The Sun. — 1838-01-30 (London, England)

XVIII. and Charles X. ; and such a difference. of opinion prevails, that the discussions on their settlements in Africa, or the proposed subsidy to Spain, appear in comparison. as trifles. We do many foolish things in this country, but such puerilities as these have long ago disappeared, and what is listened to with gravity in France would be met hero with universal derision. Dean Swift was right when, in satirical jest, he described the mighty passions excited in, the human mind, even by disputes about eating an egg. A new species of paper currency appears by the American papers to have been springing up, if not generally in the Union, in New York at least. This currency consists of " certified checks," or checks " accepted" on presentation at the banks, which, after such certified acceptance, pass current from hand to hand. The holder by whom the check is presented has the option of receiving the amount in bank bills or notes, which of course, until the resumption of specie payments takes place, will be regarded as of no more solid value than the certified check, being in effect no better than the exchange of one piece of paper for another, with, so far as the bank is concerned, the same names as security. In the case of the check, however, there would be the additional security of the drawer and endorsers. To such an extent had the use of this sort of paper obtained in New York, that, it is stated, " a great portion of the daily transactions among the banks have been conducted on certified checks." It was calculated that the daly amount of business represented by these checks, was equal to 3,000,000 or 4,000,000 of dollars, and so con';enient were they said to be found, that it was thought wat unlikely, with some "improvements" upon them, they might come to constitute a more permanent portion of the, commercial currency of the city of New York. The har.iks there, it has been shown by their monthly statements, ha,a been curtailing for some time past the issues of their totea, as also had been the case in other parts of the United States, but it would see peViey must be materially counteractedm to the whole or any sobiprtuhdeenctiiraclualaltii; of considerable extent of other paper in lieu of that withdrawn. It appears that money lava been getting exeedingly scarce through the withdrawal or diminution of the rote currency, and to this wits attributed the increase or substitution of the " certified checks" which, it is stated, now circulated probably to as " great an extent" as bank notes. Considerable alarm has been created amongst our mercantile circles connected with the African trade, by the statements which have been put forth, announcing that a great number of the white population had been murdered by the b'acks, who had revolted at Cape Coast Castle. The accounts have been much exaggerated, but to a great extent we are enabled, we regret, to confirm them, by a letter, froin which we extract the following summary ; arid as the letter states thst the British Government are somewhat impVicated, and that our settlements on that coast may be harzarded, it deserves the immediate attention, of the Colonial Office. The accounts reach to the 16th of November last, and state that the affair took place at Elmina, in the Dutch territory, but near to the British settlement. It appears that the Dutch Governor of Elmina, Tonneboeyer, and six other European efileera of the Dutch settlement, fell a sacrifice to the barbarity of the natives, over whom the Dutch Government have ruled 150 years. Altogether, 40 white soldiers, 60 labourers, and a 0 recruits from Batavia, besides several unarmed individuals, with the exception of three or four raade prisoners, were slaughtered, and the blacks exhibited parts of the bodies at the market of Tacorary. This act of dreadful revenge is said to have arisen out of some old disputes between the natives and the whites, and the infliction of a tine of 40 ounces of gold dust upon Bonsoe, the chief of Ahanta, a district on the coast between Axim and Sacomidee, b:; the former Dutch Governor, Last. 'rho late Tonne2aoeyer was much blamed for his rashness 11i this affair, the chief Bonsoe and his aidherenta bad, it was said, resolved to throw themselves upon British protection, Trade was quite suspended, and the letter adds, that unless the deaths of the whites arc revenged, Cape Coast will no longer be tenable by the two European parties. Mr. J. Hook has been appointed Governor and Commander of Gambia by our Government.