The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-11 00:00:00

WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

LIVERPOOL, Ago. 10.

The screw steamship Athenian, Captain Lowry,
has arrived with the mails from the West Coast of
Africa. She brought 55 passengers, 2,500, oz, of
gold, and £1,200 in specie. Her dates are Benin
and Nun, June 24th; Fernando Po, 29th; Came-
roans, 30th ; Old Calabar, July 2d ; Brass River,
4th; New Calabar and Bonny, 7th; Lagos, 11th;
Accra 13th ; Cape Coast Castle, 14th; Cape Palate,
16th ; Sierra Leone, 21st'; Bathurst, 25th; Tene-
rife, 31st; and Madeira, August 2d.
Trade was still languid in the rivers.
Sickness in the rivers was abating fast ; very few
cases of fever took place during the steamer's
stay, The following deaths were reported :--
Mr. William Hearn, of Old Calabar ; Messrs.
Snape and Bryden and Mrs. Henry, of
Benin ; Mr. Brune, of Fernando Po (drowned);
and Mr.. William Ellis, chief officer of the screw
steamer Retriever.
At Benin the natives were most troublesome.
During Dr. Henry's absence from his factory
they broke into his stores and house, stole his
goods, and threatened to illuse and then kill Mrs.
Henry. Fortunately a plucky Krooman stood at
the door of her room with a pistol in his hand, and
swore he would shoot the first man who attempted
to cross the threshold. By this means the Kroomaa
covered Mrs. Henry's retreat, who by this time had
escaped out of the back entrance, and ran for miles
into the bush, wading up to her waist in mud and
water. Towards night she journeyed down to
Messrs. Horsfall's factory. The extreme fright
caused such a shock to her nervous system that
she took fever, accompanied with congestion of
the brain, and died four days after. The natives
would not even allow Dr. Henry to bury her in
the ground appropriated for the graves of white
men. It was expected that a gunboat would be
despatched up the river to make inquiries into the
cause of this serious affair.

As the Cameroons trade had stopped since the Ist
of May, and there is no prospect of its being opened
for some time, the price demanded by the natives
being most exorbitant.
The late differences with the natives of Old
Calabar having been for the present arranged, the
ships and hulks had returned to their old anchorage
up the river. Trade had been resumed, but still
remains much depressed. What with the past
two months of inaction in the trade, and the rains
having set in, a short supply of oil may be looked
for tl'is season.

On the 10th of July Accra was visited with a very
severe earthquake. The shock 'stated two minutes,
and the strongest houses rocked and fell down; in
fact, all are more or less damaged. The Dutch and.
Englis forts are almost in ruins, being no longer
habitable, and the guns ammunition buried. People
are afraid to enter inside of the houses which are
left standing. The Europeans live under tents
and small wooden houses. The natives were so
frightened that they took to drinking and making
fetish night and day. Several shocks have been felt
daily, and even ships lying in the roadstead felt
them. The earth openod in several places, and a
large fissure was made in the rock close to the fort
(English). Only three natives had been killed.
There is no news of any importance from other
parts of the coast. Health good. Natives quiet.

PROPOSED _RECOGNITION 01 THE SOUTHERN
COAFEDERACY.

On Thursday evening a large public meeting was held in
the Assembly-rocm of the Town-hall, Blackburn, to consi-
der the advantage of recognising the Southern States of
America, with a view to bring about an early terminatiea
of hostilities. The Mayor presided ;he was supported by s
large number of manufacturers and tradesmen. The hall
was densely crowded. The first resolution deplored the tin"
natural war raging in America, the awful sacrifice of life,
and the destruction of property caused by it, as well as the
misery it inflicted in the manufacturing districts of England,
and expressed the opinion of the meeting that a continuance
of the unhappy strife would cause the rain of both parties
to it, and that of the districts depending on the cotton trade
The resolution was moved by Lieut.-cJol. Bowdon, seconded
by Mr. J. Johnston, and adopted unanimously and with-
out discussion. Mr. R. R. Jackson moved the second reso-
lution. In doing so he advocated an intervention Ile could
cite several parallel cases—Belgium, Turkey, and Greece.
There was an intervention in favour of those States, which
had resulted in their being declared independent. The last
12 months theyhad passed through would be considered vet?'
severe, but they were at the height of prosperity in compari-
son to the 12 months that were forthcoming. War meant
dear bread, dear cheese, dear bacon, but absence of cotton.
meant enforced idleness and the want of money to buy the
commonest necessaries of life. It was impossible for the
North to vanquish the South, and a writer in the Times
said that the war must be reckoned not by months but bit
years ; so that unless the difficulty was cleared up they
would be entirely dependent upon the books of the
parish, or they would have to rely upon relief committees.
What he desired them to do was to pass the resolution be
submitted to them, " that a petition to the Queen be adopted
by this meeting and signed by the mayor, praying her Most
Gracious Majesty to take immediate measure in coalescing
with France and such other Powers as may be willing to
give their co-operation to recognise the independence of the
Confederate States of America." The resolution was not re-
ceived with unqualified approval, there being a sti ong
pression of opinion against it; and an amendment was
moved by Mr. J. C. Fielden, disapproving the policy of in-
tervention. This amendment was supported by Mr. W.,
Crossley, but finally withdrawn, and the following rider,
moved by Mr. F. Johnston, agreed to :—" That this meet-
ing recognising the desirability of ref erring all internatilnel
disputes to impartial arbitration for settlement, respect'
Cully urges the Government of this country to imme-
diately co-operate with other European Powers in recom-
mending to the contending parties in 'America the above
plan as the simplest and most satisfactory method of re-
storing and re-establishing peace, and in their negotiations_
strongly recommend the abolition of slavery." A vote of
thanks and three cheers having been given to the Mayor?
the crowded meeting separate'a in good order.

