The Sun.
London, England, 1834-02-06 00:00:00

Chinese empire. In conclusion, the " History
of the British Colonies" is well worthy the pa-
tronage of the Monarch to whom it is dedicated.

Lady Jane Elizabeth Wathen, wife of Cap-
tain Wathen, 15th Hussars, is daughter of the late Earl
of Rothes, a Scottish Peer, an :I the tent'' nobleman of
that title.
FUNERAL OF LADY LYNDHURST.—On
Saturday the remains of Lady Lyndhurst were deposited
in the family vault, St. John's, Paddington. The funeral
was attended by two mourning coaches and four, contain-
ing Lord Lyndhurst, three of the daughters of the de-
ceased, Lord Henley, Mr. Shepherd, and Mr. Lockhart ;
and by the private carriages of the Lord Chancellor, the
Earl of Carlisle, Lord Holland, Chief Justice Tindal, the
Master of the Rolls, Baron Bolland, Baron Vaughan,
Baron Gurney, Judge Alderson, and other distinguished
personages. The coffin was a very splendid one, covered
with crimson velvet, studded with gilt-headed nails, and
having the family armorial escutcheons in silver gilt
frames. The inscription plate, which was silver gilt, had
the following inscription :—" Sarah Garey, Baroness
Lyndhurst, aged 38 years, died 15th of January, 1834."
ALLAN BRECK.—This new novel, from the
pen of Mr. Gleig, the author of " The Subaltern," is likely
to attain equal popularity with Mr. Bulwer's " Eugene
Aram," to which it is kindred in subject. Though the
remarkable trial on which the tale is founded was charac-
terized by abundant evidence, the affair has continued a
mystery to the present day ; but, fortunately for his pur-
pose, the present author has had access to some papers
hitherto carefully concealed, which has enabled him to
develop what, at the time when the event occurred, was
beyond even the reach of conjecture. The character of
Allan himself appears under a new aspect, and his strange
infirmities are traced to their true source.
Prince Von Puckler Muskaw has retired en-
tirely from the scenes of the gay world. His Highness
resides almost constantly at his chateau at Muskaw, a spot
which enjoys considerable celebrity in Prussia, on account
of its mineral waters and picturesque scenery. There he
divides his time between literary study, agriculture, and
hunting ; dispensing his hospitality towards those who
visit him in his retreat. A short time ago the Prince and
Princess Royal of Prussia were among his guests.
To MY PUBLISHER, MR. JAMES FRASER,
REGENT-STREET.—SIR--I think our friend of The
Metropolitan gives us some hard knocks to begin the year
with. You may tell him from me, if you meet, or
through the medium of your Monthly, that I think he is
better than half right in some of his remarks, and, had I
my life to write over again, or to live over again, I certainly
would steer clear of many rocks on which 1 have split ;
but I think he need not be so angry just because a body
tells him that the s ins and daughters of Britain have not
degenerated in their broad plains of America.—Yours
sincerely, •- GRANT THORBURN.
Dalkeith, Jan. 24, 1834.
THE LATE FLOODS.—The devastation on
the banks of the river Medway, from Chatham towards
Sheerness, is beyond all description. The heavy rains and
late westerly gales have completely demolished the banks
at different parts of the river, and overflowed the marshes.
Many of the farmers have been severe sufferers ; not only
have their postures been destroyed, but large quantities of
live stock have been carried off b y the flood. Mr. Taylor,
of Rainhatn, a few miles below Chatham, has lost about
thi ty sheep and six bullocks. It will cost several thousand
pounds to repair the banks of the Medway.—Ken isle Gaz.
GIN TEMPLES.—The expense incurred in
fitting up gin-shop bars in London, is almost intre lible,
every one vieing with his neighbour in convenient ar-
rangements, general display, rich carving, brass work,
finely veined mahogany, gilding, and ornamental painting.
The carving of one ornament alone in the Grapes gin-
shop, Old-street-road, cost 100/. ; the workmanship was
by one of the first carvers in London. Three gin shops
have been lately fitted up in Red Lion -street, at an ex-
pense, for the bar alone, of upwards of 2,0001. Time
was when gin was only to be found in by-lanes and blind
alleys—in dirty obscure holes, ycleped dram-shops ; but
now gin is become a giant demi god—a mighty spirit,
dwelling in gaudy gold-beplastered temples, erected to his
honour in every street, and worshipped by countless
thousands, who daily sacrifice at his shrine their health,
their strength, their money, their minds, their bodies,
wives, children, sacred home, and liberty. Juggernaut
is but a fool to him, for the devotees of Juggernaut,though
they put themselves into the way of being crushed to death
beneath his chariot wheels, are put out of their misery at
once; but the devotees of the great spirit Gin devote
themselves to lingering misery; for his sake they are
contented to drag on a degraded, nasty existence—to see
their children pine, dwindle, and famish, to steep them-
selves in poverty to the very lips, and die at last poor,
sneaking, beadle-kicked, gruel-swollen paupers ! In these
