The Sun. — London, England, 1853-03-18 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE The Pope's visit to France continues to be the great question of the day, and it appears to meet with difficulties of a very tantalising character. It would seem, in fact, as if Pio Nono had discovered Louis Napoleon's weak side, and was determined to take advantage of the discovery. One day, his Holiness is to come without fail ; the next, there are obstacles in the way which will make his visit nearly impossible. Every new difficulty draws a fresh concession from the Emperor. The organic articles have long since been conceded, and in that respect Louis Napoleon has abandoned the interests of the Galilean Church to their fullest extent. His Holiness, having got so much, thinks he might now perhaps squeeze out a little more, and. seems deter mined to make Louis Napoleon pay dear for his whistle. He now asks that the religious ceremony of marriage should be celebrated before the civil ceremony, and that no marriage should be legal without the interposition of the Church. Whether this point will be conceded or not remains to be seen ; but at present it appears to be the stumbling block. General de Cotte has been dispatched to Rome on a secret mission, the object of which is to bring the matter to a point. He left Paris three days ago. M. de Lacour, who is also to visit Rome on his way to Constantinople, though without any apparently official character, will probably assist General de Cotte in the negotiations. Orders have been sent to Toulon to prepare the steam-frigate Mogador for Tunis, where she is to receive the Bey and his suite, who are coming to France. The Mogador will leave Toulon early in April. The Princess Lieven has paid a visit to the palace of the Tuileries, and been presented to the Empe ror and Empress. It was on Sunday last, at one o'clock, that the audience took place in the private 'apartments of the Empress. The visit of the Prin cess Lieven is looked. upon almost in the light of a political event. Perhaps her movements are as good an indication of the opinions entertained at the Court of St. Petersburg as those of M. de Nig seleff, the accredited Minister. The Moniteur announces that Lord Stratford de Redcliffe was received on the 16th by the Emperor, to take leave, previous to his departure for Con stantinople. The Moniteur_ publishes the ratification of the treaty, concluded on the 25th of January last, be tween France and Wurtemburg, for the extradition of criminals. Letters from Constantine state that a new expe dition was in preparation against the natives. It was to be sent under the direction of General Her billon towards Biscara, and was to start on the 15th of April. The accounts of Marshal de St. Arnaud's health are said to be rather more satisfactory, but no one believes that he will ever return to Paris. It is now said that General Daumas is to become Minis ter of War in his stead. General Aupick, the late ambassador at Madrid, was also spoken of, but he will probably be left in the simple otium cum dig nitate of the Senate. __— There are still sixteen places of senators to be disposed of, and for these comfortable berths the claimants are numerous. It is said that one of .them . is destined to Admiral Baudin, who, the . Moniteur states, has accepted from the hands of the • Emperor the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, which he had refused in 1848, when offered by Ge neral Cavaignac for his devotedness to the Re public. Admiral Baudin was at that period in com mand of the squadron ordered to prevent the princes of the house of Orleans from landing on the coast of France, and he acquitted himself of his task with a zeal that was highly gratifying to the' heads of the Republican party. There was a grand reception at the Tuileries on Wednesday evening. It was of a very brilliant description, and was numerously attended. The Council of State met yesterday to examine several bills relative to loans for towns, delimita tions of communes, and other local matters. These bills will be afterwards presented to the legislative body. For some time past commercial affairs in Paris have not been nearly so flourishing as they had been some months before. The tradespeople are begin ning to cry out, and the working classes have a diffi culty in finding work. This state of affairs has alarmed the Government, and, with a view to the improvement of trade, it is said to have resolved to make several new concessions. The Transatlantic. steam-packet service is at once to be conceded to a company, and several railways, which had been postponed for fear of encumbering the Bourse, are also to be conceded. It will excite suprise, but it is a fact, that the notorious M. Proudhon is now a prime favourite with Louis Napoleon. It is even said that he no longer adheres to the doctrine that /a propriete c'est le vol, and that as his tastes on that subject have changed, he has applied for a concession of a railway, and is likely to get it. The Debats says so :C e P p e have o received a list .of the names of the persons property been placed under sequestration by the Austrian Government. Amongst those names are the following Henri Martini, t ar G tin al i 3rio Casati, Arese, Count Count Francis do C un ou t nt Vitiliano Borromeo, Duke Anthony Litta Arese, Marquis .3: u ul e e s s V e t r taArese, Mgr. Francis Simonetta, the Count rlthci'GCrouut Vitaliano Crivelli , Mgr. Elie Poli, the Marquis Rosales d'Ordono, the Princess Christina Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Mgr. Henri Cernuschi, the Marquis George Pallavicini Trivulzi, Count Hercules Oldofredi Tadini, Baron Vincent Cesati, Mgr. Gabriel Camozzi, Mgr. Batiste Camozzi, Count Octave Tasca, Count Abbondie Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Mgr. Francis Colombani, Mg r. Paul Carcano General ' l i Joseph Jacopetti, Mgr. Charles Litta, Mgr. Louis Litta Biurni, Major Fontana, Colonel Jacques-Che valier Sessa, and the - Marquis George Raimondto i. These names suffice, beyond any dou bt, to prove every one that the persons who bear them are not, and cannot be the accom plices of M. Mazzini, If the Austrian Government imagines that it lays to their charge anything of the horror excited in Europe by the last insurrectionary attempt of the celebrated dema gogue, it makes a great mistak e ; and public opinion, which has already so badly received all the rigorous measures to which Lombardy has just been subjected, Certainly will not accompany it in that course."' The market continues inanimate, and prices are nearly as they were. The Four-and-a -Half per Cents. are unaltered, at 104 f. 10c., and the Three per Cents. are 25c. higher, at 81f. The Shares of the Bank of France and of the Mortgage Bank are unchanged ; those of the Societe Mobiliere are sf. lower, and those of the Mortgage Bank Bonds 20f. lower. Spanish Home Debt is higher, and the New Three per Cent. Piedmontese Loan is 100. lower, at 70f. 50c. The Turkish Loan was done a shade higher, at 1,022 f. 50c. Railway Shares have :varied but little, with the exception of the Stras burg and the Lyons to Mediterranean, which are 10f. better. Exchange on London (short) 25f. sc. money ; ditto (90 days), 24f. 90c. paper. GERMANY. The Emperor of Austria has taken his usual walk on the bastion, accompanied by Prince Albert of Saxony,• to whom he pointed out the spot of the attempt of the 18th General Haynau died suddenly in the night. Re had been to an evening party at Count Buol's, Where he remained till past twelve. A few mo ments after he retired to rest he was struck by apo plexy, and death put a term to his agitated career. The Archbishop of Vienna has also died. The Second Chamber of Prussia, en attendant the. discussion of the estimates, has adopted, by a ..najority of 164 to 137, the second and last reading of the bill for prolonging Parliaments from three to six years, after the close of the present legislative period. Cholera at Breslau does not augment as regards the number of cases, but, on the other hand, it has spread more generally throughout the city. Its progress westward is generally expected upon the opening of spring. After a week's thaw and two days' spring wea ther, We have a return of wint er, with heav y snow, and the thermometer two to three degrees below Reaumur. Lieutenant-General von Prittnitz, commanding in chief the whole corps of Guards, resigned his functions three days past, having accomplished . the fiftieth year of his long and distinguished. services. It i s rumoured that the veteran General von Wrangel is to succeed to the command of the Guards, .and that Prince William von Radziwill,, now commanding the 4th corps d'armge at Magde burg, will replace Wrangel at the head Of the 3d Corps, and of all troops in the marches, with head quarters at Berlin. ITALY. - - - The Opinione of Turin quotes a letter from Milan of the 12th, stating that the decrees respecting the lighting• of the streets are not confined to Milan alone, but extend to all the frontier towns. The municipality of Milan has received orders to furnish provisions for 4,000 men, besides 800 more at fort-Tosa.