The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-15 00:00:00

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" Given from our residence of Aionte Citorio, the 2d of
July, 1846. " GIACOMO ANTONELLI,
" Treasurer-General.
f‘ ANGELO M. VANNINT,
" Commissary-General of the R.C.A.
" FILIPPO APPOLINI,

" Secretary and Chancellor of the R.C.A."

AFFAIRS AT OTAHEITE.

We have been favoured with another letter (dated
April 15th) from Otaheite, written by the intelligent
young officer on board one of her Majesty's ships at
Papiete, whose former interesting communication re-
specting Otaheitean affairs was given in our columns on
the 7th inst. That letter (which had been received only
the preceding day) was dated January 22, whereas the
present (written nearly three months afterwards)
reached England only a week later—a curious proof of
the irregularity of the arrivals from that portion of the
globe. The following are interesting extracts from the
said letter (for which we have to thank Mr. Brindal, of
the Haymarket Theatre) :
" I have just received a whole " batty" of letters and
papers by a French man-of-war brig, this day, from the
Marquesas, where they had been brought from Valpa
raiso, by the Mearth. They are dated respectively
March 30, May 16, June 16, and July 13 (latest date).
It is now nearly 14 months since we received any letters
before this; I shall, therefore, leave you to imagine
what our feelings were upon the receipt of these to-
day. I have such a deal of news to tell you, that I
scarce know where to begin. I am sorry you express
3 our intention of sending me no more letters or papers,
on account of the letter you saw (relating to her Ma-
jesty's ship Talbot) in the Times of July 6, 1845. I
saw the same letter myself, and I am surprised at your
believing all you see in the newspapers; for I can assure
yon there is not at present the slightest probability of
our even leaving Otaheite, much more coming home;
every ship on the station is distributed, and we cannot
leave here without being relieved. lam afraid it will be
a very very long time before I shall have the pleasure
of seeing you ; and now for the news.
" About five o'clock on the evening of the 20th March,
the natives, who- have been (and are still) encamped
without the town of Papiete, suddenly made an attack on
the town; we instantly called away every boat to fetch
off the British residents, missionaries, &c., and the fir-
ing was kept up with great spirit and resolution by the
natives ; they set fire to several of the houses of the
French, and those natives who had shown themselves
traitors to I'omare. One old chief was actually riddled
through and through with bullets. Of course the
ship aas crowded with people from the shore. The
French had several killed and wounded, the exact
number not known ; however, the natives have con-

tinned annoying them from every hill, every day regu-
larly (except Sundays.) We have seen several killed, and
they persist in saying that they had had no one hurt.
Their spleen is directed particularly to us (who they
imagine excite the natives, and supply them with arms
and ammunition). You recollect my speaking of Mr.
Havery, surgeon ; a ruffianly French native shot him in
the head the other day, on shore, must deliberately ; he
escaped by a miracle, the ball passing through his cap
and, scraping the skull clean, taking with it the hair and
scalp. lam glad to say he is now quite well ; the man
was tried by the French, and acquitted, of course, al-
though it was clearly proved on the trial that he took
deliberate aim. In consequence of this row, the officers
are compelled to be off to the ship every night at sun.
set. Some amusement was required, so we started a
small branch of the drama in this desert, which has
thrived wonderfully. There are some ladies here
(and pretty ones), daughters of an old captain who
settled here some years ago, who, of course, have
never seen anythirg like a .play ; they were, there-
fore, delighted, amused, and wonder-stricken, to be
introduced to the features of Mr. Grimaldi ; and I
sure its the first time the forests of Tahiti have been
awakened by the echoes of Hot codlins,' &c. On Mon-
day next we have Bombastes, under the immediate pa-
tronage of captain and officers, not forgetting Mrs. IL,
who has made Distaffina a dress.
_

" P. S. I had almost forgotten to mention that the
French marched out to attack the natives on Sunday
last ; they landed at Taponaa, and lost about eighteen
hands ; the natives having defeated them, taken their
boats, and three prisoners—a most disgraceful affair.
If Punch could have seen them march in again, it would
have afforded him a fine sketch. We sing Rule Bri-
tannia' every night, enough to crack our throats, which
annoys the French considerably. They don't allow any,
ships to sing after sunset, but can't stop us, for Bri-
tons never, never, never,' &c. You know the rest."—
Advertiser.