temples of the treat spirit Gin may be seen maudlin,
unwashed multitudes, the ancient and the infant of aspen
long, old men and maidens, grandsires and grandams,
fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, and children,
crowding, jostling, and sucking in the portions of the
spirit which the flaunting priestesses dole out to them in
return for their copper offerings.—Sunday in London.
CALCUTTA, OR THE CITY OF PALACES.
—" This metropolis and commercial emporium of the
East (now containing one million and a half of inhabi-
tants), so late as 1717 was a small straggling village,
with a few clusters of huts, to the number of ten or
twelve, the inhabitants of which were husbandmen, en-
deavouring to reclaim the surrounding forests and swamps,
which extended evea to where Chandpaul Ghaut now
stands ; it is not inaptly termed the ' City of Palaces,'
and the vast amount of trade carried on will be seen in the
Chapter on Commerce. The city is divided into streets
at tight angles with each other, with large and handsome
squares throughout, particularly in the European part of
the metropolis, each square having in its centre an ex-
tensive tank or reservoir of the Ganges water, with green
sloping banks, planted with verdant shrubs. The resi-
dence of the Governor_Goneral is of nearly equal magni-
tude to any palace in Europe. The architecture is of the
lonic order, with arcades all round on a rustic basement.
The palace has four wings connected by circular passages,
in order to secure a free admission of air from whatever
quarter the wind may blow. The grand entrance is to the
North, where there is an immense arch of steps, beneath
which carriages drive up to set down ; on the south side is
a circular colonnade with a splendid dome. In the centre
of the building are two magnificent state rooms, the lower
paved with dark grey marble supported by numerous doric
columns resembling Parian marble : the upper or ball.room
is floored with exquisitely polished dark grained woods, sup-
ported by beautiful lonic pillars. The Vice-regal canopy
and chairs of state are of light and beautiful construction.
The apartments are lit by a profusion of cut glass lustres,
suspended from a painted ceiline, with gold mouldings.
The entrance gates are of a grand and imposing appear-
ance, and the square round the palace is tastefully laid
out, particularly since Lady William Bentinck'a arrival in
Bengal. The other public buildings are on a noble scale,
land even the private mansions are built in the fascinating
style of Grecian architecture— From Montgomery Mar-
tin's History of the British Colonies. Vol. I.—Asia.
Thursday night last, about nine o'clock, a
fire was discovered in the corn-stole of Francis Harvey,
Dq., Upper William-street. William Piercy, Esq.,
the senior city sheriff, was early apprised of the danger,
and instantly communicated with Lieutenant-Colonel
Hansel, Brigade-Major of the district, who with the ut-
most zeal and promptitude, ordered out pickets of the 4th
Dragoons, 60th Rifles, and 85th Regiment, from their
respective barracks. The first water-engine at the scene
of conflagration was from the Sun Assurance Company,
which was playing upon the small store when the mili •
tary came up, but the roof bad fallen in shottly after,
so rapid was the powerful element in its destructive ca-
reer. Under the directions of Colonel Hansel and Sheriff
Piercy, the artillery in a few minutes forced out -the nu-
merous sashes in this building upon which the flames hail
fastened, and placed against the apertures a lot of damp
canvass bags, which arrested the fury of the element, and
the wind blowing from the south, saved the store from to
tal destruction. Under the excellent management of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Manse!, the military preserved the best
order, the fire-engines working all the while with facility
and effect. The greater part of the small store soon
became a mere wreck and ruin ; for, in fact, from the
commencement, little hope was entertained at all of sivine
any property from this part of the concern. The walls
are standing, but the roof fell in upon the corn barrels
and hoops in the premises, most of which, we fear, are
lost. By the constant application of the fire-engines to
the large store, and the precautions early taken in rerno.
ving the inflammable materials, window-sashes, &c., this
extensive building stands harmless and uninjured. But
the private dwelling_house of Mrs. Magee, in the imme-
diate vicinity, has suffered much. By one o'clock in
the morning the conflagration had so far subsided, as to
arrest all apprehension of spreading farther; the flames
had lost their terrific character, and the general uneasiness
of the neighbourhood had abated. Yet Colonel Mans,-1
and the military remained on the spot to a late hour, will'.
there was a vestige of danger, and Sheriff Piercy did not
lme aovr en
nt hge. scTenhee
eoafusethe fire
of
fshe
fireunt i four o'clos
not
t satisfactorily ck
yst
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aster
tained,--Limerick Chronicle,

