The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-15 00:00:00

LIIE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MA Y 15, 1857

being enunciated so very audibly in the Upper
House of the British Legislature, there is a
vacancy to be filled up in the Board of Directors in

Leadenhall•street. Here is the opportunity 1 The

vacancy requiring to be filled up, we all know, is
the one consequent upon the resignation of Col.

OLIPHANT. Rightly filled up—it might readily
be taken as the signal for a series of grand acd
beneficent ameliorations. Here, again we say, is
the very opportunity 1 Several candidates for

this post of onerous, but enviable, respon-
sibility have, of course, been already men-
tioned. General CANNON bas been spoken
of, for example, as an appropriate succes-
sor to Colonel OLIPHANT. While, elsewhere,

in lieu of Gen. CANNON we have found Col. LASE,

one of the heroes of Kars, suggested as a mau

possessing very eminent qualifications for the
position of an East India Director. Whoever the
fortunate individual may be, chosen to fill up this
conspicuous vacancy, we do earnestly hope that
he may be selected with a due regard to the par-
ticular significance and value of what we have
called advisedly this golden opportunity. Some
one whose advent to the Board will be, in truth,
the infusion of new blood into the Directory.
Some one really acquainted with the most pressing
requirements of the time in regard to Hindostan.
Some one who sincerely appreciates the n2ed
illustrated so painfully last evening in the House
of Peers—the need of equal justice between the
natives of India and the Civil Servants of the Com-
pany. A director, whose single voice may, without
expecting too much from it, impart new vigour and
wisdom to the councils of that powerful and autho-
ritative Board of Eighteen. It has been recently,
and we believe accurately, intimated by an inge-
nious correspondent (A. 0.1.) of one of our morn-
ing contemporaries (The Chronicle) that these
eighteen colleagues of the new Director may, as
a body, be thus summarily analysed—Seven of
these men having neither seen India at all, or
being unconnected with either of its Presidencies ;
two of them being connected with Madras ; three
being Bombay men ; and six Bengalese ! Where-
upon, if any one of these Presidencies ought in
reason to be looked to for a candidate, it ought
surely, obviously, indisputably, to be the Madras
Presidency. However this may be, the Nineteenth
Director ought to be a man of sufficient sagacity to
appreciate the value in regard to all these Pre-
sidencies alike, of improving the general adminis-
tration of the laws, and of furthering all the great
Public Works now either in progress or in contem-
plation in Hindostan, under the auspices of the
Imperial Government. The latter subject comprising
within its magnificent scope—the spreading far and
wide of the magic inluence of irrigation—the de-
velopment of the iron net work of Railways—the
knitting together of all those enormous provinces
with a yet more wondrous and more miraculous
network, that woven across seas and rivers, and
plains, and mountain ranges, by the delicate
wires of the Electric Telegraph.

Between her pride and her avarice we seem
likely to meet with some provoking rebuffs even
from Spain. Utterly helpless as that miserable
country now finds itself in the hands of its gay
imitatress of Lours NAPOLEON—with an army
that little Switzerland could sweep from the earth,
and a navy that Sardinia could send to the bottom
in a few hours, Spain, yet confident in her very
weakness, takes pleasure in bearding England.
She knows we are ashamed to hit such feebleness,
so she gives herself what airs she likes.
Just now she enjoys the gratification of keeping
five petty officers belonging to her MAJESTY'S ship
Curlew, under lock and key of her thiefcatchers at
Malaga. Murderers and felons are their compa-
nions ; but their only offence was that, walking
home to their vessel, not intoxicated, but full of
fun, they were playing each other the harmless
jokes which are universally allowed to English
sailors on shore in their own country—that kind of
•
fun, merely, which is deemed an essential in the
character of a tar, and, wanting which, our police
and our seaport-town inhabitants generally
would hardly own him to be a veritable
jack tar at all. A gemrarme, seeing
the Englishmen not interfering with any
Spaniard, but merely thus skylarking among them-
selves, must needs shew his importance. Two of
the men had actually romped to an extent so
awful in the eyes of the dignified Spanish police,
that one drew the Guernsey frock of the other
over the latter's head. Forthwith the gendarme
knocks him down with the barrel of his
musket ; a struggle ensues, other police and sol-
diers ceme to the aid of Spanish justice, and even-
tually all five, even the three who had not so much
as appeared to quarrel with each ether,
were seized and placed iu a filthy Spanish
prison. From Saturday till Monday they
were literally without food, but were
relieved at last by the British Consul, who, of
course, interfered as soon as he heard of it. His
remonstrances, however, although joined to those
of the superior officers of the ship, to those of
the commanders of three ships of war, which to
the terror of the Malagese chanced to look in,
and to those of the British Ambassador himself,
have all produced no effect. When the latest in-
telligence arrived, five English sailors had re-
mained locked up for nineteen days in a filthy
Spanish gaol with robbers and murderers, for the
crime of being a little merry ashore.
The other delinquency is of a more hor-
rible kind. We refer to the Cuban Slave
trade. The accounts just published, following upon
too many of a similar kind, show that to this hour
the infernal traffic is as vigorous as in the days of
CHRISTINA. We refer to the capture of a slaver
off Cuba by her MAJESTY'S brig Arab. The Cap-
tain of the Arab had been apprised of two suspici-
ous vessels being on their way to Cuba; one of them
a schooner he soon caught sight of—pursued her,
and though the, master of the vessel endeavoured
to escape in a shallop he captured both him and
the ship. When the schooner was boarded 373
young Africans, male and female, all of them
naked, 1141 f-starved and covered with dirt and
vermin were found on board ; 127 had died in
the voyage of twenty-nine days !

