The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-08 00:00:00

THE ARMY-PRINCE GEORGE OF CAMBRIDGE.

LIMERICK. JULY 4.—We are much concerned to hear
that Major-General Lord Downes, K.C.8., the greatly
esteemed commanding officer of this district, will resign
his official charge here in October next.
Major-General his Royal Highness Prince George of
Cambridge, Colonel of the 17th Lancers, is shortly to be
appointed to the staff in Ireland, and will hold a district
command, fixing his head-quarters, it is understood, in
this garrison.
DANGEROUS ILLNESS OF SIR AUBREY DE VERE,
BART.—The Limerick Chronicle says :—" With unaf-
fected pain we record the dangerous illess of Sir Aubrey
de Vere, Bart., of Currah Chase, in this county. The
surgeon-general posted down from Dublin on Thursday
night, and instantly left this with Robert O'Brien, Esq.,
of Mulcair, the devoted son-in-law of Sir Aubrey, and
found his patient alarmingly ill from obstruction of the
bowels. Sir Philip Crampton returned to Limerick
early yesterday (Friday) morning, with but little hope
of Sir Aubrey's recovery, and left soon after en route to
the metropolis. We regret to learn since that inflamma-
tion has set in, and the death of the worthy baronet is
to be apprehended. Sir Aubrey de Vere early in life
studied books and men, in the closet and in the world.
Though not a professed author, those few literary pro-
ductions he committed to the press fully establish his
title to considerable erudition and very elegant taste.
Some of his poetry may rank with the best classic pieces
in modern English literature. Sir Aubrey de Vere is
only son of the late Sir Vere Hunt, who sat in the Irish
Parliament, nephew of the late Earl of Limerick, and
brother-in-law of Lord Monteagle. His eldest son is
Vere de Vere, Esq., late high sheriff of this county.

MELANCHOLY AND FATAL

ACCIDENT.

