The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-09 00:00:00

TiE PENINSULAR MAIL.

_ , SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY.
T„Lte Iberia has arrived with the Paninsular
4". Tier dates are—Gibraltar, March 30 ; Cadiz,
23 ; l'isbolri, April 2d ; Vigo, 4th. She brings
looltassengers, and 30 packages of specie. She
E' the'Madrid, with the outward mails.
ct Oporto bands of labourers were parading the
de "1
3) and breaking open bread stores, owing to
tit
14 • •
Gs, Lisbon Exchange little doing ; rates in favour
,ers
o tie
General Screw steamer Natal was wrecked
but'ut shores of Coniel. Her stores may be saved,
le vessel is likely to go to pieces.

ZYB WEATHER IN THE BALTIC.
kp„
tr-. 4 April 2.—Wcather very fine. Wind fresh at
17 feet water on the bar.
the7,.lG, April 3.—Fairwater is free of ice, as well as
w;,."_l-
t ttula above Neufanhr, but thence down to Fair-
che river is' covered with ice.'
reaclll ;h PP-MGERYiINDE, April I.—As far as the eye can
ere is no open water to be seen.
IEIIIJIiDE, Aprill.—Weather cold. Large masses
de, *
Ir 5 'rifting at sea. Temperature at noon 3 deg. to 4
atirg7',, '
treh • t *aht dev tnavio 4 deg. frost.
o 4 rEikt;ND' Ea,navigation between. this.
1-1 ibeck is oi and the ice seawards is in places
eel, • , pen,
I‘l seetTre.
belt '3°lW, March 31. —There is much drift ice in the
?a,
tho 3Erticrii, April I.—The navigation is open, and
to till ssels lying in the winter harbOur have gone O•ut
Th,,° roadstead,,and will fail with the first fair wind.
rg is but little ice in the Kattegat.
10 the 1/LICKSILATE:.7, March 30.=The lightshipstationed
yekte ,
y Laessoe Channel proceeded hence for her station
-
a.
DUIVDONALD'S PLANS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
petiti) Four weeks have now elapsed, since my
Prkti° n was presented to the'House of Commons,
litheqt g for a "searching inquiry," to ascertain
tai~la* ray secret plans, a"
capable, speedily, cer-
°tit and cheaply, to surmount obstacles which
fleet,g. illant, persevering, and costly armies and
Pra have failed to accomplish," are, in reality,
bate =able and effective, and, consequently, as re-
equ'; the results of wars, expedient, nay, urgently
,Itetibl it°, under the circumstances of our forces
ealt In a locality and in a climate more fatal to
the " during summer than has been experienced in
1_ ut er season. ,
even a, I told that to have had my petition noticed,
tn6tll l el" a petition, I ought to have prevailed on
Which lember to move its consideration—a course
did not deem desirable to adopt. At the
eea t, dell of 14 days, however, no notice having
'ken of its prayer, on learning that the ener-
pr't ly of her most gracious Majesty was about
ator sed to the Crimea, and possibly attempt to
olit,ll. Sebastopol—in which desperate undertaking
Part e voted army would not have failed to take a
the It's resolved to place in the Imperial hands
mho,vp-4 'an,s of sparingmany thousands of assailants,
°,,uld have fallen possibly without insuring
a
Lul result.
lable i)! tenor was this—to me still seereingly—laud-
, 13
V„-" ention pablicly known than I was assailed
4 re:llaerous letters, similar to that of D, to which
4tt 4.'!(1 in the Chronicle of the 30th ult. ; such
zhowever, would not have induced me to
Th_'llll344eri 4-111,..ray purpose,'
had I not learned that his
Vlaiesty was not about to proceed, as
l'era the East, and, consequently, could not
141,, °tally avail
himself of the plans, and feeling
or 4:t pr, atest dou'bt whether they would be triumph-
etParried into effect by any less expanded mind
)°l4inate authority, I hesitated to risk an
tete litlrable result, especially, finding that the in-
-6cl disclosure of my plans was misrepresented.
441 .aware that' the baneful influence of delay at
01)0 and the expression of doubts and adverse
thibitios by those misinformed on the subject, can
a_
tig e removed by the result of the searching
o 1, satio
4's° uslY bprayed for, which investigation I
thee, for the success of her Majesty's
ttZtand benefit of this country, may yet be
uam, sir, your obliged and obedient
Prll DUNDONALD.
6, 1855.

