The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-06 00:00:00

VIE CAPE AND AUSTRALIAN MAILS

SOUTHAMPTON, Saturday, March 4.--The directors k,f
the General Screw Steam-shipping Company are.about to
recommend to their shareholders the immediate abandon-

went of the Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Ceylon, and
Calcutta mail packet line, and the forfeiture of the con-
tract with the Admiralty for carrying on this service,
which has been hitherto performed monthly from South-
ampton and Plymouth to St. Vincent's, Ascension, the
and the Cape, Mauritius, Ceylon, Madras, and Calcutta.
The directors have published in a pamphlet their
correspondence with the Admitalty upon the sub-
ject, from which it appears that the present high
price of fuel, and the inefficiency of remunera-
tion for the postal service, together with the
refusal of the Admiralty to consent to any modifica-
tion of the company's contract, are the chief reasons which
have induced the directors to recommend that the opera-
tions of their steamers on this route should be at once
brought to a termination. To prevent any inconve-
nience either Ito the !Government or to the mercantile
interest by this abrupt suspension of the line, the directors
have consented to dispatch the Propontis on the 14th inst.
from Southampton, and the voyage of this steamer will,
it is understood, be the last one to be made to the Cape
of Good Hope and Indian ports. The subsidy received
by this company for the Cape and Indian service bas
amounted to about 3s. sd. per mile. The number of
miles run was 287,724 per annum, and the capital ex-
pended in the construction of the ships over 500,000/.
sterling.
Following upon the breaking up of this line, the
company have determined to commence an efficient
steam communication with Australia, and for this pur-
pose have contracted with the Admiralty to provide an
alternate monthly mail between Southampton, Adelaide,
Melbourne, and Sydney. The ships will go direct to
Melbourne, a smaller steamer, the Bosphorus, being
employed in running to Adelaide, and, perhaps, to
King George's Sound. Under the terms of this
arrangement, the remuneration of the comp my is
dependent upon the postage earned by their steamers,
both outward, homeward, and inter-colonial. The
Queen of the South will be the first ship to start,
and is to leave on the 4th of April. It is very pro-
bable that a monthly line will be kept up. During the
charter of the large steamers Jason, Golden Fleece, and
Prince by the Government for the transport service, the
Australian line will be maintained by the steam ships
withdrawn from the Indian route, viz., the Queen of the
South, Hydaspes, Argo, Lady Jocelyn, Mauritius, Cal-
cutta, and ladiana, all of 1,800 tons, and 300-horse
power. The plan now adopted is the one proposed to
the Government by the General Screw Company two
years ago, but rejected by the authorities, who, headed
by Sir Charles Wood and Lord Grey, insisted upon
having a line to King George's Sound and Adelaide, and
thence to Melbourne and Sydney, thus serving the most
important ports last, and-causing a delay of a fortnight.

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DAY.)

LONDON, March 6.—Wind this day at Noon, N.E. ;
light airs, and dense fog.
MARGATE, March 4.—Wind, E. Arrived—Neptunus,
from Ostend.
RAMSGATE, March s.—Wind, E.S.E. Sailed—Albina,
for Surinam.
CowEs, March 4.—Wind, E.N.E. Arrived—Egmont,
from London, for New Zealand. Sailed—Samuel, for
Trinidad.
PLYMOUTH, March 4.—Wind, E. Arrived—Culloden,
from Mauritius. Sailed—Chandenagore, for Adelaide, S.A.
Off Port—SusannahlGertrude, from Batavia, for Holland ;
Antelope, New York ; Nova Vigante, Demerara.
SOUTHAMPTON, March s.—Arrived—lndus (a), from
Alexandria—left Gibraltar Feb. 28. Sailed—Ontario, for
Port Philip ; Euxine (8), Alexandria.
PORTSMOUTH, March s.—Wind, S.S.E. to S.E. Arrived
—Foyle (s), from London, and left for Dublin.
FALMOUTH, March s.—Wind, E., strong. Arrived—
Active, from St. Valery ; Cornish Trader, Swansea, for
Charlestown, towed in dismasted.
OFF PENZANCE, March 4.- Adonis, from New Orleans,
for Bremen ; Neptune, Baltimore ; Pauline, Valparaiso.
HULL, March 6.—(Per Elec. Tel.)—Arrived—Transit
(a), from Hamburgh ; Queen of Scotland, do. ; Helen
M•Gregor, do.
Catimsn-r, March 4.—Wind, W. Arrived—Prensee
Heubuss, from Honduras.
ABERDEEN, March 4.—Sailed—St. Andrew, for Davies'
Straits.
ILFRACOMBE, March s.—Wind, N.E., foggy. Arrived
—Amelia, from Manus, for Gloucester.
MBRisTOL, March 4.—Wind, S.E. Arrived—Nino, from
Odessa. Sailed—Constance, for Africa ; Admiral, Mobilo
CLTIA, March 4. sailed—Venns (s.), for Melbourne .
Chieftain (s.), do.; Glasgow Citizen (B.), do.; Euruka, do.'
Kitty, Valparaiso. •
NEWPORT, March 4.—Arrived—harlotte Reed, from
Havre, for Savannah. .
LIVERPOOL, March s.—The Karma (s.s.), from Constan-
tinople, on leaving the: Cobnrg Dock, grounded on the
bank outside, yesterday:, but was got off this morning, after
being lightened.
GIBRALTER, Feb. 28.—The Amu, which arrived here on
the 19th, from Bordeaux, sailed hence a few days ago,
and is stranded at Tetian, where it is feared she will be-
Caine a total wreck.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
LIVERPOOL, Monday, 10 a.m.
Wind, S.S.E. • moderate, and foggy.
There is no intelligence of the mail steamer America,
now in her 12th day from Boston.
Arrived—L'Esperance and Mina, from Nantes ; Rhone,
screw steamer, from Trieste.
Sailed—Arcola, for New York; Nieuw Lukkerland, for
Melbourne ; Jacob Von Cleef, for Galatz ; Auguste, for
New York ; Garoupa, for Lisbon.

QUEENSTOWN, March 4.

Wind, E., strong.
Arrived—Rivulet, from Cardenas, for Liverpool.
Sailed— Paul, for London ; Standard, for Sunderland ;
Cairo, for Portsmouth; General Chasse, for Cape do Verds ;
Ilorsford, for Genoa ; Mariner, for Savannah ; Argyll, for
Boston ; Presciosa, for Antwerp.
WATERFORD, March 4.
Arrived—Caledonia, from Odessa; Blythe, from Ga.
latz.
Sailed—Maria, for Pernambuco.

(BY SUBMARINE AND EUROPEAN TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Monday, 10 a.m.
Wind, N.E.•' tide, 31 ebb ; thick fog.
Arrived, rith--Lion, steamer, from Harlingen ; Wilber-
force, steamer, from Hamburg ; Fame, steamer, from
Calais; Newcastle, from Fermonde ; Ocean Queen, from
Hamburg ; Cornillia, from Rotterdam ; Weluaart, from
Antwerp ; Gichardina, from Antwerp ; Hermina Nepperus,
from Antwerp • Annaferlar Gantida, from Antwerp ;
Laurel, from Antwerp ; Vrandsohaft, from Worcum ;
Triton,' from Cadiz.
,9a.iled—Ocean, steamer, for Havre.
IDEAL, Monday, 9.10 a.m.
Wind, E. ' • light, and thick fog.
:4o arrivals.
Anchored--Norman Morrison, for Now Zealand ;
444114 N 3144), fa liobirt Tone