The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-12 00:00:00

THE WEST AFRICAN MAIL.

The Royal Mail steamer Macgregor, Laird, Capt.
R• J. Lowry, arrived in the Mersey, at 11.20 a,m.
yesterday, with the mails from the West Coast of
Africa, Teneriffe, and Madeira. The following are
the latest dates :—Benin, August 25 ; Fernando
Po, 30 ; Cameroons, 31 ; Old Calabar, Sept. 3 ;
Brass River, 4; Bonny, 7; Lagos, 10 ; Accra, 12;
Cape Coast Castle, 15 ; Cape Palmas, 18 ; Sierra
Leone, 22; Bathurst, 25; Teneriffe, Oct. 1; Ma-
deira, 3. The Macgregor Laird also brings 36
passengers, 1,723 ounces of gold dust, and £3,870
in specie.

At Benin, trade was very dull, although the
health of the river was tolerably fair. The barques
Medea, Benin, E igle's Wing, and Jane were all
loading for Liverpool.
The intelligence from Fernando Po is still
gloomy. The smallpox continued to decimate the
population, and in consequence a:l commerce was
very near at a standstill, The Peep•o'-day was
loading for Bristol.
From Cameroons we learn that since the depare
ture of the last mail trade had been re-opened with
the natives, but up to the very latest advices very
little business had been transacted. The river con-
tinued to be rather unhealthy. The ships Eliza-
beth Emily was loading for Bristol, and the Guar-
dian for Liverpool.
At Old Calabar there was a pretty fair amount
of business going on, and the general health of
the place was good. The ships Hannah Silkeld,
Golden Age, and E izibeth were loading for Liver-
pool, and the Lucetta for Glasgow.
The news from Brass show that although the
river was healthy, trade was rather dull. Bishop
Crowther had been to Brass, and left again for the
Niger on the Ist of Sept. on board her Majesty's
steamer Investigator. The ships Express, Mary
Black, Invincible, Serafina, Sparkling Wave, and
Albro, were loading for the Mersey.

Advices from Nov Calabar state that the health
of the place was good, but that trade was rather
languid. The Barkhill, Lively Lass, Earl of Derby,
and Princo Will, were loading for Liverpool.
From Bonny we learn that the oil season was
almost over, and that there was very little doing in
general trade. The health of the place was but
middling. The ships Laug!,ing Water, Belle of
the Ocean, Pride of Canada, and Coquette were all
loading for Liverpool.

The news from Lagos has a more peaceful aspect
than that brought by the previous mail. The wars
which have existed for so long a period among the
natives, to the serious prejudice of the European
trading interests, now present every appearance of
coming to a speedy termination, and it is expected
that communication between the coast and the in-
terior would very shortly be re-opened. There was
a fair amount of trade being transacted, and the
health of the place was satisfactory. The French
frigate Armonique, the Mozambique, and Don An-
tonio, of Hamburg; the French ships Phidias and
Fieche ; the English ship Pride; and the Italian
ship Juliett, were at Lagos.
Trade was exceedingly dull at Accra, and the
Europeans were suffering from sickness. The On-
dine, of Liverpool, and the Accra, of Amsterdam,
were loading in the river.

At Cape Coast Castle trade continued to be very
dull, and the health of the place waa tolerable. It
was currently reported there that the King of
Ashantee was about to sue for peace. A soldier of
the 2d 'West India regiment was executed on the
3d September for the murder of his comrade. The
Macgregor Laird was detained 22 hours beyond
the contract time at Cape Coast Castle, awaiting
Government despatches.
Trade was inactive at Cape Palmas. The Libe•
rian mail schooner Sarah Jane, carrying the Libe-
rian mails, was lost off Rocktown Point, near Cape
Palmas, on the night of the 17th September. The
crew and passengers, together with the mails, were
saved. The Royal Mail steamer Calabar, arrived
at Cape Palmas on the 15th ult., and left for the
Leeward the same day. The brig Packet, of Bris-
tol, and the Hind and Doris, were loading.
There is no improvement to report iu trade since
the departure of the last mail, and business ruled
dull and lifeless in the extreme. The colony was
generally unhealthy. The Spanish ship America,
which was clptured off Madagascar by her Majesty's
ship Ariel; and the Melvira, alias Charles, also
captured on the south coast by her ,jesty's ship
Dart, have been condemned as slavers. The case
of the Italian ship Ricardo Schmidt, arreted in
Sierra Leone harbour on suspicion of being engaged
in the slave trade, was under investigation by the
Mixed Commission Cuurt when the mail left. The
barque W. H. Randall was in port. The Mac-
gregor Laird was detained 13 hours beyond con-
tract by order of Governor Blackall.

Sickness was very prevalent at Bathurst, and
trade very fl4t. A considerable quantity of cotton
had been planted, and much more land was under
cultivation than last year. The French barques
Sans Norn and Niger were in port.
Teneriffe was healthy, and trade was pretty fair.
The schooner Pet, of Swansea, was in port.
The Island of Madeira was very healthy, and
about the average amount of business passing. The
English serew steamer R anger was in port. The
mail steamer Athenian arrived on the Ist, and
sailed for Teneriffe the same day.