The Sun.
London, England, 1825-01-03 00:00:00

FRENCH SLAVE TRADE.

MILFORD, DEC. 30.
The brig James, Captain ROBERT PINCE, from Bonny,
in the Gulf of Guinea, with palm oil, ivory, &c. sailed from
Bonny about the middle of September, in company with a brig
under French colours, with about 600 slaves on board, sup-
posed for the-West Indies, and to be smuggled in there.
In the early part of September a French corvette, with 22
guns, and a great number of men, about 40 of whom were Eng-
lish, sailed from Bonny with upwards of 600 slaves, for the
Isle of Bourbon. Captain Pince was informed her captain was
an officer in the French navy.
A few days before Captain Pince sailed, three fine large first
class brigentines arrived at Bonny, from Nantes; 'they were
quite new (their first voyage), and to take upwards of 500 each.
There were about 25 slave ships, under French colours, at
Bonny, during the time Captain Pince was there.
About the time of Captain Pince sailing, Pepple, the King,
was going to oiler a human sacrifice. The victim selec ed was
a very fine lad, about 18 years of age ; and such was the bar-
barous ignorance of these pobr unenlightened Africans, that
this lad was persuaded to believe that his sacrifice would be an
acceptable offering to the Deity—that he should be instantly
received to everlasting rest and happiness and offered himself
to be drowned.

Captain Pince left Prince's Island on the sth of October, in
company with his Majesty's ship Maidstone, Commodore
Buller, who, with his officers and ship's crew, were in good
health.

On the 3d of October the Commodore captured, and then
had in tow, a Portuguese brigantine, with about 500 slaves
packed under deck, on deck, and in her boats, and in a si-
tuation too horrible for description : when captured, she was
on her passage for the Bratihi. She was sent for Sierra Leone.
Captain Pince speaks also in complimentary terms of the
deservedly high estimation in which the Commodore is held by
all his officers and crew, and also by the Captains of merchant-
vessels on the coast of Africa.

The four Yost-office packets placed on this station last spring
for the conveyance of the mail, passengers, carriages, horses,
between Milford and Dunmore and Waterford harbours, have
exceeded the most sanguine expectations ; and notwithstanding
this most boisterous winter, have performed their voyages.=
During the violent gales (which caused such destruction on the
coast) these vessels were at sea, and succeeded without much.
injury. 111tich credit is due to the head who manages at the
General Post-ollice, as well as theagent who superintends the
arduous duty at Milford.

ECLIPSES im 1825.---There will be four
eclipses this year ; two of the sun and two of the moon. .Ori•
May 31 and June 1 the moon will be eclipsed,' visible, be-
ei nngdiantg at 2
5
m3i?im ltespast 1.1 on tbe night of the 31st May,
pastnd l2 on the morning of the Ist June.—
Digits eclipsed 0 14. On the 16th of June there will be an
eclipse of the sun, invisible in this part of the world—Nov.
25, the moon will rise eclipsed at 3 minutes past 4 in the af-
ternoon, and•the eclipse will terminate at 19 minutes past 5.
Digits obscured 2. 51. on the moon's southern limb.—Dec. 9,
there will be an eclipse of the sun, invisible.

PitrcE SnirENPENCk.

(From. the LONDON G:IZETTE, Jan. 1.)

Admiralty-Offee, Dec. 29.
Vice-Admiral Sir Lawrence Halsted, Commander,-in-Chief
of his Majesty's ships in the West Indies, has transmitted to
John. Wilson Croker, Esq., a letter from Captain Graham, of
his Majesty's sloop Icarus, stating that the boats of that vessel,
dispatched by Captain Graham from the Havatinah, under the
orders of-Lieutenant Charles Croker, captured on the 20th of
August.last, in a creek within Cayo Blanco, fifteen or twenty
leagues to the westward of the Havanna!), a large piratical
schooner, called the Diablito, armed with 6 guns, and manned
with about 50 men, who, after firing a few guns without eiFect,
abandoned the vessel on the approach of the. boats. Some of
them made their-escape to the shore in four large row-boats,
which were afterwards taken by Lieutenant 'Croker; and
others having jumped overboard, and got amongst some man-
grove bushes, five of them were killed by a fire of musketry
from one ,of the boats of the Icarus, and several appeared to be
wounded ; but from the nature of the marsh they could not be
secured.

On boarding the schooner, Lieutenant Croker had the satis-
faction to release the master and crew (nine persons) of an
American brig, the Henry, of Hartford, which had been taken
seven days before by the pirate: They had been treated in the
most inhuman manner, and were to have been put to death on the
following morning, their lives having been spared so long only
for the purpose of their assisting in removing the cargo of the
Henry. The American brig was found by Lieutenant Croker,
a mile above the pirate schooner, in the creek, • but in a state
which rendered it impracticable to remove her to the Havannah,
and she was therefore burnt, with what remained in her. A
sloop, having on board part of her cargo, was also discovered by
the Lieutenant, and brought away; the pirates who were in her
having, however, Made their escape.

This service was performed without any loss on the part of
the detachment from his Majesty's sloop ; and the Vice-Ad-
miral praises the judicious and spirited manner in which it was
conducted by Lieutenant Croker, as well as the zeal and gallan-
try shown by the Lieutenant and the officers and men under
his orders.