The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-24 00:00:00

CEYLON.

We learn from Ceylon that " the weather during the
latter part of the past month, has been on the whole
favourable for the curing and transport of crop—but
duripg the last few days a decided change has occurred,
and bright sunny days, with a dry hot wind, have given
place to heavy rains, accompanied by thick mists and a
sharp cold easterly wind, which have entirely put a stop
to anything in the shape of drying coffee, and have been
equally unfavourable for its transport, more especially
from hill estates, whose only means of getting their
crop into Kandy is on the heads of Coolies. We are
gratified to learn that estates generally are healthy, and
now that the pressure of gathering crop is past, labour
is more abundant, and weeding and pruning are being
actively carried on. Estates which bore heavily, and
were looking a little yellow in consequence, are be-
ginning to assume their wonted green appearance, to
which the late rains have not a little contributed; and
should the coming season prove as favourable as the last,
we may anticipate a considerable increase in the quan-
tity of plantation coffee on that of any preceding year.
Already we have beard of some estates being out in
strong blossom, but this is of course not general. In
the low country agriculture has progressed most favour-
ably, and it is expected that large tracts of land will be
brought under fine-grain cultivation during the next
few months. The weather has been unusually showery,
aecompanied with a good deal of thunder; this has
proved unfavourable to the curing and shipment of crops.
The health of the maritime provinces is represented to
be good, scarcely any cases of sickness occurring during
the past two or three weeks.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.—Every department of
this establishment is thronged with artistes, of all descrip-
tions, actively engaged in making preparations for the new
Oriental spectacle, and to give effect to the extraordinary
conceptions of the popular music of " the Desert," by that
celebrated composer Felician David, which has never been
illustrated with dramatic truthfulness in this, or any other
country, and to carry out which bold design, the depth of
Drury-lane stage is peculiarly adapted. To give some idea
of the vastness of the attempt, forty train carriages are
engaged at the expense of 2001. to convey the animals, con-
sisting of stupendous elephants, and twelve camels, to
London, on their way to the theatre; a troop of sixty horse
is also to assist, and a chorus of one hundred voices, The
Leicester Mercury gives a startling account of the magnifi-
cent Mammoth carriages, built in that town for the recep-
tion of the enormous equestrian establishment, and in which
they are to be escorted from the terminus to old Drury on
Monday.
RAGGED SCHOOLS.—KING'S-CROSS.—Last night the
second annual meeting of the friends and supporters of
the King's-cross Ragged Schools took place at the Music
Mall, Store-street. Lord Ashley'presided, and, in open-
ing the business, observed that they had met on a most
appropriate occasion, being on the eve preceding the
day appointed for the general fast; and he thought,
amongst all our national sins, none were greater than
that o the long neglect we had exhibited towards such
poor children as those who attended their Ragged
Schools. The report congratulated the meeting at the
successful results of their labours ; the boys attending
now amounted to 35, and the girls to 75, most of whom
had made considerable progress, the girls particularly.
There was, however, at present a great want of teachers,
and it was desirable that they should have some paid
teachers. The receipts of the past year had been 78l
4s. 4d. ; and, after defraying the necessary expenses, a
balance of 71. 2s. 2id. remained in the hands of the trea-
surer. The usual routine business was then gone through.
FATAL EFFECTS OF INTOXICATION.—MF. Wakley,
M.P., resumed an adjourned inquest at the Bricklayers'
Arms, Grease-street, Oxford-street, on the illegitimate
infant of Mrs. Read, a dressmaker, living with a man
named Allen, at 32, Gresse-street. From the evidence
it appeared that on last Monday and Tuesday week the
mother was so drunk that a fellow-lodger took the child
away and fed it. Shortly after nine o'clock she gave
the child to the mother, who was lying in bed insensibly
drunk. Shortly afterwards Allen returned home quite
drunk, and went to bed in the dark. Between ten and
eleven o'clock the wretched mother awoke, and found
her infant dead at the foot of the bed. Mr. Peplow,
surgeon, who performed a post mortem examination, could
not find the cause of death, as all the organs presented a
healthy appearance, but from the evidence he was in-
duced to think that the child had been overlaid and
smothered. The jury retired, and, after some delibera-
tion, returned the verdict, " That the deceased died
while its parents were in a state of intoxication, but
there was no evidence to prove whether its death was
natural or otherwise."
TIIE MASONS' STRIKE AT SUNDERLAND.—This
strike terminated on Monday last, in consequence of the
whole of the masters having acceded to the full demands
of the join neymen. viz., twenty-seven shillings per week
wages, and to be allowed to leave work at four o'clock
on Saturday afternoons, instead of five o'clock, which
has been the hour for almost time out of memory.—
--

,ewcastle Guardian.
ARTILLERY.—Another company of the Royal Ar-
tillery arrived yesterday from Woolwich, and took up their
quarters in this garrison. This will increase that force to
three companies of 80 men each, instead of one as heretofore
(a second company having landed here a few weeks since).
A detachment marched into Plymouth Citadel on Monday
last, where, from the crowded state of the barracks, they are
quartered in the bomb proofs under the ramparts. Two de-
tachments of the Royal Artillery have likewise gone to
Drake's Island, and one to Bovisarid.—Dixonport
pexclent.