Commander Scott arrived at this port on the 12th of June last in H.M.S, Lapwing, of which\vessol he was in command on the 7th of April last, when a collision occurred between her and the O.M.S.N.
Co.'s steamer Hochung, Captain Petersen, whereby the latter vessel wros sunk, She was then on a voyage from Shanghai to Hong-ong, and the Hochung was. coming to this port from Swatow. A suit was brought in HLM,'s Supreme Court for China and Japan against Captain Scott, by the owners of the Hochung, for compensation for her loss, and he in turn entered a cross suit against them to recover the sums that had been spent in repairing the damages the Lapwing sustained. on the night in question. It had been arranged that the suits should be heard before B.A. Mowat, Eaq., Acting Chief Justice, at one and the same time, and they came on for hearing on Wednesday, the 13th inst., and the entire time of the Court since then has been occupied with them, Captain Scott was the last witness called by his Counsel, and he occupied the witness box part of Wednesday morning and all of the afternoon, Mr, Drammond had been engaged by some forty sailors from H.M.S. Lapwing and Foxhound, and behind them were twelve or fifteen petty officers. Fourteen of the Shanghai Light Horse, under the command of Lieut. Brodie A. Clarke, marched next, being followed in tura by twenty or thirty members of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps accompanied by half-a-dozen of their officers. Commander Green, cross-examining him for some time, and on Thursday morning the cross-examination was to have been continued.
But unfortunately it turned out that Captain Scott would never appear before His Lordship again, sitting in his judicial capacity. A little before nine o'clock, the doctor of H.MLS. Lapwing was walk-jing about the deck of the ship with Lieut. Bignold when he heard. what sounded like a shot, His attention was sufficiently attracted by the sound to cause him to exclaim, " Good gracious, Bignold, what's that?" Very shortly after the Captain's servant rushed upon deck saying that his master had shot himself. The sad announcement proved to be only too true, The doctor hastened below, and found the unfortunate Commander lying on the floor of his sleeping cabin, shot through the head. He died shortly before ten o'clock, never recovering consciousness. R. A. Mowat, Esq., Acting Chief Justice of H.M.'s Supreme Court, in his position as Coroner, without delay, opened an inquest on the body, a report of which appears in another column; and it was afterwards arranged that the deceased officer should be buried with the honours becoming his station in the afternoon at half-past five, At four o'clock the bunting which had decorated the ship in honour of the birthday of H.ILM. the Emperor of China was taken off, and this operation was also performed on board ELMS. Forhound, H.LR.M.S. Marge, the U.S.8. Palos and the Revenue cruiser Kwahsing, the national ensigns all being lowered to half-mast at the same time.
The Consular flags and those on all the merchant vessels in harbour were also lowered and the yards of the Lapwing wore "topped." Tho'coffin left the Lapwing at half-past five, the first of twenty minute-guns being fired at that time. On its arrival at the P. & O. jetty, the coffin was placed on the top of one of the brass howitzers of the 8.V.A., of which Corps about a dozen members were present, under the command of Captain Dallas. It was covered with the British ensign, and sword and belt of the deceased officer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.