- The-blockade of Ticino is still in force, but there are fewer troops on the service. Two camps are spoken of as likely to be established — one at Varese, and another close to the Sardinian frontier. A. letter from Florence of the 9th, in the Opti *lone of Turin, states that the trial of Guerrazzi and Others for high treason has been suspended, account of the illness of Montazio, one of the d efendants. The police proceeded to a domiciliary 7fi., sit the oth er d a y a t th e house of Mme. U nger , the celebrated singer, but nothing was found to support any charge there might be against her. , The Turin and Savigliano Railway was inaugu 'ated on the 14th. The King, accompanied by the , "I'ince of Piedmont, the Duke of Genoa, and the Prince of Carignan, was present at the ceremoiiy. l The Ministers, many senators; - deputies, - and chief functionaries also attended. SWITZERLAND. The Bdle Gazette of the 15th says :—" The Biiancia of Milan publishes an article according to which the Austrian Government is said to have an intention of extinguishing the flames of revolution in Switzerland, and of re-establishing the sovereignty of the cantons by means of an act of mediation. This article has produced such a lively impression on the mind of the Federal Council, that it has transmitted it to its commissioner in the canton of Ticino. It is stated that Austria still calculates on a change in the government of that canton. The number of persons expelled from Lombardy goes on increasing." The Zurich Gazette states that it is informed on good authority that for the future the United States of America will be represented in Switzerland by a special charge d'affaires. THE KAFIR, WAR. ARRIVAL OF THE SYDNEY. PLYMOUTH, MARCH 17. The Sydney, Captain Franklyn, who has charge of the mails, arrived last evening in the Sound. Her cargo consists of gold dust, from Sydney, 32,854 oz. 14 dvrt. 21 gr.; Port Philip, 45,289 oz. 14 dwt. 12 gr.; Adelaide, 97,646 oz. 1 dwt. 5 gr.; making a total of 175,790 oz. 10 dwt. 14 gr.; be sides 115 tons 12 cwt. of tallow from Sydney. From Sydney she brings, as first-class passengers, Le Comte de Chabrillon, Mr. and Mrs. Walton, Messrs. Lewis larks, Herr Halgee, Herr Beeger, and Emile Dubois ' • two second-class, and fifteen third-class. From Port Philip—Messrs. Russell, A. Beach, Beauchamp, and Price ; thirty-four second-class, and thirty-two third-class. From. Adelaide—Mr. and Mrs. G. Hall, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, six children and `servant, Mrs. Lambton, Miss Armsberg, Mr. B. Armsberg, Charles Groch, W. Probyn, and A. Jeffry ; twenty second-class, and six third-class. There are also one from King George's Sound, one from the Cape of Good Hope, and one from St. Vincent—making in all 140 pas sengers, including children. In addition to these, the Sydney has obtained 2,0001. from intercolonial passages only. Mr. Charles Walton, a gentleman engaged by the Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Com pany, has been the round in Sydney, to perfect arrangements for facilitating the dispatch of the company's ships at the various ports of arrival and departure. The Sydney left Plymouth the 4th of August, 1852, at 8 30 a.m., and arrived at St. Vincent in 10 days 5 hours ; she was detained there 3 days 6 3 / 4 hours. From St. Vincent to Ascension she was 12 days 13i hours on the voyage, and was detained there 6 days ei hours. The run from Ascension to the Cape of Good Hope occupied 9 days 20 hours, and she was detained there 5 days 6 hours. She left the Cape of Good Hope October 3, and arrived 'at King George's Sound October 24, making the passage in 21 days 12 hours. She was detained at that place coaling for 4 days 21 hours from the im possibility of procuring.labour, and sailed October 29 ; arrived in 5 days at Adelaide, remained there 1 day 7 hours ; sailed November 7, remained dis charging passengers and cargo there 5 days 19 hours ; and on November 13 sailed for Sydney, where she arrived November 16, in 71/ hours. On her return voyage she sailed from Sydney December 4, arrived in 89 hours at Port Philip, and remained there 3 day's 7 hours. On December 11, she sailed for Adelaide, where she arrived De- . cember 14, in 61 hours, remained there taking passengers and treasure 3 days 9 hours ; sailed for King George's Sound December 17, arrived De cember 23, in 6 days, remained coaling 9 days 3 hours ; sailed January 1, arriving at the Cape on February 1, in 30 days 23 hours ; remained at the Cape 4 days 124 hours coaling, sailed February 6 ; arrived at St. Vincent February 26, in 20 days 134 hours ' • remained coaling 3 days . 21 hours ; sailed March 2, and arrived at Plymouth in 14 days 3 hours. The General Screw Steam-shipping Com pany's ship Queen of the South, was at St. Vin cent on the arrival of the Sydney ; she sailed for the Cape Feb. 27. The ship John. Bartlett was spoken with off the Cape shortly after the Sydney left. The following summary of Cape news is taken from the South African Commercial Advertiser of February the sth : " The Sydney takes intelligence from the Cape only ten days later than the Indiana. In the interval small parties of marauders have shown themselves on the borders and within some of the frontier districts, who have been ac- tively pursued by the burghers and mounted. police, and generally with success. Some 10 or 12 rebel Hottentots had surrendered at or near Whittlesea ' but nothing cer tain is known of the Hottentot leader, Brander, or of the Kafir chiefs, Sandilli and Macomo. There was a report that some arrangement was in progress with these Gaika chiefs, on the condition of their retiring beyond the Kei, a considerable number of their people having been permitted to mingle with the friendly tribes in lower Katirland, and his Excellency's expression in a general order of the 26th of Jan., that ' this arduous contest (is) now happily brought to an end,' gives some colour to it. " This arduous contest commenced on the 24th of Dec., 1850, in an attempt to seize Sandilli. Kafraria was at that time held in subjection by a military force, or in what is called military occupation. At the end of two years of active operations Sandilli is still at large, and Kafraria is held in subjection only by a military force. The only difference is, that the force was smaller in 1850, said to have been about 1,500 bayonets, while it is esti mated at some 7,000 or 8,000 in 1853. Should this force be reduced to what it was in 1850 would the colony be more secure than it was at that period ? Are the frontier districts stronger, or Kafirland weaker now, or will their relative strength be more favourable to the colony two or three years hence than in 1850? " During the contest a large number of the bravest frontier colonists have fallen, and a much larger number have been ruined and greatly disheartened. " The boundaries of the colony have been considerably extended, and many inhabitants of the older frontier dis tricts are moving into the new territory, still further weakening the old frontier. " The Kafirs have suffered loss in men, and cattle, and territory ; but to people in their condition such losses often give union and strength. The loss of independence and of native land is not forgotten or forgiven. They err who suppose that in this respect the black man differs from the white. The justice or injustice of the conquest or expa triation are out of the case. Justice, policy, necessity, may relieve the conscience of the conqueror, but resent ment glows for ages in the heart of the vanquished. It is a sentiment universal as the sun, and whatever border system the British Government may adopt, founded on the military occupation of Kafraria, they must keep this law of nature in view, and make provision on this as a fact that the vanquished and expatriated Kafirs hate them in their hearts. " In this contest the Kafirs have shown that they have the means of obtaining fire-arms, and that they are acquir ing skill in using them. To the gun they h ave added the horse—a still more dangerous engine of war. This entirely changes the character of border warfare and of border de fence. Thirty years ago a few