The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-17 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE CHATHAM IN 1842.

PROCEEDS OF SALE DETAINED BY THE POR-
TUGUESE GOVERNMENT.
The following copy of .a letter, transmitted to Lloyd's,
refers to the detention, by the Portuguese Government,
of a sum of money, the proceeds of the sale of a part
of the cargo of the Chatham, wrecked at Figuera, in
November, 1842. The circumstance has created a good
deal of interest in the commercial World ; and some
months back there appeared, under a similar heaaq part
of the correspondence between the representatives of the
parties claiming to be interested in the proceeds of the
sale, and the Portuguese Government and her Majesty's
Government. From the prompt interference of her
Majesty's Government in the affair at that time, there
appeared every likelihood of its being speedily and
satisfactorily arranged ; but from the following official
communication from the Foreign-office, it will be seen
to be still unsettled. It appears that in reply to the in-
structions of Lord Aberdeen to Lord Howard de Walden,
her Majesty's Minister at Lisbon upon the subject, that
the Portuguese Government had offered to pay into the
hands of her Majesty's Consul at Lisbon, or any Agent
of Lloyd's, or to any other person representing the ge-
neral interests of all concerned in the wreck, on their
assuming all the responsibility of the due partition of
the sum, and giving the Portuguese Government a formal
release from any further claims with reference to unre-
presented parties. Messrs. Rendell and Co. do not re-
present all the parties interested in the whole of the
proceeds of the wreck, and it is believed are unwilling
to give such security':—
" Foreign-office, April 15, 1844.
" Gentlemen—l am directed by the Earl of Aber-
deen to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the
17th of January last, requesting that her Majesty's Mi-
nister at Lisbon might be instructed to demand the un-
conditional payment to Messrs. Rendell and Co. of the
money due to the persons interested on account of the
proceeds of the sale of a part of the cargo of the
Chatham.
" And I am directed by Lord Aberdeen to state to you,
in reply, that as Messrs. Rendell and Co. appear to be
neither the proprietors, nor the duly authorised agents
of the proprietors, of some portions of the goods which
were wrecked, his Lordship is of opinion that her Ma-
jesty's Government are not entitled, under the treaty of
1842, to demand the unconditional payment to Messrs.
Rendell of the whole of the proceeds in question. All
that her Majesty's Government can justly require is,
that the Portuguese Government shall pay to Messrs.
Rendell such sums as are due to the parties who have
constituted them agents for the purpose of receiving the
money so due, and of giving a release for the same.
I am, therefore, to acquaint you that Lord Aber-
deen will send instructions to the above effect to Lord
Howard de Walden, her Majesty's Minister at Lisbon.
" 1 am, Gentlemen,
" Your most obedient humble Servant,
(Signed) "H. U. ADDINGTON.
" Messrs. Melhuish, Gray, and Co."

IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE FROM THE
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
ABOLITION OF THE PORT DUES BY COLONIAL ORDINANCE.
" Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, Feb. 2, 1844.
" Sir—We take leave to acquaint you, that under a
Colonial Ordinance, published. this day, all port,
anchorage, and lighthouse dues, as also every other de-
scription of port charge hitherto levied in this colony,
have been abolished. The following is a copy of the
clause in the ordinance relating thereto, viz.:—
" And be it further enacted, and hereby declared,
that all vessels, whether British or foreign, arriving in
in any of the ports of this Colony, shall be wholly free
and exempt from the payment of any port dues,
anchorage dues, lighthouse dues, or any other descrip-
tion of port charges whatever.
We have the honour to be, Sir, yours, &c.
(Signed) " DICKSON, BURNIE, and CO.
" To Wm. Dobson, Esq., Lloyd's Agents.
" Secretary to Lloyd's."
The papers from the Cape of Good Hope, received
yesterday, also mention, in addition to the above most
important intelligence, that an order of the Queen in
Council had been passed for removing the prohibitions
which have existed since 1832, in respect of the im-
portation of foreign oil, beef, pork, and fish, which
articles will now be admizsible at the following moderate
scale of duties, viz.:— £ d.
Meat, salted or cured, of all sorts, not being
the production or manufacture of the
United Kingdom, or of any British pos-
session (the cwt.) 0 3 0
Meat, salted or cured, of all sorts, being the
production or manufacture of the United
Kingdom, or of any British possession (the
cwt.)
Oil, train and blubber, the produce of fish, or
creatures living in the sea, of foreign fishery
(the tun, imperial measure)
Oil, spermaceti, of foreign fishery 7 10 0
Fish, dried or salted, the fins and skins, the
produce of creatures living in the sea, of
foreign fishing or taking (for every 1001. of
the value thereof) l2 0 0
From the combined operation of these two measures,
important results are anticipated, in favour of the Cape
colony.

THE MILITARY ANNUAL FOR 1844.—We are re-
quested to state that Mr. Colburn, of Great Marlbo-
rough-street, has this day published " The Military
Annual for 1844," by the Author of " The Artillerist s
Manual," &c., in one elegant volume of about 500 pages,
price 15s. bound, which can now be had of all book-
sellers. Mr. Colburn has also just published " The Nar-
rative of the Voyages and Services of the Nemesis in
China; Comprising a complete History of the late War,
a full Account of Hong-Kong," &c., from the Notes of
Commander W. H. Hall, R.N., and Personal Observa-
tions by W. D. Bernard, Esq., A.M., &c., in 2 vols. Bvo.,
with maps and plates, 325. bound ; and " The Narrative
of the Last Campaign in Affghanistan," by Lieutenant
Greenwood, of her Majesty's 31st Regiment, forming a
Companion to the Narratives of Lady Sale and Lieute-
nant Eyre, 1 vol. small Bvo., with plates, 12s. bound.
DEATH UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES OF DESTITUTION.—
Yesterday evening Mr. Payne held an inquest in St. Bar-
tholomew's Hospital, on the body of Christopher Andrews,
aged 74, formerly a master jeweller of Berkeley-street,
Clerkenwell. It appeared in evidence, that a few years
since deceased was a tradesman of respectability and good
business, but through a falling off in his line of trade he had
become exceedingly indigent, and latterly his average earn-
ings did not exceed 2d. a day. In consequence, he and his
wife were involved in great privation, and their chief food
was a scanty portion of dry bread and potatoes. On Friday
last the only nourishment they could procure was three-
halfpenny worth of rice and a little bread. In consequence
of this state of privation, he became subject to 110, and though
he was urged to apply for parochial relief ha would not do
so, having a strong antipathy to be succoured in that way.
On Saturday evening he left home to dispose of a small
portion of gold cuttings, in order to purchase some neces-
saries. To do so he entered the shop of Mr. Tirrell, refiner,
of 54, Barbican, and whilst waiting he fell on the shop floor
through exhaustion. He was picked up in a state of insen-
sibility, and conveyed to the above hospital, but on his
arrival was pronounced dead by Mr. Shaw, the house-
surgeon, who attributed death to natural causes, arising from
L exhaustion consequent on the want of things necessary to
sustain life.—Yerdwt, " Natural death."