THE

SYLPH." We hear that the Sylph, now absent on the eastern coast on an experimental voyage, has been so fortunate as to save the lives of a number of Chinese sailors who were taken from a wreck. This circumstance is said to be favourably adverted to in an imperial edict, which has been transmitted to Canton respecting the foreign vessels which have of late made their appearance on the coast. The humanity of the foreigners has made an impression in their favour, and the chop directs the officers of the ports, while using every means to expel the foreign vessels who are engaged in contraband trade, by no means to fire on or otherwise injure the ship which has been instrumental in rescuing from death the subjects of his Imperial Majesty.—Chinese Cour., Feb. 16.

Cochin China.

PERSECUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN
RELIGION.

The following communication appears in the Singapore Chronicle of the 9th May, signed, Albrand, priest and apostolic missionary."

"The theatre of persecution at present is in Cochin-China. A letter, I have lately received from a French missionary in that kingdom, announces that the king has passed a solemn and public judgment, condemning to different punishments, and even to death, many of the missionaries and Christians, for no other reason than that of their being Christians. I conceal from you the name of the author of this letter, for fear of injuring him with the King of Cochin-China. It was addressed to one of two missionaries, who have come out to give their lives for the Gospel at Pulo Nias :

"Very dear Sir and Brother: During two years past, seventy-four Christians, of the village of Duong-son, have been detained in prison for the cause of religion, and compelled to wear the cangue (moveable pillory) while awaiting their sentence. At length, in the month of July last, sentence was passed on them in these terms: The church of Duongson and that of Jen-ninh are to be pulled down. The first chief of Christianity is condemned to be strangled, and the second chief to be transported to the province of Tranninh; thirteen or fourteen soldiers are condemned to bear the cangue for two months, exposed to the heat of the sun; then to receive 100 blows each with a cudgel, and finally to be banished. The rest are remitted the punishment of exile, but are treated in all other respects as those already mentioned. The women are acquitted with 100 blows of the rattan each. As to M. Jaccard, who has come

into the imperial kingdom of his Most Pagan Majesty to seduce the people and gain money, he deserves most exemplary punishment; but his Majesty graciously remits his punishment, and condemns him only to serve as a soldier in the royal city. He is not permitted any longer to travel over the country.'

"This sentence has been executed on all, one after another, and all the Christian professors of Duong-son have suffered their punishments with admirable patience. During the two months that they wore the cangue, they were exposed to the sun, in front of the apartment occupied by M. Jaccard, probably with the design of making him a partaker in their sufferings.

"While M. Jaccard is detained in the royal city, he is under guard of a Mandarin; he does not perform the functions of a soldier, but is only an honorary one.

After

"But there is yet a circumstance of an equally serious nature which has since happened to M. Jaccard. The king had several prints of the Old and New Testament, which his sailors had purchased. The king desired M. Jaccard to give him an explanation of these prints. having explained to the best of his ability, M. Jaccard ventured to present to the king an abridgment of the Sacred Scriptures and of religion, in order to give the king a more perfect knowledge of the prints. The latter had the book copied almost entirely, and then sent it, not to M. Jaccard, but to the governor, who immediately commanded M. Jaccard to be placed on his knees, to hear the following sentence: 'You have already been condemned once as a preacher of religion, and the king graciously remitted your punishment, condemning you only to serve as a soldier. Yet now you have again dared to keep books respecting religion, and still more, you have dared to present them to the king. You have again deserved an exemplary punishment. Majesty, however, grants you pardon anew, but this shall not happen to you again. As to the books, his Majesty ordains that you shall burn them.' M. Jaccard replied,' Let his Majesty inflict on me whatever punishment he desires me to suffer; I would rather that the king should have me beheaded, than that I should burn the writings of the true religion.'' Ah well,' returned the governor,

His

the books must be brought to me, and I will burn them myself.' The same answer was made by M. Jaccard, and the governor finished by exhorting him to keep the books concealed; but the book that had been presented to the king was burnt. in the presence of M. Jaccard.

"Our mission is now in a very deplorable state. In the sentence of Duongson, the king prohibits the observance of

religion. The persecution, also, is public and general. On all sides, the Pagans afflict, oppress, and vex the Christians, wishing to force them to perform acts of idolatry and superstition, to abandon religion, to pull down their churches, &c. At this moment several other villages are cited before the tribunals of the Manda

rins, as professing the Christian religion. From the single village of Tho-duc fourteen men and ten women have just been arrested. They are in prison, waiting for their sentence, and in the mean time wearing the cangue: the other Christians of this village have taken flight. Several, unhappily, abandon religion. Some villages, a little too timid, have pulled down their churches, for fear of being denounced. In the province in which I reside, four villages have done so. religious of almost all the convents have returned to their parents' homes; a few only of the more intrepid having remained to take care of the houses. I burn with desire to go through the country, to fortify the minds of the Christians; but that is impossible; I should be arrested immediately, and the Christians themselves would not receive me, for fear of being denounced.

