The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-13 00:00:00

BOROUGH HOP.

We have a steady sale for fine hops, at very full pries'.
Inferior qualities are dull.
WHITECHAPEL.

Beef, 33 4d to 4s 64;mattcai, 3s 6d to 43 84 ; yea],
4s Od to 5s Od ; pork, 3s 2d to 4s 8d per 81bs. by the
carcase. ,4e

received from Adelaide, South u -
advices have been .
THE NAVIGATION OF THE RIVER MIIRRAT.—Furth
InAthear
at rpapl ieaa,nn :ley:
kgLaaot
dii go Ao of
gt the
trai.ver
towing Murray.the t
wlot
had reached Wellington
barges Eureka and Wa o
r s regardingthat the tsht eea
with valuable cargoes of woolfroonm
another
rs
trip. In
I
hernivtehre,
and bad again started upwards
upper Murray district, there
during last year, owing to the usual. not water
havingthan
i'ourne, had entered the river ~trom
was riln
eh
floodse"
the sea, and after-
wardsvet come down. Captain Cadell, in his steamer Met-
tle took in goods and went in a second time in safety.
crossed the bar outwards for Port Elliott,. where
It is added that the legislative body
had placed a suf-
ficient sum on the estimates for surveying, beaconing,
and erecting leading !minks at the sea mouth.
THE MAIL BAGS LOST.—On Thursday night week
the down mail failed again to take the letter bags off the
standard fixed at the Cudworth Station. They were
found en the following day 50 yards from the standard,
where they had been hurled by the flying train. The
consequence of this mishap (which is rot the first by a
great number) is that the Barnsley letters posted on
Thursday for Leeds and the north did not reach their
destination until Saturday umning.—Leeds Intelligencer.

THE WEATHER.—Sur Onus, Dee. 13.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
46 highest since noon yesterday.
43 owest this morning and during the night.
48 —this day, at noon.
BAROMETER, 30.25.
WIND, S.W. Light, with dull, hazy weather.

-
• .
It: Wit §HUn
• } C", .

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1854.

The tone and character of the Royal Speech
was such as to disarm opposition. Although we
might, with the Hon. Gentleman who seconded
the Address, regret to find that the Speech from
the Throne did not even touch on a single topic
unconnected with the War, yet, under "the
peculiar circumstances of the times, and consider-
ing how the mind of the whole country is en-
grossed by that one subject," we shall not com-
plain of its exclusive character, more especially as
a hope has been expressed that " other matters of
great interest and importance Jo the general wel-
fare will not be neglected"—an anticipation suffi-
ciently wide to cover every question of more than
local interest that has been brought under the
consideration of Parliament.

The War, its past and future management, are,
however, unquestionably the points to which the
Legislative attention will chiefly be directed in
the first instance ; and if the prospects for the
future'be auspicious, we shall be prepared to view
the past with great leniency, although we cannot
altogether forget the mistakes that have been
committed, or expect her MAJESTY'S Opposition
to refrain from occasionally indulging in a slight
sarcasm on neglected opportunities, and the sin-
gular gullibility of Ministers in expecting that
the AUTOCRAT would prove himself to be the very
"lamb" which his " friend of forty years' stand-
ing" anticipated he would show himself to be.
The speech of the Duke of NEWCASTLE on this
part of the case was what the country had a 'right
to expect, and will highly approve. It exhibited
a degree of candour highly creditable to the Noble
Duke—gracefully confessing that there had been
mistakes in the former management, owing to the
want of experience, but earnestly promising im-
provement. The ground, too, which his Grace
adopted was one that would be responded to by
every right-hearted Englishman : " Better," said
he, " that we should suffer in the estimation of
everybman in the country and in the world than
that the Emperor of RUSSIA should lee under the
slightest delusion as to the sentiments of the
people of England, in consequence of the existence
of any complaint against Ministers personally."
Nor did he endeavour to justify the "short-
comings" that were matters of universal notoriety.
As a fault honestly acknowledged is more than
pl
pal a
sa nt t
spirits thathad
tom theom i
tg
hsh
at
half atoned for, we should suppress the many
r
tebreaeot
Secretary
kt
aforward
esxprhleaisybpeietdcetdibn
by
est
il
mme
the Secretary
for War. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT,
however, defended everything that had taken
place. According to the Right Hon. Gentleman,
there had not been any sins either of omission or
commission—all was perfection. If matters were
to do over again, he could wish for no improve-
ment. Now, we confess that this " optimism"
does not impress us very favourably as to his
competence for the future conduct of the War.
He must be singularly blind if he cannot discern
some vestiges of the errors that are so painfull y
perceptible to all others, aye, even to the most
superficial observers.
But little was suffered to ooze out on the
subject to which the public attention is mainly
directed at the present crisis, viz., the Treaty
with Austria. Lord ABERDEEN removed one of
the just grounds for public apprehension. He
declared that it contained "no stipulations
binding us to Austria in her Italian, Polish, and
"Bavarian" (query, Hungarian) possessions. He
gave no further information, merely saying that
the Government did not ask the House to express
any satisfaction at the Treaty, but merely to say
that the House had learned with satisfaction that
' her MAJESTY had effected a treaty, from which she
expected good results." This was rather an un-
worthy quibble, but as it was contained in the last
speech of the evening it escaped comment, while
the public hive become rather indifferent to the
servile twaddle of the septuagenarian Earl.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL was more explicit. He
stated that Austria had " not even now gone the
length of saying that if peace was not made with
Russia she would be a belligerent. She had merely
gone the length of saying that she would, en
certain events, enter into a treaty offensive and
defensive. She had likewise agreed that, before
the end of the year she would determine (! ! !)
the steps she would take with respect to Russia.
He understood the article to be that, if England
and France proposed a treaty of peace on the four
bases, Austria would no longer hesitate, but
would form an offensive and defensive alliance."
This is even worse than we had anticipated; and