RIVERS OF INDI

" The Indus is seventeen hundred

'or the distance of seven hundred

there is sufficient water to sail a t
ve,sel, and in some places it is fr,
miles wide. The waters of the

Arabian gulf in two great branchet
lelta, of alluvia land one hundred
Hiles wide at the base, and eighty
hence to the point where they sep;
miles below Tatta. From the sea to Lahore there
it, an uninterrupted navigation (for fleets of vessels)
of one thousand miles British. At seventy-five
miles from the sea the tides are scarcely perceptible,
and at full moon the rise at the mouths is about
nine feet : there are no rocks or rapids to obstruct
the ascent, and the current does not exceed two
and a half miles an hour; when joined by the Pun-
jaub it never shallows in the dry season to less
than fifteen feet, the breadth being half a mile ;
the Chenab or Azesines has a minima of twelve
feet, and the Ravee or Hydrastasis is about half
the size of the latter : the usual depth
of the three rivers cannot be rated at less than four,
three, and two fathoms. Lieutenant Burns found
the river Indus at Tatta (Lat. 24. 44. N. I.s•-g.
68. 17. E.) to have a breadth of six hundred and
seventy yards, and to be running with a velocity f
two and a half miles an hour, sounding fifteen feet;
these data give one hundred and ten thousand fir
hundred cubic feet per second, but estimated in
April so low as eighty thousand cubic feet of water
per second ; it exceeds by four times the size of the
Ganges in the dry season, and nearly equals the
Mississippi. The much greater length of course in
the Indus, its tortuous direction and numerous tri-
butaries among towering and snowy mountains (the
Sutlej rises in lake Manosawvara in Tibet, seventeen
thousand feet above the sea) leads to such a result.
The slope on which the Indus descends to the ocean
is gentle, the average rate of current being two anti
a half miles an hour, while the Punjaub rivers navi-
gated on the journey to Lahore were one mile in
excess of the Indus. While the Ganges and its
subsidiaries take their origin from the S. face of the
Himalaya, the Indus receives the torrents of
either side of that massy and snow-girt chain
swollen by the showers of Caubul and th.c,"
rains and ice of Chinese Tartary. Doubtless
the Indus owes its magnitude to the melted
snows and ice of the Rmalaya's crested summ'ts.
The Ganges is fifteen hundred 'mks long, and at five
hundred miles from the sea, the channel is thirty
feet deep when the river is at its lowest during the
dry season, and its width makes it appear an inland
sea. This magnificent river, like its compeer, rises
amidst the perpetual snows of the Himalaya, in the
31st degree of north latitude, fourteen thousandfeet
above the level of the sea ! The arch from beneath
which it issues is three hundred feet high, composed
of deep frozen layers of snow—probably the accu-
mulation of ages—surrounded by hoary icicles of
gigantic magnitude. From Calcutta to Allaltabad
the distance on the Ganges through the Sunder-
bunds is one thousand miles, and thither the steam
ship Hooghly lately made three trips; the height of
river at Allahabad above the level of the sea is
three hundred and forty-eight feet, and the maxi-
mum and the minimum known rise is forty-five and
thirty-four feet. There are other rivers, such as
Brahrnaputra (which in some parts is from four to
six miles wide 1), Sutleeje (which is nine hundred
miles long, before its junction with the Indus) Jum-
ps, Jhylum, &c., which would be considered vast
rivers in Europe.
The length of course of some of the principal
rivers to the sea is in English 'mks—lndus 1,700.
Sutlej (to Indus 900) 1,400; Ganges 1,500.
Jhylum (ditto 750) 1,250 ; Jumna (to Ganges 780),
1,500. Gunduck (to Ganges 450) 980. In the
Deccan and South of India, Godavery to the sea
850 miles; Krishna ditto 700; Nerhudda ditto
700 ; Mahanundee ditto 550 ; Tuptee ditto 460;
Cavery ditto 400.—From Montgomery Martin's
Histmy of the British Colonies, Vet. I.—Asia.