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.—CHATHAM. AUG. 12.
Colonel Sir Thomas Wilshire, K.C.8., Commandant of
this garrison, has issued garrison orders to Colonel Thomas
Weare, K.H., the officer in command of the provisional
battalion, to hold the undermentioned detachments in readi-
ness to embark at Gravesend en the 15th inst., on board the
ship Alfred, for Bengal, viz., 6 men of the 24th Regiment, 5
men of the 29th Foot, 66 men of the 51st King's Own Light
Infantry, 10 men of the 61st, 38 men of the 80th, and 47 men
and 1 boy of the 94th Regiment, making a total of 173 per-
sons. The following officers are under orders to embark •
with the troops Ensign H. E. Fardell, and Ensign H. R.
Browne, of the 9th Foot; Assistant-Surgeon Alexander
Mackey Macbeth, of the 29th ; Lieutenant Reed, of the 32d ;
Major F. Mainwarren, Captain R. L. Baker, Captain E.
Isham, Lieutenant David Stephenson, Ensign S. G. Carter,
Ensign R. G. S. Mason, Ensign Arch. Robertson, Ensign
Mame, Ensign Conga and Ensign Edward O'Callaghan, of
the 51st Light Infantry; Ensign R. J. E. Reed, of the
62d ; Ensign the Hon. J. H. Montague Browne, of the
80th ; and Ensign G. Colciough Pemberton, of the 94th
regiment. On Monday, the 10th inst., a board of field
officers assembled in the officers' main guard-room, at
Chatham Barracks, for the purpose of inquiring into
several complaints made against the canteen-keeper, for
overcharging in the price of different articles of provisions
for the use of the soldiers; Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas E.

..,. ...._ .
Kelly was president. Evidence was given by Major T.
Smith, the barrack-master, and Lieutenant Bond, acting-
quartermaster of the Provisional Battalion. A district
court-martial assembled on the 10th inst., in the general
court-martial room, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Stevens,
R.M., president, for the trial of private Gideon Euspin, of
the 3rd Light Dragoons, charged with desertion from the
cavalry, depot at Maidstone, and making away with his regi-
mental necessaries. The prisoner was dressed as a sailor, and
deserted at the time he was under orders for embarkation.
The case against the prisoner being closed, Thomas Strutton,
a private of the Bth Foot, was then tried for desertion. The
Court then adjourned, and again assembled on the following
morning, when John O'Mauy, a prisoner belonging to the
18th Foot, Royal Irish, was tried for being found asleep on
his post, whilst on duty in her Majesty's dockyard at Chat•
ham ; after which, Sergeant Thomas Bentley, of the Wool-
wich Division of the Royal Marines, was tried for being
drunk, he being in charge of an escort with two prisoners,
for the military prison at Fort Clarence. Evidence was given
that the prisoner was intoxicated on his arrival at the prison.
The sentences against the prisoners are not known.
EXCISE RESTRICTIONS ON CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS.
Exchequer, to obtain the amend-
ment Licenses and Duties Bill
—A meeting of chemists and druggists was held on Wednesday,
at the Hall of Commerce, Threadneedle-street, for the purpose
pursoeceefedings and result of the
of receiving a report from the deputactioomnmapopnos.intAedrrt,o.
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the representations made to
deputation. The Chancellor Exchequer had received
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them with great courtesy, and, after receiving their sugges-
snegviYer'al of the most objectionable clauses in
sugges-
tions, referred them to the Board of Excise. The deputation
t wentbe
the Bill were either expanged or amended. The Bill
was still, however, most obnoxious, one striking feature
in it being that above sixty articles used in the
Board,accor d i
business would be under the supervision of the Excise,
though the articles in the pharmacopia had been ex-
cluded from its operation. Mr. Baron, r. , r. Davy, Mr. Roper,
Mr White, Mr. Mowbray, Mr. Morson, and Mr. Hudson
addressed the meeting, urging the necessity for opposing
the Bill, and resolutions against it were carried unanimously.
One of the resolutions was to the effect that the frauds upon
the Excise, which it was the object of the Bill to suppress,
would be best prevented by the registration of all buildings
in which stills were used. At the close of the proceedings a
petition against the Bill was numerously signed.
CURE FOR THE CATERPILLAR.—A gentleman at
Galashiels has discovered that exhausted bark spread on the
surface round the roots gooseberryof_ bushes is an effectual
remedy for caterpillar. His garden used to be much in-
fested by these destructive insects, which he had tried various
modes of rooting out without success, until a lucky chance
led him to try the effect of refuse bark from the tan-yard.
Two years ago he spread a considerable quantity of it round
the roots of all the bushes in his garden, except one or two.
Those missed were seriously injured by the caterpillar; all
the others were perfectly saved. The next year he neglected
to renew the bark, and every bush in the garden was affected
with the disease. This year he again resorted to it, and
not a single caterpillar is to bee seen. A more simple and
Icheap remedy could scarcely be wished for. A cart load of
the bark, which costs about sixpence, is amply sufficient for
the largest gardm -