Indeed it is the old sad tale of " The Horrors
of the Middle Passage." The liberated negroes
aro described as " walking tangible spectres, so
emaciated and filthy that in many instances you
could hardly recognise the human being." Some
of them, indeed, on being landed, were " quite
unable t b walk, and fell bodily, as if para-
lysed, in attempting to do so. They had
been fifty-three days is almost one position ; on
food being given them it was difficult to prevent
them from eating and drinking with fatal eager-
ness." " They rushed at their food and gulped
their water far more voraciously than a pack of
hounds after a long run." When made to under-
stand that they were free, their delight surpassed
description. All emaciated as they were they ac-
tually tried to dance ; all of them yelled and
clapped their hands ; and the women laughed
joyously. Doubtless in most American plantations
the same announcement would be followed by the
same half-frantic delight ; but, while that incarnate
demon the "slave power" reproaches England with
white nlavery, let Americans say what part of our pc-
pulation would not laugh at the man who told

them they were freemen, instead of laughing with
mad joy that they bad burst their bonds.

Alas ! this infernal trade is a diabolically gain-
ful one. These slaves bought for a trifle would
sell for 1201. or 1401. each ! The captain of the
schooner said that he should lose some 6,0001. or
7,0001. by being taken, but as he had made already
several successful voyages, he did not trouble
himself much about it. From the interpreter it
was ascertained that several vessels were then
lying on the coast of Africa, and that on an aver-
age two vessels sailed weekly, each of them having
from 300 to 700 slaves on board. According to
this information, then, from one locality only,
more than 1,000 negroes are weekly carried to
the sugar plantations, and the negro graves of
Cuba; except, indeed, the three or four hundred
of that number who, during the voyage, ar•
thrown to the sharks.

New this is all going on to this very hour ;
going on in the teeth of treaties ; going on to
enrich the worthless minions of CHRISTINA once,
and now those of her daughter. It is
stated in Spain that General CONCHA, the
present Captain-General of Cuba, is to be
recalled that his slave-dealing has become
too barefaced, he having received a regular per
centage, as connivance money, for all that are
landed. He will not, however, take much harm,
since he is said to have cleared not less than a
quarter of a million sterling already by this in-
famous smuggling. It does appear to us, however,
that if Lord PALMERSTON wants a field in which
he might go the utmost lengths with the applause
of all Europe, it is in the case of Cuba. We were
impdative with Brazil, and we have succeeded.
But the Brazilian Government has always been
far more honest and worthy of respect than that
of Spain. It is high time to declare to the
worthless rulers of Spain and their Cuban Viceroys
that forbearance is now at an end ; that hence-
forth the slave trade shall be treated as piracy,
let it be carried on under whatever flag it may ;
and that all Cuba shall be held by us in that
fashionable condition of the Spanish regime,
" a state of siege," till the slave trade is no
more,

ELECTION EXPENSES.

LATEST N E WS.

INDIA AND CHINA.

--+-

TRIESTE, MAY 14.

