The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-24 00:00:00

THE BOMBAY MAIL.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's screw
steamship Pera, Captain T. Jamieson, arrived at
Southampton at 9.30 a.m. yesterday, with the heavy
portion of the Bombay mails, in charge of Mr. U.
Ronayne, of the General Post-office. She brought
33 passengers (viz , 15 first-class, 13 second, four
children, and one deck), among whom were Assis-
tant-surgeon Taylor, Captain Purchase, Lieutenant
Roberts, and Captain Fanshawe, from Bombay ;
Captain Stebbing, from Gibraltar, &c. On freight
she had 439 bales of silk, 152 boxes of oranges, 22
octaves and 2 quarter casks of wine, and 113 pack-
ages of general merchandise ; also a live gazelle.
The Pera left Alexandria on the 9th inst., Malta
on the 13th, and Gibraltar on the 17th. Between
Alexandria and Malta she experienced strong north-
westerly winds, with very heavy rain and thick
weather at times; from Malta to Gibraltar, and
thence to Cape St. Vincent, strong easterly winds
and fine weather; along the coast of Portugal fine
weather and northerly winds; across the Bay of
Biscay very heavy northerly gale, with terrific
sea ; and in the Channel fresh north-easterly winds
and fine weather.

At 5 p.m. on the 17th the Pera passed the Penin-
sular and Oriental steamer Ceylon, with the out-
ward Bombay mails of the 12th, from Southampton,
steering to the eastward.

The local committee appointed at Gibraltar to
receive subscriptions for the relief of the distressed
Lancashire operatives had collected 2,000 dole. for
that object.
The sale of the Confederate steamship Sumter had
been postponed from the 11th to Friday, the 19th
inst. In reference to this vessel the following notices
had appeared in the Gibraltar Chronicle:
" Secretary's-office, Gibraltar, Dec. 10.

" His Excellency the Governor has received a protest from
the United States' Consul in this city against the sale of
the Confederate steamer Sumter, on the ground, as stated
by him, of her being a prize. No proof of this being the
case has been furnished, but the Governor deems it right to
notify this protest to the public.
"By command,
" S. FREELING, Colonial Secretary.

" Secretary's-office, Gibraltar, Dec. 11.

" With reference to the notice in yesterday's Chronicle,
his Excellency the Governor has received the following
statement from the officer commanding the Sumter :
" ' That the Sumter was bought and paid for at New
Orleans by the Confederate Government; that the owners
of the then steamer Habana (the Sumter) a;reed to the price
and terms of sale, and that she was purchased before any
vessels had been seized in New Orleans by the Confederate
Government.'—By command,

" S. FREELING, Colonial Secretary,"
Latest quotation of exchange at Gibraltar were as follow :
—London, 90 days' date, 50 5-16; Paris, do, 5f 27c; Mar-
seilles, do, bf 28c ; Genoa, do, 5f 29c ; Madrid, eight days'
sight, /pm ; Cadiz, do, dis ; Seville, do, / dis ; Malaga,
do, par; Barcelona, do, pm; Almeil a, do, par; Valencia,
do, / pm; Alicante, do, par. Five-franc pieces, /per cent
pm.

Her Majesty's steamer Trident was at Alexandria; the
Marlborough, St. George, Chanticleer, Flambe, and Mars
at Malta, and the Firebrand at Gibraltar, where she arrived
on the 16th, in nine days from Malta. The screw sloop
Gannet, Commodore Hun. M. Nelson, 13 days from Malta,
arrived at Gibraltar on the 9th, and left for the westward
at 5 10 p.m. on the same day, and the screw corvette Scylla,
Captain Lambert, seven days from Malta, arrived on the
10th, and left for the westward at 8 10 a.m. on the lath.

The Dutch schooner Notaris Von Boekeren, Captain J.
J. Booa, which arrived at Gibraltar on the Bth inst. from
Leghorn, had on board Capt. B. L. Krenenberg, daughter,
and crew (five in number) of the late Dutch schooner
Johanne (of Hogezond), which vessel sprang a leak and
foundered on the 24th ult., in lat 36 25 N, long 230 E,
while on her voyage to Bristol, 20 days out, from Leghorn,
with a general cargo.
The schooner Malcolm Brown, Captain E. Good, which
went ashore at Lancess Bay, near Tarifa, on the 24th ult.,
was got afloat on the 10th inst., and towed into Gibraltar
Bay by the steamer Lion Beige.