colonists on horseback, with their far-reaching rifles, could confrent o a n n l d y almosts w c i a t t h te s r lieks or an y number of natives on; , foot, hand. l they could return from If they examined their missil e ground spearsand a chosec s their fro time he wel armed a successful campaig n almost without a wound. Burns'- show what a fearful change hill, Waterkloo f, and % instance s they lost during the last three wars has taken place within a fe it w ha y r e d ars ly . app l e n ar so s t m h e at which side the advantage lay. it remained doubtful on and daring with every war, more men than the disciplined troops; and more than once They improve in adroitness with every action. E hostility. confirms and inflames their ho d Y. ore clearly before his Every slice cut from their territory " The Governor has all this an m in has suggested itself it is not known whether any remedy discovered the root of eyes, an d will make it plain enough his dispatches.. But to his mind, or whether he has yet of the colony State the too grea t and too hasty extensi on the evil. I n man dispatches from different Secretar i es of y is emphatically condemned ; and recently Earl Grey sug gested a questio n , w h e th er the loss of land might not be _, one cause at least, o f na ti ve case hostility. In the .01 Moshesh, General C a th car t saw c learly that to deprive the. Basutos of their land was t o ki n dl e a war not soon to be extinguished. On this point there cannot be two opinions. A South African tribe deprived of their land must either lie down and die, or betake themselves to plunder. They have none of the thousand an d one ar t s by which civilised nations make up for loss o f l an d or scan t y is their life. " There is another thing th a t w ill pro b a bly strike, the Governor's mind, namely, that i n a ll b ar b arous tr ibes there territory. Land' is a strong love bf independence. They don't readily sub mit to foreign rule. As far as can be judged, the Govern ment of Kafirland, under Colon e l Mackinnon, was more, just; equitable, and beneficial to the; people than the Go vernment of their native chiefs. Many, if not all of them, were ready to admit this, and were probably convinced of it. But events demonstrated that men even in a state of barbarism are not wholly governed by self-interest. With death and destruction before their eyes,. they cling to their chiefs, and have far two long years exhibited an examp l e of fidelity never surpassed in any age or nation. This may be lamented . or condemned, but it cannot be denied, and it would be a fatal' error in the British Government to over look it when constructing their future relations with such tribes. _ _ "lifter frontier affairs, the internal state- of 'the colony may obtain a brief notice in England. They have learnt from the speeches,in Parliament that the Constitution s till-withheld, and that the colonists have no more concern in in public affairs than the oxen they drive or the horses they ride; that, consequently, they are in no way responsible for .any wars or fightings, or other sources of expense, in British policy in these parts ; that they, how ever,, pay in taxes levied without. their advice or consent, a nd spent in like manner, 230,0001. a-year ; that they are not pleased with this ignoring, of their existence, and that after many vain supplications they are electing a few re spectable men in the several districts with instructions to meet together and consider_ how the actual state of the colony may be best ascertained, and by what method, or in what shape, their case may be most effectually repre sented to those who may have it in their power to grant relief. This plan is in progress in a quiet, orderly, loyal, and constitutional spirit, without passion, hurry, or excite ment of any kind. That the people here acknowledge no connexion with any parties or factions in England, not being le at this distance to see any marked distinction betwee an Whigs, Tories, Conservatives, Radicals, Protec tionists, or Free-traders, admitting all to be equally honest and truthful in what they say of each other, and all equally abroad in colonial matters. That, under these im pressions, it is their wish and intention to relieve the brain of Downing-street, as far and as soon as possible, from much of its perplexity about things of which it is very ig norant; by doing colonial government work on the spot. That' is. all at present." (From at' Supplement to the Cape Town Mail, Feb. 5.) The following extracts from the frontier papers, just received, show how little is known in that quarter of the views and intentions of General Cathcart, in reference to the measures now to be adopted, either in carrying on the war or restoring peace to this long-afflicted colony : (Front the Frontier Times.) His Excellency, accompanied by his staff, proceeded ou Thursday last to King William's Town, for the purpose, as it is supposed, of making arrangements for the introduction of peace. What the nature of these arrangements will be it is not very easy to conjecture, seeing that we are now apparently only at war with the Gaika chiefs and their people, of whom his Excellency thus spoke in a Govern ment notice, dated Graham's Town, 9th October, 1852 : " What is their just punishment ? The Gaika chiefs and their associates must for ever be driven out of their former lands ; the guilty chiefs must never be allowed to dwell in peace on this side of the Kei." And in giving permission to such of the Gaika Kafirs as had found. shelter in the Slambie territory to remain there, he told the Slambie chiefs that they must be " answerable for their conduct." " But," said his Excellency, addressing these chiefs, "there must be no cattle stealing, or firing at waggon trains in your countries. You must keep your people in order, and if you cannot do so, then I will not talk, but I must come and do it for you with a strong arm." Such are the relative positions of his Excellency and the hostile and so-called friendly tribes. And in settling the affairs of British Kafraria three questions naturally present themselves :-1. Have the Slambie chiefs " kept their people in order," according to a fair and liberal interpreta tion of his Excellency's words ? 2. Have the Gaika chiefs and their people been driven over the Kei ? And, 3. If they should even cross that river with a view of in-. veigling his Excellency to make a treaty of peace with them, what security is there that they will not come back again ? His Excellency, we understand, does not expect to be long absent from Graham's Town, so that the anxiety of the public to know something of the contemplated arrange ments for peace will probably soon be satisfied. From Fort Beaufort we learn that many Hottentots have lately surrendered, and that courts-martial are sitting on the culprits. MONDAY.—This day a detachment of Cape Mounted Rifles left Graham's Town for King William's Town. It is reported that a fresh expedition against Kreli is contem plated. We learn, however, that Kreli not long since paid a further instalment of his cattle fine, and that he [has re cently sent a friendly communication to the authorities at King 'William's Town, to the effect that he is collecting more cattle. TUESDAY.—About 26 head of cattle were taken several days ago from Manley's Flats, which we hear were recap tured yesterday by a party of police under Lieutenant Surmon, in the Fish River Bush, with the exception of one of the oxen which had been slaughtered. (Prom the Graham's Town Journal, Feb. 1.) Letters from British Kafraria, dated the 29th instant, announce the arrival there of the Governor, and state that his Excellency contemplates another visit to Kreli's coun try, the conduct of that chief being rather equivocal, and the compensation he engaged to make for the destruction of Butterworth and the plunder of British traders not having been sent as promised. It is quite probable that such a move is in contemplation, the report 'being spread concur rently with the march of a strong detachment of the Cape Mounted Rifles from Graham's Town, and, as were ih formed, of other troops from Fort Beaufort to the capital of British Kafirland. It seems absolutely necessary that in dealing with the Amagelika Chief he should be disabused of the mischievous impression which appears to have been made on his mind by the sudden retrograde march of the British troops from the Basuto country. Very prepos terous stories have gained currency in Kafirland in con nexion with that affair, and it would seem that among the most active propagators of such rumours are some of the native waggon drivers, who accompanied the