L 069 OF A LIEUTENANT AND FIVE SEAMEN OF H. M. S.
FLYING FISH, AND THE MURDER OF TWO BRITISH
OFFICERS OF H.M. SURVEYING VESSEL AVON.
Flying Fish, Elmina Chica, Bight of Benin, April 18.
On the 13th, we sailed from Whydah for Cape St.
Paul, leaving at the former place the Hydra steamer
Yesterday morning, about eight o'clock, a strange and
suspicious-looking vessel was seen from the masthead.
She was soon discovered to be a felucca, which removed
at once all doubt as to her character ; she was eight or
nine miles to windward of us, close hauled. Alter we
had been an hour in chase, the smoke of a steamer was
reported, and proved to be the French steamer l'Au-
stralie in chase of the same vessel. The felucca tried to
keep away, and run between us and the land, and
would, perhaps, have succeeded, had we not been en-
abled by our little draught of water, to stand very
close into the shore. The slaver seeing this, found
there was no prospect of escape, for we were pre-
pared to give her shot and shell. They, therefore,
came to the determination of running the craft ashore.
She accordingly run along the edge of the surf,
which was greater than I have ever seen it, to
pick out the most favourable spot for landing.
After half an hour's suspense on our part, a
dark body was seen on the top of a mighty wave, and
then disappeared for a moment, in the vale of water.
The next we saw of her, was that she was hard and fast
on shore, all her masts, yards, and sails standing, not
having carried away anything. As soon as she
grounded, the crew got down the long lateen yard, un-
bent the sail, made a bridge of the former, and escaped
on shore, taking the sail and their valuables with them ;
immediately, as if by magic, she was surrounded by
thousands of the natives, who lost no time in beginning
the work of plunder. In order to prevent them, as soon
as we got within range, we gave them a few shot, which
at first dispersed them, but the love of gain overcame
their fear. The French steamer also opened fire for the
same purpose. Lieutenant St. Leger was sent in the
first whaler to take charge of the prize, and endeavour
to keep off the people by firing musketry at them. As
soon as we came to an anchor, Lieutenant Robins,
Messrs. Simpson, midshipman, and Williams, gunner,
went in the second whaler, and five Kroomen in the
jolly boat, to measure the vessel, and ascertain other
particulars concerning her. After several efforts the
kroomen managed to get their boat through the surf to
. the shore, got on board, measured her, and prepared to
come off to the other heats. They got half the distance
when the boat was swamped. The Kroomen, who are
like water dogs, managed to save themselves and their
boat. Lieutenant Robins in the second whaler, in some
unaccountable manner, got into the surf, and a heavy sea
came in and broke over the boat, and sunk her—she was
gone in an instant. Simpson and Williams, with two
men, after struggling for some time against the sea,
reached the shore more dead than alive. Simpson no
sooner landed than he was immediately knocked down
by a savage with a blow of a billhook on the temple, de-
privingwo rk ofhsitmri
popfi an lgl sheinms a; t
he
oen.
did Tnhoet
cbolma cpkl
ectoemhmi s epnucrepdotshee,
as some of our Kroomen came to his release. Lieuten-
ant Robins, William Rice, seaman, William Kent,
gunner's mate, Henry Holmes, captain of foretop, and
William Hughes, seaman, the best men in the ship, were
drowned. Our poor messmate was washed upon the
sands and immediately stripped of everything. As soon
as this was seen from the ship, the master, who was
left in charge of the Flying Fish, sent the cutter to
aid St. Leger in giving every assistance, and although
within a few boat lengths of the victims of mistaken
philanthropy, were not able to render the least
assistance, so great was the surf. One of the
Kroomen dashed through the sea and managed to
rescue the body of Lieutenant Robins and put it into the
jolly-boat. He and the others then endeavoured once
more to get the boat through the surf ; twice were they
upset, and as often washed on shore again—at last they
been
p jeked up.
every means to re-
as uncdc eael
although
g hßtohbeirnes
wwearse imn
om ehdoipaeteal,y brought on board,
store animation were resorted to, but, alas, without sue-
c e
crewss. Th
Noneu h
ofa v e
the p e r
otheri s h e d
Those who managed to get on shore safe, set to work
bfiovdei eos fh
vu er
with what strength they had, to make a raft of the
planks composing the slave deck of the felucca; it is
wonderful how they escaped the sharks, Simpson and
Williams are doing very well, and will soon be able to
return to their duties. We do not know the name of
the slaver; as we are going to Quitta, we may perhaps
hear. She measures 92 feet in length, 20 feet beam,
and 9 feet depth of hold; her masts short; sails and
yards of moderate size; she is quite new evidently; it is
her first and last trip for any purpose, as the is now
quite a confused mass of timbers. By to. morrow she
will have disappeared. This is the first slaver de-
stroyed by an English and French vessel under the new
treaty.
QUITTA, APRIL 19.—T0-day we have buried our late
messmate, Robins, in the Danish fort at this place. The
Governor behaved in the kindest and most attentive
manner, furnishing us with every thing necessary. On
the funeral procession entering the fort a salute of seven
guns was fired as a mark of respect to the deceased.
The funeral service was read by one of the officers.
APRIL 20.—T0-day we have fallen in with the Ma-
tilda, a palm-oil vessel ; she has on board the master of
the Avon, surveying steamer, he is invalided. A most
sad accident has happened on board the Avon. Messrs.
Pennington and Winstanley, second masters, and assist •
ant-surveyors, were on shore surveying the Ramora
river, when they were attacked by the natives and killed
• for the sake of the instruments. Captain Denham is
Dow left with only one §§biStSlat to get through his work.

The Flying fish was at Lagos on the 28th of AV O* —a 1
well on board

THE TRADE OF THE BLACK St, 1•

(From the Semaphore de Marseilles.)
The treaty of Kainardji, concluded between Rust:A. l•
and Turkey towards the close of the last century,
opened to Europeans the navigation of the Black
Sea, from which they had been excluded during
upwards of three hundred years. On .the 21st of
July, 1774, the prohibition to enter the ,Bosphorus
was raised, and our vessels were at last permitted to.
penetrate into that sea which no European han navi-
gated since the expulsion of the Genoese, who remained
masters until the 15th century of the principal ha:bnurg
of the Crimea.

