The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-23 00:00:00

THE NIGER EXPEDITION

PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY EVENINC.—By the accounts brought
from the coast of Africa, by the Termagant, Third Lieutenant
Commander Henry F. Seagram, which left Ascension on the
29th May, this expedition had not proceeded up the Niger a
second time, in consequence of there not being sufficient water
to admit of it, until after the rainy season, which has only now
terminated. The Albert was lying at Ascension, but the Sou-
dan, and Wilberforce, under the command of Captain W. Allen,
were off the coast. Captain Allen intended to proceed, as
soon as the depth of water will admit of it, up the river as far
as the model farm ; but whether he would continue his voyage
higher up would entirely depend upon the state of his crew
when at that point.
The Madagascar, 44, Captain John Foote, was to be at
Ascension in July. It wilt be recollected that it was against
an racer and boai's crew of this ship that the Bordeaux
papers made an accusation respecting the boarding the
French ship Les Deux Sceurs, in which it was stated that the
officer was not in uniform, and not to be distinguished from
the men, and that he behaved in a vexatious manner in un-
necessarily detaining the ship, &c., and that the men took
away twenty tureens of preserved meat, and several other ar-
ticles. The whole of the statement, with the exception that
the Deux Scours was hoarded by the boats of the Madagas-
car, is utterly at variance with the truth. The following may
be relied upon as the correct account of the transaction :
Upon the Madagascar falling in with the Deux Sceurs the
wind was exceedingly light, and as the French ship was at
some distance a-head, and was mistaken for a large
slaver, four armed boats were despatched from the
Madagascar to give chase to and board her. Each of the
boats was under the command of an officer in the usual uni-
form worn when on service, with his sword of, and cap with
the gold band round it. There was also a marine officer, like.
wise in uniform. Upon boarding the Deux Scours the senior
lieutenant in command of the boats requested the French
merchant captain would show him his papers, and although
the request was made in the most courteous manner, the
French captain at once refused. Unon being asked his reason,
he stated that he would not show his papers until the British
officer had shown him his slave papers. It was necessary for
the Lieutenant to return on board the Madagascar to procure
them, consequentl there was a delay caused by the French
captain himself. With regard to the charge against the men
of taking away twenty tureens of preserved meat, the fact i.,
that not one of the crew was allowed to go below, and one of
the officers merely looked down in the hold to see that all was
correct. So far from there having been any relay caused
by the officer of the Madagascar, the vessel was allowed to
take her own course as soon as the examination was over, but
she remained in company with tl.e Madagascar while the sur-
geon of that ship went on board to attend a passenger or super.
cargo, who was ill on board the French ship. This proved that
there was every disposition on the part of the officers of the
English man.of-war rather to assist than annoy the Captain o
the French vessel.

The grand assemblage of troops that was to have
taken place at the beginning of September, under the title of
the Camp d'operations de la Marne, is stated by the Moniteur
Parisien to be countermanded, hut the Camps of
Saint Omer, and Chalons, will be continued separately.
The draperies which are to adorn the catafalque
on which the body of the Prince Royal is to be placed in the
Cathedral of Notre Dame, and those to cover the car in which
it is to be borne in the procession, will be upwards of twelve
yards wide.

The election of a deputy for the fir. 4 electoral ar-
rondissement of the department of Vauciuse, in the place of the
late Baron de Alontfaucon, is to take place at Avignon, on the
13th of August.
A dreadful murder was committed on the evening
of the 17th inst. at Alsemberg (Belgium), on the persons of
two old unmarried ladies, named Isterdael, one aged t 32, and
the other 75. They were literally cut in pieces; the head of
one was only hanging on by the skin. The crime took place
in their bed-chamber, and the room looked like a slaughter.
house. The money they had in the house, amounting to about
100 f., was taken away, but no other article in t he room appeared
to have been touched. It is supposed that the perpetrators of
the deed entered by one of the upper windows. They remain still undiscovered.
On Sunday last, one of the diligences, called
Berline-Poste, was descending the bill of Limonest, near Lyons,
when the piece of mechanism for locking the wheel having
broken, the carriage ran in on the horses, and pushed them
violently forward. The postilion, in place of whipping them
cn, and doing all he could to bring the carriage safe to the
bottom of the hill, jumped down. He was cruelly punished
for his imprudence, for the carriage was overturned at the same
moment, and crushed him to death in the fall. The passengers
received some contusions, but none of any importance.
It is rumoured, says the Constitutionnel, that M.
Piseatory is about to be raised to the Peerage, and sent as Mi-
nister Plenipotentiary to Greece.