expedition, and who, according to our informant, have absurdly exaggerated everything so as to raise the Basutos and lower the English in the estimation of the credulous natives. It is most essential to the future peace of South Africa that this delusion should be dispelled ; for if it be not no peace that may be, made will be anything more than a mere form—an empty ceremony without substance, on which the colonists can rest their hopes of permanent or even long-continued peace. With such a British force as are on this frontier at this moment, the colony and the Brit'sh people look to the Government to prescribe terms—terms founded on reason and justice—and to see to it that they are complied with to the letter: Lieutenant-Colonel Eyre, 73d Regiment, is about to proceed to England, his health failing him under the extra ordinary exertions for which this gallant officer has b een so conspicuous ever since he has been on this command. His name will always be a ' household \ word" among the frontier inhabitants in connexion with the present war. He has stood foremost among the most intelligent, gallant, and,zealous defenders of this country, and he will take with him the grateful aspirations of every frontier inhabi tant for his fu ture welfare. - --- The Sydney is reported to be in good condition, with a perfect hull, having no leakage, and Captain Franklyn and his chief officer have received, both from the first and second class passengers, letters of thanks for their attention on the passages out and home. She brings the followina ship news Arrivals at Table-bay.—Jan 31.—The ships Royal Stuart and the Camperdown, from Calcutta for London, with passengers. Feb. I.—The barque Clydeside, from Liver pool, and the American barque F. Bunchinia, whaling. Feb. 2.—The Danish barque Frederick Wilhelm, from Copenhagen ; and the schooner Osprey, from Mossel-bay. Feb. 3.—The barque Countess of Zetland., from London for the East Indies, with passengers ; the French ship Myosotis. from Cardiff ; the Dutch barque Henrietta, from Batavia for Amsterdam, put in for supplies. Feb. 4.—The Hamburgh brig Alwina, from Hamburgh ; the ship Col lingwood, from. Singapore for London ; and the brig Lean der, from Liverpool. Departures from Table-bay.—Feb. I.—The Timandra, for Moulmein ; the Bella Portina, for London; the Ad derley, for Mossel-bay. Feb. 3.—The Anne, for Port Natal ; the Mississipi, United States steamer, for Japan ; the Simoom and Meteor clippers, for London. ' Feb. 4. — The Ide, for Mauritius ; the Emily Smith, for Algoa-bay ; the Resolute, for Sydney ; the Royal Stuart, for London ; the Maidstone, for Trinidad ; the elen Augusta (Ameri can), for whaling ; the Fox, for Mossel-bay. The General Screw Steam-shipping Company's steam ship Bosphorus, Captain Benson, sailed on the 29th of January for Mauritius, Ceylon, and Calcutta. On Sunday, Jan. 30, the Resolute, with 131 passengers, from London to' Australia, put into Table-bay for supplies, having been 92; days on the voyage; and yesterday, the Medora put in from New York in 103 days, with 193 pas sengers. The Great Britain steam-ship, Captain Matthews, was daily expected at the Cape. She will coal at Simon's-bay, and not enter Table-bay. SOUTHAMPTON PACKETS.—SOUTHAMPTON, MARCH 16. k —The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-ship Madrid, Captain Weeks, with the Peninsular mails, left at half-past, two. She took out a small quantity of specie, and about twenty passengers, among whom were . 9 - Sir E. Hutchinson and Lady Hutchinson. ' The Pepin- , sular and Oriental Company's steam-ship Tagus, with ' the homeward Peninsular mails, is expected about the 24th instant. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's screw steam-ship Bengal, is expected about the 19th instant. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Ripon will leave for Malta and Alexandria on the 20th instant, and the City of London, chartered ship, for Malta and Constantinople, on the 20th. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's steam-ship Magdalena, Captain C. M. Chapman, with the usual West India mails, left this day at half-past two. She took out forty nine passengers, a full general cargo, and specie to the amount of 10,0001. The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's. ship Parana, Captain C. Woolley, is hourly expected with the homeward West India mails. THE LATE ROBBERY AT MESSRS. OLLIVANT'S AT MAN CHESTER.—At the Manchester borough court, on Thurs.. I day, Maxwell, the young man who was apprehended last week with'the whole of the proceeds of the robbery at Messrs. 011ivant's silversmith, in his possession, was re-examined before Mr. Maude, and finally committed for trial at the assizes. The -evidence given did not carry the case further than it did last week, and the only, fact of interest, added to those already given is, that a pair of bags had been found in one of the trunks seized. at the house in which he was taken, evidently made to sling ,at the man's sides ,by means of a strap thrown across the shoulders. They would readily contain the property he took away, which weighed about two stones. No one else is at present implicated. - SHOCKING CASE OF MATRICIDE IN DURHAM. Mr. Trotter coroner, held an inquest at a place named But terwick,, in the western part of this county, on the 15th on the body of an old woman, aged 90, wife of Abraham Sewell, who was cruelly murdered by her son, Abraham, 40 years of age, on the'morning of the previous day. It appears that the old people lived in a cottage in the hamlet,. and that their son, who is .a married man, but parted from his wife, Hired with them at the time of , the murder. Nothing particular was observed in his con duct until last Friday night, when he appeared to wander in his mind. Father and , son slept in one bed, and the. old woman slept in another bed in the same room. Early in the morning of Monday the son got out of bed, and, without taking time to dress himself, made a savage attack upon his aged - mother with a poker, and beat her to death. ,The old Man interfered, and he was also severely beaten. The poor maniac, after leaving his w p n e d his, ,paanredurtasnft:ltor de a ad n , ei l g e h a b pe o d uri o n u g t h o o f u t s h e. e w H in e d r o a maniacal state the door, but was refused admission,. and the man . of the of excitement, ran after f r h t i h m er with a gun, and he was e a r T f u h l e poor manner.o 1 ashcflaoiepurdttsuered lookingwith without doing o a i n n d a seeing h him in a n c h a i injured. injury. ost f rd e ict of " Wilful murder." The The jury returned a verdict likely wom a woman to was recover, tthoo • t finement. It took four persons to keep vie on g _ath inu i poor creature has been safely removed to a place of con Wednesday evening. .. S OUTH -W ESTERN RAILWA.Y. — Fet several nays past the greatest activity has prevailed at the Waterloo ter , • minus of the London and South - We stern Railwa y , the directors having given orders fo r the erection of a new • station instead of the unsightly and inconvenient place hitherto devoted for the accommodation of the public. The terminus, which is nearly half _finished, will shortly prove quite an ornament to the nsighbourhood. The _building will present' much the appearance, but on a smaller scale, of the late Crystal Palace in Hyde-park. Already have the workmen commenced turning the arches, so as to form the transept ; and the lines for the carriages, we understand, are to be so constructed that, in the event of the railway being at any future period carried ,on to London-brid g e or e l sew here, the same can be done without destroying the intended new erection. ' A NOVEL MOUSETRAP.—On Saturday last a person named Jerome, in St. Martin's, Haverfordwest, micebackhwee adnt s hadr intoob oromkat. actually l ab n al ylpya t t h hri.)t e eeme c nse o hn u et ssae caughtnwodhf there ey q chased a small quantity o f o y s t ers , w hi c h h e p l ace d in a our thei a r u e to t e a n is e p o t o v i. nf oyster,egr e a don and h thatpu purloin L the fish.---Carmarthen Journal. - • t I St. St. St. St. I .LN I s t . iioo 100 all 100 5 100 THE SE Ali 111-MA.RKETS.-.- BRITISH RAILWAYS. RAUMAYB. Closing Prices this AV. Business dons this day. 100 8] Aberdeen . Ambg. Nottng. Bost. & Eastn. Junet. Birmg. Wolverh. & Stour Valley . Birkenhd. Lancsh. & Cheshire Junet. Do. Chesh. & Birk., £5O and £25 Cons. DO., £2O • Bristol and Exeter._ Caledonian Chester & Holyhead Cork and Bandon Cork, Blackrock and Passage Dublin&Belfast June. Dundee Pertb&Aber ' • deers Junction Do. New East Anglian (X 25 L and E. & L. & D.) Do. Do. (181. B.