The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-24 00:00:00

confined to Dates and Dobarahs, which have been moving
away at improved prices. We have heard of small
batches of the new crop having been placed at 8.8
per md.
Hemp and Jute—A fair demand is making in Jute,
but stocks now consist principally of second and third
qualities, for which prices are well maintained. The fol-
lowing business has been reported during the last
month :-300 bales at Co.'s Rs. 8-8; 550 at 8,12; 750
bales at 2; 950 at 9-12; 200 bales at 9-2; 250 bales at
10-4-0; 466 bales at 10-8 per bale, and 583 mds. at 1-9-3
to 1-10 per md.
Rice—A reaction has taken place in the feeling for
this article, assisted no doubt by the advancing rates of
freight, which are now at 5/. A very moderate business
has been done for some time, and much of that has been
through natives. A fall in freight would cause a shoal
of native speculators to rush again into market. Ship-
ments have been going freely forward to the Mauritius
and Bourbon. We have no alteration in value to notice.
Exports from Ist to 31st ult.:—To Great Britain, 81,418
mds.; France, 13,004 mds.; Hamburgh, 5,424 mds.;
Mauritius, 84,726 mds.; Bourbon, 81,600 mds.
Lac—A fair amount of business has been done in both
these articles througllout the past month. Latterly
shell lac has not been quite so active, but this is in con-
sequence of reduced stocks. The following transactions
have been reported:—Lac dye 584 chests Beerbhoom at
Co.'s Rs. 17 to 23-8 per md.; 19 chests Mirzapore at
14-4; shell lac 91 boxes. Beerbhoom at 8-10 to 9.8,
and Bhorah 438 mds. at 11-4 to 11-12 per md. Stick
lac has been placed, 1,296 mds. at 3-15 to 5-4 per f. mds.,
and 100 mds. Assam at 6-3 per md.
Opium—Since the fifth Government sale, held on the
19th ult., prices of this drug have fluctuated consider-
ably. Several lots have changed hands much above the
averages of sale, and even as high as 1,120r5. per chest
has been paid. Since the arrival of the Red Rover and
the Ariel prices have declined but a shade; they are
quoted—Patna, 1,160; Benares, 1,120 per chest.

CHINA.
(From the China Mail of March 29.)

The greater part of the following article was written
a week back, but perhaps it may still pass muster. The
mort importanladdition we can now make, is the very
probable rumour that a favourable reply has been re-
ceived from Peking.
Canton has for some time pass been fertile in placards
and military preparations. Through their means the
community, both Chinese and foreign, is kept in a state
of chronic excitement.

Stripped of all garnishing, the real state of affairs
seems to be, that the Chinese people, having talked very
big about resisting any attempt on the part of the out-
side barbarians to enter the city of Canton, the ladrones,
feeling assured that the right would be asserted, and
thus lead to disturbance, hare been collecting in hosts in
the surrounding country, watching the opportunity to
plunder their own countrymen.
The Chinese are much more apprehensive on this
score than about our obtaining free access to the city,
and, besides other preparations,% they have accordingly
been very active in raising a municipal guard for the
protection of their properties, each hong and shop having
freely contributed men and money in proportion to their
importance. According to one of the street notifications
which appeared in our last issue, every shop is to sub-
scribe a month's rent to meet expenses, besides provid-
ing a certain number of men well armed.
The volunteer force in the department of the city is
estimated at upwards of 200,000, and the money contri-
butions at several millions of dollars. Besides the city
suburbs numerous towns and villages in the Kwang-
tung province have raised contingents, many of whom,
it may be assumed, have enrolled themselves under the
impression that they are required to fight the barbarians.
None of the documents we have seen threaten aggres-
sive measures, and most of them set out with asserting
the danger to be apprehended from lawless banditti,
some coupling with this allusions to the crafty nature of
the barbarians; but such are probably rhetorical flour-
ishes, intended to work upon the prejudices of those who
might not otherwise be moved. That the primary ob-
ject of these guards is not to resist foreigners, however,
but to defend their property from their own banditti, is
evident both from the contents of the notifications, and
from the fact that in the hilly region to the north-west
of the province the caterans muster in such force as not
only to frighten the tea dealers and others who must
pass through the district, but to overawe the local autho-
rities, who could offer no effectual resistance to their
descent upon Canton, in case of a rupture with the Eng-
lish. A mandarin of high rank who fell into their hands
has been put to death.
We cannot, however divest ourselves of the impression
that such preparations will be superseded in a great de-
gree by an Imperial rescript recognising the right of en-
try, and enjoining every one to respect it. This would
be more effectual than any display of force on the part
of either the Chinese or British authorities, both of
whom are desirous to avoid a rupture. The unsettled
state of affairs of Europe and India are insuperable
arguments against hostilities with the Chines, even for a
better cause; and the appointment of a member of the
Peace Society as consul at Canton may, we think, be
taken as an indication of the feelings of the home Go-
vernment on the subject. Except the fleet, the only
overt precaution on our part has been to station a body
of marines on board 'the guard steamer opposite the
factories 4 We learn that Sea has been informed that
they are sent for the protection of our countrymen, and
to assist him in case or need; but he of course considers
his own preparations sufficient, and declines to have any
such favour forced upon him. A portion of the Ameri-
cans have urged the propriety of moving the United
States ship Dolphin near the factories ; and though the
requisition was by no means unanimously supported, it
was signed by so many that Commodore Geisinger
complied.
All documents and placards calculated to excite the
people have been prohibited by Seu, and his orders seem
to have been so far obeyed that we understand no printed
copies have been posted up. There are others, how-
ever, such as the long one detailing the plans of the
people to the north of the city, which, "issued with the
view of protecting life and property, and not in defi-
ance of the laws," no governor would think of sup-
pressing. It is impossible, however, to prevent such
as are intended merely to stir up ill-feeling against
foreigners from being written and handed about
in manuscript, in which shape it is that they reach
the factories in abundance ; for the Chinese penny-a-
liner, seeing the great interest attached to anything de-
nouncing the barbarians, and finding it an easy way to
please their customers, as well as gratify their own taste
for malice or waggery, have of late hatched many
apochryphal papers. Few of these have ever been seen
by respectable Chinese, and Seu has probably heard of
them for the first time through the remonstrances of our
own authorities.

