The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-27 00:00:00

MORNING EDITION

BUSHIRE.

Some account has already appeared of a visit to
Bushire, by Sir F. Maitland, the Admiral on the
Bombay stat:on, in the course of which he was sub-
jected to marked insult by the Persian authorities,
and even placed in personal danger ; but the facts were
so loosely stated in the letters then received, and the
motives of all parties so entirely inexplicable, that it
was impossible by such means to get at the real state
of the case. Letters subsequently received, however,
from Bombay, and from officers serving on board of
the squadron, have placed the matter in a clearer
light. It is now ascertained, that early in March
last the British Admiral arrived at Bushire, with
his flag-ship and two other vessels, and became
an inmate of the residency. Visits were interchanged
between him and thelGovernor of Bushire while
at the residency, frequent communications took
place, of course with the squadron, to which
provisions were sent. The Governor objected to the
embarkation of provisions from the pier or quay before
the residency, as was usual, and required that they
shou'd be sent through the Custom House. After
some discussion, the Admiral conceded the point,
stating, however, that it was a discourtesy which had
never elsewhere been imposed on him in the East.
Having gained this point, the Persian authorities,
in the true spirit of their Asiatic character, required
that the personal communication between the men-of-
war and the Admiral at the pier of the residency should
also be discontinued, and that the officers and men
coming and going between the residency and the ships
should also land and embark at the Custom House
wharf, which was at the other end of the town and it
was at length formally stated that this injunction
applied to the Admiral himself and to his own
personal baggage and effects. So indisposed was
the Admiral to come to any rupture on the question,
that he proposed to be governed by the precedent
of all former cases, on the authority of those most ac-
quainted with them ; and it was by all admitted that
such an injunction had never before been imposed on
any British man-of-war in that port. The Admiral
then refused to yield to it, as an insult to his flag, and
formally communicated to the Governor that he would
the next day leave and convey his baggage from the re-
sidency to his flag-ship from the usual place and in his
own boats, and that any opposition would be at the
peril of those who made it. On the approach of the
boats all the native troops at Bushire were drawn up on
the beach, and without any act of hostility on our part,
they opened a fire on them. One of our men had a ball
through his belt, and another through his cartouche-
box. Our men had received orders not to fire, but, ex-
asperated at being thus assaulted, they opened a v„lley
on the troops, by which three were wounded, and
the whole of the Persians scampered off in all directions.
The resident struck his flag, and he and the Admiral,
with their baggage, were conveyed on board the squad-
ron. The nephew of Sir F. Maitland would have been
shot by a Persian soldier who stood near him, if the
Admiral himself and an officer had not seized the
fellow and wrested the gun from him. Another officer
on the terrace of the residency was deliberately
fired at by one of the soldiers. On the withdrawal

of the Admiral some of the native merchants of the
place waited on him to conciliate and arrange the
matter. The Admiral gave a paper, requiring a formal
and public apology from the Governor, and a formal

renunciation of all claim to such an injunction here-
after as he had attempted to impose. These terms, so
extremely lenient, the Governor would not however agree
to, and it was ascertained, as then stated, that the de-

putation had no official authority from him (the *alai
evasion of these people). The matter was referred to
Shiraz (where a Prince of the Royal family governed,

and on whom Bushire depends), whence an officer was
sent to communicate with the Admiral, out in the end
the Admiral's terms were not accepted, no satisfaction
was given, and it appeared that the real object of the
mission was to inquire into the matter, and attempt to
give it some false colouring, but not to give any redress.
On this the squadron sailed, and our resident retired
to Kerack.—Times.

STATISTICAL RETURN OF THE

NAVAL FORCES OF FRANCE.

(From the National).
The following is a statement of the vessels afloat, or
constructing in our harbours :
SHIPS OF THE LINE AT SEA, IN PORT, OR IN

COMMISSION.

First-rate ships, five—L'Ocean, le Majestueux, le
Montebello, and le Souverain, of 120 guns; and le
Commerce, of 110.

Second-rate ship, one—L'Hercule, of 100 guns.
Third-rate ships, seven—Le Jena, and le Suffren, of
90 guns ; and le Diademe, Sauti Petri, le Neptune,
l'Algesiras, and Jupiter, of 86 guns.
Fourth-rate ships, nine—Le Nestor, le Marengo, le
Trident, la Ville de 'Marseille, le Scipion, l'Alger, le
Triton, la Couronne, and le Genereux, of 82 guns.
Total of the ships of the line afloat, 22.
_ _

Le Alajestueux and l'Algesiras, however, must be
deducted from the number, as unfit for sea, until
thoroughly repaired. There remain, accordingly, 20
ships of the line.

SIIIPS ON Tilt; STOCKS.

First-rate ships, 4 ; second-rate,, to ; third-rate, 10,
The first-rate-ships Friedland and la Ville de Paris
are completed to the 20-24ths : and the Louis XI V. to
the 18-24ths, and may be got ready for sea in a few
months.

The second-rate ships le 'Page, Jcmappes, and
Fleurus, are completed to the 22-24ths, l'Ultn to the
17-24ths, le Navarin, l'Annibal, l'Eole, and Duguay
Tronin, to the 19-9.4ths, and may, consequently, be
launched in a short time.

The third-rate ships Dugueselin and Bayard are
constructed to the 1.2-24ths, le Fonter.oi and Achille to
the 22.24ths and ►'lnflexible and l'Alexandre, to the
16-24ths.

Thus, in case of war, we might have 17 additional
ships afloat, which, with the 20 at sea or in port, would
form a force of 37 ships of the line. Nine others ig, a
forward state of construction would still remain on tile