& H.) Eastern. Counties Eastern Union, Class A. (late E. T.T. Sh.) Do., do 8 - . (po., B. and C... East Lancashire East & West Ind. Dk.l & Birming. Juno.. l Edinburgh & Glasgow 14IEdin. and Peeblei 100 Edin. Prth. &Dundee 100 Glasgow &S. Western 100 Great Northern Stk 100 Do., Stock , ; 100 Do., B. Stock .... 100 Great Southern and Western (Ireland). Great Irish South-Earitern Lancaster & Carlisle ' Do., Thirds Yiancash.& Yorkshire' Do., Fifths Do., Wet. Riding Un. Leeds Northern Liv. Crsby. &Southpt London & Blackwall Loud. Tilb. & Sthend. Lond. Brigt. & S. Cdt. London & N. Western Do., Fifths D0.,£10 Sh.M.&B. C London & S. Western Do., £5O • Do., £4O Londerry. &Coleraine Lndndrry. & Ennisk. Manch. Shef. Do., Man. & Lin, Un Midland Do. Birming. & Derby' ; Midland G. West. (Ir.) r4Do. 4 Shares . r Newcastle & Newmarket Do. Bury Extension Newp. A.l3erg.&Hftd Newry & Enniskillen Newry, Warrenpoint, and . Restrevor Norfolk Do., Now Northn. Counties Un INorth British North Devon, No. 1 Du., No. 2 Do., I Deferred .• Do., 4 B Guaranteed North Staffordshire ' North Western . N. & S. Westrn. June Oxford, Worcester, & Wolverhampton Scottish Central Scottish Midland Shrewsbury & Birmg Do., L. & N. Westn Guaranteed Stock Shrewsby.& Hereford !Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor. W. Min.) .. Do. Halves do Do Do. Oswestay...: Shropshire Union South Devon South Eastern • South Wales.. S. Torksh.River Dun Do. Stockton & Hartlepl Thames Haven Do:4E and Railway Vale of Neath Waterfd. & Kilkenny Waterford& Limerick West Cornwall Wimbledon&Croydn. Woodford York Newetl. &Berw. Do." Extensions Do. G. N. E. Purchase York & N. Midland Ikberdeen • - Do., No. 2, 7 p. 4 Bris, & Ex. 4 p. c. St Do. 4 p. c. Shares Caledonian £lO Chester & Holyhead Guar. 5i per cent. f Cork&Bandon 53 p.c. Dundee, Perth, and Aberdeen Junction E. Aug. (705.) 6 p. o. Do. (X 5), 7 per cent. Do. (e 7 17s), 7. p ct. Eastern Counties Ex tension, 5 p. c. No.l Do., No. 2 Do., New 6 p. •. St Eastern Union Scrip Guar. 6 per cent East Lancash. 6p.cts Edinb. Prth.& Dund Glasgow & S. Western Guar. 5 per cent... Great Northn. 5 p. o. Do. 5 p. e., Redeem. at 10 p. e. prem.., Gt.S outhn. & Westn. (Ireland) Eights.. Gt. Westn. (Berks Hants Ex. 5 p. a.) Great Western, fixed 4 per cent Lan, & York. F.£2o Do., 6 p. c., Stock London and Brighton Guaranteed 5 p. • Do. Pref. 5 p. c., St Do. Convertible, 5 p ro. New Guar. 6 p. c. London &S. Western,l Con. Thirds... Londonderry & Coler Shares ..... Londndry. & Ennisk. Shares ........ Manch., Slief.,&Lin., D c , New, Shares , 1... Do.; £6 Marypt. & Carl. 4 p.e Do. 4 A per cent__ Do.. ....... Mid. Consol. 6 p. e. St. Do. Consol. Bristol & Birm. 6 per cent fro. Pref. 4i percent Norfolk Extension Do. Guar. 5i per et DO. Waveney Valley 5 per cent..... _ North British N orth Staffordshire Oxford, Worcester, k, Wolverh. X 15,6 p. c. Do. Shrewsbury & Birw. New Guaranteed Shrewsby. & Chester ' Nor. W. '(Min), 3 p. c. Do. 5 , per cent. ' so uth Devon Do. New S. Eastern (Reading Ann.) fXI Os. 6d. 8. Yorksil. 4p. a. Guar. Witerfd.StKilk. 6p. 0 . Yoik,Neweastle, and Berwick, 4 p.c. Prof. Do York & N. Midland, 11:& S. Purchase 293 - 303 - 63 9 - 10 i 7 —6ox4 21 —22 ( 3, 1 4 —2idu 101 10 5 . 641 -,•-• 64 1 21 18 -- 191 i'__l} pzd 5 12i —l3i xd 10 ll 81 73 —74 id: 55 57xd 74 76 33 35 61 63 81 82xd 45 47 123 —l24xd, si 3#-_3 9 10 52 54 84 2 21 d 35 • 364 ••• •• 4}-4 d 8 - 3 -- 4P 48 - 49 100 - 102 64 - 66 64 - 66 70 -- 75 18 -- 20 9 -- 10 14 -- 15 3i -- 3 d 21 —'22 78i -- 78 36 '37 12i -- 134 4 -- 4 1 1 —"1 14 15 9. • 9j -29 31, 9} —• 9f fa- 113 6.- WI 2 7 d 2fd 58 59 PREFERENCE SHARES. los liis 7-1 - 1..6 18i -- id 3 -- 31 -- 4A ltp 1 p p 14g -- 15 IFi -- 19 3i -- 3i liii —l2s 1110 -- 112 Ei -- 8i 6/ -711 d 105 - 107 id- P 150 -152 sp . 1 - 163 10i 11 13 -13 i 8 - 9 lot ill i i P 1 148- 149 4 - 22k - 23 - 6 1, - 21 109 - 111 25 -- 26 1 -- lip 11 11 - 174 -18 i -- lip 15 16' gat -- 3p 26i -26 i 20 -- 21 t. 4 -- par, Lol -- 103 5 51 yar • PI 56 7 x d 104 _ 91a 1 a 1339-108iid ...... 1 • 7i 92 94 13 13 p ; 75; -- 76 I 4ii 4ii di 3i 31 d , 16 - r - 16i —z 8 1- e 9ixd - ' 1 -- li ' -- 103 104 i 104 1 3 1.1 -_ 11 9 119 k 18i 2 —3p xd 14.4 x d 90 1 —l4pxdi x d al Ml 5 4hd 4 -- 3 id 11i —12 i 19 -- 21 29 so 3i-- 3d 15 -- 75 - 44 46 Pa 76 x d 754 52 19 FOR: Antwrp. &Rotterdam Belgian Eastn. Jun Ct. Charleroi & Erquelin Dijon and Beaan9on Dutch Rhenish East Indian -7, Do. Extension .. ... Gt. Indian Peninsula Ga. Junct. of France Gt. Westit of Canada Shares Lucca and Pistoja, 5 percent. pref.._ Luxembourg. • De. (Rail Way) Do. . Do. (Canal)... Do. 6 p. cent. pref Lyons & Medterran Madras ' Maria Antonia Do. New Natciur It Liege (with) interest ' Do. (ex interest), Northern of France Do. 201. 3 p. f. Bds (fmy . B. &Ams.Shs. ) Norwegian Trnk. Pre Paris and Lyons Paris and Orleans— Paris and Rouen Paris and Strasbour Paris Caen &Cherbrg Quebec & Richmond Rouen and Havre Sambre and Meuse_ Do. gi per cent. pref. Southern of France Upper India Scrip West Flanders Do. 5i per c. Pref Western of France West. of Switzerland New Zealand... . :art id 1 14 15 21 -- 2i . —X a 6 -- 61 f ll 1 p 1 2 p ,1 1 p i b 7i --8 sin 4# —44xin 1i --14 sin 14 --2 sin P P 9 —ll i p 2 —tip 7i-; 8 6 - 7 36} - 3633 14 - 15 8i -- 9i 17i -- 17ip , 42 -- 43 42 -- 43 - - 51 p - p toi 20/ 9 - 9i 1 1, d -- par 9i -104 p id -- Pax , d LOO all all all 8i all 100 all St. St. St. St. 100 all 100 100 100 100 all all all 100 all all all BAI 100 100 id xd 105 xd 64 1 . 13 i 61 21 781 f 15 70 591 9 3i Fa illi 1511 I 1481 9-8 22 109; 13h f x in 4i fi xin :ix :in 281 1 f 7f 8 7f 42 42t 33 LINES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS. Paid, RAUMAYB. 301 St. 50 St. 11i 100 100 18a 9i all Bedford and Blotchley.... Birm. & Oxfd. guarantee.... Do. withoutgr Birm. Woly. Dudley guar. Do. wtht guar. Buckghamsh. Clydesdale Jc. E. Lincoln gr. 0 per cent. Glstr.& Dn. Fr Hrtlpl. Dk. & Railway Hull & Selby Do. Shares. Do. Shares. Lon.& Greenw Do. Preference Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent. Do. 6 per ct. Manch. Batn. and Matlock Middlesbro' & Rcdcar Midld.Bradfd. Northern and Eastern sp.c. Do. 8 per et. Do. Fixeds p c Prest. & Wyre, Leas Lag Compans, London & N. West. Gt.Westn tpo Do Do L. &N. W Caledon IGt.Nrthn. Gt. Westn Yk. New. & Berw. Y. &NMd Do Do 'S. Eastern D 0......... Norfolk Do L.&N. W & Midld Stcktou & Darlingt. E. Count Do Do L. &N.W.' &Ln&Yk Do. gbares. Do Roystn.& Hit. Gt Northn Do.Shepth.St Do Shef.Roth.and Lancash & Goole g. 5 p.c. Yorksh. S. Stailordsh. M.MClean Wear Valleygr Stockt. & 6 per cent... Darlingt. Do Do Wilts&Somret.GtWestn. ClosiuS Prices this day. 30 - 31 291 -301 30 - 31 29 -30 105 -107 521 -531 151 - 153 321 - 331 111 - 113 55 - 27 - 2£4 13 - 14 25A - 26 19 -19 i 25 - 27 - 3ixdi 1105 —lo6xd 64 - 66 xd 149 —lslxd 148 —lsoxd . ... 1 i d 32i -33 i 103 - 104 Business this day MINES. 1 all Agaa Fria lOs all Anglo Californian — p 10 2. 6 astralasian.. par— 1 p 2 20 6 Australian 1 all Ausbalian Cordillera par— I p 1 1 all Australian Freehold. par— I p 1i 1 all Ave Maria 1 all Baden(Gd. Duchy of) par A p 1 all British Austrin. Gold 1— 4 p 20 13.5 BeUsh Iron 7 9 p 35 244 Brazilian Imp. (issued at .45 pm.) 5 54 50 6 30 ' all Do. Cocaes Cuiaba - 4f 40 1 4 20 15 Do. St. John Del Rey 29 —3O 1 C.rson's Creek par 4 p 40 all Cobre Copper 47 —49 48 b 1 Colonial Gold 2l —24 p 34 _... 14 Copiapo St. all CopperMinersof Eng 7O 75 25 all Do. Preference 74 — B 4 p & all English and Austin Copper Sraeltg. Co l4 4 d 44 20 all General lB —2O 2 all Great Nugget Vein 2l —24 p 44 541 3 all Great Polgooth l4 —l4 p 1 all Lake Bathurst 4 die— par 1 all Liberty 4 fi p 1 all Lond.&Californ.Gold Quartz Crush. Co ft 4 d 1 all Mariquita 4d par 10 9 Mexican &5../anerie 8 84 81 1 all New Granada p 1 all Nouveau Monde 1 p2l 5 1 Port Philip — 4 p 2 li 4 1 all Quartz Rock d p 50 all Rhymney Iron '2l 25 15 Do. New 7 8 30 104 Santiago de Cuba 1 • all South Australian 4 p 14 10 7 Pin Croft . 11 —l3 284 all United Mexican 6O 7 64 1 all Waller 1 all West Granada P 1 all West Mariposa 4dis —4 p 1 all Yuba P JOINT-STOCK BANKS. 40 all Australasia 93 - - 94 93 .1 50 all British N. American 20 2 Chad. Bnk. of India, Australia, & China 24 —24 p 100 25 Colonial — 100 20 Commercial ef Lou don — .... 4 English Scottish and Australian 3 —34 p 20 74 Lond. Chart. Bk. o Australia 54 —51 p '5O 20 London and County ... 50 10 London Joint Stock ... 