Perhaps one of the most barbarous and daring cases of piracy that have been made public of recent years occurred a few days ago not far from Hongkong. The particu lars we have been able to gather up to the resent are to the following effect:—A chinese fishing craft of some three hundred and fifty piculs capacity sailed in the first week of the present month froma port in the Bocca Tigris, Canton River, for Macao. Her crew consisted of aix men and the captain, who had with him his wife, aged thirty: eight years, his daughter, twelve years, and his two sons, aged seven and four years respectively. The cargo comprised live stock, consisting of some thirty pigs, besides hides and a few sundries. She drifted towards her destination for some twelve days, until she anchored at midnight off Ko Lan—the place which the Chinese officials attempted, as we noted at the time, to establish as a trade centre in opposition to Macao—ten miles or so from our Portuguese neighbour, About two hours after the junk had dropped her anchor to await the ebb tide, three canoes of the class known as ''snake boats," having about sixty men on board in all, made an onslaught upon her. The junk ple resisted the attack, and the contest lasted, it is estimated, about half-an-hour, when the master and one man being shot dead, and two men having drowned themselves in despair, the remaining four men jumped overboard with planks to endeavour to save themselves from the fury of the pirates, who boarded directly the fighting ceased, and immediately killed the captain' wife and his daughter. The pirates then transferred the cargo to their own boats and set fire to the junk, not forgetting to carry away with them into servitude the two male children. The men of the junk who jumped overboard, it is presumed, were saved by a fishing junk. As to one of them there is a certainty, for he is in Hongkong, having been brought here by the junk that rescued him.
We trust that the Chinese cruisers may be able to make a signal example of these desperadoes, hundreds of whom live a life of rapine and murder right under the noses of the Portuguese sentinels.
We may mention that the pirated junk had no name, but her number was forty-seven, and she was secured by a Chinese firn residing on the Praya West.—Daily ress,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.