The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-21 00:00:00

EXECUTION AT TAIIITL

An extraordinary story is published in the French
papers respecting a recent execution at Tahiti, now under
French protection, or rather Frerch rule. There
had been a disturbance amongst the Chinese on one of the
plantations, and a superintendent had been killed, and
another severely wounded. It was determined to make
an example of some of the rioters, in order to intimidate
the Chinese. Eight of them were arrested and tried.
Two came off scot free, two were condemned to
five years' imprisonment, and four received
sentence of death. The Governor, Count de la
Ronc b.e anxious to promote the cause of progress,
thought it well to introduce that precious instrument of
civilisation—the guillotine, in order to execute the
Chinese. The apparatus of death was erected, but nobody
knew how to use it. It was necessary to practice.
Accordingly, banyan trees, then dogs, pigs, and
finally sheep were decapitated in order to get the
guillotine into good winking order. At length it was thought
that the doomed Chinaman—for three were pardoned—
might be executed. The procession set out, but when it
arrived at the fatal spot it was found that the wrong man
had been taken out of prison. One of the Chinese why had
been sentenced to death and pardoned, bad in en snbjected to
the agony of supposing his pardon reversed. Ile was taken
back, however, and the wretch 11 bo bad been really left
for execution was brought up. When everything bad
been made ready it was discovered that the blade of the
knife would not work, and it had to be slided up and
down before the eyes of the culprit, in order to make it
descend with ease. At length the end came. Tahiti
must be given the credit of outdoing the worst execution
scenes of the French Revolution.

(from the Anylo-American Times.)

The great event recorded by mail was the total
eclipse of the sun on the 7th August, the American
press being full of diagrams and maps, sketching
the course where the eclipse would be total, and
where partial. The citizens of New York who
wished to see the total eclipse were directed to take
the train for Raleigh (North Carolina), so as to
reach at 4.45 on Saturday afternoon, which they
could do by leaving New York by the 8.45 a.m.
train on Friday. The eclipse would begin at Raleigh
at 4.58, but wuuld not be total until 6 o'clock.
This was nicely working out the time. Wilming-
ton is described as about the centre, thence the
track of the total eclipse proceeded, sloping up the
continent till it passed from United States territory
in Dacotah, through the liaison Bay Territory
into the newly-acquired Alaska, thence crossing
to Asia.

A telegram of Wednesday says:—
" Chief-Justice Chase has written a letter declaring that
the mission of the Republican party has been accomplished,
and advocating the formation of a new party, to be com-
posed of the Conservative elements of existing parties."
There are many signs that this is what is about to
happen ; and they have not been passed over un-
noticed by us, as our readers are aware. The exist-
ing organisation has become a mere combination of
office-holders, and the time approaches when the
principles having live issues involved (not accom-
plished, or dead ones) will be demanded.
It is not a little singular that a General Press
despatch, from Washington,
under date, Aug. 6,
says:—
" Admiral Dahlgren will sever his official connection
with the Ordnance Bureau, as its chief on Tuesday next,
on twhich day ho will assume command of the Navy-
yard here, in place of Admiral Poor, who takes command
of the squadron in Cuban waters, relieving Vice-Admiral
Hoff."
We presume the °Lang° must kayo boon 11MA4.10 from
Adiniral Poor to Admiral Porter, as the telegram
announcing it bas been repeated. We can only
fall back to our observation of last week, that this
change, if true, to an Admiral in Porter's position
has an ominous look ; but his orders are to pro-
ceeed to assume command on the Ist September.
General M'Mahon was received with distinction
by the Allies on his recall from the headquarters of
Lopez, wbo, however, regarded the amount of his
baggage with some suspicion. The report was,
that the fortune Lopez had conferred on Mrs.
Lynch bad been entrusted to General M'Mahon's
care, and that in that baggage there was some
£200,000. The Buenos Ayres Standard publishes
the General's address to Lopez on his presenting
his letters of recall, in which he compliments the
Dictator, speaks of the heroic sacrifices male by
his gallant people, whose heroism and noble perse-
verance have filled him with profound respect. He
expresses the sincere desire of the President for the
friendship of Paraguay, and devoutly hopes that
nothing may occur to alter this feeling, asserting
that nothing had occurred to interfere with these
friendly relations during his r,sidence, and he closed
by thanking hint for his personal courtesy and
kindness. We may here mention that General
M'Mahon alluded to the autograph letter of the
President announcing his recall, which disposes of
the report that the letter emanated from Mr. Elihu
Washburne, who used his brief tenure of office as
Secretary of State to recall the man who had suptr-
sesled his brother. The Standard is full also of the
reception of the llon. Robert Kirk, the new Ame-
lean Envoy to the Argentine Republic, an 3 the de-
parture of the Hon. Henry G. Worthington. All the
letters appear to be autographs of the President.
He addresses President Sarmiento as " great and
good friend," and subscribes himself "Your good
friend." We do not know whether the President
thus addressed Lope z, but we imagine he awaits the