The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-08 00:00:00


(SATURDAY EVENING.)
CHRONICLE.--The news from China, published to-
day in anticipation of the overland mail, caused a feeling
of e!kappointenent, and an additional heaviness in the furida,
as it appears that our differences with the Chinese autho-
rities had not been brought to a settlement at the date of
these advises, and that there had been a considerable
mortality among the troops at Chusan. These gloomy
impressions, however, rather diminished, when the state of
matters was more maturely considered. It was then seen
that Lin, the greatest enemy of English interests, bad
been superseded and disgraced, and that the Hone
merchauti, who certainly should be more accurate
judges of the intentions of their Government than any
class of foreigners, were evincing by their proceed-
ings a confidence in a speedy errangenient. The
character of the advises by the previous arrival wsa
so very flattering, that people were looking forward for tco
much being done at once. Considering the haughty and
repulsive character of the Chinese and their past exclusion
of foreign interference, the progress made by Captain El-
liot is really more than could have been reasonably ex-
pected so soon, and we ought to be surprised rather at the
advanced state of the prclimineries toward3 negotiation
shown by the accounts now received, than that snore had
not beer accomplished. It would, how......ver, be unwise for
those interested in Chinese produce to trust to the early
adjustment of our differences with the Court of Pekin.
Chinese cunning is so notorious, and the memorial of Lin
exhibits so much of the national duplicity, that it would
be rash in any one, without better information than we
possess at present, to forts a decided opinion as to the early
result of the dispute between this country and Ckina.

TIMES.—The English stocks aro still in an unsettled
state, and although the accounts from the East ladies are
looked upon as unsatisfactory, and caused a temporary de-
pression in prices as compared with yesterday, yet when
the French mail arrived in the afternoon bringing better
quotations, a reaction of a trivial nature occurred.
The Indian papers just arrived contain some particulars
relative to the commerce of Bombay. A table is drawn
up of the imports anal exports in pounds sterling, from the
Custom-house returns, the results being obtained by reckon-
ing 2s. to the rupee. The totals for the year 1840 are for
imports, 264 fur the number of ships ; 120,504 for the
tonnage ; 3,209.080/ for the value of merchandise;
879,515l. for that of treasure ; 45,3901. for that of horses,
the total value being 4,067,645/ ; while for the exports,
the number of ships is set down at 237, the tonnage at
112,939, the several values as follows—via , merchandise
at 3,666,895/. ; treasure, 373,1491. ; horses, 16,6351. ;
and the total value at 4,076,479/. It is to be under-
stood that these statements merely refer to English ships,
since a separate account is kept for native vessels. The
value of horses set down, both as articles of import and
export, is very large. The greater part of these brought
to Bombay aro from the Persian Gulf, Scinde, and Guze-
rat, valued on an average at about 15/. per head, the low-
ness of the average being caused by toe number of ponies
found among these horses. The large amounts of trea-
sure exported and imported are attributed in a great mea-
sure to the efficiency of the Bombay Mint, the machinery
of which works off 35,000 coins par hour, though the
makers had only reckoned on its working off 14,000.
About 5,000 tons of coal, at a freightage of about 21.
per ton, are annually imported into Bombay, and used
almost exclusively by the Company's steamers, though it
is observed, that on account of defective arrangements at
home, scarcely more than two-thirds is effectual in raising
steam. Great losses are, it is said, sustained, on
account of the pilferings of the native boatmen, whose office
it is to carry goods between the ships and the shore, both
on the occasion of shipping and landing goods. The
amount of injury caused by these depredations is estimated
at about 3.00(11. per annum, exclusive of the pillege of
opium, which causes a loss, it is rsekaned, of from 4,0001.
to 8,000/. Hence the formation of a Company of re.
sponsible wharfingers is looked un as expedient, especially
as such an association has been already formed at Calcutta,
where it has been found successful. Another defect at
Bombay is tho absence of wet docks, although the rise and
fall of tide is from 14 to 18 feet, and the locality abounds
with fino building-stone. A hope is expressed that the
construction of the wet dock for the steam flotilla of the
Indian navy, which iv about to take place, will speedily be
followed by other docks fitted for the commerce of the port.
The account of the Bombay Money Market gives as the
only sales of Government securities, 5,000 rupees of the
4 per Cent. Loan of 1832-3, at 102 rupees 4 aortas per
100 siccas. end a small amount of the 4 per Cent. Loan of
1835.6 at 97f per cent. The bills on Bengal were less
in demand, a sale of 5 lacs at the Treasury averaging 8
minas disconet, while the exchange on Loziion was 2} to
at sic months. With respect to the exchanges, com-
plaints are made at the alteration of the rates by the
Supreme Government, without reference to the state of
the Money Market. The rates referred to are those at
which the Government is prepared to grant advances
against shipments for England. For instance, the first
announcement this season fixed the rate et 2a. ld , when,
without any previous intimation, a notice was published
raising the rate Id. higher. The effects produced by this
are compared to the evils caused by the Bank of England's
capricious tampering with the currency here.
It appears by the same papers that the Victoria arrived
on the 14th of December with the October and November

POLITICAL SUMMARY OF THE

MORNING PAPERS.