THE KING'S SPEECH.—Turner, in his in-

teresting " History of the Anglo-Saxons," says—" In
the year 993 we find this account of a royal speech
The King says, in a charter which recites what had
passed at one of the witenagemots, I benignantly ad-
dressed to them salutary and pacific words. I admoni%hed
all—•that those things which were worthy of the Creator
and serviceable to the health of m} soul, or to my royal
dignity, arid which should prevail as proper for the English
people, they might, with the Lord's assistance, discuss in

common.'"
The Duke of Wellington's dinner was given
in the Grand Banqueting-hall, a room richly decorated
with screens of marble columns (scsgliola), and the dis-
play of sumptuous plate and costly viands exceeded all
former example. Covers were laid for twenty-four only.
Their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of Cumberland and
Gloucester were of the party ; also the Duke of Newcastle,
_ _

Marquis of Salisbury, 1;ord Cowley, Lird Beresford, Earl
of Rosslyn, Marquis of Douro, Lord Ellenborough, Lord
Charles Wellesley, Sir Charles Wetherell, &c.
We are requested to state that k was not the
Hon. G. Elliot who replied to Mr. Wallace yesterday, as
reported in our twelve o'clock account of the sitting of the
House of Commons. That Gentleman was not to the
House at the t:me. _ _

It is reported that Major Sir Walter Scott,
Bart., will succeed to the command of the 15th, or King's
Hussars, vice Colonel Lord Brudenell, removed. Sir
Walter has been an officer in the distinguished corps in,
question ten years, and since the retirement of Major
Buckley he has held the rank of sole Major of the regi-
ment. The Gallant Officer is at present in town, havieg
come from Ireland on military business connected with the
late much-talked of Courtmartial on his brother officer,
Captain Wathen.
EAST SOMERSET ELECTION.---The

Lion for E tat Somerset took place on Monday last at Wells,
when, there being no other candidate, William Miles, Esq.,
was declared duly elected.
Tuesday night last, a respectable farmer,
named Broughan, residing near Ballitore, was waylaid
and brutally murdered, and his body thrown into a lime-
kiln. The body, on being taken out, presented a most
frightful spectacle. The only cause assigned for the per-
petration of this inhuman murder is the unfortunate man
having taken a farm some time ago, contrary to the regu-
lations of the barbarous code adoptid by the Whitefeet.—
Carlow Sentinel.
The following is an extract of a letter from
a gentleman on board his Majesty's ship Volage, dated off
Corfu, Jan. 4 :—" We have had lately many delightful
trips to Alexandria, Grand Cairo, the Pyramids of Egypt,
&c., and were very fortunate in having fine weather. The
Pacha of Egyp,, Mehemet Ali, is a most wonderful
man ; be has a large navy—twelve ships of the line, four
three-deckers, frigates, &c., with a very fine dockyard,
well supplied with timber for ship building, and I should
think he has at least 10,000 men at work in the yet() ;
but what crowns all, is his having cut a canal forty_two.
miles loug in six weeks, a mile a day, and this done with-
out regular spades; in fact, they had no tools whatever;
280,000 men ware employed at one time, out of which
number 32,000 died from absolute fatigue. They chiefly
used a stick and their hands, the soil being very light."
PRINCE OF WALES'S ISLAND.-7nrotlgh
the centre of this island runs a range of tills, decreasing
in height and magnitude as they reach, toward the south.
On the west and south of the mountains there is-a cop.
siderable quantity of level ground of good quality for ',very
species of cultivation as is now demonstrated by th general
culture thereof. Indeed two-thirds of Penang IR of level
or gentle inclination. The east, owing to its moistness,
is covered with rice fields. The south and west valleys,
though partly cultivated for the same purpose, are chiefly
laid out in pepper gardens and spice plantations. Every-
where close to the coast, as in Ceylon, runs an ixtensive
belt of cocoa nut trees, and scattered over the island in
picturesque groups, appear groves of the grac, ful area
palm (or Penang) from which the isle takes its Malay
name. The hills and low grounds, where not cultivated,
Are thickly covered with wood. Vegetation is splendidly
luxuriant, anti for miles and miles the eye rests on one
tense mass of mountain forest. Besides Georgetown (the
capital) above alluded to, there is only one large collection
,f houses entitled Jamestown, situated on the sea shore,
four miles to the south of the capital amidst a grove of
,he lovely palm tribe. Numerous small villages and Mt.
lay topes are scattered over the island (especially on the
south side), often beautifully and romantically situat • on
the coast or amidst spice gloves in the vales.—From
Montgomery Martin's History of the VritishColonies,
Vol.

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