The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-10 00:00:00

THE RIFLE ASSOCIATION.—DIST.I2I-
- OF ME PRIZES.

. aa., ~..,..,......----- __. ,
not succeed in getting at the missing mails, I. hough
they recoaa -red upwards of 100 packets of but:lion,
together with a small qu a ntity of luggage. Amo.lg
the latter are ca
sees conta is ling her Majesty's auto-
graph letter to th. (3Emperi .11-of' China, Lord Elgin's
credentials and in. lfructic ,ns, and his orders of the
Thistle and the Bath,.. Th e letter is legible, though
much discoloured, IN tile the credentials are in
very fair preservation. ilaron Gros has also re-
covered his " papers," w hick word must be construed
literally, as the ink i. 3 all but obliterated. The
ror is a blank sheet.
d.
autograph letter of the Tempe. The luggage is utterly rained b, v the salt water an
the bilge, the opium and oil, the ,coal dust and filth,
wherein it has been submerged. ti Portion which
was insured sold by aucti.an for a mere song.
On Saturday the divers were oblige to cease
work, owing to the heavy swell setting into the
bay. When the ,morning' of Sunday broke, the
Malabar had entirel,7
disappeared, with the e-s.cep-
tion of the top of hel."
funs lel and masts. She .has
now swung broadside to the swell, and, as the
weather is squally and "u eatening, she will pro-
bably soon break up. The Loop deck is gone, and.
the main deck threatens to follow its example.
Should the ship go to pieces, ,;-reat difficulty will
experienced in recovering the bullion buried. in the
deep and shifting sands. Curimisly enough, the
Colombo has brought a new diving apparatus from
England, and an instructor in the ant, of recovering
lost treasure will follow by next mai). He will
have ample opport,anities of exhibiting his skill,
and so farewell to the Malabar ! For many a day
under the burning sun of North China shall we
regret the necessary comforts lost in that ship.
But it is simple justice to ihe passengers to declare
that they have acted with ea emplary patience, for-
titude, and good.-humour, ander circumstances
which prove of 'what metal men are made.
I cannot leave Ceylon without a parting tribute
to this, the fairest' of Colonies, and. to the Gove.i-nor
who so hospitably received. us both at Gallo und.
Colombo. Sir Emerson Terinent has done
.but jus-
tice to the extraordinary beauty of the scenery
between these towns. For some 70 miles the road.
runs close to the sen, through groves of cocoanuts
and plantains, pines and banyans, cinnamon and
bamboo, with parasites trailing acid festooning
among them in tropical luxl2riance. Every variety
and shade of verdure is here, every hue, from the
delicate green of the plantain to the long browaa
stem of the cocoanut. From Coh-lib°
es achthe scene
changes. As the road appro
it passes over the Kadugenavu
Kandy-
pass, rising
some 2,000 feet in three miles. We are nOIV in the
coffee district. Hill rises over hill, no IeNVI.
ground.
being visible. Snug planters' bungalows ~neet the
eye at every turn, and the background is fra.'nea by
a magnificent line of mountains. Comfort and. Ores-
perity are everywhere apparent. There are r,q)
beggars, a magnificent climate, and abundant food'
1 for the few wants of the native population. To
them the cocoanut serves as meat, drink, and. lodg-
ing. Their houses are thatched. with its leaves,
while the fruit forms the principal part of the daily
food. The fibre is sold in exchange for their scanty
garments, and they live a life of luxurious indo-,
lence, the greater part of the labour on the roads
being performedby Southern Indians and.Malabars.
The progress of the colony during Sir Henry
Ward's five years' administration has been most re-
markable. When appointed. governor, in 1854, the
1 revenue was £408,000, while in the past year
(1859) it amounted to no less a sum than £747,000.
In fact, it has nearly doubled, and there is every
reason to expect that ere long it will reach.
£1,000,000. There is not a farthing of public debt,
and a large surplus income. This gyeat increase is
mainly owing to the impetus given to the improve-
ment of internal communication, to the foematiou of
roads, the opening of canals, and the constniction
or restoration of large irrigation works, which hal, T
facilitated the application of capital to land., Sir
Henry Ward has been most unwearied in promot—
ing these works. Of active habits and great energy,
he traversed the island in every direction, and. has
made himself perfectly acquainted with the wants
of each district. His last work has been the con-
struction of a bridge at Kattegastotte, near Kandy,
over a river which runs through the heart of the
coffer. distrioto. liithortn it has been crossed. by
ferries, always dangerous and often impassable,
the river rising 20 to 30 feet in a night during the
rainy season. With a balance of nearly £lOO,OOO
in hand over and above the revenue of the current
year, it is no wonder that Sir Henry has been po-
pular in the island. A few months back a petition
was forwarded to the Home Government signed by
all the principal colonists requesting that he
might remain at Ceylon after the expiration of his
term, and offering an addition of £2,000 per annum
to his salary;
Between Colombo and Kandy is an enormous
traffic, over an excellent road made some 30 years
ago. The annual expense incurred in keeping this
road in repair is no less than £35,000. This is the
line of the proposed railway which has caused. so
much anger and jealousy. Captain Moorsom, who
was the first to survey the line, estimated its cost at
£856,000; while Mr. lloyne, the late resident engi-
neer, declares it cannot be completed for less than
£2,214,000. The Colonial Government have agreed
with the present company to guarantee 6 per cent.
on £BOO,OOO, and £5 per cent. on any additional
sum required for the construction of the line. The
enormous difference between the rival estimates has
caused considerable alarm, and the works are all but
suspended, while the whole question is referred to
Mr. Hawkshaw. The Governor has taken a very
results
tic
0, t,
n, i active es
what
tp,
hhaAaraittta
would
he
promoting
Make it
euilt
dw aass cprobablyhe oe na the railway,
pstl
cheaply
ensuenat sl
constantly impressing
o furomcan,
i tseeingsbucotora the
mn
comple-
tion.
parties: The planters fear it will not pay if the
e r
eTwh eoyu l
d alsobe think
atthraits
eduringthe iltas
bcoounrs tmr uacr;
cost amounts to the large sum required by Mr.
Dtki mar-
ket. nt
he
But, even at the increased estimate, the gum-
.
gua-
rantee would amount to about £120,000 per annum ;
while £35,000 is yearly expended in the mere re-
pairs of the present road. Mr. Churchill, Chief
Labour Commissioner, declares that any amount of
men could be procured from a different source to
that which affords the present supply. Instead of
going to Southern India, he would draw them from
the northern division of Madras. It is most de-
sirable, in the interest of all parties, that the ques-
tion should be at once set at rest, as the steady pro-
gress of the colony is undoubtedly checked by the
present state of uncertainty.

The report of the Bank of New South Wales
presented at Sydney on the 25th of April, for the half
year ended the 31st of March, showed an availa
total of £50,553. A dividend was accordingly
the rate of 15 per cent. per annum, leaving £3,277 to he
carried forward. In consequence of the losses from the re-
d declared at
cent failures no addition was made to the reserve fund.
branch has been opened at the new goldfields on the Snowy
River.