The Morning herald of this day, alluding to the affair
of the Caroline now occupying the attention of this Go-
vernment and the United States, observes :—" Thu whole
question upon which Mr. Fox has a right to interfere is
simply this. Was the destruction of the piratical vessel
Caroline authorised and direct, d by the G )vernment of
Great B. itain, or of Canada, which amounts to the same
thine ? If so, the question is one between the two Govern-
ments, and not between the Federal Government at Wash-
ington, or the
,State Government at New York, and Col.
M'Leod, who, if he did wrong, only carried into effect
the orders of his Government, which is, therefore, the party
really responiible. This is the ground for the British Go-
vernment to take—this is the ground to stand upon." The
Morning Chronicle remarks, with reference to Lord Stan-
ley's Irish Registration Bill:—" If the people of England
allow Lord Stanley's Bill to pass, they do, to all intents and
purposes, fling defiance into the teeth of Catholic and
Liberal Ireland. The die is cast, and from that moment
the union of Ireland with the British Crown depends on
military force—on the array of British bayonets and the
Orange militia of the north. From that moment it be-
comes certain that if a war should arise, and a hostile
army should effect a landing on any one point of the ex-
tensive coast of Ireland, with the exception of the pro-
vince of Ulster, that hostile army would be received
as friends and liberators by a numerical majority of
the population." The Morning Post thus expresses
itself en the sul-ject of Lord Morpeth'a Irish Regis-
tration Bill :—" It is a proposal for the abolition of ad-
mitted fraud, and 3et only a conditional proposal. It.
is in the nature of a bargain with those who detest the
fraud, They may •save the fraud removed, but they must
pay a price for it, and that price must be the abandonment
of a certain part of the representative constitution as fixed
no longer aeo than 1832." The Times, speaking of Mr.
Lat.ouchere's measure for the better regulation of rait-
ways, observes :—" It relates exclusively to the protection
of the public safety ; and, if carried with such amendments
as are necessary to effectuate its leading provisions, will do
all that legislation can, or, at all crews, as much as in the
present state of knowledge it is prudent to attempt, to-
wards securing travellers against the premature opening
of railways, the employment of improper and unqua-
lified persons in the management of engines and
trains, and the neglect by directors of railway Com-
panies of prudent or necessary precautions." Tire
Morning Advertiser hai the following remarks
on the Monmouthshire election :--" The Monmouthshire
election takes place, we believe, on Tuesday next, and a
new candidata has started in the person of Charles Octa-
vius Swinerton Morgan (what long mimes these Welsh-
men have), and it is more than probable that lie will win
it; bat be 't observed, that the contest is not a party, hut
a family one. In the count• the Beaufort and Misr gen
families are predominant, and Mr. Banbury Tracey
is simply supported by the Liberal interest, not
exercised during the last hundred years. We do not
flatter ourselves that he will be successful ; but if he
be so, the triumph of Liberal principles will exceed
anything which has occurred in recent elections. Mr.
Morgen's principles will be easily gathered from the fol-
lowing extract from his address. How supremely ridi-
culous they are it is not necessary for us to expose :—" As
I have not hitherto had an opportunity of publicly evolv-
ing ray political opinions, I beg leave to state, that I shall
be ready to support the agricultural, commercial, and ma-
nufacturing interests against all innovation 1 that I shall
ever be found a true and steady friend to our present in
stitutions in Church and State ; and should you honour me
by electing me your representative, my earnest endeavour
will be to watch over your local interests."

