The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-26 00:00:00

Guard station), strongly corroborate this inference.

We have received Madrid journals of the 18th inst. The
Gazette of that date contains a royal ordonnance, with in-
structions sanctioned by her DIAJESTY for the organisation of
the new corporations. The same official journal announces
the arrival of Mr. BRUNEL with a party of engineers, to be
employed on the North of Spain Railway. The works had
already commenced. The QUEEN had received a splendid
tiara set with diamonds from the SULTAN, valued at 5,0p0t
No business was done on the Bourse on the 18th. •

The Paris. 3loniteur announces that the Government had

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received a dispatch from Captain DF-SFOSSES, commandant of
the French station on the Isle of Bourbon, giving an account
of the unsuccessful attack made upon the fort Tamatave, in
Madagascar, by the French corvettes the Berceau and
Zelee, and the English sloop of war the Conway, with:the in-
tent of repressing the acts of violence and spoliation com-
mitted sgainst the merchants of the two nations. The French
loss amounted to 19 killed and 40 wounded. This fort, it
appears, is on the eastern coast of Madagascar, in the coun-
try of the Betimsaras, occupied by the Hovas tribe, who had
subjected the rest of the natives. Before this, Tamatave and
the adjoining country were governed by a native King, under
the protection of the French ; but on the occupation of the
territory by the predecessor of the present Queen, the French
undertook an expedition against him, captured the
town, which was afterwards evacuated on the conclusion
of a treaty of peace and commerce. The present Sovereign, '
who is styled QueenllllArtJAKA, violated this treaty as regards
Fri trice, and at the same time adopted hostile measures against
all foreigners who refused to become naturalized subjects of
her 3IAJESTY. The following letter from the Isle of Bourbon,
which is publishe d in the Journal des Debats; gives an account
of the attack, with its unfortunate results:
" The Government of Bourbon having been informed that
by a decree, to be carried into immediate execution, all fo-
reigners in Madagascar were bound to get themselves made
naturalized subjects of the Hovas, under pain of expulsion, the
French corvettes Berceau, Captain Remain Desfosses, and Zelee,
Lieutenant Fierreck, having on board detachments of ma-
rines for reinforcing the garrisons of St. Marie and Nossi Be,
sailed for Tamatave, where they were joined by the English
sloop.of- war Conway, to demand explanations, and, if neces-
, nary, to protest against the decree. The French and English
commanders united in endeavouring to enter into communication
with the Hova Government, and wrote to the Queen, requesting a
suspension of the measure. All was in vain. Their letters were
not only unanswered, but were never forwarded to the Queen.
The dwelling of a French merchant was plundered, and in conse.
quence a landing was resolved upon. Unfortunately, no precise
information as to the state of the fortifications and the real force
of the Hovas could be obtained. About 300 men, French and
English, were landed, under the command of Lieut. Fierrick.
Theyadvanced, and carried with the bayonet the first redoubt, al-
though it was well defended. The same success attended an attack
upon a second redoubt, which was much stronger. But these
gained, the assailants found themselves opposed by a wall, twenty
feet high, well furnished with artillery, and girded by a deep ditch.
The disappointment and vexation of the small but brave band; on
finding before them an impregnable fortress, and the necessity for
a retreat, may be easily conceived. But both French and English
had sustained considerable losses. M. Bertho, ,enseigne de vats-
seats, and M. Ducimetiere, sub-lieutenant of infantry, were killed
in the breach ; and Lieutenant Fierrick, an officer of the marines,
and four cadets in that service, were more or less severely wounded.
Amongst these last is distinguished M. de Grainville, cadet of the
first class of the Berceau, who seized and retained a flag of the
enemy, which both French and English rivalled each other in
e.ndeavouring to gain. The young de Grainville crowned his gal-
lant conduct by dividing the flag, and giving one-half to the Eng-
lish I The losses of the English were in proportion to ours, and
among them was an officer."

Of course the affair cannot rest in this position, and we
shall consequently soon hear of another expedition for the
protection of the English and French traders in the island.
The Constitutionnel has a long and lugubrious article on the
state of the naval inscriptions. According to the report
published by Admiral MAcknu, the numbers available were
—On the Ist of January, 1834, 89,524 seamen; the Ist of
January, 1844, 109,410; and on the Ist of January, 1845,
112,462, exclusively of 10,384 ixiarins de recruitement, and
12,810 inscribed workmen. "Upon the first glance," it says,
"this appears to be a gratifying increase, but an inspection
'is now going on which will be attended with a diminution of
at:leastllB,ooo,=.and this must be:followed by a:second reduction.
Taking the same
,bases for the inspection as those of 1834,
upon a number of 12,500, there must be a total reduction of
27,000, which will leave the maritime inscription at 98,000.
Still further reductions mast follow, for good seamen enter
I
r the mercantile service of other states because they receive
better pay there, and thus escape from a conscription, which
3ncludes all seamen from the age of eighteen to fifty, with-
out offering an equivalent compensation."
The following are miscellaneous extracts from the
PaPers:—

On Monday, at Eu, the King, accompanied by the Prince
and Princess of Salerno, the Ministers of Marine and Commerce,
Generals Atalin and Gourgaud, the Marquis tie Dalmatle, the
Marquis de Brancaccio, and Colonel Dumas, took an airing in the
park of the chateau, and afterwards visited the college and the
church of that establishment, in which are the tombs of the family
of Guise. His Majesty was received at the college by the Prefect
of the department, and the Mayor and municipal council of the
t own.

" A letter from Naples, of, the 9th Instant, states that the Palace
of Butera, at Palermo, had been prepared for the reception of the
Empress of Russia and her numerous suite, and that her Imperial
Majesty will be escorted from Genoa to Sicily by three or four
frigates.

" A great number of Polish refugees from France, England,
and Belgium, have passed through Leghorn on their way to
Smyrna, where they are to assemble preparatory to proceeding to
the Caucasus, to join the Circassians in the war against the
Russians.

According to the Courrier de Marseille, the good people of that
city, and the French generally, have been hoaxed by the per-
sonage calling himself Mohammed Ben Serrour, cousin of the Em-
peror of Morocco. He is neither prince nor ambassador, nor per-
sonage of any importance, and has contrived to leave Marseilles
just in time to avoid explanations, taking away with him a veiy
handsome watch that he had received as a present from the autho.
rities.

" Railway projects in Belgium are succeeding each other with
such rapidity,'. says the Independance of Brussels on Monday, ' that
soone there will not be a single commune without its railroad. At