•
'IMO& ITN DE LEUES" JOURNEY TO
LONDON AND VIENNA.
•It I
ih etter date Paris yesterday, 6 p.m.,
e feti .
contains
of Ikc4-NZW°oldrlderl has been said abouteto tteonrdeaolncaaunsde
)_Yieb. 'tonYn de Lhuys' journey to Atte-114, and the Belgian and
e(rf)ortthaet
Irt tdo most generally but copy threafpoerrma
veal t
Ae • 0 the public so much
o Ministerialsay
thativill.
a,:il3 desirable have been .
instructedefthet
brt, there not been a certainty of
decided on
success M.
tkkiellhl 'cle Lhuys would • never have..
he
loaderg Mich a step. Perhaps the Ministteirvelefftor Paris
e ,
~uea an.impression, but the mo At the./ is attributed to his extreme dissatisfaction
It appears that
h' waYmatters were going on. - of,
de . .
,he I,,,els,isui. was taken after, and in consequence
''i eeVre,NA 'of despatches in the
•In. d.-0111 M. de Bourqueney, ineWilliriscehetfhethinecsraernasei
,),vbielli-tenities of his position wereseats forth, and
ienidt
• jIPOI. ,°',,e,te at last of such a nature
"SR:,,i'-I°. It has been already saidf thatoile; LtooordJe_.
~%eal," Was thonotht here to be too
4,li4Ceetiatino• or at all events not sauffircitehnetlinosn_
.4144 111„14. with. respect to the Russiahneo
may
have
.ale ;linster: Any . quotations
}:cha,,`,°l' the Private instruction of
or, the
Cons '''' 0 - -.. 1 from c 4 Mr. Burke," _ . .
Prince Gort-
it 1. k• de -'11°" England, were no doubt
thtow lltional Iligtory of
hie oaw
\‘, rilm aY• -At all events, it-was cons.idereadntdhaitt
.I,e thWe',s Was not equal to the occasion, .
4,140,1 circumstance
,that
.rendered the visit
Atli):
`°11), absolutely' necessary, in order that
11bq 411 d
Cearaellt e Lhuys should on It al)-
d come to a perfect
.114,11dink with Lord Clarend •
Nl4 '44t tii WlFrench Minister particularly
1414 c)ved t, .e
tilt, 420dit.0 •off-hand manner
dinsewttfileidoliintshpeittewoof
I.l' -''''tta I°l4 were discussed an,
to °f
At d Bourqueney ;
.N. eft to th It onchalancewas for
step he has done..
1) '4l'4
' e would be disapnladyeit
the
~ third that he took the dwithre..
matter
illitiTed;citlatleVieve that the French Gs oinvetrhnement is
4 tr-a whose eagernes 1 '6f thPeZte4 tsblelsa-lii.dle bluntedsinc. et le settlementtht
413°41, ethith,ilt,ieles ; And it is not impardobdarebslsee a
d to
stc;h4e,t'Zilf.ito()r a repr%chphroafistbeer
by
thevPage 4),,,_ not having
ikelAnstr;,44, ° short time ,the forcible.
beyseethnedißngussianDs
ao_f
I)4l,7,froe;°Vne erehant
,vegsasinelseed
thy, la the „' 131ack Sea, to take a more decided
Pert
~ It is now announced
e i• the 1,1 polley of action. l'er th enlpotentiaries have,
to arrive
as it were, leaped
at 41
~.(5 third and most important article, set-
leto Illith whi h they have "satisfactorily.
tre liB l'lltcioeur dhere to-day that if the en-
-144 11)41.4tte be not aerranged by Wednesdaylnl t
144 Vc;113711 de rfluys and Lord John Russe
.h 1' -4144 for Paris and London respectively," ill
'4
'4.6-, gl'eat ei.'"-7---"-'-----
militarysurgeons now in
niib.' na.vin_
reaJ?rity of the
..
I .igt,atio g' eeived orders to join the army, the. Ad
j!:Pl'lt t 1
of Public .Assistance has been recitiest3d to
e ~t,'` 11; someneit, of the physicians• and surgeons of the
The boy
to attend the military establishments..hta
es
or thegreatest activity prevails at Havre in fr.eig _ g
the Pr arillY• The Dane, screw steamer, freighted by
lirett ?lieu Governnaent left that port on Saturday,
tzottill ?r. eolistantino 1 ' ith carts, campaign forges,
oile tlifftlelrtel°ll4e waggo/181:aen'dwa large quantity of stores for
r si,eil_ , aeryiees of the,army. The Zouave, intended
44d ifi e'r destination, has taken the place of the Dane,
Tlilt irw being loaded.
''''4, Scv ',l.'eTale ELtGRAPH.—STOCKHOLM March 25..
Aea,le Nish savant, Professor Edlund, of the Royal
ireprovelY of Sciences, ucceeded last year in making AU
1.41)11.e,t,n,"t 41 the construction of the electric teled-
'llosEN:g4rattls, by which it becomes possible n
,P4lte.`dii,c,°Y.tho same Wire simultaneously in moose op-
-4 basm ; etinos• The principle on which this discovery
that ,141
,very simple-, and altogether •.different from'
l', et t `-,,'„Le' bY br. Gintl at Vienna, which was found.
41. st 3.4 -"e' eq. As far back as the month of August
the
w?ar Profetteor Edluncl made some experiments on
I.Tp„,olar" of the telegraph line between Stockholm and
t'a ell' 41),Y Pertniuion of the girectors. These succeeded
Ivhiell -oatn li? constructed the necessary. apparatus,
eliera,C,4B Put up in December last, and has been in dady
PpAr:tl ever since. AR soon as the needful number of
every ,;' are constructed they are to be introduced at
41terati'oerilegraPh station in the -kingdom ; gain as the
the eid _'s not expebsive the advantages ed over
do th,, Y,terp are by as one line of wire will now
-c work do'
fortaerly by two.

