The Sun. — 1839-06-20 (London, England)

RIO JANEIRO -SLAVE TRADE.  The following are extracts td a letter from an officer on board her Majesty's ship Electra, dated April 4, 1839: " We arrived at this beautiful place on the 28th of March, after a tolerably good passage of 56 days from Spithcad, having touched at Lisbon, Madeira, and Porto Praya. On the 25th and 26:h of March we captured two slavers from the coast, with 480 slaves on board ; the brigantine Carolina gave us a 12 hours' chase, and did not heave to till the shot went over her. This inhuman traffic is carried on to such an extent that 60,000 are said to have b.!en landed on the coast of Brazil during the last six months ! and unless the British Government send out a number of fast-sailing vessels, the trade will increase. The Lords of the Admiralty have sent the Cameleon and Wiz trd ; they might as well send a cow after a hare—indeed the Brazilians do not suppose the British are in earnest, or that they wish to suppress the slave wade, or they would take more efficient means to stop it. To give you an idea what a set of rzscals these Brazilians are, an English merchant was engaged to act as proctor to captors, on which he received a letter, sr'ying, if he interfered he would be murdered. You may, therefore, imagine what a set of rascals they are. We ought to have an 80 gun ship, with a flag at this port ; the interests of the British merchants require an imposing force to protect them and their valuables. • You will hardly wonder when I tell you that six and eight rill:lions of British manufactured goods arc imported annually to this country. On our arrival here we found the Gossamer, and she only got in two days before the Electra.  " APRIL 2 —Arrived, the S:ag, from the Falkland Islands, in seventeen days. Lieut. Salbourn came passenger, having invalided from the Arrow. Lieut. Robinson, the former Lieutenant of the Stag, had been appointed to the Arrow. Commanders Mainwaring, of the Stag, and Preston, of the Electra, have changed ships ; the Electra will sail in the course of a few days, to join Admiral Ross in the Pacific ; Commander Smith takes a passage in her to join the President, The Dolphin, United States schooner, arrived from the river Plata, on her way to New York. She left there many French ships of war, assisting the Monte Videans against the Buenos Ayreans, and her Majesty's ships Orestes and Actaeon. The ships here are the Stag, Eli ctra, Camdeon, and Grecian ; the latter sailit to-meat row, to cruise off Cape Frio. From her superior sail ing I have DO doubt she will capture several vessels in a short time. Three schooners came in to-day, all in ballast. They certainly landed their black crop on the coast, as vessels never come to Rio. When I boarded the pirate vessel the Electra took on the 25th they were wowed like pigs in an Irish steamer, and wallowing in their own filth ; 58 of the poor devils were chained together, and had been so for 30 days. As soon as she arrived at Rio the armourcr of the Electra was sent to knock their irons off; he coaxed them, which delighted the poor devils, and nothing could exceed their gratitude. The small-pox is very prevalent amongst them ; since they left the coast they have buried about 50 children monthly. We are obliged to keep boast rowing guard at night to prevent the slaves from being stolen. The other night John Curtis (son of Sir Lucius), prize master, fired into a large boat that was coming nearer than she ought, and from the noise on board it was evident some of the scoundrels had been hit. Since that time they had given our prizes a wide berth. Some difficulty is thrown in the way of condemnation. The mixed commission is quite a farce. _ _  " The next ship for England is the Fly, then Imogene, Samarang, Sparrowhawk, and Electra. Lieutenants He. seltine of the Electra, and Robinson, of the Grecian, have exchanged ships. 6" The Calliope sailed on the 19th of March for the River Plate, to strengthen the foie° in that river; as, in consequence of tho unsettled state of affairs there, the French are carrying everything before them. The American ships Independence and Fairfield are at Monte Vi deo; the latter is a corvette, mounting twenty-two long 24-pounders. I guess the Symonds and Daphne would have no chance with her. The schooner is going to clear out the Customs, and these letters must be aboard: so farewell."