The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-07 00:00:00

LATER FROM OTi4HEITE,
(From the Shipping Gazette.)
We have been favoured with the following extract
of a letter received by a mercantile firm. It some
days later than previous advices, and will be found
interesting :

" PAPEETI, JULY 18, 1844

" Otaheite is in a lamentable state at the present
time ; the natives causing much apprehension, keep-
the French soldiers continually on the alert. We
have, since the arrival of the schooner (Ist of
July), been daily expecting an attack upon
the settlement, for which reason it was
deemed prudent not to discharge the cargo; but
we commence to-day, having written to the Gover-
nor, holding the French Government responsible for
any loss or damage occasioned to British property
from the proceedings of the present war. The feel-
ing of insecurity has prevented our making many
sales at present, and from the same cause we fear we
shall not realise such good prices us expected. We shall
have a full cargo for the schooner. Captain Hammond,
of the Salamander, has disappointed expectation. He
appears to take a view of Otaheitian affairs opposite
from that of any of his predecessors. A letter he
sent to the French Governor was, by the latter's
directions, rendered into the Otaheitian dialect,
with perverted meaning, and posted about, in the
hope that it might induce the natives to
give over their struggle, and quietly sub-
mit to the French yoke. The perverted letter was to
the effect, that Captain Hammond begged to inform
the French Governor that his arrival in Otaheite was
merely for the purpose of looking after the interests
of British property, there being no representative of
the Queen of Great Britain in this land. Captain
Hammond declared that it was utterly useless for the
Otaht itians to resist the exalted power of France, and
made known to them that no ship belonging to the
Queen of Britain would come to Otaheite at this time
to give them assistance. This letter, in the opinion
of many, instead of having the desired effect, will
merely precipitate matters a little ; as the natives, in
the belief that Britain has deserted and left them to
their own resources, have determined to do or die.
The native population, with few exceptions, have
taken to the mountains, and parties of them from time
to time engaged the French in skirmishes, many of
the latter having been killed, and some Otaheitans.
" The priests' houses have been burnt, and the
houses of others favouring the French, and much
property has been destroyed ; and in a late affray
between the natives and their invaders, we regret to
state that the Rev. T. S. M'Kean was shot dead as he
was turning from his verandah to his house. The bullet
struck him behind his ear, and lodged below the socket
of his eye ; he breathed heavily for five or six minutes
after his fall, and expired without a word ; it is not
known for certainty from which party the shot was
fired.:,:ilis loss is deeply deplored, as he was the most
learned of the mission, and a very amiable man. His
wife and children, who had gone to an adjacent
island for security are yet in ignorance of his sad
fate. Nearly all the missionaries are leaving the
island; some for England, and others for islands ad-
jacent. We will not enter into further distressing
detail, as
titulars : and we have no doubt you will shudder a
his fate."

