The Sun.
London, England, 1826-09-06 00:00:00

rions medicinal barks and roots. Of timber-trees there is
an endless variety, and many of them are employed in the
construction of vessels.
The mines lie in the midst of a dense forest of bamblios
and trees. The elephants . frequently attack the miner's
hut, and eat up all his rice, compelling him to It spew/1y re-
turn to Tani. He seldom begins labour until the sun is
high, about nine o'clock, for until then the. air is damp and
chilly Fahrenheit's thermometer exposed to it averaging
03 deg., while the temperature of the water is from. Wittig.
to 70 deg. To counteract the bad effects of damp and
cold, the miners use both arrack and opium, but the letter
in small quantities.
The province is well stocked with cattle, both domestic
and wild; but the favourite breed of the former is the
buffalo, which is here a powerful yet docile animal; horned
cattle are few. The elephants completely overrun the fo-
rests, and rhinoceroses, wolves, monkies, bears, deer,. and
wild hogs are numerous; the flesh of the two latter ,is eaten
by the Tavayers.
Most of the finest fruits of India and the Eastern Islands
grow in Tavai. The pine-apple, mango, orange, mangos-
teen,-dorian, melon, and plantains are found in private
garden. Neither the mangosteen nor dorian is procured
north of this province; the former is rather scarce, the
latter more abundant: it formed an article of export to
Rangoon and Martaban, the high prices obtained at
which places tempted the Tavayers to brave, in open
boats, the violence of the monsoon. The dorian was
highly esteemed at the Court of Ava. The climate and
soil of Tavai are favourable to the production of European
vegetables.
The Burmans do not eat such quantities of rice at their
meals as the natives of Hindoostan. They. eat twice a
day,—early in the forenoon and in the evening,—and their
meals are served up in trays, in the Siamese fashion.
Their meats are chopped up, and put into small cups or
saucers, es are different sorts of stewed vegetables. The
rice is distributed on red lacquered plates toeataotll;mt;er
hers of a family, who help themselves with spout to
the other
Thed h e_sl,,aacl.atlywerusgliilalteheynogeonb
objection
,unie table with an European. They will not always
drink spirituous liquors. There are a few amongst them
who have made a sort of vow to abstain from certain
luxuries and indulgences. They allow their beards to
grow, and are generally more sedate in their deport-
tnent than the rest of the people. They do not, how-
ever, shun society, or debar themselves from its innocent
pleasures.

A MURDER IN OLDEN TIMES.

(I7rom_a Philadelphia Paper.)

In the times in which we live, in which a murder is
committed almost every other day, in some part of the
country," last speeches and dying confessions" have lost
much of their interest; nevertheless, we have had our at-
tention fixed by a small pamphlet we lately met with,
called," The last speech and confession of Henry Halbert,
who was executed at Philadelphia, October 19th, 176.5,
for the inhuman murder of the son of Jacob Woobrian."
The prisoner, who was a German Itedemptioner, and had
served out the seven years, necessary to defray the ex-
penses of his passage to this country, was some time after
.accused of theft, tried, and acquitted, bat ordered to.pay
the costs of prosecution. This was not in his power, and
he was, therefore, " obliged to bind himself to the same
man for seven years, to get clear of prison." The first
servitude of seven years was entered into voluntarily, and
served out cheerfully, far the object to be attained thereby,
change of country, compensated for the sacrifice. But the
second servitude to which he was condemned, merely
because he could not pay the county charges (was not
that a blessed state of the law seems entirely to have
broken clown his spirits, as well it might, and, as he ex-
presses himself, "he determined to kill somebody." The
state of desperation into which he was driven—his tour.
Bering all interesting individual who had never of-
fended him, without any apparent object, unless it might
be to gratify a kind of grudge against Ole world at large,
is of so singular a character, that our readers will not be
displeased with such an extract from the pamphlet, as may
let them into the particulars of this story, and inform
them more exactly of his state of mind. He first gives
the particulars of his birth, education, removal to this
country, first servitude of seven years, and then proceeds
as follows :

,‘ After I was married I went with my wife to live with
Mrs. Stricker, my old mistress, and there was a pocket-
book lost in the house, with 121. or 13/., with some papers
in it, which I now declare to the world, as I am a dying
man, I did not steal it, nor do I.know who did. But about
two months after, my. wife brought me a small pocket-
book, which she told me she found, with about 94 or 101.
in it, and I being in liquor, got it from her by force, and
I came directly to Philadelphia, not remembering. I had the
money, till Mr. Adam Stricker pursued me, and challenged
me with having the thoney,which I delivered to him imme-
diately, then he had me committed to gaol, where I was
obliged to stand trial for the same, and was cleared by the
Jury. But the man insisted on the money that we defi-
cient. I was returned back to gaol, for that and Court
charges, which obliged me to bind myself for seven yellow
to the same man, to get clear of prison. Then I did nor
care what became of me, knowing that I was wronged in
that. Then he bound me five years to Mi. Henry Pool,
near Schoolhill, 20 miles from Philadelphia. I have no
fault to find with my last master, but ,being' deprived of
my liberty, and my old companions forsaking me,- I began
to be tired of my life, and I was determined- to kill some-
body, several weeks before I committed this wilful and
inhuman murder, I now die for ; and one night was
going to put it in execution ; for the devil tempted me one
night, to get up and kill Mr. Bartholomew's son, that was
at my master's house, but going to the bed-side with a'
knife in my hand, and seeing the boy smile in his sleep, I
could not find in my wicked heart to kill him. The night
before I committed this bloody act, I could not sleep itt
bed, I being so disturbed in mind, and could not tell the
reasonybut the next morning I got up and got one of my
master's horses, and riding along the road I met with the
boy I killed. He told me he was going to the same mill ;
we talked innocently together, and about half an hour after
I arrived the boy came to the said mill, and as we were
`both in the mill alone, the devil or my own wicked inclina-
tions tempted me that it was then my time to amide my
former design again, upon which 1 took hold of the,inr
and opened my knife, which
cent boy's chin, and Anti put my. other.-hand. in my. 7, "
both hands • with that I gaveimhihn ni one cynt'it.n„;:r' waste ,
I
boy said, lb Henry I dall't. me
-two- more cuts, and
must kill you, with: that
andY walked
about five yards
eoide not do be forei Tet
tahnednrellei rotwialmd,easytifr;
ilcitimclition to the neighbouri, and de-
blood, went
that
elid was sent to PliikidtlPhia, and com-
mittedlivered myself uNAeednum to gaol,. and an my trial pleaded
r haysgot but a le vv hours more
inn; Laing almost covered with his
I now he, am
guilty, 4444'r
to li*o• ...osimegMEREE

, --
ping.---Ai i alarming fire broke out about. four
&chick yetterday morning in a house in Pearl-row,.Poplarr. whisk
was not got under until the dwelling, together with an adjoining
one,, was burnt down. Fortunately no lives were lot, and bulk
it DUNI Wtri 'ingurvi.