The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-02 00:00:00

THE RAJA OF SARAWAK.

The following very interesting letter from an
English officer at Sarawak has been fowarded fur
publication:—

" kin ept 16.
" I arrived here the day before yest Sarwaerday he. Auck-
land steamer, from Singapore; we anchored close to the
Meander, about twelve miles down the river. I went
on board, and Captain Keppel very kindly promised to
take me in his gig to Sarawak, when the tide turned.
We had not left the frigate ten minutes before the rain
came down in a perfect deluge, accompanied by the
most vivid lightning I ever witnessed. We landed
al
Sarawak at half-past one o'clock at night, or rather
morning, and found the Raja and household in the land
of dreams.
"I find Sarawak just what I expected. The prints
give you an excellent idea of the place. The Raja's
bungalow is cool and comfortable. Yesterday we
had a large party of the officers of the Auckland.
I lionized the place with them. The fort, which
mounts six guns, is in excellent order. The garrison went
through their manoeuvres in a style that did them great
credit. I examined the antimony factory, which is rather
a large establishment. lam writing in the hall of the
bungalow; one of the Pangerans and a son of the late
Raja Muda Hassim are sitting by my side, amusing
themselves with the Illustrated News. Mr. M'llougall
and the other missionary, Mr. Wright, are living in the
Court-house on the other side of the water, and I hear
are making great progress ; they have a school of fifty
adults and children. M'Dougall widely diffuses the be-
nefit of his medical science. Both are much liked by
the inhabitants. They have not yet begun to proselytize.
We sat down yesterday to dinner a party of fourteen ;
after dinner in walked about thirty of the noblesse,
brothers, sons, and nephews of the late Muda Hassim,
with their swordbearers and suite. I was presented to
them, and shook hands with the gentlemen all round.
" Now for a little of Borneo politics. We have an
expedition out ageinst Sadorg, consisting of ninety
Meander's men and five hundred Sarawaks. The Sa-
dong people have been in communication with pirates.
Crookshank, who commanded the natives, has orders to
make prisoners of the Sadong men, and bring them to
Sarawak for examination. On the return of the expe-
dition, we are to give a grand feast to the, •
and officers ef...tha-shipa--in -tha-rhitlic4fie spectacle to
be such as will make an enduring impression upon the
natives of Sarawak. Immediately afterwards we sail in
the Meander fur Labuan, stay there a month, and then
proceeed on a mission to Sooloo to negotiate a treaty
with the Sultan of Seoloo; afterwalds we are to have an
expedition to Sakaran and Sarebas, which tribes have
returned to their old habits of piracy; thus, you will see,
there is a good deal of work cut out for us. I fully ex-
pect we shall have another bombardment of Bruni. The
Sultan is said to be dying, and the villain Macota (the
abettor of piracy) is again in power, and cart-) log on his
intrigues. I hear that Sir James Brooke is drawing up
a treaty which will be entered into by all the chiefs of
the rivers between this and Bruni, acknowledging him is
their chief and protector—an union for mutual assist-
ance against piracy.
"Sept. 19.—The expedition against Sadong returned
on Sunday, having effected their purpose and
thoroughly frightened the inhabitants of that river;
they have brought back several prisoners, who will be
severely lectured and sent back again to Sadong.
Today we are to have the feast in honour of the
Raja's return to Sarawak, when the Sarawak
flag will be hoisted. I have not told you of our boar
hunt. Mr. Hentig's garden has been for a long time
haunted by an enormous boar; everybody in the settle-
ment had seen him, several had had shots at him; all
differed as to his size, some said he was as big as a buffalo,
others said as ma donkey; the Malays declared that he
had a charmed life, and that nothing but a silver bullet
could kill him. However, con Saturday night I sallied
out about one o'clock with my rifle and sword, and, in
company with a middy of the Meander, took up a posi-
tion in the porker's cruising ground. Here we found
two other men awaiting the arrival of the monster. One
of them, who knew the animal's beat, stationed himself
at the gap in the fence, and did not wait long before the
brute appeared. He fired both barrels into him and
rolled him over. I came up in time to see piggy kicking
on his back, and shoved my sword through hts heart and
put him out of bis misery. He is a most extraordinary
animal. We intend sending the head to.the British Mu-
seum. He stood about three feet six inches high, and is
about eight feet from tip of tail to snout, with enor-
mous tusks."

THE RIVER PLATE.
We have been favoured with the following letter to
a private individual from an official at Monte Video,
through a correspondent :

" Monte Video, Sept. 15.
" Baron Picolet, the Sardinian chargt-d'affeires and
consul-general at Buenos Ayres, has received his pass-
port, and will leave that place very shortly, or as soon
as he can settle his numerous affairs there, after a resi-
dence of nearly twenty years,, during the latter fifteen of
which ho has been in the above capacity. Great commo-
tion has been raised, particularly in commercial circles,
by this extraordinary act of Rosas. The reasons given
by him for this step are very equivocal. They are pub-
lished in the Gaceta Mercantil, a copy of which I, unfor-
tunately, did not think of procuring, but for which I
substitute the Comercio de la Plata of the 14th inst.,
herewith, in which are all the particulars. As far as I
can see they are as follows:

