The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

THE CHOLERA.

_-----
TREBIZONDE, Nov. 20.—We have received letters
from Teheran of the 28th of October, from Tabreez of
the 4th of November. Nothing of importance had taken
place in Persia, except the continued prevalence of the
cholera, which had extended to the other provinces,
where it had not appeared last spring or summer. Moha-
med Schah's health had much improved ; during the
whole time of the prevalence of the cholera he had re-
sided in the mountains. This monarch, so weak in mind and
body, is less afflicted with the gout than he was. He is
occasionally to be seen riding dressed in tatters, in the
environs of Teheran, attended by a numerous guard ol
cavalry. The heir to the throne, whom the cholera has
just carried off, was, like his father, of a frail constitution
and weak intellects. Persia has to felicitate herself at the '
death of this young prince, who would have been still less
capable of governing than his father. He had become the
humblest servant of Russia—the mere mention of the
name of the " Gar-blanc" made him tremble. When
in 1e37 the Emperor Nicholas visited his provinces on
the other side of the Caucasus, the Schah sent his eldest
son to Erivan to compliment him. The diminutive size
of the Persian Prince was a remarkable contrast to the
colossal figure of the Russian Emperor. Eye-witnesses of
this interview, have told me that it was with difficulty
that the Emperor could refrain from laughing when ho
saw before him a weak child, dressed in a grotesque
manner with an immense pointed cap in the shape of a
sugar-loaf on his head, and bowing with timidity when
he approached the Emperor. The Czar, however, con-
tained himself, took the young Prince on his lap, ca-
ressed him, and put a ring of great value on his finger. It
is said that the heir to the throne has never forgotten
the impression produced on him by this interview.
The cholera was still at Tabreez at the departure of the
last Tartar courier, but it had not committed
such great ravages there as at Teheran and Ispahan last
summer. Tabreez stands on a height, and it is ex-
pected that the severe cold, which set in in October,
will soon put a stop to the disease. The European
consuls had left the town and retired to Herbi, at the
foot of Mount Sahant. Behmen Mirza, Governor of
Tabreez, and brother of the Schah, had retired to Halm
Buschan. It appears that the cholera had ceased to
commit its ravages at Ispahan, but that it still raged
at Schiras and Kirman. This plague has not advanced
in the direction of the Caucasus, Tiflis, and Erivan,
are still free from it, and the rigours of the season will
prevent it passing the Caucasus. Bnt Europe is threat-
ened with this terrible plague in another direction.
After having carried off numbers of the inhabitants of
Bussora and Bagdad, it has got to Diarbekir. There is a
constant commercial intercourse between this town and
Aleppo, and it is much to be feared that it may spread
into Syria.

PROBABLE PRICE OF SUGAR.
We have already more than once directed attention
co this interesting subject ; and, so far as experience
has as yet gone, our prognostications have been found
to be pretty nearly correct. During the ensuing sea-
son, it is not likely that sugar will fall lower than an
average—say of 30s. per cwt. in bond ; and had the
past fruit season in the mother country been more favour-
able, it is not improbable that the price might have ruled
even a shilling higher. Lower, during the period of
the 7s. differential duty, it is certainly not likely
to go, as that would be to suppose that the present
price in the continental markets would fall, which under
the circumstances is almost impossible. Thus, calculat-
ing the prices on the continent for brown at 225., and
yellow 255., they will not be sold in England under 435.
and 465., and our planters obviously need not sell
similar qualities under these rates, which leaves them
295. and 325., liable, of course, to the various expenses
of transit. The following, with which we have
been recently favoured, puts the matter in a
very clear light; and may be relied 00, as the
opinion of a party capable from his position of arriving
at a just conclusion:—" Taking 50s. 6d. as the average
price of sugar in the British market since the reduction
of the duties on British plantation sugar to 145., it
follows from reference to actual sales, that 295. Id.
ppreordenwoetr. hoans
the
een
avtehreage.price
Of
fattehlL
price 9s.
hasthe
been the result of protection, which take away, and
(other things remaining the same) 19s. 10d. will be the
future price of sugar; that is, the grower will receive
nearly 15.22d5, say two-thirds of the present price
only. Hence, to preserve the present ratio of profit (or
less) the cost of production must be reduced 33 per
cent. or one-third. Now, in the year 1848, when the
crop which we are now about to plant will come to
market, there will be after July 5 a protection of 4s. 6d.
which will go to augment the price of slave-grown sugar
just admitted to competition with ours. For the last
gn rtrdhooaouafiwtnt
ttyrn a slb,rBoal
yiftb.sugar—say
ro4gcoinsrdtu.goghlw:ht
tdonat
.r:ounfbonyuriPt
found
Porto
the
tvtoaehvs
aetßico,a a
ithegld
year
rlar fionreqiuganlityslawvei;
145., but for several years previous only 12s. could be
fancoodobermdwteai mnignlgnao de
ndtsdi
htufsyeog racdwri tef
fu,
wrel aedri nl
el dnb
rulete
differential
It P
continually
cultiva-
tion. Assuming, however, the price to be 145., and
resultsoitur quality
in
the British market, or come into competition with ours
at about the price British plantation has been va-
lued at for the year commencing July 5, 1848. If from
any cause foreign sugar advances beyond the estimated
price, the price of British plantation will also be aug-
mented in like sum; and so, on the other hand, if the
price of foreign sugar recede to what it was in 1845,
and previously, the price of British plantation will be
lower than 18s. 6d., or less than two-thirds of the pre-
sent price, will be realised to the grower."—Jamaica
Times.

