The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-16 00:00:00

Commence at 7 o'clock.

CANTERBURY HALL CONCERTS.-
MACBETH ( EVE EVENlmade public inNG.—The Music England at these Con
of Verdi's Oera of
RY
now first-
certs), the extraorainary Violin Performances of the cele-
brated Infant DELEPIERRE FAMILY, and the usual
Vocal Concert.
Comic Vocalists —Messrs. George Hodson (the Irish Come-
dian and Mimic), W. T. Critchfleld, and E. W. Mackney.
Several interesting Pictures are added to the Fine Arts
Gallery. The suite of Halls have been re-decorated and
beautified, and constitute one of the most unique and brilliant
sights of the metropolis.
Will shortly be produced, a Grand Selection from Meyer-
beer's new opera of DINNORA.

THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, SEPTEMBER 16.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
63—highest since noon yesterday.
52—lowest this morning and during the night.
62—this day at noon.
BeatomEmu-29.48.
Warn, North-Easterly ; rather fresh, with heavy clouds,
and alight rain occasionally.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIS DAY.—Mornin.g, 3h. 57m.—Afternoon, 4h. 12m,
To-Moßßow-Morning, 4h. 27m.—Afternoon, 4h. 43m,

The dilatory conduct of Government in granting
its concession to telegraphic communication with
India seems now to recoil on ourselves in a two-fold
degree. The late conduct of the Chinese has shown
beyond doubt the vast importance of rapid commu-
nication with India. If the telegraph had been
established, as it might have been two years ago,
we could have sent orders to India at once,
and before another week were past an army could
be almost on its way to China from Kur-
raehee, Bombay, Madras, and Bengal of such
force that no power in China could withstand.
Even now it is not too late to send out orders for
immediate preparation and equipment of the seve-
ral divisions from each of the Presidencies. Some
fifty or sixty thousand men could be transported
readily by the large available resources at hand,
and that, too, of men too willing to volun-
teer their services in so good a cause. It
would take months before a sufficient force
could arrive from Europe, for promptitude
is half the battle, seeing that the most will be made
of our unexpected discomfiture. Indeed our very
pr estige is rather at stake, for it is hard to tell how
the rumours will operate with the natives generally
to our disadvantage. We have abundance of ship-
ping, naval and commercial, to carry out the enter•
prise in a spirit befitting our character and renown.
Why should not the Government send orders at
once by the route of Panama to our Admiral in the
Pacific, to despatch all the vessels and men he can
spare to the scene of action. These ships would be
almost at the mouth of the Peiho as soon
as those from Calcutta. In any case their
services would be available for immediate
co-operation. There is no time to lose, and
the delay of a vieek or two may cost ten
times more in carrying out the enterprise, than if
it were done at once in a spirit worthy of our
fame. That our gallant ally is fully awake to
the necessity of prompt measures may be inferred
from the readiness manifested by the Emperor
NAPOLEON to join in the expedition. But England,
haring already ample means at her immediate dis-
posal, ought not to wait, but strike while our tem-
per is up and the iron is hot. Reinforcements may
follow, and help to secure whatever is attained by
promptitude and valour, directed by sound discre-
tion, and executed by daring skill.

There cannot, fortunately, be any doubt what-
ever as to the course likely to be pursued in regard
to the Chinese by the two great allied Governments.
It should rather be said, not the course likely to be
pursued, but--the course certain to be pursued by
those Governments. The atrocity is altogether too
monstrous in its character to be overlooked. The
crime is one so hellions of its kind, that while it
cries to Heaven for Vengeance, it resounds through
the Earth in accents that demand instant Retribu-
tion. The occurrence is one that is characterised
by no extenuating circumstances whatever. It
admits, not even by the most tortuous means, of
any momentary palliation. It will stand forth in
history in all its naked infamy as an act of cruelty
and dishonour quite unparalleled.

A proceeding of a somewhat similar description
is known to have provoked, about sixty years ago,
one o f the most dreadful chastisements ever in-
flicted by the wrath of an inexorable commander-
in-chief—the chastisement, in fact, of absolute ex-
termination. The incident occurred towards the
close of the last century. The scene was Jaffa
The punishment was a Massacre. The Comman-
der-La-Chief was Young General NAPOLEON BONA-
PARTE. Extraordinary misrepresentations long
held up to public detestation this episode in the
Egyptian Campaign of 1798-1799—an episode one
might have imagined sufficiently fearful of its kind
to have rendered any over-colouring of it quite a
matter of supererogation. In reality the facts
were simply these :—the wretched Arab soldiers,
who were destroyed in this great and signal catas-
trophe, were the worthy followers of the warlike
Pacha then opposing the advance of the French
under BONAPARTE, the Pacha, significantly sur-
named DJEZZAR, or the Butcher! During the earlier
Part of the campaign these very soldiers had been
taken prisoners-of-War by General BONAPARTE.
After being disarmed they were then released by
jhe young adventurer, upon the usual condition,
fat they swore not to take arms again during the
rost of the campaign against the French Chief—
su reessively their captor and liberator. Scarcely
wt is the band apparently dispersed upon this custo-
m' try understanding than the oath was violated.
Pr oceeding upon his march across the desert, NA-
PO LEON arrived before Jaffa to find that lying
and
reer cant horde of the soldiers of DJEzzaa
arrayed
against him behind those formidable forti-
fical ions. But what capped the climax
of their infamy was this—that immediately
upon t the Flag of Truce arriving before the walls of
Jaff , the bearer of that sacred white banner was
ad Mil l`ted within a gateway of the forticar fiachy,it and
there, l'n spite of the symbol he r, e tis
ins lamout..ly decapitated—his head being thrown in
nio, ;ker. y .over the battlements. For this reduplica-
tion Time—for this iterated and reiterated
atrocif y—NAPOLEON BONAPARTE doomed to death
every one of those Arab soldiers. The penalty
inflict( !d upon them was not decimation—it was
eater tination. They were shot down to the last
man hi r a pitiless fusillade. They " died the death"
by mute derons discharge after discharge of mus-
ketry;. ' When the French troops had passed through

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THE SUN.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1859.