The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-04 00:00:00

FRANCE.
DEATH OF ARTHUR O'CONNOR.

General Arthur O'Connor expired at his residence 1
tear Mantargis, On the 25th ult., aged 89. He was an
Irishman by birth, and in early tile was a Member of
the Irish Parliament. He belonged to the United Irish-
men, and formed one of the five members of the Direc-
tory which was to put in movement that vast association.
In 1796, the United Irishmen aiming openly at throwing
Off the rale of England, General Hoche's expedition
was decided on. It, however, failed signally, and
Arthur O'Connor and another member of the Irish
Directov came over to the continent, and had an inter-
view with General Roche at Frankfort, but it was
not that general who attempted the second descent.
General Humbert landed on August 22, 1798, at
Killala
with 1,500 men, bat the second French division not
having followed from want of funds, Humbert and all his
men were obliged to lay down their arms on September
following. Arthur O'Connor meanwhile had been
arrested at Margate, and all his papers seized. This
brought to light the correspondenoe of the United Irish-
men
with the French Directory, and several of the Irish
leaders were arrested. O'Connor. before the day fixed
for his trial had arrived, succeeded in escaping to France,
and wee well received by the First Consul, who gave
him the title of general of division in the French army.
He afterwards married ;Mile. de Condorcet, and was
intimate with all the persons who used to meet at the
house of Mine. Helvetius, and afterwards at M. de
Tracy's. He published an edition of Condorcet's works,
and souse pamphlets on the political position of Great
Britain and Ireland. Of late years ha has lived on his
estate at Bignon, near Montargis, where he died. His
only son, M. Daniel O'Connor, preceded him to the
tomb about two years back.

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE:
By the ship Agincourt we have received intelligence
from the Cape to the 10th of March. There is no men-
tion of the Megmra or the Hydra. The Legislative
Council had voted 5001. towards the relief of the sufferers
from the loss of the Birkenhead.
Sir Harry Smith was to lvive taken the field on the
Bth inst. in person. A considerable number of Burghers
were expected to join. He had heard of his removal,
bra it had not altered his plans. Lady Smith was making
every preparation to leave on the arrival of the new
governor.
By the last frontier post there was nothing new.
The troops were preparing for the campaign of the Bth
of March.
The following Government notice had been published
command:—
" King ,Feb.illiam's Town, D• `)7 18
'2
.

" Reports have been received from Mr. Cole, Civil
Commissioner of Albert, dated the 17th instant. They
state that the Burgher force under his direction had
swept the whole of Tyono's and Madoor's country, the
Indwee river and its kloofs, the neighbourhood of the
Bolota, the whole of the 4uurberg range, and both banks
of the T'Somo. Twenty-five Kafirs and eleven Hotten-
tots had been slain; among the latter the notorious Dirk
Rabi; and 1,000 head of cattle, 300 goats, 40 horses,
and 12 stand of arms had been taken.
" Reports frcin Lieutenant-Colonel Michel extend up
to the 22d instant. On the 20th, notwithstanding the
incessant rain, his troops were vigorously employed in
devsatatiug the crops b and adjacent to the Wolf's
Den, the property of Sandilli. On the 21st he burned
from 80 to 100 Hottentot huts, and some regularly-
built houses of wattle and daub, in and above the Ama-
tols Basin. He then moved back by the very difficult
ground of the Wolf River to his camp in the valley of
the Letiya, destroying many crops on the march. Col.
Michel reports that • nothing could be more complete
than the destruction of the Hottentot strongholds, or of
the crops in the Den.
" Lieutenant-Colonel Eyre's reports reach to the 23d
instant. Early on the =ening of the 21st he moved in
two divisions on the Gulu mountain—the range which
separates the Wolf Valley from the tributaries of the
Gulp River—and completely surprised the enemy, cap-
turing 54 head of cattle on the summit of the heights,
send burning large numbers of huts in the very heart of
the dentin bush. The enemy, Kafirs end Hottentots,
fled evesywbere seethe troops advanced. Immense quan-
tities e' cultivation at the sources of the Upper Keis-
kerne, ecc.,weee destroyed on the 21st and two follow-
ing days.- Rockets had been used with great effect,
spreading terror amerg the enemy.
" From the heights of the Gale, Colonel Eyre had
observed Colenel Michel operating in the Wolf Valley
below. The. co-operation of these two officer?, therefore,
has been perfect and most successful.
" Reports to the 22d instant have been received from
Major Kyle, up to which date the quantity of corn de-
stroyed ley his dela= was computed at about 10,000
maids. ' lie had met with no opposition.

Major-General Somerset reports that he has de-
stroyed the whole, of the crops or the treacherous Soga,
the murderer of the military villagers, and those of
others, in the valley of the Chumie, as well as very many
o❑ that side of the Amatola,
" Major General Somerset has moved to the old
Konsp Post, preparatory to the grand movement of ex-
pulsion from the Waterkioof to the Kei. The troops
of the second division, having completed their labour of
devastation, are all ordered to head-quarters to re-equip
for the field.

" Ur. Robert Ainslie reports the spirited repulse of
an rata* made by some marauders on his farm, Spring
Grave, on the morning of the 19th instant. A number of
castle, abeep, and goats were, in the first instance, driven
off; the, greater part, however, of the former, and the
whole of the later were recaptured, and in the skirmish
whicia took place between the small party of 13 Burghers
and the enemy, 14 of the latter were 4lain, and 20
bv,les and several guns and assegais taken. Mr. Ains-
li.3 states, that the enemy did not fight with that spirit
'of determination which has been hitherto shown by
them, but seemed more intent on getting off with their
booty.' Very little ammunition was found in the
pouches tithe slain."