William Russell, Esq., of Braucepeth Castle, and
William Standish Standish, Esq., of Cocken Hall, have
Accepted the office of stewards of the next Durham races.

-- .:

MYSTERIOUS CASE OF POISON-
ING A T LUTON, IN BEDFORDSHIRE.
LUTON, Saturday Night.—The inhabitants of this
place and neighbourhood have been very much excited
during the past month, owing to the death, under very
mysterious circumstances, of a young lady, named Allen,
niece of Mr. Edward Woakes, a surgeon, practising here,
under whose roof the deceased had lived for twelve
months previous to her death.
The deceased was found dead in her bed on the morn-
ing of the 23d of November last, under circumstances
which could not fail to call for inquiry, and, the facts having
been reported to Ezra Eagles, Esq., her Majesty's coro-
ner for Bedfordshire, that gentleman issued his warrant
for holding an inquest on the remains. A jury accord-
ingly met on the 24th ultimo, at the George Inn, in this
place, and, after a long and patient investigation, during
which it was elicited from the medical men examined that
the death of the deceased had been occasioned by prussic
acid, in the absence of any positive testimony as to how
or by whom the poison was administered, they teturned
an open verdict.
The case, however, has continued to excite a great
deal of interest ever since • and very strong opinions
having been expressed en the subject, Mr. Woakes, the
ut:ele of the deceased, addressed a communication to the
churchwardens of Luton, requesting that they would
send a requisition to the coroner to re-open the investi-
gation. Mr. Woakes's application was backed by the
signatures of 22 of the most influential inhabitants of
th parish. On its receipt the churchwardens at once
acceded to the request, and enclosed the docuinent to the
coroner. Upon receipt of it, Mr. Eag es at once directed
the exhumation of the body, and gave directions to the
proper officer to impannel a fresh jury, it being consi-
dered advisable by the coroner to avoid, as far as pos •
sible all reference to the former inquiry.
This second investigation took place on Saturday.
Frederick Hawkins, M.D., of Ritchie, proved having,
on the previous day, made an examination of parts of
deceased's body with a view to test whether she was
pregnant. The examination was made in the presence
of Mr. Benson and Mr. Neale. Witness found no indi-
cations of pregnancy.
Mr. Edward Baildon, superirtendent of the Luton di-
vision of the Bedfordshire police, proved having exa-
mined deceased's bed room on the morning of her death.
He found nothing bearing the marks of having contained
poison. A letter, the seal of which was broken, was
lying under deceased's pillow. Mr. Woakes took it and
said it was of no consequence. He said it came from a
young lady named Cant. Witness asked Mr. Woakes
what prussic acid he had in his possession ? He replied,
that he did not use it. He afterwards said, all he had was
contained in a small bottle, and was so weak that it would
not cause death. He said he had purchased it to poison a
dog. The witness here produced a letter from Messrs.
Evans, Lisder, and Evans, wholesale druggists. The obj ect
of its production was understood to be to show that Mr.
Woakes had purchased of that firm a quantity of prussic
acid. [The letter was objected to, and not put in.]
Witness observed that the window of deceased's room
was fastened on the morning of her death. Mr. Woakes
did not speak to witness on the subject of deceased's
state of mind in November last, but he had done so two
days since.
George Woakes, nephew and apprentice to Mr.
Woakes, was next called.—This witness was examined
at great length. The chief points in his evidence were
his having missed the bottle of prussic acid from its
usual place on the morning of the 23d ult. The bottle
was afterwards found by witness, but not in the presence
of his uncle. The witness further stated, that on the
Sunday before deceased's death he- had missed a lauda-
num bottle from its usual place, but found it directly
afterwards. None of the drug appeared to be gone.
Witness had fetched prussic acid for his uncle from a
chemist's in the town.
Fanny Plummer, a friend of the deceased, was next
called.—She proved that after a " Dorcas meeting" in
August last (the deceased and all her connexions appeal
to have been Methodists) deceased showed witness a
small bottle, which she stated contained prussic acid.
Deceased at that time expressed a wish to die ; and sub-
sequently witness received from her a letter, in which
she threatened to destroy herself. Witness had not told
any one of this circumstance, and now very much re-
gretted not having done so.
The jury consulted for about half an hour, and at the
expiration of that time recorded a verdict exactly similar
to that returned by the former jury, viz.—That the de-
ceased died from the effects of prussic acid, but how or
by whom administered there was no evidence to show.
The inquiry lasted from ten o'clock in the morning
until eight at night.