The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-28 00:00:00

:PIATMENT.

Government securities
(lncludg.Dead Weight
Annuity) .......... 9,929,197
Other securittes...... 19,204,123
Notes .......... 6,464,705
Gold and silver coin.. 612,150

£36 210,175
'. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.

AVERAGE PRICE OF SUGAR.

The Average Price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, com-
puted from the returnsinade in the week ending Dec. 25,
1855, exclusive of the Duties of Customs paid or payable
thereon, on the importation thereof into Great Britain :
From the British Possessions in America 3lB. 01.
Muscovado, the produce of the East Indies
Average of the two foregoing descriptions 365.

COURSE OF EXC.]
Amsterdam 11 1614
Ditto, three months .. 11 18N
Rotterdam ............ 11 19
Antwerp .............. 25 50
Brussels 25 50
Flambnrgh ............ 13 10
Altona ................
Paris. . •• . .. 25 30

ANGE.- THIS DAT.

Gibraltar ...... •• •• • . .•

Leghorn .. .•• 30 17t4
Genoa ........ 45 77%
Milan

- -
Venice........ • •
Naples ........
Palermo ...... ...• 133
Messina ... • •• 13314
Lisbon ......
Oporto • • • • • • • • • • 53%
Rio Janeiro..... . • • ....
Buenos Ayres.... • • .. ..
New York,6o days' sight
Philadelphia ......

Ditto. three months .. 25 72%
Marseilles ............. 25 723
Bourdeaux ..••........
Frankfort.on Maine •• .. 119%
Berlin ................
II 9
Trieste.. 11 12
Yetersbarg ............
Madrid 49%
Cadiz ........••
Barcelona ............
Serille..••••

PRICER or nutticx, PEA OZ.
Foreign Gold in liArs £3 17 9
; Portugal Gold Coin •• 0 0
Mexican Dollars .... 0 0 0
New Dollars
Silver in bars ...... 0 5 I

NAVAL APPOINTMENTS.—(This Day,

The following appointments have been made at the
Admiralty this afternoon :

LIEUT EN 02iTf3.
J. W. Vaughn to the Seahorse.
PAYMASTERS.
William Hamilton to the Excellent.
Elward Thorne to the St. Vincent.
NAVAL CADETS.

G. C. Hill to the Conqueror.
H. E. M. Dalben to the Conquer Dr.
C. E. Reade to the Conqueror.
Thomas Larcom to the Brunswick.
H. L. Pearson to the Brunswick.

MAILS FOR sw.giiEN.

GENERAL POST-OFFICE, December, 1855. The
packets conveying mails once a week between
Grimsby and Gothenburg, under a contract with the
Swedish Government, having ceased running, no more
mails caa be sent by that route until the re•openivg of
the navigation next spring►, of which due notice will be
given.—RowiaND HILL, Secretary.

NORTIT SIDE 01? SrIBASTOPOL.

The following letter fr_.,.... om before Sebastopol, of
the 7th, gives some account of the fortifications
which the Russians are now executing ou the
northern side of the harbour :
" I cannot say what advantage the Russians expect to
derive from all the works which they are constructing on
the north side of Sebastopol ; but they are certainly
most actively engaged on them, and there is not a hil-
lock, a creek, or any position, however insignificant it
may be, that is not secured by a battery, or a redoubt.
I will endeavour to give you some details of these works,
beginning at Fort Constantine, at the entrance of the
port. The summit of the Plateau Constantine is now
covered by a fortification to which it would be difficult
to give a technical name ; it is a pile of batteries and
counter batteries, of cavaliers and redoubts waited toge-
ther, to Fort Constantine, by numerous covered ways.
In the rear of Fort Constantine is a small bay, in which
there are several large storehouses. There are two bat.
teries at the bottom of this bay, and the Russians are now
engaged in constructing a third. After Fort Constantine
comes Fort Catherine, constructed, like it, of granite,
with a double row f casemates and embrasures. It
has been strengthened by fresh earthworks, and the
upper part—that is to say, the terrace—is filled
with guns en barbette and heavy mortars. This fort
is in the form of an oblong square, with the corner
opposite the port, rounded off, while the other corner
on the same side is flaeked by a large crenelated tower.
I The part towards the land is defended by two strong
towers, large ditches, and a horn-work, situated on a
email tongue of land which runs out towards the port.
Two earthworks, having 15 guns, have been thrown tip
and
nn intermediatethesummit
opfltahteea plateau
on the right and left of the fort. A little above .this fort,
on
nda
Catiesauani a l
another
tli e
large
rstrong e 8
tbrautct
teiroyn,
which serves as a sort of advanced work to the citadel.
Between this fortification and those mentioned at the
commencement of my letter there is a redoubt
mounted with guns of very heavy calibre. After
Fort Catherine there is another point on which the
Russians have cut out in the earth and rock a series
of fortifications on a most gigantic scale, the whole
point being, in fact, metamorphosed into a citadel.
There appear to be here several rows of batteries, then
barracks fer the troops, and then more batteries,. In
the rear of this point may be seen florae small clusters of
houses or stores, and some small vessels lyin—
g on the
shore. The beach is defended by a strong battery which
extends all round the bay, as far as Fort Severnaya,
which is of itself an assemblage of batteries placed one
over the other, and defended on the land side by a large
ditch. To the right of Severnaya are some sunkensteamers, and then another village or collectton of bar
racks and storehouses, protected by two batteries. All
these are commanded by the citadel, which has been so
• much increased that all that formerly ,existed is now
concealed behind the immense work recently executed.
As I have already mentioned, the activity of the Rus-
sians is most surprising. Every day bodies of from
2,000 to 3,000 men leave the /citadel, and pro
ceed to their work. For some days past they have been
occupied in raising some of the sunken vessels, but wee
ther this is done for the purpose of getting timber, or
with other intentions, it is impossible to say. They have
still Some fishing smacks and smaller boats, and they
frequently make use of the latter in the night to come
and reconnoitre our works. Last night they availed
themselves of the darkness, and came within half-cable'"
length of Fort Alexander, or rather of our batteries on
that side. At the cry of ' Qui vine l' from our sentinel
they moved off in haste. It is really difficult to imagine
what can be the object of the Russians in erecting such
masses of batteries. Is:it to occupy their soldiers and
give them confidence, or to mask some other move-
ment I Time alone can unravel the mystery. On our
side, as you may suppose, we do not remain inactive ;
Russia
strong n
bworksatteries are being established to play on the
."

BERLIN, Dec. 26.—There is a rumour, not confirmed,
that Russia and the IJulted States have concluded a
treaty, offensive and defensive, in case war should break
out between Great Britain and the States. Another
statement is that the convention merely relates to the
purchase of ships of war,