CRYSTAL PALACF,.—During the past six days the
numbers of visitorP, have exceeded those of any previous
week since the bpening of the Palace, and, as the foreign
and provinc,-al excursionists to London for the Exhibition,
increase., it is only reasonable to anticipate that the visitor®
to the Palace will increase also. The terrace-gardens 04
row:try are now in their fullest beauty, the flower bed
being brilliant in the extreme. This day (Monday) Bios'
din performs on the high rope over the fountains, and Noll
introduce a series of new feats on a slack rope suspeudee
.
from the high rope. To-morrow the great fountains Will
be played, and on Wednesday Mr. Coxwell will make su
ascent in his great balloon. The directors have determ/s°
to make Saturdays one shilling days during the time of Lit
Exhibition ; this will still further increase the weekly at
tendances. Saturday, half-crown day, August 9.—Adru°.
sions on payment, 3,071; ditto by season tickets, 1,529'
total visitors, 4,600; total visitors for the week ending
Saturday, 103,128.

REMARKABLE ESCAPE.—A strange accident 00°
curred on Monday evening, about six o'clock, as the expte°
train from Glasgow to Carlisle on the Glasgow and Souk"
Western line was proceeding between Thornhill and
Closeburn. Mr. Jas. Russell, a young man, aged 18, son "h
Mr. Russell, assistant to Mr, Balsillie, inspector of Pe°4
Kilmsrnock, was proceeding to Dumfries, with a young°.,
brother, abut six years of age, to spend a few days
with some friends. They were travelling in a fiat
class carriage, and luckily encugh, as it happened,t
carriage was next the engine. The train was proceed'
ing at the rate of 30 miles an hour, and was sboti;
a quarter of a mile on the north or Thornhill side ci
the Cample viaduct, when the little boy left his seat
to look through the carriage window at some sheep which.
attracted his attention. The carriage doors on the side
the train of which the child was looking out of the windesit
are usually locked ; in this instance, no sooner did the Pre°;
sure of the little fellow's hands come upon the door Haan it
flew open, and in an instant the child was precipitated u„.
°l2
of the carriage into the space called the "six feet." ",
tween the two lines of rails. Almost frantic with terror ow
alarm, the elder brother stretched himself as far out of the
carriage as he could, and shouted to the engine-driver, who
on hearing his cries stopped the train but it was not PeB,,
Bible to du this till the spot where the child had fallen out
had been passed about half a mile. Mr. Russell at 011_,.c
tO
hastened back along the line, fearing the worst, but so mucm.
agitated was he by the shock that he was scarcely able
proceed. Mr. Deas; inspector of the line happened to be n•
the train at the time, and it was agreed that the train
e
should be sent back. This was done, and Mr. Deas and
others followed on foot the direction taken by Mr. Russell,
whom they overtook and passed. The train was
about a quarter of a mile to the south of Catnple vierato
and on nearing the viaduct, proceeding north, the su PC;_
sopti,Fet,
and satisfaction of those in search of the child may 1?f,
ceived when they saw the little fellow coming ratu
to-
wards them along the " six feet," weeping bitterly and
rrlat
_wire
ing for his brother James, but apparently unhurt.
ascertained, however, that in falling out of the casedl g° be
received a cut in the head, which is not. suppo
_O., t'e
serious, and some slight abrasions on the. limbs.
carnage
is known as to how the door of the railway can
to be open,—,Dumfries Courier.