100 20 Lond. & Westminste: 20 2 London Bank of Aus tralia and India '5O 224 National of Ireland 25 all Oriental Bank of Corporation 57 59 574 84 8 25 5 Do. Now — 100 25 Provincial of Ireland 10 all Do. New — 5 1 Royal Australn.Bkg. & Gold Imp. Co.. 4 dis— 4p 1 25 25 South Australia 5O 52 25 all' Union of Australia._ 774 784 79 8 Do. New 50 10 Union of London 40 all Union of Madrid - MISCELLANEOUS. Australian Agricult Austrlasn.Pcific.Mail Australn. Royal Mail ( Brit. Americu. Land, Canada I Crystal Palace Crystal Pal. of France/ Eastern Steam Electric. To leg. of Ir Gen. Steam Navigat 1 General Screw Steam. Irish Beetroot Sugar Nat. Pat. Steam Fuel Netherlands Land I Nrth . of Europe Steam Peninsular & Oriental Do. Do. 1 Royal Mail Steals ' ... South Austral. Land 50 56 Submar. Telegraph ; ... ... Universal Emigration and Colonisation ... ... Van Diemen's Land—, 24 25 103 - 108 RA ILIVA I ACCIDENTS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SlB,—Allow me to forward for the benefit of your readers, the probable cause of the accidents which have taken place lately on two of the principal railway lines in this country. I enclose the mathematical calculation ; and for the benefit of your non-algebraic readers the fol lowing explanation :—lf the velocity of any body be infi nite, it will describe a circle moving horizontally on an even plane, but as the speed is decreased the body gradu ally recovers its perpendicular ; it is therefore impossible for a goods train to go round a curve with the same in clination as an Express. The permanent way being necessarily the same for all trains, an express train will very possibly go over the upper rail, and thereby cause the accidents which the railway officials and the public in general are unable to account for. Let AB be parallel to the axles through the centre of gravity, and the inclination of the vertical to AB. CD a section of the rails by a vertical plane through AB, CB, DA = to the flat surface of the rails. Sup posing no tendency to upset endwise, the reactions of the rail on the two wheels on one side perpendicular to the flat surface will be equivalent to single force RI, in CB, and the similar reactions on the other two wheels to a single force Rin DA. There will also be a pressure 2 of the flange of the wheels against the inner side of the outer rail, and consequently a reaction on the wheels parallel to the plane of the rails. By these forces the carriage is constantly turned in the plane parallel to the rails, so as to make it follow the curve of the rails. The single force, therefore, which is equivalent to these would act parallel to these would act parallel to,DC, at some point a little in advance of D, but as far as the effect of upsetting the carriage sideways is concerned, it may be supposed to act at D : let it be Q. T—The velocity. r—The radius of curvature. v 2 The centrifugal force— acts at G in GA. (A= a, AD= b. Resolving forces parallel and perpendicular to AB, we have— MV2 W Cos a -1- Q ---= 0. r 4 .'n —IV sin - 1 2 _ _ M being the mass of carriage. Taking moments about Gin the plane BAD. Qb —(R = 0 ( 3) 2 1 • .*. from (1) and (3) we obtain (I -Et —w cos a) b=(R —R) a. 2 When the carriage is on the point of upsetting R= o. R=W sin a. 1 MV2 ---=NV COS a + -22 W sin a. r b b r W a sin a + b cos a) 'a sin a + b cos a • • /V = g the force of gravity. • M g(a sin a b cos a) Which gives the limiting value of v, and if v be greater the carriage will upset. CANTAB. TFIE Wen WITH Ave..—The House of Lords has just ordered a document from tho East India House to be printed respecting the war with Ava. A. return was called for of the expense of the war. It appears that no account of the expense already incurred has yet been received. In the Bengal regular estimate for 1851-52 the war-charges on account of the expedition to Burmah are assumed to amount that year to 10,00,000 rupees, and in the Bengal sketch estimate for next year 1852-63, the amount assumed is 50,00,000 rupees. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.) THE MAILS TO AUSTRALIA. Lord WHARNCLIFFE rose to ask the noble lord he Postmaster-General whether the Government pro- posed to make any arrangements for the more certain transmission of the mails to Australia ; and whether they intended to take any steps for more effectually en forcing or for terminating the contract for that object with the Royal Australian Mail-packet Company. The noble lord (who was extremely indistinctly heard) was understood to say that he thought no one could be sur- prised that great anxiety was felt by every person in the remotest degree interested in our colonies situated in the southern hemisphere, to have some explanation from the Government as to the position in which the contract for the transmission of the mails between this country and those colonies now stood, and as to the course which the Government intended to pursue in order to render that most important service more efficient. To enable their lordships thoroughly to appreciate the force of the case which he wished to place before them, he trusted that he would be allowed to recite a few facts. In the year 1851 a committee of the other house sat, and inquired into what was the best course for establishing steam com munication between this country and Australia. The committee presented their report, and upon that report the Government subsequently acted. He believed the contract with the Royal Australian Mail-packet Com pany had never yet been laid before Parliament, and, with the concurrence of the noble lord, he would move for a production of a copy of it. He had no intention of casting any imputation upon any member of the com pany, some of whom he knew, and he believed they were men of the highest character ; but this was a question of public importance, and must be treated as one, the merits of which did not turn upon individual compe tency. In the spring of 1852 the contract was entered into, and by the terms of the tenders which were ac cepted by the company, the contractors were required to convey the mails by screw steam-ships 6 times a year each way, and to deliver and receive the mails at King George's Sound, Adelaide, Port Philip, Sydney, and other places which the Admiralty might appoint. The course that was, however, determined upon was, that they were to proceed by the Cape to Adelaide, Mel bourne, sad Sydney; and, in point of fact, the Govern ment,never insisted upon their going to King George's Sound—a place where there were nu settlers—and by this alteration the vessels were saved 1,000 miles of their journey. They were required to make an average speed of 8i knots an hour; the dates and hours of departure were fixed by the Government; a penalty of 1001. (as we un derstood) was imposed in the event of a steamer not being ready, with a further penalty of 501. a day for detention beyond the appointed time of starting. Then there was a penalty of 1001. if she lingered on the voyage, put back, &c. The contract was given for 4 years, and there was a provision for payment being made to the company beforehand. Now the company which obtained the contract, at the time they so obtained it, were not in possession of a single vessel. The amount of their tender was 26,000/. ; while that of another established com pany, which was bond fide in possession of vessels, offered to take the service for 56,0001. It appeared that the Royal Australian Mail packet Company had now four vessels— the Australian, the Sydney, the Mel bourne, and the Adelaide. How had they performed the mail service ? The Australian, the first vessel, was ap pointed to sail on the 4th of April, 1852. It turned out afterwards that she could not leave then, and her depar ture was postponed till the 4th of June. She arrived at Sydney on the Bth of September, taking 99 days to ac complish the distance, calculating it at 14,000 miles, the highest amount, This was only a speed at the rate of 148 miles a day ; although she was required by her con tract to perform at the rate of 8i knots an hour, 204 miles. On her return she left Sydney on the 24th of September, and was driven, from want of coals, or some other defect, into the Mauritius. She arrived at Ply mouth on the 11th of January, 1853, occupying 112 days on the passage, and steaming at the rate of 124 miles a day. The next vessel was the Sydney, which sailed from England on the 4th of August last, and arrived at Syd ney in the middle of November, making the passage in about 100 days, at an average speed of 140 miles per day She left Sydney on the 4th of December, and and arrived on the 16th of March, making the passage in 107 days, or at a speed of 130 miles a day. The Mel bourne was the next ♦essel that started. She was originally in her Majesty's navy, and known by the name of the Greenock. She sailed on the 15th of Octo ber, eleven days after the time appointed, and when she got to the Bay of Biscay she broke down. She put in to the Tagus for repairs, and