M. MINASI.—Having availed ourselves of re-
peated opportunities of expressing our admiration of the
exquisitely beautiful pen-and ink drawings of Mr. Minasi
(now residing at No. 113, Praed-street, Paddington), we
feel deep regret in stating that this talented artist is at the
present time struggling with the accumulated evils of po-
verty and advanced years, for want of that patronage to
which his performances—unequalled we believe in Europe
in the particular branch of the arts which he has carried to
such perfection—have so justly entitled him. He has re-
cently experienced a severe attack of illness, which has
crippled his pecuniary resources, and temporarily impaired
his physical energies, without diminishing his enthusiastic
attachment to his profusion, or his power of communicat-
ing to others the meanis of imitating the productions of
his genius. We understand he is endeavouring to esta-
blish a school for teaching the art of pen-and-ink drawing,
and wo cannot permit ourselves to doubt that he will soon
have a sufficient number of pupils to relieve him from his
present difficulii,s, and to afford him a prospect of passing
the evening of his life in comparative comfort. In the
rmat eeioni
admired
p
di
,Ias9si, in
ofs raadnmkt e n
admirable
bdnl name
property
of humanity, to the nu-
rpaewrgws
to his assistance, and to evince, by something i:tveme seenpc,fonr and‘4t'haardn
empty praise, their estimation of a man whose first-rate
skill as an nrtiit is only equalled by the excellence of his
e
s11.11 riTt 'fel
olgal even;ittE:i1N:val eirr. r.lvbi o:of:atrnn:Lfei
immense
mt.coba:bu:::eieli
majority,
hsyo115,wcirar
morsa
r1c.h aAratc,tBerA.
s
y
defeated
eitnhaiiet
odLni
at the
ei
general
appointment;iet enreersat
l,
comes forward on the Tory side. On that occasio the
numbers were, for Grimston, 361 ; Mutikett, 348; Cab-
bell, 219. The nomination is fixed for this day. The.
reason assigned for the Hon. Mr. Grimston's resignation
of his seat for St. Albans is, that he means to exchange
the Senate for the Church.
COPYRIGHT BILL.—The majority against the
second reading of the CopyriOtt Bill would, we under.
stand, have been increased by four, but that Mr. B.
Hawes and Mr. Briscoe were counted as voting for, in-
stead of against, the Bill—they having by mistake gone
into the wrong lobby.

THE COPYRIGHT BILL

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUE.

Stn,—Though Mr. Sergeant Talfourd has lost his Bill,
he may yet introduce another, which, as I think, will be
useful both to the public and to authors. It is an Act to
render it imperative on publishers not to allow the true
date of the title-page and preface of soy scientific work to
be altered, except when alterations are made in the body
of the work. Publishers should also be obliged, when a
work is stet eotyped, to introduce that word, and the year
in which the plates were cast, in the title-page ; end
they should not be permitted to alter that date till a
genuine new edition was produced.
The effect of these regulations would be to prevent old
works on sciences, which are undergoing almost daily
changes, from being given to the public as new editions
containing all the latest improvements. This would be a
manifest advantage to the public, while the frequency of
real new editions would bring some litt'e remuneration to
the author. who is now often doomed, not only to see his
works passing through several nominal editions, and in
consequence selling extensively, without his deriving the
slightest advantage from them, but to be blamed for errors
and omissions which he has no power to correct or supply.
I remain, Sir, &c. J. C. LOUDON.
Bayswater, Feb. 6.

DESTRUCTION of CAMBERWELL

OLD CHURCH BY FIRE.

Lest night, a few minutes before twelve o'clock a light
was observed by a policeman on duty in the gallery of :he
above venerable structure ; and, supposing from the flek-
ering of the flame that it was thieves who had broken in,
he informed the clerk, who resides adjacent to the church,
of his susiicions. The clerk lost no time in procuring the
keys, aad on opening the church doors it was found that
the gallery was on fire, near the organ. The flames, owing
to the sudden opening of the door, spread with greater r,-
pidity, and communicated to the organ, belfry, and the
other portions of the fabric. The clerk then secured the
books with the greatest difficulty, the smoke being so dense
as to nearly stifle him.
The policeman raised an alarm, and roused up the inha-
bitants residing near the spot. The engine was g, t out,
but no water could Ise procured to work it. An express
was then sent up to the different stations of the Fire
Brigade Establishment for the engines belonging t©
them. The flames at this time burst forth from the
windows of the building, and had a most beautiful ap-
pearance, the whole of the interior being one mess of
fire. No water up to this time could be procured, and
the opinion among the bystanders and firemen who bad
arrived was, that the fire intuit burn itself out. The
church is surrounded by a yard, and has a beautiful square
tower, with a peal of eight bells ; the whole of which,
together with the church orvin, &c., have fallen a prey to
the devouring element. About two o'clock the peal of
bells fell with a loud crash, which were soon after fol.
lowed by the roof, and nothing is left standing but the
bare walls of this immense edifice, which was capable of
holding between 1,000 and 2,000 persons. No water
could be procured, and out of six engines which had ar-
rived, two left, there being no appearance. of any vrecr.
The flames continued burning furiously for some time al.
ter, and at the time this account was written (half Tait two)
the building was burning from one end to the other. On
mAing inquiries of the proper authorities, no account
could be obtained (:f the calls:! of this sad calamity, the
clerk saying that everything appeared safe whet, the
church was closed after evening service. .