The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-19 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA MAIL.

The royal mail packet Magdalena arrived at
Southampton on Wednesday night, with the West
India mails and Pacific mails. Her dates of sail-
ing are :—Greytown, Nov. 19th ' • Panama, 23rd ;
Jamaica, 26th ; Demerara, 25th ; Barbadoes, 28th ;
Porto Rico, Dec. Ist ; Dominica, Nov. 29th ; St.
Thomas, Deo. 2nd, 6.30 a.m. The Magdalena brings
twenty-seven first class passengers. The freight
on board includes specie of 470,350 dollars value
in silver, and 49,735 " Plata Pina ;" dollars value,
in gold and gold dust, 501,500 ; total, 1,021,585.
Lieutenant D. E. Orr, R N., late of the Imaum,
died on board on the 14th inst., and was buried at
sea. Quartermaster James Bolan, of her Majesty's
ship Orion. and John Wilson of the Eurydice, also
died during their passage home as invalids.
Her Majesty's ship Eurydice was at Barbadoes,
on the 28th ult.; Brilliant at St Thomas on De-
cember 2nd ; Orion, Arrogant, and Intrepid at
Colon on the 24th ; Imperieuse, Archer, Pioneer,
Cossack, and Victor, at Greytown, on the 26th ;
Imaum, Termagant, Euryalus, Amphion, Tar-
tar, and Atalanta, at Jamaica on the 27th ; the
Arachne was expected at Antigua ou the Ist inst.
A Spanish squadron, composed of three frigates,
six paddle steamers, and one brig, was at Havan-
nah on the 17th November.
The West India mail packet Wye broke down at
Grenada, and the Derwent was to take her service
on that route.

The Jamaica legislature met on the 11th of
November, when, in the absence of a governor,
Major• General Bell, lieut.-governor, opened the
Council and Assembly, for the purpose of enabling
them to make such provision for the public
service as was rendered necessary by the expiry
of several important revenue acts on the 31st
December next. The House of Assembly two

days afterwards voted a reply, in which it was
said :

Daring the brief period of your Facellency's adminis-
tration no material change in the general condition of the
colony has been perceptible. We rejoice in witnessing the
present state of the markets for colonial produce, and the
prospects of the coming crops. But, though we regard
these circumstances as encouraging, they do not augur any
sensible amelioration in the condition of the country, nor
promise permanent advantage, so long as the slave trade is
permitted to exist in its present aggravated form, in defiance
of existing treaties.

The early arrival of 500 immigrants from the
Cape Verd Islands was expected at Jamaica. The
island was healthy.

The business of the past fortnight (says Do
Cordova) has been remarkably dull, although there
have been several arrivals. The market is amply
supplied with provisions, but trade is inactive
Since our last, considerable inconvenience has
been felt in commercial circles for want of silver,
which is difficult to obtain even in our banking
establishments. Several invigorating showers have
fallen throughout the island, and the coming crops
seem favourable. The legislature is now in session,
but no alterations have been made in the tariff or
tonnage dues, as was•contemplated. Exchange on
London, 90 days, 4 per cent prem ; 60 days, 1 per
cent. prem ; 30 days, 1a per cent. prem ; private
bills, at par.
In British Guiana considerable embarrassment
was experienced, owing to the unexpected failure
of the negotiations for a new immigration loan.
The Combined Court was to meet on November
28, to consider what could be done. The Gover-
nor's circular letter to the proprietors of estates
who had applied for immigrants, informing them
of the failure of the negotiations for an immigra-
tion loan, and of the consequent impossibility for
the colonial government to make any advance, as
contemplated by the ordinance, for the payment
of the immigrants, who are expected to arrive
shortly from India, and that there was no alterna-
tive but for the parties who wanted immigrants to
pay down the whole amount in cash had been much
complained of, but its reasonableness was being
gradually recognised.
The weather during the past fortnight had been
too showery to be agreeable to the planters,
The exports during the fortnight included—
Sugar: 3649 hogsheads, 259 tierces, 68 half-tierces,
1.771 barrels, 350 bags. Rum : 1127 puncheons,
276 hogsheads, 56 barrels. Molasses; 414 pun-
cheons, 2) barrels. _ _

Trade among the merchants had improved since
the issuing of the compensation bonds to the Portu-
guese. _ _

Freights had also improved during the last fort-
night, and had risen froth is. to 2s. 6d. for sugar,
and from 2d. to 3d. for nun-

A correspondent, dating Barbadoes, November
27, says :
Our market has continued to receive ample supplies of
provisions of all kinds, and shipments having followed
each other so rapidly it has been impossible to maintain
prices. Constant rains have caused a material improve-
ment in the appearance of our (lane fields ; and should the
former continue, the sugar crop of 1857 will probably
reach 35,000 hogsheads, being 9,500 hhds. less than that
shipped this year. Prospects as to prices next season
are cheering for the planters. The harvest will be
general in March. The island is healthy; the weather
very pleasant. ,

POSTAL CONVENTION BETWEEN GREAT
BRITAIN AND NEW GRANADA.

The Gaceta Oficial of Bogota of the 16th nit., contains a
note from Mr. Griffith, H.B.llL's charge d'afaires to Sr. De
Pombo, secretary of state for foreign affairs, notifying him
that according to the terms of the Postal Convention of
1847, the present Convention will cease on the 17th of
December, 1857, but that her Majesty's government is will-
ing to make a new convention on the basis of the old one,
but modified in regard to the payment of a transit tax on the
closed mail that crosses the Isthmus of Panama, and also as
far as relates to the postage of newspapers from Great
Britain. Sr. Pombo replies that his government is ready to
make a new treaty with the proposed modifications.