" On Baron Picolet receiving instructions from his
Government to hoist the new Italian flag he ac.
quainted the Government of the fact, and stated
that he would display it on the Sunday following the
communication from the consulate. On the Satur-
day morning the Italian subjects requested the Baron
to ask permission that they also might be /flowed
to display the flag to commemorate the event, which
he accoruingly did, by applying personally to M. Arena,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, who said be believed there
would be no objection, but advised the Baron to see the
yefe de policia on the subject, as it properly belonged to
his department ; this he also did, and was told that he
(the chief of police) did not know any reason why they
should not, but as he was then on the point of going to
to the Governor's residence, he would ask Rosas, and
let the Baron know the result on his return. The Baron
apparently gave the Italian subjects the permission re-
questtd, telling them the circumstances, and that he be-
lieved all would b:Siight. About ten P.M. the chief of
police called on the Baron, on his return from Rosas,
and acquainttd him that he had had no time to ask the
Governor the question, and wished him to tell the Italian
subjects not to make the display in question. The Baron
said he could not do :Ai, as the night was too tar advanced.
The chief then said that the police would have instruc-
tions to acquaint the people of the fact on their
hoisting their flag in the morning. Accord.
ingly, at daylight the following morning, when
the ,Italians were on the point of hoisting the
new flag they were told to desist, which they did, with-
out any disturbance taking place. A few days after-
, wards the Baron Ficelet met the chief of police in the
strcot, and a very animated conversation, or rather dis-
pute, ensued (in regard to which the Baron, to all ap7
pearauces, was in the wrong, as a street was certainly no
place for two public men to dispute on subjects con-
nected with the Government), high words followed, and
the result was that the affair was reported by the chief of
police to the Government, and the Baron received his
congd.

‘;M. Bung& the Dutch consul, has also got himself
into a serape, but the particulars are so uncertain and
vary so much that I shall refrain from making any allu-
sion to them. The results were expected to be the same
as She Baron's; in fact, I believe Roses says that he does
not wish any ministers or consuls at Buenos Ayres, but
can do very well without them. * * •
" The most shocking atrocity of modern times is the
O'Gorman business, the tacts being, as nearly as I can
understand, as follow:
" A. Roman Catholic priest was in the habit of visiting
a family named O'Gorman, father and two daughters.
With one of the latter, it appears, he was much smitten,
and at last persuaded her to elope with him. He suc-
ceeded in getting out of Buenos Ayres to Entrerios,
where they- lived together, with the intention of crossing
the country to Rio de Janeiro as soon as possible. The
priest of the place they were in (an Irishman) suspecting
them from the retired way in which they lived, betrayed
them to one of the innumerable parties that were in
search of them: they were brought to Buenos Ayres,
and then shot in the Campamento, without trial, and in
cold blood. The lady was Eif months in the family way;
the child was alive after the mother Was shot, and at her
request before death was christened. Of the firing
party (twelve or sixteen men) drawn up
to shoot them
(some of Rosas's bloody gang), five or six could not pull
the trigger, and are to be shot for not doing their duty.
Such an act of cold-blooded murder needs no comment.'
Even his Gauchas murmur( d at the deed, and in my
opinion the fall of the tyrant Rosas may be dated from
that period."

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' PROTECTION SOCIETY.-
At a special meeting the Committee of the above
society,
held at the office, 90, Farringdon-street, on
Friday, the Ist instant, Mr. George Bennett in 'the
chair, a ballot took place for the election of a successor
to Mr. Bennett, whose period of office will expire at tbe
general annual meeting. Three gentlemen were eligible,
but Mr. Mitchell having declined being put in nomina-
tion, the contest was between Mr. Harris and Mr. Ire-
land, when the majority of votes having been found to
be in favour of Mr. Charles Ireland, Falcon-tavern,
Fetter-lane, Fleet- street, he was declared duly elected
Chairman of the Society for the ensuing year. A second
ballot was taken for the electing of three trustees, lieu
of Mr. Ireland (elevated to the chair) and Messrs. Mit-
chell and Harris, who retire, when the following gen-
tlemen were declared unanimously elected trustees of
the society:—Mr. Thomas Winterbotharn, Virginia-
terrace, Great Dover-road; Mr. John Higgins, Fore-
street, Lambeth; and Mr. George Bishop, of Charles-
street, Westminster.

REPORTED IMPENDING SECESSION .—A strange
rumour has reached us, and which is said to have its
source in Exeter College, that the public will probably
soon hear of the secession from the Church ot England
to Pop-ry, of a li,ntish vicar, related to a member of
the bench of bishops; but whose name we do not feel
justified in publishing in connexion with a mere report.
—Correspondent of the Church and State Gazette.
NEW WRIT FOR THE BOROUGH OF KINGS LYNN.

—The Gazette of last night contains a notification from
the Speaker of the House of Commons that, at the end
of fourteen days, he shall issue his warrant to the Clerk
of the Crown to make out a new writ for the election of
a new Meinber for the borough of King's Lynn, in the
room of Lord G. Bentinck, deceased.
EXTRAORDINARY ORANGES.—A fine orange tree
in the greenhouse of Mr. Ed,.in Hirst, of the Grove,
Ripon, has produced this season six large oranges, the
finest of which is nearly ten inches in circumference,
and what is more remarkable, they lia.ve attained this
unusual size without the cid of any artificial heat.
burhant Advertiser.

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