more than justifies the most gloomy apprehensions
indulged in. The exact terms must, therefore, be
obtained at the earliest possible moment, that
Parliament may, before their separation for the
Christmas holidays, express its views on the sub-
ject. This is an imperative duty, which cannot
be neglected or postponed.

LATEST NEWS.

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

OFFICIAL DESPATCH FROM THE CRIMEA.
The AI onibeur contains the :following from General
Canrobert :
"CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, DEC. 3.
" Rain is falling in torrents. Our roads are cut up,
our trenches filled with water, and our siege operations,
as: well as all our works, remain in a state of suspense.
" The enemy remains immovable, for the same reason
as ourselves.

" In spite of these trials, the spirit of all is excellent,
and we remain firm and ready to resume our operations
as soon as ever the weather and the state of the roads
will allow us to stir.
" General de Montebello arrived on the sth at Con-
stantinople, and left the next day for the Crimea. The
health of Prince Napoleon was improving.

THE NEW DANISH MINISTRY.
COPENHAGEN, DEC. 12.

The new ministry was formed this afternoon.. Bang
is Premier, and takes the department of the interior;
Scheel is Minister for Holstein ; Count Scheel-Plessen
(at present ambassador in Stockholm) has the depart-
ment of Foreign Affairs ; Colonel Lutlichian has the
War Department ; Colonel Andrae, Finance ; Professor
Hall, Religion (cultes) ; Simony, Justice ; Michelsen,
Marine ; the Minister for Schleswig is not yet ap•
pointed.

Ministers held a Cabinet Council to-day, the King
presiding. A programme of the address to the Diet was
discussed.

THE AFRICAN MAILS.

-

PLYMOUTH, WEDNESDAY MORNING.
The mail steamer Ethiop, Commander Barnvrall,
which sailed from Plymouth on the 24th September,
arrived at Sierra Leone on the, 12th October, and Fer-
nando Po on the 13th. She: left, homeward bound,
November let, Cape Coast 9th, Sierra Leone 18th,
Gores 23d, Teneriffe 29th, and Madeira (during a heavy
ode of wind) December 2d, and Arrived here this morn-
ing, being short of fuel. The Ethiop put into Feria on
the 7th, and Corunna on the Bth.

Her cargo consists of 413 casks of palm oil, 40 pieces
of ivory, 1,940 ounces of gold-dust, wax, gum, and other
A rican produce.
The Atrican coast was healthy. Peace continued at
Lagos.
The riot at Christenang had. ceased. Precious to the
Btlli of November the town had been blown down by
English steamers of war.
The following ships were at Old Calabar on the 27th
Oclz.ober :---The Tapley, Sarah, Golden Age, Abeona,
Jamaica, and Lady Head.