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SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROM THE EVENING PA RS OF THIS DAY.
GLOBE.—A rumour has been freely circulated,
and obtains increasing credit, that Sir Robert Peel
intends to submit to Parliament a scheme for taking
the power of governing the British territories in the
East out of the hands of the Hon. East India Com-
pany, and placing t hem immediately under the Crown.
The misunderstanding which arose between the Court
of Directors and her Majesty's Ministers respect-
ing the recal of Lerd Ellenborough, and the in-
convenience and ar.noyance caused to the former by
the decisive exercise of the power of recal vested in
the former body, may have given rise to the rumour,
without any more substantial foundation. The " wish"
may have been "father to the thought," in the mind of
the Government. The language of desire that the thing
could be accomplished, uttered by a subordinate in the
Ministry, may have been interpreted into an inten-
tion, on the part of its Chief, to carry it into execu-
tion. We neither affirm nor deny the fact, that some
such scheme as that referred to is contemplated by the
Government. The thing is possible. The idea might
have arisen without any reference to the difference
which arose between Ministers and the Honourable
Court of Directors respecting Lord Ellenborough.
If such a difference had never taken place, there are
circumstances which would invest the rumour with a
sufficient air of probability to justify its being treated
with respect. An investigation of the principles on
which the assumed transfer of the powers of Govern-
ment, now held by the Court of Directors, to the re-
sponsible Ministers of the Crown, may therefore be
permitted, without exposing us to the charge of
adopting a groundless rumour as an ascertained fact.
A project for adopting the debt of the East India
Company and fundinz it in British stock, may have
been entertained by the Government, with a view to
accelerate the redemption of the dividend on the capital
stock of the Company. This scheme would receive an
accession of public belief, were it ascertained that the
Court of Directors has called upon the Commissioners
for the Reduction of the National Debt, in pursuance
of the 15th section of the Act of 1833, to raise for
the Company such sums of money as might be
necessary for the payment of the Company's
dividend, by reason of any failure or delay of the re-
mittances of the proper funds for such payments. If
such an event has occurred, it may be thought to fur-
nish a case for the redemption of the debt at an early
period, on theiground that the owners of the capital
stock ought not to have so large an interest at the ex-
pense of the public. The present state of the money
market is especially favourable for the purpose. Go-
vernment would be able to borrow the whole sum
required for the purpose, at a rate of interest little
37% more than one-half the amount per cent.
s paid to the proprietors of the Hon. Com-
pany's stock. A careful perusal of the clauses
3 lof the Act (3 and 4 Will. IV., cap. 85) has led
N us to conclude that such a measure would be a
2% dereliction of the redemption section of the Act-
-7% whether it would be in contravention of its principle,
101 k
29 , supposing that the interference of the Commis-
sioners of the National Debt has been called for in
7s i the way we have alluded to, is a point we leave
1"1 lawyers, who are disposed to apply themselves to
the question, to decide. We quote the clauses of
the Act which bear upon the subject ; and conclude
% by remarking that, without pretending to a knowledge
I of the plans of Ministers, there is sufficiet probability
in the rumour that some measure of the kind alluded
to will be announced, to justify our bringing the sub-
ject before the public. The provisions of the Act
should be clearly known and understood. Without
them the power of the Legislature to carry out the
supposed designs of the Government cannot be
I ascertained, nor the arguments which, in the
I event of the scheme being proposed in Parlia
ment, will be raised upon the question, be appreciated.
By the Act alluded to, 3 and 4 William IV., cap. 85,
intituled " An Act for effecting an arrangement with
the East India Company, and for the better govern-
► ment of his Majesty s Indian territories till the 30th
day of April, 1854," it is enacted by the 11th sec-
tion :
" That out of the revenues of the territories, there
shall be paid to or retained by the said Company to their
oown use, a yearly dividend, after the rate of ten pounds
ten shillings per centum per annum on the present
amount of their capital stock ; the said dividend to be
4 payable in Great Britain by equal half-yearly payments,
45i on the 6th day of January and the 6th day of July in
t 8 every year ; the first half-yearly payment to be made
17 on the 6th day of July, one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-four."
3% By the 12th section it is provided and enacted-
-4% " That the said dividend shall be subject to redemp-
tion by Parliament upon and at any time after the 30th
1 day of April, 1854, on payment to the Company of 2001.
NI
sterlingfor every 1001. of the said capital stock, together
with a proportionate part of the same dividend, if the
redemption shall take place on any other day than any
one of the said half-yearly days of payment. Provided
fl also, that 12 months' notice, in writing, signified by the
House shall
r s
ho of l
lthe e HgiovuesnetooftChoomsamidoncsombyptnhye
oofrdteh,re,oinf
ttehne_
tion of Parliament to redeem the said dividend.,
And
“Tbhy the
atifo
nl3otrh
at sectionan
any time
ii p
mt
els
after rov id e a
the
d saidn d
3enacted:—
ay o
f
April, 1854, the said Company shall. by the expiration
of the term hereby granted, cease to retain, or shall by
the authorit'i of Parliament be deprived of the posses-
s sion and gt.&rnment of the said territories, it shall be
i lawful for the said Company, within one year thereafter,
to demand the redemption of the said dividend, and pro-
vision shall be made for redeeming the said dividend
after the rate aforesaid, within three years after such
demand."
' And bylthe 15th section it is provided and enacted—
" That it shall be lawful for the Commissioners for the
Reduction of the National Debt, from time to time, and
they are hereby required, upon requisition made for that
purpose by the Court of Directors of the said Company,
to raise and pay to the said Company, such sums of me-
ezy as may be necessary for the payment of the said
Company's dividend, by reason of any failure or delay of
the remittances of the proper funds for such payment."
STANDARD.---The session of the French Cham-
bers opens auspiciously for Marshal Soult's adminis-
tration, notwithstanding the coincidence of accidents
and misapprehensions which gave to the representative
of the Xiintos siAve dealers an apparently large mino-

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