Lord Stanley to make any
observations on this particular case; but in reply to
your request for instructions as to the course you
should adopt in any similar case in future, I am to
state to you, that this is not a matter in which Her
Majesty's Government can interfere. Your powers
as Consul are clearly defined by the Merchant
Shipping Act, and you can only remove a seaman
from a British ship as ordered by that Act.

Colored seamen, being British subjects, are in all
respects to be treated as other seamen.

It must therefore be left to the masters and
owners of ships to adopt such measures as they may
think best calculated to obviate the difficulties caused
by the course pursued by the Baltimore shipping
masters; and in order that British and Colonial
ship owners may be warned of the necessity of taking
such measures, Lord Stanley has caused a copy of
your Despatch to be communicated to the Colonial
Office and to the Board of Trade.

I am, &c.,
E. HAMMOND.

H. T. A. Rainals, Esq.,
Her Majesty's Consul, Baltimore.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 24th April, 1868.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to
issue Letters of Naturalization under "The
Aliens Act, 1866," in favor of the undermentioned
person, viz. :

Name. Residence. Occupation. Date.
Vincenzo Berti ... Christchurch, Domestic 1868.
Canterbury Servant 23 April.

E. W. STAFFORD.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
(Judicial Branch,)
Wellington, 24th April, 1868.

THE following Certificate and Declaration are
published in conformity with the provisions of
"The Execution of Criminals Act, 1858."

E. W. STAFFORD.

CERTIFICATE.

I, COURTNEY NEDWILL, the Medical Officer in
attendance at the execution of John Densley Swale
alias John Swale Dinsley, at the gaol of Lyttelton,
do hereby certify and declare that I have this day
witnessed the execution of the said John Densley
Swale alias John Swale Dinsley, at the said gaol.

I do further certify and declare that the said John
Densley Swale alias John Swale Dinsley was, in
pursuance of the sentence of the Supreme Court,
hanged by the neck until his body was dead.

Given under my hand this sixteenth day of
April, one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight, at the gaol at Lyttelton.

COURTNEY NEDWILL, M.D.

DECLARATION.

WE do hereby testify and declare that we have this
day been present when the extreme penalty of the
law was carried into execution on the body of John
Densley Swale alias John Swale Dinsley, convicted
at the Criminal Session of the Supreme Court held
at Christchurch, on the fifth day of March, and
sentenced to death; and that the said John Densley
Swale alias John Swale Dinsley, was, in pursuance
of the said sentence, hanged by the neck until his
body was dead.

Dated this sixteenth day of April, in the year one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, at the gaol
of Lyttelton.

A. BACK, Sheriff.
J. RESTON, Gaoler.
J. ARNOLD, Chief Warder.
JOHN W. S. COWARD, J.P.
EDWARD S. WILCOCKS.
LLEWELLYN POWELL.
FREDERICK STROUTS.
ALFRED H. GRAHAM.
G. THORNTON.
MICHAEL B. HART, Jun.
JOHN HEBDEN.
JOHN GODDARD.
JOSEPH EXALL.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
(Judicial Branch,)
Wellington, 23rd April, 1868.

HIS Excellency the Governor has been pleased to
appoint

MICHAEL KEOGH, Esq.,
to be a Resident Magistrate for the District of
Greymouth.

E. W. STAFFORD.