The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-22 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22, 858

where an examination will take place. The change
in the calendar appears to have been the only cause
of this outrage, and the archbishop, before deciding
on the alteration, had received the assent of up-
wards of 4,000 of his flock."

LOSS OF THE BRITISH SHIP PANTA-
LOON-ATTACK ON TILE PIRATES.

Yesterday the following communications were
received at Lloyd's from the Admiralty, respecting
the late wreck of the British ship Pantaloon, near
Swatow, which, it will be remembered, was after-
wards boarded by pirates, who fired at the helpless
crew, plundered her of her cargo and stores, and
then set her on fire :

Admiralty, Dec, 18, 1858,
Sia,—l am commanded by my Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty, to send you herewith, for
the information of the committee for managing the
affairs of Lloyd's, a copy of a letter from Captain
Leckie, of H.M.S. Fury, dated the 18th of October,
reporting the proceedings taken by him to compel
the restitution of 2,200 bags of sugar, stolen by
Chinese front the English brig Pantaloon, when
stranded at Swatow, the Mandarin of the district
having reported his inability to enforce the return
of the sugar, and having requested as3istance.---I
am, sir, your most obedient servant,

H. CORRY.
To Capt. Halstead, R.N., Secretary, Lloyd's.

steam sloop Fury, Swatow, Oct. 18, 1858.
SIR,—I have the honour to report, through you,
for the information of the Commander-in• Chief,
that, previous to your arrival at this port, I had
necked an application from Mr. C. Bartow, agent
for Messrs. Dent and Co., also from the Chinese
merchants at Swatow, a duplicate copy of which I
enclose, asking assistance to recover a cargo of sugar
taken by pirates from the English ship Pantaloon,
wrecked on the south side of this river, in the
typhoon of the 21st of Sept. last, the crew having
been fired upon and driven away.
I placed myself in communication with the man-
darins of the district, in which the village named
Sow -ah-Pow is situated, and learned that this vil-
lage was entirely inhabited by pirates, whom the
mandarins could not control—that the sugar, some
2,200 bags, of the value of about 12,000 dols., of
which 3,000 dols. was underwritten by the firm of
Messrs. Lindsey and Co., in Hong Kong, was
stored in the pirates' village. The mandarin sent
to acquaint me that he had sent 20 of his police to
enforce the sugar being returned, that his men
were beaten, and that he had not force enough to
attack the village, which contains about five or six
thousand inhabitants and about 2,000 houses, and
requesting my assistance. I arranged to meet the
mandarin on the morning of the 16th of October.
Matters had arrived thus far when you arrived in
her Majesty's ship Magicienne, when, being your-
self on the sick list, you kindly placed your forces
at my disposal, giving me command of the whole.
The armed force left her Majesty's ship Fury in
two columns, at six a.m. of the 16th, and after a
pull of an hour and a half, advanced up the creek
leading to the rendezvous appointed by the man-
darin of the district. This was exactly abreast of
the village. Whilst waiting the arrival of the
mandarin (who, the Chinese interpreter said, was
afraid to come), a brisk fire of gingals and match-
locks was opened on the boats from the long grain
and a house that afforded cover to the assailants.
At the same time a very large force was seen, with
immense banners flying, strongly posted on a
rocky eminence between the village and ourselves.
The nearest approach the boats could make to the
village was 1,200 yards. I waited until the fire of
the enemy became decided, when we opened with
spherical case on the heights before the town, and
cleared by the fire of our rifles the cover near the
spot chosen to land.
At eight a.m. I landed with the Marines and half
the crews of the boats, leaving the other half of the
crews under Lieutenant P. H. Sharp, to be ready
to bombard when he should have received orders.
Previously to this I had been informed, by the vil-
lagers on the opposite side, that the pirates had
heard we were coming, and had sent their women
and children away the day before, and were quite
prepared to receive us. I determined then to give
them a severe punishment for having plundered an
English vessel, as well as firing upon our boats.
The whole landed force, under the respective
officers, advanced in open skirmishing order, havin
formed as well as the nature of the ground would
admit, the enemy retreating from ruined houses
and from each point affording cover. The heights
were soon in our possession, and we advanced to
within fifty yards of the nearest houses. I then
sent orders to the boats to open with rockets and
shells on the town, and I have never before seen
such excellent practice as they made. By this
time their fire had slackened, and as I did not
intend to burn the town, thinking they had suffi-
cient punishment. . . . . We remained an
hour after the enemy's fire was silenced, and
hundreds were leaving the town. I then returned
without molestation to the boats at eleven a.m.
Before leaving the creek I sent a letter to the
heads of the village to say that I had spared their
town, to give them a chance of delivering the sugar,
and this morning I received a note, replying that
the sugar. should be returned immediately. I was
much pleased with the steadiness and discipline, as
well as with the conduct of the whole force en-
gaged. The Magicienne's division being under the
command of Lieutenant J. C. Loady, the Fury
under Lieutenant A. F. Marescaux, and the Marines
under Lieutenant 11. B. Lewson. I regret to re-
port that two seamen belonging to the Magicicnne,
named John 0. Hearne and Henry Bidder, were
seriously wounded.
It was not my intention at all to fire upon the
town, unless the mandarin considered it advisable.
They opened fire on the boats and. wero well pun-
ished.—l have,
CHARLEs LECKIE, Commander.
To Captain Vansittart, C.B.

