Star.
London, England, 1817-10-30 00:00:00

EAST INDIES.

A few days before Lord ASIIIXRST'S arrival at Can-
ton, arrangements were made to render his Excel-
lency's entry into that city. as public an d honourable
as possible. The boats of the men of war and the
Indiarnea, to the 'number of thirty or forty, were as-
sembled at Canton, and all the Officers and. men in
full dress, were ordered to hold themselves in readk.
ness to proceed up the river, by which it.was known.
that the Ambassador would return. While these.dis-
positions were inalc;ng, Mr..WlLcucKs, the American
Consul, called 'lrvin Captain Moment., and expres-
sed his desire to shew his respect to the Ambassador;
and added, that it Captain MAxwELL thought this
would be effected by having the American flag in the,
procession, he w0u1..1 gladly avail himself of the op.
portonity. Captain MAXWELL, after complimenting
the Consul upon the handsome manner in which he
bad come forward, observed, that as Mr. WILCOCES
represented the comniercial interests of America in
the same manner th it the British Factory represented
those England, his station on this occasion ap-
peared to be immediately alter the Chief of the Bri-
tish Factory. With this arrangement Mr. WiLcocas
declared himself pnfectly satisfied. On the approach
of the Embassy, the boats, which were formed into'
two lines, proceeded, with colon's flying, about five
miles up the River of Canton. On first meeting the
Ambassador's fleet, no one was admitted on board
the state barge, except Captain MAzwzet. and Sir
TIIZOPHILUS METCALFE) the Chief of tine Factory.;
but Lord Asinine was no sooner informed of what
had pas,ed, than he desired that Mr. Witrocits might
be invited on board, and presented vi Iris Lordship.
By the Illasoritita Gazette, we learn unit another fire
broke out at Port Louis early on the morning of the
Ist July, in a large magazine belonging to M. De.
llaleu. From the violence of an easterly wlnds the
Limes spread to the out-offices adjoining it, belonging
to M. Lemaire, and to his dwelling-house. 'l'hrougb
the activity of the firemen, and the prompt exertions
of the Civil Magistrates, Military Authorities, and
the troops in garrison, tire fire was confined to the
buildings ahoy, -mentioned, which were, however,
wholly destroyed Fortunately no lives were lost; a
Serjeant of t'.e 12th Regiment, named Mackenzie, ,
bad his leg broken by the hall of part of a rafter.
The Bombay Courier, of the 19th April, co.rtains
the following article:—" We learn by Letters from
Mocha, of the Ist of December, that the Imaum of
Soma died a few days previumly to that date, anti
was succeeded by his eldest son &army ATIDELLA
BEN HArimt.a, a young man of about 20 years of
age ; whose first act wass to displace his father's Vi-
iz:er, and to confine him, as also to s9ninion the Dolla
of Mocha up to Senlia, with several others who have
.charge of different districts; but whether it was his
unenton to dispnici: them and appoint otters, was not
know!,; it was Itosveerr firmly supposed, if they once
left their situations they never would return ; the
Doha was apprehensive of the result, and did not
wish to obey the mandate of his gracious master,
although he had received six orders requiring his pre-
acute at Senna."

MELANCHOLY DEATH UY A SHARK.
From the Cey!on gazttte of May 27,
It is with much concern we communicate to the
public a very shocking event which happened oa the
evening of the I i th, neat Colombo :
A. party of seven young Gentlemen had been
walking among the trees, near the sea, about two
miles south of the fort ; between eve and six o'clock
they sat down on the shore, without any previous in-
tention
of bathing, whin Mr. MAY, of the Ordnance
Civil Depertmeni, went into the water, and was fol.
lowed by several others. Mr. MAY was an excellent
swimmer, and plunging into the nearest surf, he did
not rise till he was some way beyond it. After pity-
ing about a short time, he struck out into deeper
water, when Lieutenant CRAY, who was within the
surf, and aware of the danger from sharks, called out
to him not to go any farther : at that moment the
swell of the surf hid him from:Mr. OR 1Y ; but some
of the party, who were standing higher on the shore,
saw him on a sudden struggle and sink. He rose
again directly, and cried out—,l a shark, a shark, no
joke, an juke, upon my honour, I am bit l" but he
-did not seem to be much hurt, for he swam with
great strength towards the shore. Lieutenant GRAY
rushed forward to his assistance, and just as they
were near meeting, the shark seized him again, but
be was not pulled under water, 'and only cried out
" lam trio lam bit." Mr. Chair then got hold of
km. and at that moment he' saw the shark make a
third attack. They were now very near the shore,
and Mr. Guar, with the assistance of another
_young
man, succeeded in getting him on dry land. He had
sunk upon his knees as they were support ng him, tnd
was endeavouring to speak, but could out' utter con-
vulsive inarticulate sounds. They thought he was
fainring and got him wine water, whichlfiey pressed
b:m to drink ; he raised his head, opened his lips,
and attempted to swallow, but instantly sunk down
again, and expired without a groan. The whole of
the flesh, with all the blond vessels, was toin away
hem the back of his left thigh, for a considerable
space above the knee. The laceration was so dread-1
hil, that Mr. MArvete, the surgeon, who hastened to
see him an heating of the accident, declared it would
bare been impossible to save him had he been upon
the spot. The preat effusion of blood must have
produced immediate death. He did not, in fact,
survive above two minutes. It is probable the fatal
wound was given in the second or third attack, when
Lieutenant GRAY saw the ravenous monster in the
let 'of seizing his unhappy victim. The shark ap-
peared to be rather small, with a large bead, but the
water was so discoloured wins blood, that it could
sot be distinctly seen.
WILLIAM Tunvna. MAY was only 22 years of

age $ be cane to Trincomalte, in the Chapman, on
the 17th of October, 1815, and arrived at Colombo
on the 29th of November following. He was an
amiable young mananuch liked by his companions,
who observed that. be had been that evening re-
markably cheerful and; in higher spirits than usual,
just before the rscsidest happened. The sad and
sudden change of their poor friend in the flower and
gaiety pf youth, tarn. with such a horrid 'wound, at-
tempting in vain to speak, and expiring with convul-
sive sobs in their arms, must have made a deep its.
Fenian on their minds. and will be the subject of
most afflicting. intelligence to his illations assehriesuft
in England.