The

"I do not know if all our fellow brethren are the same as myself; I think they are not much better. My lord, who is under surveillance of a Mandarin, has fallen sick, when coming to administer confirmation. MM. Cuenot and Miallon are probably dead by this time. The Mandarin who protects us has just died. Such are the latest news which I have received from Dong-nai."

The United States ship Peacock left China on the 29th of December last, on a diplomatic mission to Cochin-China and Siam, having on board an American gentleman (Mr. Roberts) as special agent of the U. S. Government. The Peacock, at first, endeavoured to make Turon Bay; but owing to strong contrary winds and currents, was unable to do so, and finally put into Phuyen Harbour, lower down on the same coast. This harbour is said to be a safe and commodious one, well sheltered from the northerly winds. It is distant from the capital, Hué, where the king resides, about five or six days' journey overland. Owing to various causes, not explained, the object of the mission was not accomplished, and after remaining at Phuyen about one month (from the 5th of January to the 8th of February), the Peacock proceeded to Bankok. While the Peacock was at Siam, a French missionary arrived there, who had fled from CochinChina to the borders of the country, and had obtained permission from the Siamese government to repair to Bankok. It was Asiat Jour. N. S. VOL. 12. No. 47.

reported that many Christians had been compelled to trample on the cross.- Sing. Chron, May 9.

Siam.

The United States' ship Peacock, after leaving Cochin China, proceeded to Bankok, where the mission was more successful, having completed a commercial treaty with the Siamese Government. The vcssel remained at Bankok upwards of six weeks (from the 18th of February to the 7th April), when she left for Singapore. During her stay at Bankok, a conflagration took place, by which the whole Christian parish of Santa Cruz, consisting of about 150 to 200 huts, was burnt down; two or three lives only were lost. This parish adjoins the British Factory where

the mission resided.

Arabia.

At

Extract of a letter written from on board the Hugh Lindsay steamer, in her last trip to the Red Sea, dated Hodeedah:-" On our arrrival here, we found the place in possession of Mahomed Ali's rebellious Toorkish soldiers, who, last year, made an attack on, and held possession of Mekka, until driven out by the Nizam Judeed, or regular troops of the Pasha. They have also taken possession of Mocha and other places along the coast, such as Zeebed, Bait-ul Fukeh, &c. Zeebed they made a prisoner of Sayud Abdoolah, the governor of Mocha, and brought him to Hodeedah, where he was put to death, having been discovered corresponding with the Wahbees of Duraiyah, whom he excited to come and release him from the hand of the Toorks. The Wahbees did, indeed, advance on Hodcedah; but retired on being presented with Sayud Adboolah's dead body, and told that he had met his death in an attempt to escape from the guard. Toorkeebil Mas, formerly a slave of Mahomed Ali's, and once governor of Mekka, is the leader of this rebellions band, and is, as would appear, a brave and active commander, who possesses some of the better parts of his quondam master's character. He had not permitted his troops to plunder any of the places which he had taken possession of; and all the inhabitants, under an assurance that their persons and property would be respected, had resumed their usual occupations. At Hoodedah, we found the trade going on as usual; and the Arabs altogether more civil than at Mookullah, or than they otherwise would have been if not under the government of the Toorks. Khoohid Aga, who was (2 B)

commanding, was most polite and attentive to our party, and offered guides to conduct us wherever we wished to go during our stay. The Imam of Senna, to whom these places belong, is sunk in effeminacy and debauchery, and has so long permitted his deputies to make exactions on the people, such as they could ill bear, that the mercantile Arabs scarcely view with dislike their new masters. Toorkee bil Mas, in order to maintain his popularity, is at present obliged to wink at some lawless acts of his followers, who amount to two thousand fighting men; but if able to retain his power, and allowed time to organize a system of goverment, the change may be of infinite service to this part of Arabia. The rebels have possessed themselves of the whole of Mahomed Ali's ships now in the Arabian Gulph, and have written to the Sultan of Constantinople of their proceedings. Some are disposed to think that they have been encouraged to rebel by the authorities at Constantinople, and to make a diversion in the Sultan's favour; but for this opinion their appears no good foundation, and the real cause for their rebelling was, that their demands for arrears of pay were not attended to. When driven from Mekka, they retired to Juddah; and when obliged to evacuate the latter, they seized all the treasure, guns, &c. in the place, and sailed away with the ships then in the harbour. The pay of all the Pasha's troops is at least twelve months in arrears, and the soldiers are much dissatisfied. Those of them now stationed at Kamfida demanded, the other day, their pay from their commander, Ismael Beg, who drove out the Toorks from Mekka, and as he would not satisfy them they shot him."-Bombay Gaz. April 24.

Pashalik of Bagdad.

A letter from Bagdad, dated 17th February, published in the Bombay Gazette, states the following facts:-"The Basha is most anxious to have a complete and efficient army and flotilla, among which he wants to equip some steam-boatsadopting the bitumen of Hit and Hummum Ali for fuel; but the present state of the country will not him allow to put his plans into execution.