since.

chatka.

1.0..',;EY MARKET

AND

fJO MATERCIA L T ELL MBA' CE.

. , CITY, Two O'CLOCK.
IThe cotton market at Liverpool, on Saturday,
closed with a very firm appearance. The sales were
estimated at from 10,000 to 12,000 bales. Uplands
at 51-1&l, Mobile at Nd., and Orlcans at sid. The
Railway Share Market was steady.
The impression that the letters by the overland
mail report much better markets for imports in
Australia may prove mischievous, if not qualified
by a reference to facts. A few instances will serve
to illustrate this. In the' year 1854 there were
enough slates imported to roof the whole town.
The average consumption of imported spirits in
1 New South Wales during the last three years has
been over 500,000 gallons annually, while the
quantity imported has been double that consumed.
Of,wearing apparel, and especially drapery, the ac-
counts given are very instructive, as well as dis-
couaging. In a Sydney Price Current it is stated
that--,-

" The average consumption per head is reckoned at
about 50s. under ordinary circumstances. Within the
last two years, however, the importations have quadru-
pled that amount, and although immense quantities have
doubtless been consumed, still there is a very large stock
on hand, and we maysav that thedrapery trade has been
completely prostrated. The continued importations have
glutted our stocks in every department, and we believe
that the most tremendous sacrifices will have to be en-
dured before our stocks get cleared, for large quantities
of goods now held as unsalca,isle from over supply will,
become so from age and change in fashions, and the ac-
cumulated charges will cause' most disastrous account
sales if ever they are sold—but we apprehend it will be
along time before numbers ofconsignmentscan be closed.
In reference to this market we must observe that large
quantities of unsuitable goods have been forwarded, and
also that many items of foreign fabrics have been im-
ported, which will ever be unsaleable in this community
except at most unjustifiable sacrifices. The class •of
goods now required for, our consumption is of a much
better description than has been imported of late years.
The pecuniary position of the labouring classes has been
sO much bettered within the last two years,' that
their domestic habits have undergone 'a very ma-
terial change, and articles that would have been
eagerly sought far, cr endured from necessity, are
now rejected. This fact is most• observable in every
article connected with the drapery trade, more par-
ticularly in those kinds for female consumption.
We may remark that there has been a great accession
to the number of retail diapers within the, last- three
years, and many persons without capital have left good
situations and entered into business to the great loss
and inconvenience of the employers and the derange.
merit and dispersion of business gener,aily. Theseper-
sons having little or no stake took shops at the most ex-
orbitant rents, and from the Drepostersus facilities
heretofore. offered of obtaining goods on credit, com-
menced a showy businese. This sudden demand for
shops and business houses excited the cupidity of land-
lords, and rents have been raised• extortionately and
wages in proportion, the consequences are now felt most
severely. The decreased demand Or rather the widely-
extended competition for supply-leg, the consumption
and the immensity of importations have induced a great
diminution of profits, and W 3 are convinced that very
few houses that are of recent formation are doing much
more than paying expenses, and we have no doubt a
great many cannot do that, and unless a much better
trade soon springs up we expect to find many will be
compelled to return to their previous condition. Several
parties in the drapery trade have already succumbed to
the present depression, and there is a growing want of
confidence in this branch of business. Very large quan-
titles of drapery goods are daily forced at auctions for
the purpose of closing accounts or meeting liabilities,
but heavy losses are-sustained. Quitting drapery in-
voices by private sale is at present out of the question,
except at discounts varying from 00 to 40 per cent.
1852. 1853. 1854.
Apparel
Cottons and drapery 140,479 393,096 1,407,042
Haberdashery
Hosiery
Linens
Millinery
Silks
Woollens & blankets 124,625 330,429 250,019

