The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-31 00:00:00

ALEXANDRIA.

Private letters from Malta contain some particulars as
to the warlike'preparations in Alexandria, and bring in-
telligence from that city up to the 7th. The artillery
regiment' of -Tourah had arrived there, and NM encamped'
without the city, near Pompey's Pillar. The sailors of
all the ships of war go through their exercise ; and " play-
ing at soldiers" is so much in fashion that the women do
their exercise with sugar canes, while their Arab lovers
give the word of command, and the children are animated
with the same spirit. Halil Bey, Governor of Damietta,
who is a relation of the Viceroy, came to Alexandria to re-
ceive verbal instructions for the formation of a militia and
for fortifications at Damietta, and remained about two days.
M. Schlimbach, a Prussian officer of artillery, who bad
put forth a scheme for saving gunpowder and hitting a
mark with certainty, made two trials of his plan about the
end of February, at the last of which the Viceroy at-
tended. M. Schlimbach says that his scheme is known in
England, the English having learned it of him without
giving him any reward. The plan is as follows:—Wooden
cartridges to which the balls arc carefully fitted, and put
in the cannon without being driven, and when fired
the ball goes straight to its mark without touching the
cannon's edge. These only contain three okes of
powder, whereas the Turks generally use four. The plan
was found successful, but as the Arab cannoneers hit the
mark as well, Mehemet Ali vowed that they were as good
as the Prussian, and that the saving of powder was of no
consequence. This last assertion is to be explained by the
fact that powder is very common and cheap in Egypt, since
the saltpelre is prepared in the sun without the expense of
wood. Selim Pasha, who arrived at Alexandria with the
artillery, has been appointed Generalissimo by Mehemet
AU, who told him that 52,000 men would be subjected to
his orders, and that he had the charge of defending Egypt
from the Arab tower to Alexandria and Rosetta.

A hard case is told of a banker at Alexandria, who
had received from the Government talaris at 15 piasters,
and changed them at 16, thus making a profit of 80,000
piasters. After several years he was required to 'pay
compound interest on these 80,000 piasters, which
amounted to the enormous sum of 7,750,000 purses (a
purse being equal to 15 talaris). The banker paid 750
purses at once, and bound himself to pay the remaining
7,000,000 by daily instalments of 1,000 piasters. The
banker is rained, but it is said that he was equally op-
pressive to private individuals in the time of his pros-
pesky, and made a poor man pay compound interest
amounting to 16,000 piasters on a loan of 200. This
story is strikingly illustrative of the Oriental notions of
justice.

- The news from Syria was that the army, which is com-
posed of 32 regiments, was well stocked with provisions
and ammunition. It bad, however, suffered much from
the severity of the winter, and one third is said to have
perished. It is calculated that each regiment is composed
of 2,000 men. A Spanish Capuchin, named ToMmaso,
who had introduced vaccination at Dames; and who was
the only person whe practised it, disappeared suddenly as
well as his servant. He bad been at the house of a Jew,c
and the Rabbins were imprisoned by the Government on
suspicion, though an assassin had not been discovered. It
is surmised that he may have fallen a victim to the fana-
ticism of the Greek orthodox, who are most violent against
the Latins.

S )me curious details are given respecting Sir Moses
Montefiore's visit to the Holy Laud some time back. On
his pilgrimage he gave a talaris to every one of the
Israelites. He made careful inquiries respecting the se-
veral biblical antiquities of the place, and ascertained the
amount of duty which the sacred places and villages paid
to the Egyptian Government, which was 64,000 purses.
On coming to Alexandria he offered the Viceroy to pay
this sum out of his own pocket, provided the Viceroy would
allow him to colonise the places particularised with
Israelites, to which proposal the Viceroy assented, provided
the colony should be considered as national, and not under
European protection.— Times.