again put to sea from Lisbon on the 21st of November, and the last that was heard of her was that she had arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on the 27th of December, and left it to con tinue on her voyage on the Ist of January. He under stood the General Screw Steam Company's vessels made the passage to the Cape in 35 days. The Melbourne took 77 days, accomplishing not more than 100 miles per day. The next vessel was the Australian, which ought to have sailed on the 3d of February, but did not leave till the 24th. She was forced to put back. When pro ceeding on her second voyage she was again delayed, and was again obliged to put back. She afterwards sailed again on the 10th of March, and once more had to put back to Plymouth, after having been in danger in the Bay of Biscay, and was now he believed, on her way to London. From what he had stated to their lordships, it appeared that there had been a delay in the case of the Melbourne of eleven days, in the case of the Adelaide a delay, first of fourteen days, then of one day in putting back, and afterwards of sixteen days, making a total of thirty-one days ; and, lastly, that the Australian had at first been delayed twenty days, and eighteen days after that, making in all thirty-eight days. And the speed per hour which those vessels had reached during their voyages had been much below that which was stipulated for in the contract. He thought that he was now en titled to ask their lordships whether it was not mon strous that the mail service should be allowed to be executed in this very imperfect and defective manner— (hear, hear)—and he should like to be informed whether there were no means of withdrawing it from the hands in which it was at present placed, and of entrusting it to others. There was no question but that the service, if properly arranged, might be performed in two months, instead of, as at present 100 or 120 days ; indeed, he un derstood that letters had been received by the overland mail which had left Australia in the middle of Novem ber, and had arrived here in the middle of January ; and that others, which had been dispatched from Australia on the 16th of January, had arrived here on.the 16th of March-- _ _ _ A NOBLE PEER : From Sydney ? Lord WHARNCLIFFE—No, from South Australia. It appeared to him that the passengers had just ground of complaint, not only on the source of delay, but also on account of the insulting manner in which they had been treated. Tile company had filled the Australian so fully with freight that it had been necessary to de spatch the passengers' luggage by another vessel, and the consequence was that the passengers were parted from their effects. It was not for him (Lord Wharn cliffe) to say what ought to be done under these circum stances. He must say that he could not entirely exempt the Government from some share of the blame, because great powers had been given to them of interfering, by means of surveyors, in order to satisfy themselves that the vessels were really fit for service, and yet in spite of those powers the vessels had been allowed to leave port evidently in a totally unseaworthy state. He found that it was provided that in case Of any wilful breach of agree ment on the part of the company, the Government should have the power of dissolving the contract without giving any compensation to the company. The Govern ment might, perhaps, avail themselves of this provision. He trusted that the case which he had stated c w o i n ii s c i h de l r i e:l w su i ffi sh c e i d en t t o .t.o pu j t us t t o ify i ; is th n e 0 fbollelofts ci for M tht more sty's 1 master-General, namelyWhetheArurheleir Government proposedtfhteothteeaoknmetraaaniclyst measures to Australia, that purpose o a s n e d w f it o h r c eff er e ta ct i u n a t u r y an e s n m fo i r ss e iz o the Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Com pany CANNINGe a r , hear.) a f u rie o n e d eur ko re r n b ee n . said th a t no apology was neede d pa V ny is l c " oun ( from thei r hislordships under the notice of whichngilig under had caused so much public inconvenience, and had led to so much disappoint ment and • anxiety on the part of private individuals. Before proceeding to answer the questions • w hi c h his noble friend had put to him, he thought it was necessary that he should refer to one or two po i n ts w ith regard to the contract between the Government and the Australian Royal M a il S team Packet Compan y, and th e mode in which it was performed by the latter. He (Viscount Canning) had no wish to be co nsidered as the champion of the company, and if he had such a wish his task would certainly be a difficult one, but he thought it right that there should be no appearance of overcharge in what was stated against the company ; and, in the first place, he might remind their lordships of the exact nature of the communication which existed at the present moment between this country and Australia. The Australian Royal Mail Company did not provide the only means of postal communication between England and the Aus- tralian colonies. There was, or there ought to be, a regular monthly mail, starting alternately from Ply mouth and Southampton, proceeding on each alternate Month by the Cape of Good Hope to Australia, and the other months by the Mediterranean and Singapore. On every alternate month of the year the service was per formed by the Australian Mail Steam Navigation Com pany, their vessels sailing by way of St. Vincent and the Cape of Good Hope ; but however imperfectly the service might be performed by them, there was not the absence of all sure communication which his noble friend had seemed to suppose. He (Viscount Canning) had no wish to extenuate the conduct of the company in failing to perform their contract, but he simply desired to assure their lordships and the public as to the fact of there being a safe and reliable means of communication between this country and Australia. His noble friend had also found fault with the low rate of speed- at which the vessels of the company had performed their voyages ; but he (Vis count Canning) could not help thinking that his notie friend had left out of his calculations the stoppages which the vessels were obliged to make, being compelled to stop at St. Vincent's, and at the Cape, besides further stoppages in Australia, before they arrived at Sydney. These stoppages ought to be taken into consideration. He was not praising the company for their punctuality or rapidity ; far from it ; but he wished their lordships to be informed of the whole of the facts of the case. The Australian, on her first voyage, had occupied 95 days in reaching Sydney ; according to the time tables attached to the contract 79 days was the time allowed to her for completing the voyage. - Upon her return she had oc _cupied 113 days in going over the same space. Th a t therefore gave, in the one instance, a delay of 16, and in the other a delay of 34 days over and above the right time. With respect to touching at King George's Sound, he was not prepared to defend the arrangement under which that provision made a part of the contract. The contract had been signed in June last, and he was ignorant of the motive which had induced the Govern ment of the day to put this and some other provisions into the contract, though he was sure that they had not been inserted without due consideration. However, he was inclined to think that the stoppage at King Georges Sound was on the whole objectionable. His noble friend . had stated correctly all that had happened in reference to this unfortunate vessel the Australian. She ought to have left Plymouth on her last voyage on the 3d of Feb., but the company had made application that she should not sail until the 23d, as she was not likely to be ready for sea before that day. The Lords of the Admiralty had given their sanction to the delay, and the mails had been sent down to Plymouth on the 23d, but the vessel was not then ready, and did not sail until the 24th. This last delay had been without the sanction of the Lords of the Admiralty, and a fine had been inflicted on the occa casion, which would be enforced against the company. On the 24th, the Australian put to sea, but on the 25th she was obliged to put back to Plymouth, herself disabled and her mails very seriously damaged. So far as re garded the performance of the public service, her Ma jesty's Government felt it to be their duty to provide for the immediate dispatch of the letter part of the mails, and it had so happened that when the accident occurred to the Australian, it was within seven days of the dispatch of the next