The Empress Catherine 11. cast her eyes with coml-
placency on a country which, after six consecutivFe
campaigns, had been at last united to her extensive do-•
minions, and she resolved to found on its shores a number
of commercial and military establishments. One of the
largest rivers of Russia, the Dnieper, empties itself
into the Black Sea ; her attention was directed to it,
and, in 1778, General Hannibal laid, by her orders, the
foundation of the town of Kherson. In 1783, a French-
man, who was recompensed by the grant of letters of
nobility, established there the first commercial house,
and undertook to supply the arsenal of Toulon with the
flax and timber which descended the Dnieper.
The partition of Poland gave a new direction to the
commercial ideas of Catherine 11. She perceived the
necessity of possessing more -to the westward, on the
coast of the Black Sea, a harbour for the exportation of
the agricultural productions of the palatinates of Bruslaw,,
Podolia, Wolhynia, and other provinces recently incor-
porated with the Russian empire. She accordingly
determined on the foundation of Odessa, which took.
place in 1736. The fault committed at Khorson, the,
development of which was arrested by the exigencies.
of the Russian system of Customs, was avoided at.
Odessa by the Emperor Alexander. In 1803 that
prince reduced by one fourth the import and
export duties established by the general tariff
in all the harbours of the Black Sea. In 1804 het
decreed the opening at Odessa of an entreinit for goods;
imported by sea, the introduction of which was per-
mitted in Russia, and where they were permitted to re-
main during eighteen months without having any Cus-
tom duties or storeage, until they should be sold, and oni
the point of being forwarded to the interior of the em- •
pile. This favour was the more important, as the duties.
being considerable, the merchants in order to satisfy the
demand must have parted with a large portion of their
capit3l.
By an ukase of the same year (March 5), it was pro-
vided that all foreign goods the importation of which
was permitted at Odessa, and those transported thither
from other towns of Russia, should be allowed to pass
in transitu, free of all charge, for Moldavia and Walla-
chia, through the Custom-offices of Mohilew and Dou-
bassaa ; for Austria, through that ofßadzilow; for Russia,
through that of Kezinsky; and that foreign goods sent
to Odessa by those four Custom-offices should enjoy a,
free transit by sea. Those liberal institutions, dictated
by an eminently enlightened spirit, contributed greatly to
the prosperity of Odessa, which soon attracted the atten-
tion of the commercial world. Odessa became, onder the
wise administration of the Duke do Richelieu, one of the
most flourishing cities of Eastern Europe. At the same
time that a Frenchman could justly claim the honour Df
being the real founder of that city, another Frenchman,
M. d'Anthoine, of Marseilles, directed by his example
and writings the attention of his countrymen to the im-
portance of the extensive trade of which that city was
becoming the centre. Agriculture, throughout Europe,
having suffered during the wars of the empire, Odessa
was the granary of the countries where scarcity pre-,
vailed.

But the spirit of wisdom which had produced Oust
state of prosperity did not long preside over the councfile
of Russia. Beguiled by the fortune of Odessa, she saeri--
heed it to a desire to increase the receipts of her cus-
toms. She imprudently adopted the prohibitive system.
the consequences of which are ever fatal, and laboured
with as much ardour to destroy the commercial prose
perity of Southern Russia as she had displayed to
create it. In 1822, when it was least expected, an
ukase suppressed the freedom of the harbour of
Odessa, and compelled the merchants to pay import du-
ties on all the goods in the stores. Such a cry of alarm,
however, was raised, that the Emperor Alexander re-
stored the freedom, but not to the extent it was origi-
nally enjoyed. The goods, on importation, were sub-
jected to pay one-fifth of the duty required in other
Russian harbours, and on their removal to the interior
the four other fifths. The limits of the free harbour
were also considerably curtailed; two lines of customs
were formed, one round the harbour, and the other
round the city. Those lines still exist to the present
day.
Many other deplorable blows were levelled at the corn
merce of Odessa. The freedom of the Caucasian provinces
was suddenly withdrawn, and the merchants of Western
Asia, who were beginning to visit Odessa, on their wayto,
the great fairs of Germany, proceeded thither by another
route. England, ever ready to avail herself of circumstances,
took advantage of the faults of Russia, opened commercial
relations with Trebizonde and her merchants, stopping at
no sacrifice, formed there an immense entrepot, whence
they soon exported the productions of their manufac-
tures to all the provinces of Asia. The trade of Tre-
bizonde now exceeds 50,000,000 f. (2,000,0001.), and it
communicates with Constantinople by two regular lines
of steam-packets.
The agricultural importance of Southern Russia is
such, that if the Government wished sincerely to adopt
a course of reform, it would soon restore matters to their
former footing, and give a new impulse to a trade which
was paralysed by insane measures.
In Southern Russia everything concurs in rendering
the productions of the soil as cheap as possible, so that
they can everywhere victoriously compete with those of
other countries. The land is extremely fertile, labour
costs very little, and the price of cattle is low. The,
means of communication unfortunately have been totally
neglected, for which reason the price of corn, far from'
diminishing, constantly increases, and the merchants
abstain from purchasing any, except in times of scarcity.
The wheat received at Odessa from lieshia, Wolhynia,
Podolia, and Bessarabia, is conveyed thither in chariot*
drawn by oxen. These journeys are long, for the
convoys cannot travel more than twenty miles per
day; and they are expensive, for the carriage of a chet-
wert, or two hectolitres, of wheat costs from four to siaC
roubles. Moreover, this mode of conveyance can only
be used from the month of May to the month of Septem-
ber, owing to the bad state of the roads during the sevest
other months of the year. It results from this circum-
stance that wheat, however cheap it may be in the above-
provinces, sells at Odessa at a comparatively high rate,
and foreign speculators do not derive from that trade a
sufficient profit to compensate them for the length of the
voyage to the Black Sea, the outlay of capital, and the
enormous expenses occasioned by the quarantines to
which several of those productions are liable.
It being difficult, on account of the nature of the soil
and the want of stones, to establish solid roads through
that part of Russia, the Government should devote itself
to the improvement of the navigation of the rivers Truth,
Dniester, and Dnieper. Unfortunately, nothing in.
Russia is properly followed up, and the works under-
taken to facilitate the navigation of these rivers have
hitherto proved unavailable. The price of corn, for all
these reasons, has constantly increased. In 1841 the
merchants were only able to offer the captains 2f francs
per load for Marseilles, and it is with difficulty the latter
can realise a trifling profit when they receive four.
Southern Russia is now threatened, in the Black Sea,
by a competition, becoming daily more formidable.
Thanks to the freedom and privileges they have derived
from the treaty of Adrianople, the Danubian principa-
lities have within the last ten years made immense pro-
gress. Galatz and Ibraila now ship a considerable
quantity of grain to foreign countries, and, notwithstand
irg the difficulty of ascending the Danube, the captains
prefer repairing to those harbours, on account of the
facilities afforded by their administration, and the com-
mercial resources offered to importation. In 1839 Mar-
,eilles purchased at Galatz and Ibraila upwards of 4,000
hectolitres of wheat, whilst the quantity supplied by
Odessa did not exceed 8,000.
The trade of Southern Russia is consequently very far
from prospering. In 1839, the most productive year,
the customs duties produced in all only 8,215,426.
roubles. The different harbours, situate along an ex-
tent of coast of upwards of 400 leagues, and the three
land Custom-offices, exported, on an average, only from
45,000,000 to 55,000,000, and imported about one-third
of that sum ; whilst the single harbour of Trebizond
sends annually to the different adjoining countries up-
wards of 50,000,000 worth of English manufactures.
In noticing the faults into which the Russian Govern-
ment has fallen by following the fatal inspirations of the
Minister of Finance, Cankrin, we merely desired to
give an additional proof of the dangerous results arising
to a great empire from the adoption of the prohibitive
system, which invariably drains the sources of industry,
which it professes to render more abundant.