The steamer Bombay arrived here to-day at 2.15
p.m., in 116 hours from Alexandria, which port she
left on the 9th in

The India mails left Alexandria on that day, with
advices from Bombay to the 17th of April ; Cal-
cutta, April 9 ; Ceylon, April 9 ; and Hong Kong,
March 29.

A mutinous spirit still prevails in the Bengal
army, especially in the 34th Native Infantry.
At Bombay the banks have again reduced their
rate of discount 1 per cent.

The import market remains unchanged.
Freights were declining.
Exchange 2s lid to 2s lid.
At Calcutta there was little or no change in
either the produce or export markets.
Freights have advanced.
The money market was getting easier.
Exchange, 2s rid to 2s lids.
In China nothing of importance had transpired
since the departure of the previous mail.
The steamer Zenobia had arrived with troops
from Madras.

Exchange at Hong Kong, 4s 1.1. d.
Advices from Shanghai of the 20th of March
state that a large business had been done in silk.
The total amount of arrivals was 80,000 bales, of
which 77,000 had been settled.
Exchange, 6s lid to 7s.

The latest accounts from Hong Kong, dated
March 30, state that three English ships, with
troops, had arrived there.
Admiral Seymour had not undertaken any new

operation.
The Viceroy, Yeh, had imposed very heavy con-
tributions on the towns and villages under his

jurisdiction.

THE PERSIAN WAR.
VIENNA, MAY 14.

Advices from Constantinople state that after
taking Moba,mmerah the English Commander
learned that the treaty of peace had been con-
cluded, and ordered a 'suspension of hostilities.

DRESDEN, THURSDAY.

Prince Napoleon left Berlin and arrived in the
Saxon capital at two o'clock. He was received by
the Hereditary Prince. He was conducted to the
Royal Palace, and thence goes to the Chateau of
Pilnitz to the King. He will remain several days
in Saxony.

COPENHAGEN, THURSDAY.

The Danish Government has replied to the
Prussian and Austrian Notes. It is disposed to
make concessions on the question of the Duchies,
but declines to submit the framing of their Consti-
tution to the General Diet of Germany.

The Moniteur de la Flotte states that the Rus-
sians are founding a great maritime establishment
in the River Amoor, which they call Port-Impe-
rial. Port Imperial is about 130 miles to the
south of the Bay of Castries, in 48 degrees 58
minutes north latitude, and 140 degrees 17
minutes east longtitude. The remains of the
frigate Pallas, which the Russians sunk to save
her from falling into the liands of the English,
are still to be seen in the north-west of the port.
Two powerful batteries are being erected at this
spot. The naval establishment of Port Imperial
is to comprise factories, dry docks, large store-
houses, powerful means of defence, and all the
requisites for sheltering a large fleet.

The Faedrelandet states that letters to be relied
on have been received from Stockholm, stating
that the King, being worn out with the responsi-
bility of affairs, and, in addition, being weak in
health, has determined, on the recommendation of
his medical advisers, to withdraw from state busi-
ness, calling on the Hereditary Prince to take the
direction of affairs provisionally.

FRANCE.
_ _ PARIS, THURSDAY,

By an Imperial decree in the Moniteur, dated
Fontainebleau, 12th, the session of the Legislative
Body, which was to have closed on Saturday, is
prolonged to the 28th inst. inclusive.
The Minister of Marine has sent to Toulon for-
mal orders that the Audacieuse frigate, which is
destined to convey Baron Gros to China, shall be
-ready to put to sea at the end of the present week.
The following telegraphic despatches have been
received here :

" MARSEILLES, Mayl3.—The Kingofßavaria ar-
rived here at 2 p.m., on hoard a Neapolitan frigate,
accompanied by Gen. Robe! ti, aide-de-camp to the
King of Naples. His Majesty, who preserves the
strictest incognitr, will leave Maraeilles to-morrow.
The Neapolitan frigate exchanged salutes with.the
forts."
" VIENNA, May 13.—The Pesth Gazette an-
nounces that the Princess Giselle is ill, and that
the tour of the Emperor is suspended for some
days."
BOURSE, May 14.—The following were the las
quotations :

Cash. fr. c
69 30
341ppererCCeenntsts 9l 50
Bank Shares 4,425
Credit Mobilier 1,300 Roman
Do. Account 1,300 -- Austrian
Belgian 4
Piedmontese (5) 9O 50 Home Debt,

End of Month.
—fr. —z.
69 55