THE MURDER OF CAPTAIN DA COSTA AND
HIS MISSING COMPANIONS.
The surmise that Captain Da Costa, of the Royal En-
gineers, and Lieut. Dwyer, of the Ceylon Rifles, had
been murdered, has been confirmed, though only one
body—that of Captain Da Costa—has as yet been found.
During the first search spots of blood were traced
along the path below the village for a considerable dis-
tance, when they were suddenly lost sight of. The search
was continued unsuccessfully during that and the follow-
ing day, when, about six o'clock in the evening, as the
police boat was shoving off from the rocks for the purpose
of returning to Victoria, a piece of bamboo fell from the
boat into the water. The attempt made by one of the
men with a boat-hook to recover the bamboo seems to
have disturbed the water, and caused the body of Mr.
Da Costa to rise gradually to the surface, about 20 feet
from the shore.
Next morning, on examining the rocks close to the
spot where the body was found, a good deal of blood was
observed in various places, leading over the stones to-
wards the part of the pathway where the track had for-
merly been lust sight of. From the marks of blood, the
police are of opinion that the body must have been
carried along the pathway, and then turned off to the
rocks, over which it had been thrown.
A coroner's inquest sat on the body of Captain Da
Costa on the Ist March. The place has been visited and
scoured, not only by the police, but by large parties of
troops, and the crew of her Majesty's steamer Fury.
From the evidence at the inquest we select the fol-
lowing:—
"Fenwell Martin Tweddell, being sworn, states—l am
a surgeon attached to the Ceylon Rifle Regiment quar-
tered at Stanley. On Sunday afternoon last, the 25th
of February, I left our quarters, in company with
Lieutenant Dwyer, Captain Da Costa, and Lieutenant
Grantham, for the purpose of taking a walk. I
accompanied the party some short distance—
perhaps a quarter of a mile and then sepa-
rated, as also did Lieutenant Grantham. I returned
to my quarters about twenty minutes past five.
Captain Da Costa and Mr. Dwyer proceeded towards '
the village of Wong-ma-kok, which is situated
.about a mile and a quarter from our barracks. We
dine at seven o'clock. As Captain Da Costa and
Mr. Dwyer did not return to dinner, I became alarmed,
and went out to look after them, with a sergeant, cor-
poral, and three men. We proceeded to the village of
Wong•ma-kok. lat that time saw nothing to excite
suspicion. I saw an old man there, who was very civil,
and gave us oil for our lamps. In answer to some ques-
tions I put to this old man relative to the missing gen
tlemen, he said that he had not seen any Europeans
about; I consequently returned homewards. When
about 200 yards trona the village, close to the pathway,
I found a three pronged spearhead, broken short off,
which I now produce. I took the spearto our station,
and reported to Lieutenant M'Donald, being the senior
in command. He, with a party of soldiers went out, in
order to make further search. I did not accompany
them. They returned about two o'clock the following
morning. Oa Monday morning Mr. May .with a party
of police arrived at Stanley. I accompanied them, in
order to show the road which the missing party had
taken. We separated in various directions. I first dis-
covered marks of blood in the immediate vicinity of the
village of Wong-ma-kok (corrects himself), I first dis-
covered marks of blood about 600 or 700 yards on the other
side of the village, which I traced close into the village;
from thence to the sea side, which is, perhaps, half
a mile from said village. The water was deep w here we

• Amongst these has been the erection within the past
week of a gallery of bamboo, with sentry-boxes at intervals,
along the roofs of the houses fronting the river, and
stretching from the factories to the extremity of the city.
It would thus appear that an attack of the ladrones from the
water is apprehended. The erection might be pretty effec-
tual against their spears, or such weapons as they are likely
to use, but is exposed even to pistol-shots from the river, and
cannot, therefore, be intended to resist foreigners.
P The Phlegethon conveyed the Marines from Hong-
Kong; but having been damaged on her way up, the Cor-
sair was chartered to take her place until she was repaired.
The accident to herself was, unfortunately, not the only
damage done ; for, having got foul of a junk, A cilium WM
rialgt unt9ward orent At thaCrs 1,