The Murillo, nominally at least a Spanish ship, despatched from
Antwerp for Lisbon, appears without doubt to have been the offender to which the destruction of the Northfleet and the loss of more than 300 lives is due. Yesterday we heard that she had reached Lisbon, but had hastily left again for Cadiz, in conse- quence of an order from her agents, before going into port, and finally that she had reached Cadiz on Thursday evening. Her bows had been repainted, and she had suffered no material damage. Had she gone into Lisbon, the Portuguese law would have favoured our claims against her, but in Spain there may be some difficulty. However, it is suspected that her real owners, the owners behind the registered owner, are British subjects, and in that case the officers, it is said, will be liable for a misdemeanour, and her owners to make good the loss arising' from the collision. Nothing, however, can atone for the brutal inhumanity of the captain who sailed away from the sinking ship, leaving the victims of his negligence to a watery grave.