THE LOSS OF' THE BIRKENHEAD.
(From the Purtsmout4 Times and Naval Gazette.)
By the arrival of the sureivors of this awful calamity
we are put in possession of some highly interesting de-
tails not before made public, and sorry we are that in
these gatherings lie should have to record so cold-
hearted and ungentlemanly a reminiscence of Commo-
uere Wt vili towards the master of the schooner
Lioness as that given in our " latest particulars"
bf the wreck. We were inclined to doubt the
infofielation we received in relation to that transaction/
hut the conduct attributed to Commodore Wyvill is
supported by such respectable evidence that we cannot
bat believe he has acted in the way imputed to him;
nor is the treatment of the merchant Captain of the
Lioness all that may justly be complained of
in Commodore Viy vili'd behaviour during the
aow. e-strikinz period succeeding: the loss of the
rehiriterihee,ci at the Cape. His dispatches to the Admi-
-4 teY have not been framed with that coolness and re-
gal:l4644llpr rigid le:curacy which such official information
thee 4 do
in a matter so vital to numerous members of
h "aalanity in England. He said in his dispatch to the
ome authoritithat it -
(the es
mond'Brodie, sill:aster commanding the Birkenhead) or Mr.
ten o'clock second
t master, .had been on deck from
this iaformatioon the . time the ship struck. How
know, as both the gleaned we are at a loss to
w etch are drown and
and military officers of the
saved, comprisiag mild the officers of the ship who are
Mr. Renwick. engineer'. Richards, master's assistant ;
gero,Tllir. Archbold, gunner; Mr. Cul-
hens, astiatant bur
Barber, assistant engineer Mr' Hire, clerk, and Mr.
4,.d. inwere all iu bed at the time
the ship struck, and
wen so from ten o'clock, and
not one of mese offieers wised by Commodore
Wyvili whether either me. seal"
Tto3nii or Mr. Brodie were
ou deck from tea o'eloea !
go
on
vveath
tilrtdsman and helms-
man saved did not
:ttelve o'clock, and
can only speak to what took place)
• from that time to
two o'clock.
Again Commodore Wyviil eau the
rocks
off
Point
heand that
have been
Danger ex.tencicd only a little more than a
eels,
the Birkenhead, when she struck, could not
impul4d tniicrieptrhe
repre-
sented. Now this looks very much e
so far off the shore as the survivine
offiaers like
from, and a
best testimony ha could presume to judge
very ancourteoth; (Nab; 0., ocular evidence than which
none. better *vat speed by the waves. Now is contra-
dis4actiore to the Commodore's hasty opinion we have
con mewl with a gentlemen who was shown by Captain
Itunseten, of the° Lioness, D. 6artt id a much later
taate the* any in the possession of the Admiralty,
whereon the reeled elf Point Banger are shown
to extend about a rareand a quarter from the
sheep,' whereas he, Capt4in Ramsden, who has
navigated the waters on the Cape ceast for 2t years
and upwards, knows the reef at Point Danger extends
fully four miles out! and that the Birkenhead was fully
three miles from the shore when she struck; and in his
opinion the authorised charts issued were useless to
steer by.
Then, as to the c`jrupa3ses of the Birkenhead—we
showed in a recent article (on the 10th ult.) that her com-
passes were entirely untrustworthy, and in support
of this we have now a further corroboratory
opinion of
some value. The master of the Lioness when at Cape
Town after the wreese, was told by the commander of the
Propontis iron (screw) mail packet on the latter's hearing
of the wreck, he was not surprised, immediately assigning
the muse to have been the failure of the compasses, as
kfis own vessel, the same night on which the Birkenhead
was lost, and about the same time, was in danger, from
the attraction of her compasses from atmospheric in-
fluence, the compasses of the Propontis having on that
night gone entirely round the circle, and kept fluctu-
ating round and round, rendering steering by them
uaeless.!
Aetter this who can wonder at the lots of the Birken-
head ?
We have other information in oar possession relative
to the conduce of parties raved, but we will not prejudge
them in the eyes of the world by publishing it now, feel-
ingw ict,. 'assured that before such a court-martial as will neat
tt, e assere ble to investirrate the cause of the wreck,
.° amplest ,: ' w
knowe, expl enaeous ill be searched out and made

___,................
Livmapow, s
Groat Brltain; 1.,,AT ußDAy.—Tlic screw steam-ship
Mersey 4t 9 to LAZews commander, wiled from the
choors at W.K.nrclnds of to-day for New York, amidst the
to witness her departrretrul assembled on the pier-heads
at I.le took out ISO passengers,
and, judgi irg from the rate
is no dsubt she, I'll make she steamed to Holy-
likke a very fine run out.
Shevas off the Ormshead
andal?iont 33 miles from the
Rock Lighthouse, in two hours
hours
; and passed
Holyhead, a distance ot 60 miles*in/h4ours and 50 minutes,
and that, too, with a N.W. wind. ,
Boston,
the Mersey at
Royal Mail steam-
ship Canada, Lang commander, sailed*
,oiyith the usual
4 30 P.M. tc-day for Halifax and Bosiu
The United
mails, 50 passengers, and about 1,0001. es
States Mail stears-ship Atlantic,
sail from this port for New York on Wednesdraander, will
the mails, &c. Ttr,e screw steam-ship City of next. with
Manchester
Leitch oommandeq, will also sail on Weduaaday next foi
Vililadtlphia.