The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-21 00:00:00

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et,
thick
arc
eksdhsfohoguigopt,
going
:nsggt
etaohmna t the Eng
make an
eAarl:teeEarpnwtgaaliiiiistjhiAnnlgirafenbyr, about an hour, till a little after
seven o'clock, the war-steamer Pluto became visible
feel
s ta n
daii slowlynnbglgolittohtlne
stihpdere
proud,
ua,grdab,i
andontas
to see
di
iaseeprseat
paddle-
box. box. It was, under all the circumstances, a sight to
steadily and skilfully she was, under his directions,
brought through a narrow passage, between a ridge of
sunken rocks, just below the place of execution. She
anchored at the end of the two lines of mandarins' ves-
sels, almost closing up the space between them. In about
five minutes after the anchor dropped, two boats put off
from her, filled with the soldiers, followed by a third,
containing the Hon. Mr. Johnston, Mr. Vice-Conful
Elmslie, and Mr. Meadows, interpreter to the Consulate.
Our soldiers, in two divisions, and a party of the Pluto's
seamen, with fixed bayonets and drawn cutlasses, formed
along the bank of the river. About two minutes
afterwards the signal for the execution was given by one
of the mandarins, with whom Mr. Johnston and his party
were standing, calling out the syord " pan" (proceed),
which was passed by the subafdinates to the opposite
line of vessels, one of which contained the prisoners,
and within five yards of which I was standing on the
bank.
" ' The first of the criminals that was brought out
seemed to be about twenty-five years of age, decently
dressed, tall for a Chinaman, and strongly made. He
had good features, but was ghastly pale, he was gagged,
and had his hands tied together behind his back, and
his feet were fettered in the Chinese manner. He had
a piece of wood, about two feet in length, with a slip of
paper at the head of it, sticking down between hies
clothes and his back. This piece of wood is called
Cha peaou, and the criminal's name, with a description
of his crime, &c., is written on the paper attached to
it. He passed from the boat to the shore along some
planking, over which he was supported by a Chinese
policeman on each side. There was another policeman
behind him pushing him roughly forwards. The eyes
of this criminal were rolling about in a fearful manner,
as ho turned them from the foreign soldiers to the sea-
men between whom he passed from the boat to the field.
lie was run out about 20 yards from the river, into
the square, till about 10 yards from the spot where
I was standing, with a clear apace between, so that
I was able to see very plainly the whole of the proceed-
ings. When the policemen had led him to that dis-
tance, they threw him down on the ground, and in
consequence of his hands being secured behind his
back he tell quite forward on his face. The executioner,
who on his being brought out came running from whore
the mandarins were stationed, with his naked sword in
his hand and his sleeves tucked up to the elbows, was
by this time at him, and after pulling out the Cha-peaou
from his back raised him up into a kneeling posture. He
then took hold of the criminal's tail, which had been
previously rolled up into a knot, with the left hand, and
by the help of this hold and by pressing the right foot
on the criminal's bands, or on the small of his back,
brought his head and neck into the requisite position,
sticking almost straight out and horizontal from the
trunk, but slightly bent down. He then, retaining his
hold of the tail with the left hand, brought his sword
down in the right band, so as almost to touch the cri-
minal's neck, which I suppose he did in order, as it were,
to mark the exact place at which to strike. He then
raised the sword quickly up, and at one blow severed the
head from the body, only leaving it attached by a small
piece of skin, which he afterwards separated by a tug.
The policeman now took the trunk and put it into a
Chinese coffin,:which some of the other policemen had
brought forward while the beheading was going on.
'This criminal being a stout- bodied man, the policemen
were obliged to force his body into the coffin by stamp-
ing it in with their feet, which, from the cool way in
which they did it, was to me the most disgusting sight I
witnessed during the morning. After the trunk had
been completely squeezed in one of the policemen took
the head from the ground by the tail and put it into the
coffin, into which another put the Cha-peaou. The head
when suspended by the tail in the air had, from its
ghastly paleness and the dropping of the under jaw, a
peculiar lengthy horrible appearance, which, when once
seen, will, I think, be long remembered.
" ' The second and third criminals who were brought
out close behind the first man seemed to be about fifty
years of age, and meagre-looking people. They were
gagged and fastened in every way like the first man, and
were as roughly handled. The executioners, however,
cut their heads completely off at one blow. They were
then put into the coffins, first the trunks and afterwards
the heads. The fourth was carried out from the boat
into the square, by means of a piece of matting slung be-
tween two poles. He sat huddled together with his head
resting on his breast; and being tumbled out of the con;
veyance in such a manner that when the executioner
raised him up the man's back was turned towards me.
I did not see his face so as to judge of his age. I re-
tracked, however, that he was dressed in very ragged
clothes. The executioner had a good deal of trouble to
get th man's head put ii the proper position, and
seemonsequence of having to handle him so much,
to be rather unnerved, for in taking his aim with the
Mrd, in the manner described above, I saw that his
hand trembled very much ; notwithstanding this, how-
ever, he severer Bead from the body at one blow.
" The circumstance of the executioner's being punish-
able if he strike more than one blow, may account in
part for his anxiety and nervousness. When all the
four criminals were beheaded and the trunks and heads
put in the coffins, the Chinese policemen carried them
into a small boat.
