The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-08 00:00:00

FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIST.

MAILS DUE.
Aus'„ralia and Mauritius, via Southampton. May 19. Q
via Marseilles
Brazil and Cape Yards, by British packet. June 4
Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena It:le 19.
China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southa.mpton Z! 7.. .r,.
via Marseilles • • • I'n" ',
June s•
Falkland Islands ..............
n.,....,11.
Gibraltar, via Southampton ............. ton,
.k.IZ 19.
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, vi SouthaT,Pi;
.. may 13,
via maraeme • •
India Tombay), via Southampton ............ May 11..
........................ May 20. 2101 : ,
May 11,
Lisbon ......... 1.".! . Marseilles
th.
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Marseilles
via
rit.packet May 14.
..
imton
Newfoundland ............
May 11.
U.
p.osr.toanadndj3Vritiigsoh
N....i.n.i.eii•jc;,.b.; i 3
by U.S. packet....
by Canadian packet. May 14.
W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe .. May 10.
Bahamas, via New York ~May 8.
Mexico
All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, I Islay 14.
California, and British Columbia..

DEPARTURE OF THE GREAT EASTERN.—MIL-
FORD HAVEN, IVEnriesDAY.—The Great Eastern sailed
at 2 40, with 138 passengers and acme cargo. She did not
use her paddles, but screw only. She missed last night's
tide owing to the fouling of a hauler.
THE MINT.—The bronze coinage is proceeding
satisfactorily both at the contractors' (Watt and Co.) mint
at Birmingham, and the Royal establishment at Tower-
hill. Fully two years, however, must elapse before all the
old copper coin disappears from the channels of circulation,
and is completely supplanted by bronze mcne.—difechanias
.Magazine.
OUR BIRDS AND POISONED WHEAT.—III our
eountry there is not the scarcity of small birds with which
persecution has afflicted France, and our war against them
is less inveterate; but still there is much to beldon in every
rural neighbourhood. Our rustics shoot owls and bats
and then complain of mice, moths, and night insects—
of rats in the stack, and dormice in the woods, They
crave credi for the scores of sparrows, wagtails, yellow-
hammers, and wrens that they destroy, and then are
ready to cry over the ravages of worms, weevils, aack
roaches, caterpillars, and other plagues. ofr date
we hive heard a good deal a e1...p3-..x..5 1,.."'"'"...07,ird5)
atre, ing ~o-callea ' vermin" (not the insects ha lo;n meet
by poisoned wheat. I wish such devices could
g candidly
The 0
with the punishment which I remember
Belariiiof the eon-
narrated in a paper some years ago. the sparrows.
fre:,,,nl a bird. or tvo
fession wanted to save a row of peas
He was struck with remorse when he_
drunk,
and falling
staggering on the top of the wall, if
off ; but scarcely any died,
while the staggering birds on theaspeaa were not saved,
andthe wall pushed the poisonea
• breent of pet fowls of great
qu—a—e,
grain off among an
,Once a Week.
fuveeheBitctailinb
meeting of the Scottish E quit able
v alAuet— thee ve rayn one
ne of
Society at Edinburgh, yesterday, the re-
the new policies for the year were 554,
yielding in annual premiums,
Life Assuranceent
. . .
yield'
also that the existing assurances are 1,5,517,695 ;
9,pasosrtursitangted2B9,s4s,
and
lated fund £1,394,949 ; and the annual r
tl 1e 2'6:en;
InuThe surplus accruing for division sinceevelnBus9
79n80.unced to be £198,147, and the usual proportion
wx.20,33an,
was applied accordingly.
LICENSING CABS AND THEIR DRlVERS..—Yee-
t3rday morning the Commissioners of Police held a Court
at their offices, Scotland-yard, to grant licences to the
drivers of hackney carriages, &c., and the conductors of
omnibuses, when several hundrads were renewed and a
great
many refused, in consequence of the misconduct of
the parties during the past year. There are altogether
15,000 applications for drivers, and 4,900 for conductors'
licences. 2,000 additional hackneyi carriage licences liar
been taken out this year, 10,000 for seven, and 6,000 for am
i day plates.