The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-19 00:00:00

SHIPPING---THIS DAY.

LONDON, Dec. 19.—Wind this day at noon--North-
Westerly; blowing a strong breeze, and fine weather, but
rat her cloudy.

PLYMOUTH, Dec. 18.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—lndiana,
screw steamer, from Calcutta, short of coals; Admiral
Blake, from Rio Grande.

NEWPORT, Dec. 18.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Maria,
from Frederika, for Jamaica. Sailed—Urania, for St.
Thomas.

CARDIFF, Dec. 18.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Ocean, for
Rio Janeiro; Holsatic, for Pernambuco; Helena, for Si.
Thomas.

SWANSEA, Dec. 18.—Wind W.—Arrived—Dorsefshire,
from Cuba. Sailed—Scawfoll, for Shanghai; Zodiac, for
Madras.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Friday Morning.
Arrived Dec. 18—Kate, from St. Michael's ; Jaques
Francais, from New York; Gutterus, from St. John's;
Princess Charlotte, from Rio Janeiro; Sarnia, from Guern •
sey; John Snell, from Guernsey; Marie, from Marans ;
Equivalent, from Gothenburg.
Arrived, Dec. 19—Dart, from Lisbon.
DEAL, Friday Morning.
Passed—Fortuno, from New York, for London; Governor
M'Clean, from Cape Coast Castle, for London.
Anchored—La Bonne Tantio, for Shields, for Bordeaux;
Angelina, from Blyth, for Port au Busen •' Rosalie, from
London, for Martinique; Express, from Markworth, for
France; Star of the West, from Shields, for Plymouth;
Salem, for Menil, for Santander ; Harmony, for Grenada ;
Stratmore, for Swan River ; Susan Bayley, for Lagos ;
Excelsior, for Colombo—all from London.

COURSE OF EXCHANGE.—Tins DAY.
Amsterdam
Ditto
Rotterdam — 11 161 11 17
Antwerp — 25 45 25 50
Brussels — 25 42f 25 50
Hamburgh — 13 61 13 6/
Paris
Ditto
Marseilles

Frankfort on Maine
'Vienna
Trieste ..

1181
11 95
11 95

119
12 5
12 5

Petersburgh
Berlin
Madrid
Cadiz
Leghorn

35
49
49
25 52f

35k
494
494
25 55

Milan
Genoa
Naples
Palermo
Messina
Lisbon

25 55.
25 55
39i
1191
119±
521

25 60
25 60
39i
1191
1192
52!

Oporto — 521 62/
Foreign Gold in Bars (Standard), per oz £3 17 9
Mexican Dollars
Silver in Bars (Standard)
South American Doubloons

The first Court ball of the season will take place
at the Tuileries on the 7th January. There will also be two
fancy dress balls and a masked one.

The mate of the Alfred Fanny, an English vessel,
lying at Havre, named Bienaime, aged 32 years, was found
murdered on the quay the night before last. Some
person having observed a man running from the spot pur-
sued him, but on their coming up to him, he turned and
menaced them with a knife. Being unarmed, the pursuers
could only keep the man in view, until they met with a
police officer, who, on being informed of the circumstance,
arrested the fugitive. Although his clothes were stained
with blood, the man denied any knowlege of the crime.
He is a stoker on board the Ville du Havre, named Martin.
He resides at Havre, and is married. Another stoker on
board the Ville du Havre, named Clorac, has also been ar-
rested, he having been in company with Martin on the
evening of the crime.

AFRICAN RIINNERS.—We find the following in-
teresting account of Arab runners or couriers in an able
article by General Dumas, published in this fortnight's
Revue Contemporaine. The following sketch of one of them
will give an idea of these singular men. Ben-Saydane,
about 35 years of age in 1858, was tall, spare but robust,
with well-shaped arms and legs. His only raiment was a
cotton shirt surmounted by a light burnous ; a few reeds
stuck into his belt in front formed a kind of basket in which
he carried his provisions. He wore a kind of sandals, which
he used to manufacture himself out of camel and goatskin,
and a small sheathed knife, with his faithful Kezoola,
or stick, completed his equipment. The Arabs main-
tained that he had received from God the gift of swift-
ness, the faculty of never losing his way even in the
wildest regions, and that of being able to live upon the
smallest quantity possible of food. In i 845 he was sent by
his chief with a highly important secret message to Abd-
el-Kader, and starting from a place called El-Had, six
leagues from Jelfa, he arrived at Taguedemt, where Abd-
el-Kader was, on the following morning, having performed
216 kilometres (135 miles) on foot in 2C hours, his food
during that time consisting of about ten ounces of flour,
and a draught of water whenever he happened to meet
with a spring. The Emir and his chiefs would
not believe him when he told them so; but his
despatch, which was correctly dated, dispelled all doubt on
the matter. He is now employed by the French, and is
amply paid for his pedestrian services, which have often
proved valuable. In order not to lose the habit of walking,
he often goes from Jelfa to Laghouat, a distance of 115
kilometres (72 miles) in 14 hours. 'When he was inscribed
on the registers of Jelfa as one of the couriers of the French
office there, the chief of the office said to him : " Buy a
good herse ; you know a tnekhazani (cornier) must be
well mounted." Upon which Ben-Saydane burst out
laughing, and at length replied : " Humble not
thy servant by bidding him buy a horse, whichd
eats more than a whole family does, which neighs and
leaves the prints of its hoofs behind, prints which most fre-
quently discover us to our enemies I What am Ito do
with a horse ? Be satisfied that thou has a man
do more than thy best horses can do, and willwho
Sinceho can
never
ask thee either for oats or straw or horse-shoes."
then he has been as good as his word, and generally beats
the mounted couriers in speed, especially in the case of long
distances.
ELECTION FOR CITY SOLICITOR.—At a Court
of Common Council, held yesterday afternoon, the list of
candidates were reduced by a show of hands to two—
viz., Mr. Nelson and Mr. Crosby. At the final vote 114
voted for Mr. Nelson and 59 for Mr. Crosby. Mr. Nelson
was then declared duly elected.
Jmporting tea without colour on the leaf pre-
vents the Chinese passing off inferior leaves as in the usual
kinds. Horniman's Tea is uncoloured, therefore always
good dab Sold in pa to by 2,280 sputa.