" ' From the time of taking the criminals from the
large vessel, until their bodies were carried to the small
boat, the whole period, did not, I think, exceed eight
minutes. I have since asc ined that the bodies were
buried at a place outsides) e eastern gate of Canton,
jilt
named Llan Tsankting7',"
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
(from ilie Bombay Times.)
- THE BOMBAY MARKET.
FROM THE IST TO THE 16TH JANUARY.
Since our last report a general dulness has prevailed,
and the business of the fortnight is limited in amount,
both in imports and exports.
In the money market no change has taken place.
The steamer with the London mail of the 7th ultimo
has not yet arrived, and being some days past due, the
anxiety with which she is looked for has been added to.
Cotton Piece Goods—The limited demand existing at
the date of our last for these fabrics has continued to the
present time, and the amount of business done in the
fortnight is, therefore, small. Prices of a few kinds of
goods arc rather more in favour of buyers than they
were, but on the whole are well supported, owing to im-
porters having pretty generally refrained from pressing
stocks upon the market, and which light receipts, added.
to the limited quantity upon hand, and on the way out, war-
rants them in not doing. Low qualities of grey and bleached
continued to enjoy:a preference in demand, but transactions
in all have been so unimportant as not to call for special.
notice. Of dyed and fancy goods there have been a
few trifling sales, and Turkey red, plain, and twill cloth
in the former, continue to be inquired for. Prices of the
plain cloth of good quality have slightly improved.
For Turkey red prints there has also been a slight in-
quiry, but the prices offered are still very low, and far
from remunerating.
Cotton Yarn—ln the Grey, has partaken of the dull-
ness prevailing in the piece market, and the sales since,
extensive
expected.i
n p
rl ai
es
et
osr
f: . e 3.1very
,0
sales
sh. e
oa
sfnil
dtimmh
40ei s
at
aepsrdr.
eemiyuniunoladueme:raon fortnight,unodntet4,d o,b
sua. tn
w dwwaskt
was
scor h 7,
onlybafter
t wt oh t
decline,i hbe h
tee . i
arises solely from the quality having been inferior. Ot:
iesrannogteed at a low
noealeshativgeure. transpired,rne formerbutofdTyeurkcoenyties to
red ens
be is request. Mule 80 bales, 3001bs. each—No. 30, at
annas 6i per lb. No 40, at annas 7/ per lb.; No. 70, at
annas 10% per lb. Water, 145 bales, 3001bs. each—No.
30, at annas 7i per lb. ; No. 40, at annas 8i per lb.
Turkey red German dye, 50 bales, 4001bs. each, in
lilt). bundles No. 30, No. 40, and No. 50, at rs.
1-4-6 per lb.
Woollens continue to bo neglected, and nothing has
been done in them.
METALS.—lron—Swedish bar has been in good de--
mand, and an assortment of suitable sizes has realised
an advanced quotation. British bar is much wanted, and.'
what with a very limited stock and a good inquiry from.
the interior, prices have further advanced., and have stilt
an upward tendency, A current assortment would now-
command 40 ra to 43; square about 46 rs to 47, and.
round 46 rs to 50 per candy. Of the latter a small sale,
as will be observed, is reported at this; extreme prices
quoted, the size, 2 to 2i inches, being at the moment
what is much wanted. Nail rod, hoop, and sheet con-
tinue much as before reported. Copper is steady, an&
some sales have had effect at full pricks; the bitter for
tile are in the ascendant, 52 rs. per cwt. having been re-
fused for a parcel, stock of the kind in first hands being
moderate. Lead has farther advance din price, WU
nothing has been done in it. Of Spelter, 200 cwt. bastbeen sold to arrive, at 11 rs. per cwt. Tin plates much:
the same as before.
Iron-250 candies Swedish bar its.s2 pr.d ody..
50
160 ditto ditto ............ .. ,
pr. cwt..
400 cwt. hoop ...................... _
.do.
Copper-300 cwt. sheathing .......
150 dittodit to square British
nailbar rod( all
.. round)
... .. . ' 423 01
d d °: :
.
6 64
64 do.
200 ditto braziers .............
ditto sa do.
200 ditto ditto
400 ditto tile
200 ditto ditto
last
ig
tio Cochineal—Nonesti
()11,
which in the market,ydb oabntda we repeat our
Saffron—First quality in goo demandl, and saleable
per lb.
of rather inferior is reported.
Its--n
ecpuraainciduyanhtiastiesboefenbroswolnd
andto extent
patheole, a t
S ra. o f
p4eo;
hhSdPs
gallon, and for the present the market is well supplied.
Beer—None at market, but of porter there has been
a recent import, the bulk of which is for Government;
and we only hear of a sale of 30 hhds. Tennent's at
55 rs. per land.
--- -
saotldmart quotation.
rs. p
e

EXPORTS.
Cotton Wool—This market continueti in an exces-
sively dull state. Purchases in the fort' light have been
few and trivial in extent, and chiefly for the China
market. We quote prices much lower, hut a good pro-
portion of the decline is more nominal than real, the
quality of nearly all available being so. very inferior,
more particularly Compta, which dose ription at this
;season of the year is always in the great est abundance.
The latter is this season much more SN !dy than usual,
and the fraudulent mixing of it wit? h Rajapore and
holapore descriptions, which appears 1,0 have been car-
ried ou to some extent, has much dept./ iciated its stand-