Lord and Lady El°lto will return to town to•day,
from a tour on the Continent.

Vicomte and Vicomtesse de Berg have left the
Brunswick Hotel for Paris. Baron Striihmer has arrived
at the same establishment from Berlin.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs.
Disraeli have returned to town, from a visit to the Earl and
Countess of Derby, at Knowsley Hall, and yesterday
morning left Grosvenor•gate for Torquay.

The Right Hon. J. W. Henley returned to Lon-
don yesterday, from Brighton.

Sir William Somerville is staying on a visit to
the Earl and Countess Fortescue, at Castle-hill, Devon.
Sir William will shortly leave for Ireland.

Mr. and Mrs. Bertie Percy have left Guy's Cliff
on a visit to the Earl of Beverley, at Torquay.

It is reported at Plymouth that the Channel fleet
will remain during Christma.4 in Queenstown, and then
repair to Lisbon.
The Birmingham Journal states that Mr. &hole-
field, M.P., is expected to return to this country, from
America, in January.
CRYSTAL PALACE. ONE SHILLING DAY.--
Tuesday, Dee:lL—Admission on payment, 357; ditto by
season tickets, 262 ; total, 619.
THE LANGUAGE OF LADIES.—PIain is the
strongest word in the feminine vocabulary to express ill
looks. Some think it mild, but it is powerfully though
delicately expressive. That which is plain is conspicuous.
It means, therefore, remarkably ugly. A lady never calls
a bull-dog plain, or a baboon. That would be too severe.—
Punch' Almanack.

...
CHESS.—The extraordinary- meital exertion of
playing eight games at the same time, without seeing the
board in any one instance, was effected at the Paris chess-
club on Saturday night by M. Hurwitz, without any ap-
parent difficulty. The rooms were crowded with amateurs,
anxious to witness the feat, among:them being the Duke of
Brunswick, Prince Galitzin, Count de Casablanca, M.
Andersenn, &c. The play commenced a little after seven,
and terminated about half-past two. • The result WAR that
the blindfold player won six games and lost one, the re-
maining one being a draw. At the end M. Harrwitz was
loudly applauded, and warmly congratulated by the per-
sons who still remained. He seemed but little fatigued,
was in excellent spirits, and was heard to say that he
thought he could play a dozengames together just as easily
as he had done eight.
SINGULAR AND MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.—A
Circumstance occurred in the village of Emhurst a few days
ago, ending unfortunately in a most melancholy manner.
As Mr. George Crittenden, blacksmith, was pruning a
gooseberry tree, he received a slight puncture from a thorn
on the third finger of the left hand, through a hole in his
glove, of which no notice was taken till the second day,
when the finger became painful and much swollen, the in-
flammation extending to th.:: shoulder. It continued to
get worse, and mortification succeeded ; he was attended
by Mr. C. Harris, surgeon, of Northiam, who did every-
thing skill could suggest. Amputation was considered im-
practicable at the advanced age of the sufferer, and the poor
man died from the effects on the 10th inst., just seven days
after the accident occurred. The deceased was in the 82d
age.—Sussex Advertiser.
year of his
EXPLOSION OF GAS.—PROBAI3LE Loss OF LIFE.
—Yesterday morning, between four and five o'clock, a ter-
rific explosion of gas took place at Mr. Frederick Cutler's,
No. 340, Euston-road. It appears that, owing to some
defect in the gas-pipes in the front room on the first floor
the gas had escaped, and the smell becoming exceedingly
strong, Mary Bosworth went• down stairs with a lighted
candle into the parlour, the gas became ignited and ex-
ploded, burning the unfortunate woman in a dreadful man-
ner. - She was conveyed to the hospital, and remains in
a precarious state. The engines of the London brigade
were promptly in attendance, and, owing to the exertions
of the firemen, the fire, which at one time assumed an
alarming aspect, was soon extinguished, but not until con-
siderable damage was done. The loss will fall on the
Phoenix-office.

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE AT NORTH SHIELDS.—
From a careful inquiry thltt was made at North Shields of
the bones dug up from under the foundation of the old
house in Tyne-street, in that town, on Saturday, the con-
clusion has been. come to that they could not be the remains
of John Margetts, if they are human bones at all ; and an
impenetrable mystery once more falls over the old story of
35 years. It is needless opening out an old controversy.
It can never be definitively settled whether Margetts was
seen alive after the winter's morning that he disappeared
or not. As-has been said, this is one of those unresolved
mysteries which appears to have passed away beyond the
pale of human judgment, and " let the dead past bury its
dead,"=—Xeiccast/e Chronicle. • - •