"The plans of Ali Rezah, Basha of Bagdad, must appear palpable to every one. The Porte is now tottering from its base of power: and Irak Arabia, with part of Kurdistan and Adjome, will form as nice a little independent government as any Turk could desire. Ali was formerly a dervise, so his first rise was in the sanctuary of a mosque: as a fanatic

his bravery was conspicuous against some rebel Bashas, for which he was rewarded with the gomoroock of Smyrna. In this lucrative situation he amassed enough of ill-gotten wealth to purchase a Bashalic,

Aleppo. Last year, he commanded the Sultan's forces at the reduction of Bagdad, and quietly assumed the reins of government, of which he will give but little account during the present state of affairs."

Egypt.

On the 18th of July the Homs, a ship of 100 guns, was launched at Alexandria. The Pacha, who was present, expressed the most lively satisfaction at this new proof of the activity of his chief engineer, Carisy Bey. The Pacha's fleet now consists of seven ships, seven frigates, five corvettes, and eight brigs.-Le Moniteur de l' Egypt.

Letters from Alexandria announce the death of Defter Bey, son-in-law of the Pacha. He has left a fortune of 100,000,000 of piasters, which he acquired in command of the army at the conquest of Darfour. The whole of this large sum will, of course, be seized by the Pacha, to which it will be a most seasonable supply, after the vacuum created in the treasury by the late campaign against the Porte. The army of the Pacha which has returned from Turkey is to be stationed along the coast, but the fleet is to proceed to Candia, where he contemplates gigantic changes. The Greeks of that island are, however, very much discontented with their new sovereign, and dread the introduction of the Egyptian system of monopoly. A messenger has arrived at Alexandria, bringing some rich presents from the Sultan as a peace offering to his vassal; but it is believed that both the Sovereign and the tributary contemplate a new contest the moment they have recruited their now exhausted re

sources.

Australasia.

NEW SOUTH WALES.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Governor Bourke left Sydney in April on a visit to Hunter's and Paterson's rivers, and the Green Hills. The addresses presented to him speak the language of tranquillity and content.

It is said that a society is about to be formed, and that, too, by individuals recently arrived, whose object will be to promote and encourage, by the most vi

gorous means, the consumption of colonial produce alone, to the absolute exclusion of that of every other place, as far as it is practicable-its members undertaking to deny themselves the use of any luxury or neccessary which is not strictly of colo nial growth or manufacture.-Sydney Gaz.

The hill of Woolloomoolloo, formerly a frightful picture for the eye to rest upon from Sydney, is at length stripped of its sombre covering, and begins to present to the view the most pleasing prospect, from the number of gentlemen's seats and tastefully laid-out gardens which appear scattered about it.-Itid.

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.

A meeting of the merchants, traders, and others, was yesterday held at the Launceston Hotel, for the purpose of addressing the Lieut. Governor upon the subject of the very serious losses to which they are continually exposed, by the facility with which parties, after incurring large debts, can leave this town for Sydney or elsewhere, before any legal process can be obtained to stay their hasty departure. The meeting was numerously and respectably attended; several resolutions were proposed, seconded, and unanimously agreed to.-Independent, Mar. 16.

"The party politics of the colony,' says the Launceston Advertiser, seem to bubble less loud than they did--for a personal squabble or two will not take rank in public estimation with politics." The same paper states that the trade of the island is depressed; and that in Launceston, as elsewhere, the cry continues, as usual-want of money." Is coin subject to the blight-does it diminish of its own accord ? When it is said the money has all gone out of the country,'

one would suppose that it vanished like Abdallah's riches. Men are always at inventing figures of speech, either to hoodwink themselves or their neighbours. Thus it is that men cry out that money is scarce, when they should deplore their past extravagance, and resolve on frugality in future. If money is scarce, what makes it so? Taxes-the necessaries of life-and extravagance. But the chief of these is extravagance-and that men have it in their power to avoid."

A little vessel called the Friendship, belonging to Mr. Griffiths of Launceston, had returned to port, after an absence of scarcely four months, with a cargo of seal and kangaroo skins, salt, seal-oil, &c., to the value of £1700.

Complaints are made of the inefficiency of the police at Launceston. Life and propertyare stated to be so insecure at that side of the island, that several respectable families intend leaving their farms, retiring to town, or quitting the colony, until things alter for the better.

The people of Launceston congratulate themselves on the bustle and trade which is witnessed on their still half-formed quays. At the latest accounts there were four ships laying in the harbour, direct from Britain, besides several others from various ports, and two had just sailed for England. Rut a short time since, the residents at Launceston received their goods over-land from Hobart Town. Now they send vessels laden with merchandize to that place.

The Colonial Times says, in future, all educated convicts are, immediately on their arrival, to be sent to Tasman's Peninsula, there to remain till the termination of their sentence, to be kept to hard labour, strictly rationed, and allowed no indulgence.