monthly steamer. Accordingly, the letter portion of the mail had been immediately sent to South ampton, and was now on its way, by the Mediterranean and Singapore, to Australia. He did not apprehend that much inconvenience would be suffered by parties from this brief delay of seven days, because the means of communication by which the letters had been dispatched was so much shorter than the other that the letters would reach their destination nearly as soon as if the Australian had proceeded on her voyage. After sundry repairs, it had been announced to Government that the Australian would be ready to start again from Plymouth on the 10th of this month. She did start; with a new mail, and, as their lordships were aware, was obliged to put back into Plymouth, more than ever disabled ; the mails, how ever, had suffered no injury, and the vessel was now on her way up the Channel to the port of London. That portion of the last mail which was addressed to the Cape of Good Hope had been immediately transhipped to a vessel belonging to the Screw Steam Company, which sailed the following day ; and, in fact, the only portion of the mail which would be at all delayed, and by which any inconvenience would be caused, was the newspapers. That, no doubt, would occasion serious inconvenience to parties in Australia, but it . had been quite ont of the power of the Post-office to make arrangements for the transmission of the newspapers, inasmuch as it would have been utterly hopeless to attempt to convey the 150 large boxes which would be required for the purpose across the Isthmus of Suez, unless due notice were given beforehand. Those newspapers would in all pro bability be conveyed in a day or two by some fast sailing passenger vessel, and in the ordinary course of things they would be delivered in the Australian colonies within ninety-five days. He believed that he had now replied to the inquiry of his noble friend so far as it related to the transport of the present mails. As regarded the question whether the Government would take any steps for enforcing the contract with the Aus tralian Royal Mail Steam-packet Company, it was neces sary that he should state that, during the delay which had occurred in consequence of the mishaps of the Aus tralian, the Lords of the Admiralty had received a letter from the chairman of the company, setting forth the dif iiculties under which the company conceived that they had been called upon to perform the service, and pray ing for a favourable consideration, and requesting that, as it would be impossible for them to provide a vessel for the conveyance of the mail which ought to leave England in due course on the 3d of April, their lord ships would consent to forego that service, and would be sati,fied if the vessel were ready by the 3d of June. That letter had been referred to a committee which was now sitting for the purpose of investigating the state of the Post-office packet service. The committee having bad the letter before them, had yesterday reported their opinion to the Lords of the Admiralty ; but as he (Vis count Canning) was not then in a position to state that any action had been taken on that opinion, he hoped that his noble friend would not press him to give any distinct explanation of the terms in which it had been conveyed. It would be perhaps sufficient to state that the spirit in which the committee had approached the subject had been, that while, on the one hand, it was most desirable that the Government should not justly undergo the charge of straining their legal rights or of pressing hard upon the company, yet, on the other hand, it was their firm conviction that the system of con tracts for the packet service of this country was to be carried on, and if the public was to be called upon to pay large subsidies for such service, it was the duty of the Government to insure to the public the enjoyment of all contracts of a reasonable amount of punctuality, cer tainty, and dispatch. (Hear, hear.) He had only to add that, if the contract between the company and the Government were not already on the table of both houses of Parliament, it should be placed on their lordships' table forthwith. . . Lord COLCHESTER was understood to observe that it was for the convenience of Western Australia that it had been provided b ,y the contract that vessels should call at King Georges Sound. In reply to a further re mark by the noble lord, which did not reach the gallery, Viscount CANNING said he believee that the por tion of the Australian's mail which had suffered most were the bags for Melbourne. Those bags had been opened and the letters dried, which was an operation that had occupied a considerable time. The letters which had their directions still legible had then been packed in boxes, and had been sent off by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Packet Company's vessel along the overland route. There were, however, about 60 or 70 letters, the addresses of which had been so entirely obli terated that it was quite impossible to forward them to their destination, and under these circumstances they bad been dealt with in the usual way, and sent to the Dead Letter-office. About half of them had been claimed, and about 30 still remained, which could hardly b e called letters, and could not be distinguished from mere scraps of paper. In reply to a question by Lord WH.A.RNCLIFFE, which did not reach us, Viscount CANNING said he feared he could not g i ve a very satisfactory answer to the question of his nobl e friend, because it related so entirely to Admiralty busi ness that he was not fully informed on the subject. Ile had seen a report from Captain Lowe, the Admiralty surveyor at Plymouth, to the effect that, on examina tion, it appeared that the Australian had st ar t e d on her second voyage with something like 400 tons weight, in the shape of coals, stores, and hargo, beyond that which she had had on a former voyage, which, although not performed at the stipulated rate of speed, had been safe and prosperous. It was conjectured that this cause, together with severe weather, had led to the opening of her seams, through which the water had got in, and the safety of th e vessel had been risked. This supposition appeared to be borne out by the fact that she had bee n carefully examined by the sur veyor, and A been h„so long as sh e was in smooth water she -- ap parently perfectly watertight. The conversation then dropped. motionßßlßEßYth that an the The th A e ELECTIONS.house do now adjourn adjourned Earlof DERBY said he wished, before the house , — riled to ask a question of the noble duke the Secre uary o f S tate for the Colonies, or of the noble and , learned lord on the woolsack. Their lordships had re ceived in the course of that day a communication on a very it was due, in point of courtesy and respect, that em should pay the earliest attention, more especially On a important subject from the other house, to whom matter of such deep interest. The communication re ferred to the proceedings which had been taken by the other house under the act which bad bean brought into which several other messages of the same kind might yet operation in the course of last year, and with regard to be received by their lordships. This was the first in stance in which they had been called upon under the t u h n i e vt i ioshtu i Governmentorgneefreference eontuhcleed provisions of the act of last year to concur with the House of Conimons for the purpose of effectually pre venting acts of bribery, and he thought it was impor tanttteh t n ha d : e o wand‘ ahsa what now o that hwa d coursett shouldhhdhuetyexpectedy oi nf ci; Governmentascertaincimtefpursuecmocommunication with reference to the message. He conceived that it course which they would advise their lordships to pursue, have been made by some member of the Government before the motion for the adjournment of probably it had been the house, but from inadvertence that no such communication had been made. li what course her Majesty's Go e now wished t o as k Government were prepared 108 5 7 58 9 8 6 1 i k 24 3 / 4 5/ 43/4 rbtrb Wbitiont WARWICK RACES. (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) FREE HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE. Gulnare The Unknown Eight ran. The SCURRT STAKES were won by the Macaw. fourth Xbitton WARWICK RACES. (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) THE GRAND ANNUAL STEEPLECHASE. Oscar Peter Simple Fourteen ran. THE SCURRY STEEPLECHASE, Macaw Smuggler Bill 13i 20 20 50 12i 25 10 25 10 106 ail, 1 All 7 15i 111, i 91 9 25 12 13 20 20 14 50 2i' all 20 50 50 100 25 EA all 25 60 25 83i 80 ggl za xd za xd