THE MAILS.—SOUTHAMPTON, JULY 7, The OH-
enta (chartered ship Duke of Cornwall, Captain Mills, arrived
at the Motherbank at four o'clock, A.M., and landed the
Bombay mails of the lst of June, which were forwarded to
London by the nine o'clock train. The mails were for-
warded from Alexandria to Malta by the Iberia. The Corn-
wall left Malta June 25, and Gibraltar Ist of July. She has
a very full cargo of goats' wool, silks, &c. ; also 104 pas-
sengers, principally soldiers, their wives and children. The.
Achilles goes into dock to-morrow to undergo repairs pre-
vious to her leaving for Constantinople and Trebizonde on the
3d of August. The Oriental Company's new ship Ariel takes
out the Indian and China mails on the 20th inst. The Gib-
raltar packet left to-day with the mails and 17 passengers.
The passengers by the Duke of Cornwall are expected to be
released from quarantine to-morrow. The Royal West India
mail packet Thames, Captain Haste, will be ready for sea on
the 17th to take out the West India mails.

Colonel Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart., has left
town for Buckingham, to attend the assizes as High
Sheriffi

ELECTRIC TELF.CRAPR.—lnstances are constantly
occurring which demonstrate the utility of the electric
telegraphs. On Friday last a gentleman with his family
went to the station at Nottingham, and took tickets for the
half•past four o'clock train; he ofkred in payment a 51.
Brighton bank note, which Mr. Pettifer, a most active and
intelligent assistant to the station-master, at first felt a
little hesitation in taking, on account of the bank being
distant from Nottingham ; but at length he took it, and,
being in haste, as many persons were waiting for tickets, he
gave the gentleman 11. is. 6d. in change, instead of 7s. 6d.
In half an hour after the train had started he discovered
the mistake he had made, and instantly telegraphed to
Derby, requesting they would by telegraph inform the
station-master at Rugby of what had occurred. This
direction was attended to, and in three minutes after the
arrival of the train at Rugby, which was due there at five
minutes to seven, the news bad reached Nottingham that the
sovereign had been received by Mr. Pigou at Rugby, and it
was returned to Nottingham the next morning.
-Lord and -.Lady-Charles Wellesley sustained a severs
befit yesterday by the death of theit eldest ben. •