The Sun. — 1856-04-28 (London, England)

SIIMMARY.—The opening. of the hot weather is a period of the year proverbial for its barrenness of intelligence. Coming on us this season after a year of unusual dearth, March proves literally newaless, affording us the single comfort, that no news is good news for the state and that we can never be worse off for a commodity of intelligence than at present. The Sonthal insurrection is not only completely quieted, but the malcontents, lately spreading terror through the district 4, are quietly, and of their own freewill, earning their bread as railway labourers, improving the country they lately ravaged. Oude continues as tranquil and orderly as any of the oldest provinces of the empire, and the organisation for the new administration off affairs is all but completed. From the characters of many of the new employes, an impression has got abroad, that more weight has been given to hints and recommendations from home in filling up vacancies than to the views of the Chief Commissioner. If Sir James Outram is to be held responsible for the good government of the province the absolute nomination of his employes is indispensable ; until the curse of patronage is removed from India, the efficient administration of affairs is imp ssibe. A doctor has been placed at the head of the Post-office department; a civilian, to whom education is as strange as astrology, is director of Pub. lie Instruction. Even under circumstances of which these are specimens, we have no doubt that Oude will thrive, though it seems strange that we, who make mis-government the plea of extinguishing a dynasty, should make the concern of appointments take precedence of that of the good of the people. The late King has got as far as °awnpore, on his way, it is said, to England, without the most remote chance of securing one atom of public sympathy. The agitation in Parliament against annexation is received with ridicule and contempt in India, for of the hundreds of petitions prepared annually at each of the presidencies, we have ninety-nine against the tyranny of native princes for one against the miscondut of the British Government, and no occasion is ever let slip, by educated natives, of proclaiming the vast superiority of English to indigenous rule. Our Punjaub mountain frontier continues infested with robbersand murderers, but there has been no outburst of the mountaineers in force for many months past, and on the whole we have throughout the year been enjoying as much tranquillityas could perhaps under the circumstances be looked for. The alarm that our new acquisitions in Burmah would prove a burden on the empire has been dispelled by the publication of the balance-sheet of Pegu. In the third year of our possession, with a defective population and its resources undeveloped, we find an expenditure of 170,0001, a-year, and an income of 226,0001. ' • or if we deduct extraordinary expenditure, and accept only net receipts, we have a balance in favour of 10,0001. a-year. The revenue during the past year has risen by a quarter of a million sterling, while the expenditure has but little advanced, and already the province, which it was feared might prove ruinous, yields a contribution of 100,0001. a-year to the general resources of the state, or nearly 10 per cent, on the gross charges of the war. Rangoon has been visited by one of those unintelligible panics which seem occasionally to afflict all native communities. A rumour was spread abroad that a number of Malays were in the town securing human victims for slaughter. No man would stir out after nightfall, or permit his children to move out of his sight. Some clever scoundrels, aware of the popular belief, turned it into money. Men were seized after dusk to be carried before the Deputy Commissioner. Of course long before they reached the court a douceur procured the release of the victim. Several of these men have been arrested, and will be brought to trial.—Prome has been utterly destroyed by fire. It broke out about noon on  the 25th of February, and in less than four hours consumed the entire town. Over a space of some 300,000 square yards nothing but ruins are to be seen. The place contained few brick houses, and will be readily rebuilt, but the loss of property must be very great. The principal sufferers are of .1; course the merchants. AS uz the fire at Rangoon)