The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-16 00:00:00

PRICE SD.

WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, JUNE 15.
By the Royal mail steamship La Plata, Captain
G. Weller, with the West India and Pacific mails,
in charge of Lieutenant Barrow, R.N., Admiralty
agent, we have dates from—Nassau, May 12 ;
Honduras, 18 ; Santa Martha, 10 ; Greytown,l7;
Carthagena, 26; Chagres, 24 ; Jamaica, 27 ; Jac-
mel, 28 ; Porto Rico, 30 ; Demerara, 25 ; Tobao.o,
26 ;Trinidad, 27 ; Barbadoes, 28 ; Grenada, 28 ;
St. Vincent, 29 ; St. Lucia, 30 ; Martin ;
Martinique, 30
Guadaloupe, 30 ; Antigua, 31 ; St. Kitts, 31 ; and
St. Thomas's, June 1.
The Royal mail steam-ship Atrato, with the
mails from Southampton of the 17th ult., arrived
out at St. Thomas's at 6 p.m. on the 30th of May.
The Teviot had arrived at St. Thomas's from
New York, having completed her repairs.
A slight shock of earthquake had been felt at St.
Thomas's. Her Majesty's ship Marin% was lying
there.

The news, both political and commercial, by this
arrival is very scanty. Our dates from Jamaica
are to the 27th ult.. There is no alteration in this
island beyond the fact that business was duller
than usual, the heavy rains which had inundated
the country having cut off the means of communi-
cation from one part to another. A lot of country
corn had realised ss. 3d. per bushel. Coffee was
quoted at 345. to 355. Rice was very null and in
little demand. In cornmeal some sales had been
effected at 245. per barrel. Exchanges on London,
for bills at 90 days' date, were quoted at A per cent.
premiuml; 60 days, 1 per cent. ditto. The follow-
ing vessels were in Kingston harbour :—Barques.
—The Rialto; Ottawa, Camilla, Albion (English).
Bligs.—Eliza, Eliza Bain (English), Rossweli
(American), J. Brons (Hanoverian). Brigantine.
—Maude (English). Schooners.—Emily, Thomas
Henry (English), Liberty, Kensington, Yorktown
(American), Anita (Dutch).
The American schooner Kensington, from St.
Thomas's, for Mexico, put into Port Royal on the
17th ult., for repairs.
At British Guiana the Combined Court met on
the 14th ult. The members since they have as-
sembled had seized every opportunity to economise
wherever it could be effected without injuring the
efficiency of the public service. A war tax of 3s.
was to be placed upon sugar, which it was expected,
from its present low price, would materially incon-
venience that portion of trade. The duty was
spoken of as a great encouragement, and there was
every probability that it would force the grower to
seek new markets. One instance is quoted in which
Canada, under the reciprocity treaty, had offered
to furnish the required supply. A strong feeling
prevailed, which was dictated originally by the
Governor, that enough was not 'made of the
labour which had been imported into the
colony. A correspondent of the Royal Gazette says
that "the penal consequences of the Governor's
ordinance fell solely on the labourer, and that there
is an omission, so far as the employer is not under
any penalty for neglect on his part of the obliga-
tions he 'plies to the taxpayer to see that the'
labour imported at common cost shall be ade-
quately performed." The weather, for the sea-
son of the year, was very fine, and the crops
everywhere give promise of abundance. There was
not much sugar-making going on, but on large pro-
perties, where the process rarely ceases, there was
a fair average of yield from the cane. There was
little alteration in trade, and the shipping in the
river was sufficient. The colony was healthy.
At Grenada a short sugar crop was expected.
Some of the estates, owing to unfavourable seasons
and the scarcity of labour, would not produce an
average crop. The yield of the cane has
everywhere been poor. Minor articles of pro-
duce had not diminished. The Grenada Chronicle
announces the arrival at Cayenne of the first in-
stalment of, 6,000 African labourers whom the
French Government has contracted to introduce
immediately into that colony.
The trade of the island was dull, the weather
unsettled, and the inhabitants healthy. The Pro-
vidential, Apollo, Elizabeth, and Dorothea were
loading for Europe.
The West India islands generally were healthy.