The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 8, 1861.

directed to the improvement of the laws and to the
promotion of the national prosperity.

Mr. WILSON complained that the alderman had
voted against the proposal for giving one of the
seats apportioned by the bill of last session to Chel-
sea and Kensington. He demanded representatives
for the at present non-electors, who, he said, were,
as a body, more enlightened and more fit to be en-
trusted with the franchise than the majority of
those who were electors under the present law.

Mr. Alderman SALomoNs defended the vote in
question, on the ground that it would have been
unfair to the country at large to give either of the
four forfeited seats to the metropolitan boroughs,
but he would have preferred that one of them had
been given to the London University.
Sane questions of local interest were asked and
satisfactorily answered, and a vote of confidence in
the hon. member, and the usual compliment to the
chairman of the night, concluded the business.

111ADAGASCA.R.

(Front the ratria.)

At length we are in possession of the truth as
regards Madagascar. The letters and papers now
received from the Mauritius completely dispose of
the stories told by the French at Reunion of the
conversion of the new King to Catholicism, and
his desire to make his country an appanage of the
French empire. His acts have been entirely con-
sistent with his former professions of Christianity,
with the liberal and benevolent ideas which have
been attributed to him, and with his attachment to
the English. Prince Rambosalam, his rival, has
not been killed, but simply banished from the capi-
tal, and the accession of Radama 11. to the throne
has been signalised only by acts of wisdom and
promise. One of his first was to write letters to
the Protestant missionaries at the Mauritius and
the Cape, informing them that the land was once
more open to the preachers of the Gospel. He has
distinctly repeated his own adherence to Protestant
Christianity. The Rev. Mr. Le Brun, the aged
pastor of the.missionary cause at Port Louis, has
received letters both from the King and from Ra
Haniraka, his chief secretary, who is a personal
friend of Mr. Le Brun's, and once spent some time
in England. Both letters are in English, which
the King writes tolerably, expressing himself
grammatically. No copy of these letters has
yet been received in this country, but we
know that they contain, amongst other things,
a statement that he is resolved upon im-
mediately instituting schools upon 'a larger scale
for the instruction of his subjects of all ages. Im-
mediately upon their receipt, the Rev. J. J. Le
Brun, jun., took ship, with two Malagassy attend-
ants, for Madagascar, where it is believed he arrived
about the end of September. He would at once
proceed to Antanarive, and there await the coming
of Mr. Ellis.

The King has also formally announced his acces-
sion to the Governor of the Mauritius, and expressed
his desire that a more intimate intercourse with
that colony may be established. The result of this
letter was the appointment of a mission to the King,
bearing the congratulations of his Excellency, and
thanking him for his promise to extend facilities to
trade and commerce. The Legislative Council
voted £2,000 for presents in the shape of horses,
furniture, a crystal service, &c., which the mission
took with them. The Mauritius Society of Arts
and Sciences, and the Port Louis Chamber of Com-
merce also ferwarded addresses, in which they
press the King to send specimens of the valuable
and multifarious products of his country to the
Great International Exhibition of 1862. England
will, therefore, be well represented at his court, and
there is very little reason to fear any predominance
of French influence. If any apprehension could
arise on this score, it would be from the fact that the
King retains his old friendship for M, Lambert, who
is net an Englishman, as the writer of the City article
in the Times supposes, but a Frenchman, and it is to
be feared a very unprincipled intriguant. He and a
M. Laborde being in favour with the late Queen,
were suffered to reside there when all other Euro-
peans had been banished, and Lambert retained
two Jesuit priests in disguise in his house. While
making large presents to the Qneen, and profess-
ing great respect for her, he diligently cultivated
the acquaintance of the Prince, and in the year
1857 induced him to sign a secret treaty, offering
the Protectorate of the island to France if the Em-
peror would aesist him to dethrone his mother.
There is every reason to believe that, as the Prince
was quite unacquainted with the French language,
he did not at all understand what he had been
signing. Lambert came with this document to
Europe; but the French Government at once com-
municated its contents to Lord Clarendon, and re-
fused to take any steps in the matter without the
consent of England. Lambert and Laborde after-
wards unsuccessfully attempted a coup d'etat, and
the Prince thought himself especially bound to them
for the dangers they had run on his behalf. The
King has now entrusted M. Lambert with a mission
to the courts of France and England, to obtain his
recognition as King of the Roves; but he emphati-
cally declares that he does not desire the protection
of any power. He rightly believes that indepen-
dence will most conduce to the prosperity of his
subjects. It is said that the King has intimated his
intention of making Lambert his prime minister,
and that he has already made him a concession of
land containing rich mines which are to be worked
by an Anglo-French company.
M. Laborde, we perceive, has made all haste to
return to the island, taking with him a couple of
Jesuit priests ; but whatever intrigues these people
may set on foot, we are now quite sure that Mada-
gascar will be open for the unmolested labours of
our Protestant missionaries, and after so long a sea-
son of trial and persecution, in which the power of
faith in the former converts has been so signally
illustrated, we have every reason to hope that the
land will be reclaimed from heathenism, and the
teachings of a pure Christianity joyfully embraced
by the people.
The Rev. William Ellis will sail for the Mauri-
tius on the 24th inst., but, as the rainy season, dur-
ing which the unhealthy state of the Madagascar
coasts forbids intercourse with Europeans, will have
set in before his arrival, he will not be able to pro-
ceed to the island till next spring.

A SERGEANT-MAJOR SHOT AT
ALDERSHOT.

Late on Wednesday night Leslie Kennedy, a
sergeant-major of the 3d battalion Military Train,
was shot by a private of the same corps, named
John Nicholas. On the same evening an amateur
performance of "Whitebait at Greenwich,"in which
the performers were non-commissioned officers and
privates, took place at the camp theatre. Sergeant-
Major Kennedy was acting stage manager; Nicho-
las was to appear as an actor in the character of
Benjamin Buzzard. His name had appeared in the
handbills; subsequently to their publication, how-
ever, it was discovered that another person was
better able to take the part. He was accordingly
superseded by a committee of management, of whom
Kennedy was one. The performance commenced at
half•past 8. Nicholas was at the theatre as one of
the audience. During the performance he attempted
to pick a quarrel with a corporal named Donney.
Sergeant-Major Kennedy was a witness of the
affair, and ordered him to be removed from the
theatre. On "being turned out, it is supposed he
returned to his quarters. Kennedy re-went to his
hut at about 12.30 a.m., in company with Ser-
geants Ward 'and Salter, and Corporal Pierce. He
lighted a candle, sat down, and began talking with
his comrades about the evening's performance, when
suddenly the door was opened, and Nicholas, ad-
vancing two steps into the hut, said to Kennedy,
" What have you to say against me ?" and imme-
diately raised his carbine and shot him. The bullet
went into the unfortunate man's right breast and
passed out of his back. It glanced on the table,
making .a deep indention of at least two inches in
length, and cut a copy of the " Musketry Instruc-
tions" all to pieces. The poor fellow threw out his
arms and knocked the candle out; He called out,
"I am shot," and ran the whole length of the hut
to a comrade named Sergeant Fraser, who was in
bed. Fraser at once jumped up, but not in time to
catch him before ho fell to the ground. A medical
man was sent for, and Dr. Reynolds, of the bat-
talion, was in immediate attendance. Under his
charge he was removed to the military hospital,
where he now lies without the faintest hope of
recovery. Nicholas had no sooner discharged his
carbine than he was secured, and marched off under
a strong escort to the station-house. He has only
been in the battalion 12 months, and was in one of
the regiments in India disbanded at the time of the
Indian mutiny.