Total
No improvement in demand has taken place with the
new year, and the expectations of many have been dis-
appointed. It is in this branch of business that confi-
dence is most shaken, and unless we have a very marked
improvement before long, we apprehend that many must
give way whose capital is too limited, and whose ex-
penses are too heavy to 'allow them to withstand the
pressure of the times and the ruinous depreciation in the
value of their stocks. As yet this market has expe-
rienced no relief from decreased imports, and most firms
have received considerable augmentations of summer
goods, which will have to remain over unopened. As
an instance of the losses sustained, wo ' may mention
that at a recent large sale of French ribbons and trim-
ming 4 of good quality, a loss of fully 40 per cent. was
sustained."

According to this, tho drapery, trade is now as un-
sound in Australia as it was in London a few years

From the official statement of imports, an accu-
rate conclusion may be drawn as to the indirect
trade of Russia, carried on through Prussia;me
collective quantities of produce imported into the
United Kingdom during 1854 being thus stated:-
Russian Ports
in the Baltic.
Seeds—

Articles.

Prussia.

Flax and Linseed Qrs. 10,173
Rapeseed
Tallow Cwt. 31,687
Hemp, undressed „ 20,062
Flax, dressed and undrsd „ 82,612
Copper, un wrought and
part wrought
The foregoing statement, extracted from the re
cords of the Inspector-General's Office, exhibits the
importations of the specified articles from all the
ports, except those belonging to Sweden, which lie
within the Baltic ; that limitation being previously
understood to exclude the ports of the Danish ter-
ritory, whether insular or continental. The im-
ports from the Baltic ports of Sweden could not be
exhibited in this statement, being blended in the
official record with the imports from other ports of
the same country. •

116,267
2,212

... 253,955
... 366,220
... 667,879

The exports of British and Irish spirits from the
United Kingdom were; in the four last years, as
under : • •

1853.

1854.

Gallons. Gallons.
British colonies and dependencies 603,033 473,586
Foreign countries and colonies 224,879 206,978

Total 827,212 680,564
Of this total there were shipped to Australia
529,167 gallons in 1853, 'and 355;436 gallons in
1854, while our North American colonies only re-
ceived 24,377 gallons in the year first named, and
55,227 gallons in the second.
The advices brought by the steamer Africa from
New York nptice a quieter stock market, the non-
arrival of the Atlantic having checked operations.
Money continued very abundant, and the last
weekly return of the City banks showed an in-
crease, compared with the previous one, of 603,428
dollars in loans and discounts. In foreign pro-
ductions there was more activity, but there was an
ample supply of most descriptions, and the arri-
vals were moderate. The grain markets were
affected also by the absence of later news from.
Europe confirming the particulars of the Emperor
of Russia's death. The stocks of breadstuffs in the
New York markets were light. Cotton realised
steady rates.

The California accounts are three days later.
The firm of Wells, Fargo, and Co. had resumed,
and it was expected that Messrs. Page, Bacon, and
Co. would also recommence. The panic had greatly
subsided, but still there was some excitement. The
rains had set in, much to the encouragement of
the miners, who bad accumulated immense quan-
tities of earth for washing. The yield during the
season is expected to be very large. • There was a
better feeling in the commercial markets.

The Sitka, a very fine Russian vessel, has been
brought to Spithead from California as a prize to
the combined fleets. She was captured off Kam. s-

News has just been received from Liverpool that
the North Carolina screw-steamer, from Philadel-
phia, has foundered, after having been in contact
with another vessel, and we regret to state that
only a part of the passengers and crew were saved.
Letters have been received from Pappenburg,
dated the 2d inst., which announce that no less than
15 vessels have been seized and laid under embargo
at Ismail by the Russians.

The Stock market continues extremely heavy,
under the impression that a new loan is shortly to
be announced ; and, political events are looked for-
ward to also with great interest. Money, ho ivever,
continues extremely easy, and the bankerS will not
-allow more than 34- pOr. cent. for it upon " call,"
while they discount readily at 4 per cent., and for
very first class paper, at short dates, even as low
as 31• A leading broker has this morning given
3-16tha for th 9 " call" of
‘stock to-morrow, and