The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-12 00:00:00

houses, fourteen men, women, and children, and
forty head of cattle. Next morning the dead bodies
were found a long way off—some with arms and
legs broken—and one man was carried away and
dashed into the ground to the depth of two feet !
Not only horses were carried away, but also the
ground on which they stood. The fish were
blown out of the water, and fell dead in
the paddy fields, and all the grass and paddy
which came in its way were torn out of the
ground. This is, doubtless, an exaggerated
account, but there can be no question that the
hurricane was one of tremendous violence, such
as has not occurred in India probably within the
memory of any one. The electric telegraph pro-
ceeds rapidly, and before the close of the year it is
expected to reach Peshawur. The line between
Calcutta and Delhi is to be opened on the Queen's
birthday. The line between Bombay and Indore
is complete, and the first direct message was re-
ceived at the Presidency yesterday afternoon. Mr.
William Maples, of the civil service, second
assistant to the accountant-general, has been
elected secretary of the Bank of Bengal, on a
salary of three thousand rupees a month.
The Governor-General is at present at Calcutta,
but intends shortly to visit the north-
west. The British Indian Association has, we
observe, petitioned the Most Noble the Governor-
General in Council, that the deliberations of the
Legislative Council may be made, under certain
rules and regulations, open to the press and the,
public. After expressing their satisfaction with the
rules contained in the 23d section of the Charter
Act, for giving solemnity to the proceedings, where-
by it is provided that no law shall be passed ex-
cept at meetings, at which either the Governor-
General, the Vice-President of the Legislative
Council, or an ordinary member of the Supreme
Council shall preside, and five other members of
the Legislative Council, besideseither the Chief Ju-
stice, or other justice of the Supreme Court, or the
fourth ordinary member of the Council shall be pre-
sent, they go on to suggest, with a view to the same
object, that the meetings of the Legislative Council
may be held in such manner that the press and
public may have access to them, and that they may
be thus reported for general information. Also
they pray that parties who may desire to make re-
presentations to the Legislative Council may have
the privilege of being heard before it through their
agents, who will always be able to state more clearly
or forcibly any alteration in draft laws, and to pro-
pose the necessity for new ones, such as may
seem necessary or desirable in the judicial proce-
dure, and in the law of the country, due regard
being had therein to the caste, customs, and re-
ligious feeling of the community and its various
sections. They state that this liberal course of
proceeding is in force in the other dependencies of
the Crown of England ; that it is likely to be at-
tended with beneficial consequences ; that there
is nothing against it by way of restriction in the
Charter Act ; and, moreover, that questions of a
political character, or involving political relations,
are never likely to come before the council for
consideration. Colonel Outram proceeds as Lieu-
tenant-Governor to Aden, the Baroda residentship
being conferred on Major D. A. Malcolm, of the
Bombay army. The extension of our railway to
Callian was opened to the public on the 2d inst.,
the directors having entertained their friends the
day previous to the official opening. The local
Government has resolved to place an apartment in
the Secretariate at the disposal of the press, and all
such papers and documents as do not imperatively
demand secresy, and which are not, therefore,
necessarily to be placed under the restrictions of
official secresy. This graceful concession will
cost the Government nothing ; it will save
them from much unwitting and involuntary mis-
representation on the part of the fourth estate.
Compelled, as we and our brethren have so far
been, to derive information in a great measure
from second hand and sometimes garbled and im-
perfect sources, it is but natural to suppose that
we have more than once been led into comments
to the disfavour of our rulers, from which we
should have refrained, had we been less imperfectly
informed, or known all. Official secresy is an
almost exploded farce. These secrets will leak
out in spite of all the departments in the world.
The question is simply whether it is not better
to make matters fully patent, and so guard
against the possibility of garbling or misrepre-
sentation. Lord Elphinstone's Government has
very wisely, as we think, answered it in the
affirmative. We have also to congratulate
the Government on a very meritorious selec-
tion which they have made of a most de-
serving individual to fill Mr. Richardson's late ap-
pointment. Mr. Venaick Wassadeujee, who was
once before appointed to a similar post, but whose
appointment was unwisely cancelled by the Board
of Directors, has been nominated by the Governor
to the responsible post of Oriental translator to
Government, on a salary of seven hundred and
fifty rupees per mensem. This is as it should be.
A worthy, able, but hitherto ill-paid servant, has
at last received a merited reward for his faithful
services. The Honourable Company's steamer
Feroze left for the Persian Gulf yesterday, and
.the defences of Bombay are being put in order as
if for the reception of an enemy; by the latest intel-
ligence the Russian squadron were near Singapore.
Lord Elphinstone intends celebrating her Ma-
jesty's birthday in a manner very different to
his predecessor. A ball is to come off at Go-
vernment House, and the various public offices
are to be closed. There is an unceasing tightness
in the money-market ; while in the general market
a good deal of business has been forced at unre-
munerative, if not losing rates.