The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-07 00:00:00

THE MEDITERRANEAN.

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Company's ship Indus, Captain John Soy, arrived
at Southampton yesterday, bringing the Southamp-
ton portion of the East India, China, and Mediter-
ranean mails, and dates from Alexandria, March
23 ; Malta, 27 ; Gibraltar, April 1.
The Indus has 108 passengers, among whom are
—Lord and Lady Morton, from Malta ; Colonel
White, from Calcutta ; (3aptain Valpy Turner and
Captain Griffin, from Calcutta ; Colonel Moore,
from Alexandria, &c. This steamer brings on
freight-3 boxes of gold dust, 53 boxes of oranges,
34 packages of elephants' teeth, 3 boxes of tortoise-
shell, 443 bales and 31 cases of silks, 183 bags of
gum, 3 cases of indigo, 66 cases of shawls, 282 bales
of cotton, 20 cases of plants, and 65 packages of
sundries.
The Indus left Malta at 1 p.m. on 27th ult. ;
on the following morning, at 2, she fell in with the
Fleet off Pantalaria, consisting of 7 line-of-battle
ships and 2 frigates. It was thought on board the
Indus that this fleet was bound to Malta, to join

_ the British squadron there, consisting of the Bri-
tannia (flag-ship), 120, Albion, 90, Rodney, 90,
Bellerophon, 78, Arethusa, 50, Modeste, 18, and
steamers Retribution, Sampson, Spitfire, and
Triton. At the time the Indus spoke the French
fleet, it was blowing a heavy gale at N.W. with a
long high sea. Discharges of rockets were made
from the vessels on the outposts, and the screw
line-of-battle ship Napoleon led the fleet.
The French war steamer Caire left Alexandria
on the 23d, and reached Malta on the 27th ult.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Euxine left Malta with the Marseilles mail at 10.30
a.m. of the 27th. The Indus spoke the Peninsular.
and Oriental Company's ship Ripon, with the out-
ward India mail of the 20th ult., off Cape Bon, on
the 28th of March, at 5.30 p.m., steering for
Malta.
The intelligence brought by this steamer from
India, China, arc., has been anticipated by the
overland express, published in The Sun on Satur-
day last.
From Gibraltar our accounts are to the Ist inst.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's chartered
steamer City of London, bound to the Levant,
arrived at Gibraltar at 10.30 a.m. of the Ist inst.
The Ripon, 41 days from Southampton, touched
at Gibraltar on the 25th ult.; en route to Malta
and Alexandria. Her Majesty's steam-ship Simoom
left Gibraltar on the 24th ult. The British
schooner Emerald put into Gibraltar on the 29th
ult., with loss of bowsprit, cutwater, &c., having
been run foul of off Cape Spartel by a Danish
schooner from Messina, bound to Hamburgh. The
United States' frigate Constitution, Commodore
J. Mayo, left Gibraltar for the Mediterranean on
the 29th ult. The English transport-ship Flora,
with troops on board, passed through the Straits of
Gibraltar on the 27th ult. The transport-ship
Sibell a left the bay on the 30th. The screw
steamer Orontes, 6 days from Liverpool, arrived at
Gibraltar on the 31st ult., and cleared for Palermo,
Messina, and Alexandria. Her Majesty's steamers
Furious, Antelope, and Inflexible were at Gibraltar
on the st.

---
At Gibraltar, exchange on London, at 90 days',
was quoted 5J ; Paris, sf. 31c. ; Spanish pillared
dollars, 21 per cent. premium.

GENERAL SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE DWELLINGS
OF THE WORKING GLASSES.—His Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, patron of the above society, has
undertaken to lay the first stone of the new building,
for the above objects (being the first of the society's
series of intended operations for the erection of model
dwellings for the working classes and their families).
The present site purchased by the committee is between
New-street, Hopkins-street, Husband-street, and Cock-
court, adjoining Broad-street, Golden-square, St.
James's. This locality was formerly covered with
wretched and dilapidated houses, forming one of the
most filthy abodes of vice and pauperism in the metro-
polis. The ceremony of laying the first stone will take
place on Tuesday next.