The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-19 00:00:00

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still unsafe even for their best gunboats,:,.4: 'oth r:
steamers are constantly destr‘Oyed in thL ; r, ~,gip to'
navigate it. Their garrisons hold four °rive wints
upon the river, and cannot venture into the country
ten miles except in heavy force. Every attempt to
penetrate east or west has been a disaster, and their
only profit has been the systematic pillage of
the unfortunates who resided within their line of
march. The disastrous defeat of Banks up Red
River compelled the evacuation of all the trans-
Mississippi Department, a territory of 400,000
square miles, and more than eight times the area of
England. The possession of a fleet has enabled
them to hold in check our army of nearly 100,000
men west of the river so long as General Lee's and
General Johnston's armies were operating at such
an immense distance to the east, nearly 2,000 miles.
But now, when the Government will be nearer, this
force will be enabled to co-operate and to cross the
river whenever required. The Confederacy is not
dependent upon the arsenals and workshops of Rich-
mond for supplies. For instance, the greatest
powder mill, producing 10,0001 b. per day, is located
at Augusta. The supplies of nitre are procured
from thousands of artificial beds prepared three
years ago in every locality of the Confederacy. The
greatest arsenal for field artillery is also at Augusta ;
but there are others at Macon, Selina, and Mont-
gomery, east of the Mississippi, and vast workshops
of every description were organised in Texas and
Western Louisiana three years ago in contemplation
of this very step of evacuating Richmond.
Paris, April 16.

THE AUSTRALIAN MAILS.

(REUTER'S EXPRESS.)
SOUTIIA3IPTON, April 18.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Nyanza, Captain Weeks, with the heavy Calcutta,
China, and Australian mails, arrived this evening.
She brings 195 passengers, 16 packages, value
£24,800 ; precious stones, value 1,000 rupees ; and
1,017 packages. General cargo, including 710
bales raw silk, value £60,000 sterling.
The Nyanza experienced in the Mediterranean
light breezes and fine, along the coast and across
the Bay of Biscay thick and rainy, off Ashant and
up the Channel heavy fogs. The Nyanza spoke on
the 7th the steamers Poonah ; Bth, the Ellora ;
14th, the steamers Dido, Persian, and Orontes ; and
on the 15th, the Ripon steering south-cast.
The French frigate Perdrise and Egyptian fleet
were at Alexandria. At Malta were H.M. ships
Victoria, Royal Oak, Resistance, Enterprise, Peli-
can, Surprise, Wizard, Hibernia, Psyche, Cossack,
and three Turkish ships of war.

GIBRALTAR, April 13.
Her Majesty's ships Racoon and Procris are in
the harbour.

The bark Derwent, of London, sprung a leak on
the Bth, and foundered two hours after wards off
Cape de Galt, whilst on her passage from Constan-
tinople for Cork. The crew were picked up by the
British brig Cambyses, and landed here on the 10th
inst.

The bark Wigtownshire (of Newcastle) was
abandoned in a sinking state on the 3d inst., in lat.
47 10 N., long. 8 301 ~ whilst on her passage from
Shields for Genoa, 11 days out. Her crew were
landed by the steamer Aleppo on the 6th.
The following British vessels arrived here since
the departure of the last mail for Southampton:—
Steamer Messina, 10 days from Glasgow ; steamer
Sydney Hall, 9 days from London ; and steamer
Aleppo, 5 days from Liverpool.
H.M. screw troopship Himalaya arrived here on
the Bth in five days from Kingston, with the 84th
Regiment from Malta.

Exchange—London, 90 days' date, 49i ; Paris,
sf. 25c. ; Marseilles, 8 days out, Of. 17e. ; Genoa,
sf. 26c.; Madrid, 2 dis. ; Cadiz, n dis. ; Seville
par ; Malaga, dis. ; Valencia, par.