The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-05 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIES.

The Royal Mail Steam-packet Company's steam-ship
Avon, Commander E. J. Q. Ellison, from 13t. Thomas's
for Southampton, arrived at Plymouth yesterday morn-
ing. Her dates are :
Santa Martha April 23
Tampico May 2
Vera Cruz — 5
St. Vincent

Kingston, Jamaica. May 12
Bridgetown, Bar-
badoes
Nevis — 12
Jacmel
St. Lucia
Martinique
Dominica
Guadaloupe — 14
Antigua — 14
St. Kitts — 14
Porto Rico — • 16
St. Thomas
Fayal - 29

Greytown — 7
Chagres — 9
Montserrat — 10

Havannah - - 10
Georgetown
Tobago — 10
Port of Spain
Carthagena — 11
Grenada

The West India Islands are very healthy, The troops
throughout are well. Two isolated cases of cholera oc-
curred at Jamaica. Mr. Lovel Pennell, Deputy Com-
missary General of that island, died there on the 6th of
May.
The canes were looking well at Trinidad, and there is
promise of a large crop. Present price of sugar, ss. 6d.
per cwt., rising. At Barbadoes the canes are withered
for want of rain, which was expected. The season in
British Guiana is favourable. The scarcity of shipping
is unprecedented ; double the highest freight given for
years is offered. Large quantities of produce are wait-
ing tonnage, which makes business dull. The islands
otherwise are in a prosperous condition. Great fears
are entertained of the annexation of Cuba by the Ameri-
cans, which the planters look on as certain.
The Avon has on board in all 198 passengers, among
whom are the Bishop of Jamaica and Lieut.-Col. Far-
quharson, from Jamaica ; Captain Deshon, 48th Regt.,
and lady, from Barbadoes; and Captain Henderson and
Ensign Harrison, Ist West India Regiment, from Ja-
maica; and Mr. Bennett, engineer, in charge of surveys
on the Pacific side of the Darien Canal.

Mr. Osborne, banister, of Bristol, died on board on
the Ist of June.

The Avon brings from Havannh 30 emancipados for
conveyance to Lagos and Liberia ; among them are some
who were purchased on the coast of Guinea 20 years
since by a Spanish trader, and conveyed with 300 other
slaves to Cuba, where they were sold. Some of the
emancipados have recently paid as much as 600 dollars
for their freedom.

There is also on board a son of General Obando, who,
with his Ministers, was put into prison at Bogota by
General Melas, the dictator. General Mosquera bad
offered his services to the Government in opposition to
Melas, and in favour of the constitution.

The Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steamer
Bogota arrived on the sth of May, at noon, at Panama,
bringing 40 passengers, $300,000, and advices to the
following dates :—Valparaiso, 15th of April ; .Copiapo,
17th ; Islay, 21st ; Callao, 26th ; Payta, 29th ; and
Guayaquil, the Ist of May. Her mails by the Clyde
were not received by the Avon previous to her de-
parture.
The Royal Mail Steampacket Company's steam-ships
Clyde, from the Spanish Main, Conway, from the
islands, Dee, from the Gulf of Mexico, Derwent, from
Jamaica, and Solent, next proceeding to the Gulf, were
at St. Thomas's. The Teviot was on the Spanish Main
route. The Wye was on No. 5 route to the islands.
The Plata, from England, arrived at St. Thomas's on
the 17th of May.
Her Majesty's sloop Calypso was lying at Barbadoes
on the 12th of May. She was the only English man-of•
war among the Windward and Leeward Islands.

The Virago had left Panama for Callao, en route to
Valparaiso, with despatches for the Admiral, conveying
the first news of the war. She hoped to fall in with the
Russian frigate Diana. It was rumoured that the
squadron was to rendezvous at the Sandwich Islands.
The cargo of the Avon consists of 74 serene of cochi-
neal, 216 serous of Peruvian bark, 22 serons of jalap, 2
bales of sarsaparilla, 2 packages of vanilla, and 244
packages of sundries.
The total value of specie in dollars from various ports
is 2,000,000.
The Avon has experienced strong contrary winds on
the homeward passage. She went into Fayal on the
29th of May and obtained 81 tons of coal, and came
into Plymouth short of fuel.

THE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT THE PALACE.—From
the interest felt in the fate of Mr. Norton, several per-
sons, including members of the aristocracy, made in-
quiries at the Palace on Saturday. Up to a late hour
on Saturday night it was reported that the medical at-
tendant on the unfortunate man entertained hopes of
his recovery.
THE FRAUDS UPON THE MANCHESTER AND SHEF-
FIELD RAILWAY COMPANY.— The charge against John
\Vicky Stables, the late law adviser of the Manchester,
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Company, of apply-
ing to his own use upwards of 11,0001. of the moneys
belonging to the company, was proceeded with before the
magistrates at Manchester on Thursday, after a remand
of three days. The offences charged against the pri-
soner included embezzlement, false pretences, and for-
gery. Mr. Ovens, barrister, and Mr. Guy, solicitor, at-
tended for the prosecution ; and Mr. Metcalf, barrister,
and Mr. G. H. Lewis, solicitor, both of London,
ap-
peared for the defence. It appears that the prisoner
was appointed to the office of law clerk to the com-
pany at the end of 1850, at a salary of 8001. per
annum, and an allowance of 2001. for clerks and ex-
penses—offices and everything requisite for use being
found on the company's premises.
1853 his salary was raised to 1 000A1 t the beginning of
the same allowances as before. He le
sery ice in July last, and a subsequent investigation the company'sienr annum, with
by
h Mr. Guy, his successor' led to the discovery of the de-
falcations with which he now stands charged. They con-
sist of sums he bad received to pay into the hands of the
Account-General,
and
to landowners for land settlements.
payments
Most of these werei vouchedittedin
this a t
way the
the frauds have been committed
re-
ceipt_ given by the Accountant-General for :deposits is
filed in the office, and a copy only of that receipt is given
to
the person paying in the money. The copies handed
in by Stables to the company were spurious copies, but,
of course, there existed no means of detecting the
frauds, except by a special application to the office of
the Accountant-General. After a long examination, the
prisoner was committed for trial, and all applications for
bail were refused.
LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. By AGNES
STRICKLAND. Cheaper Edition. Vol. 6,—" This is one
of the most pleasing of Miss Strickland's interesting
volumes. It is devoted to the life of the beautiful and
unfortunate Mary Beatrice, of Modena, Queen of James
11. The biography of this Princess has never before
been written, while the allusions to her in English history
have proceeded from no friendly pens, and yet there was,
perhaps, no Queen of England whose life abounds iu
circumstances of more touching interest. As Miss Strick-
land truly remarks—' There are epochs in her life when
she comes before us in her beauty, her misfortunes, her
conjugal tenderness, and passionate maternity, like one
of the distressed Queens of tragedy, or romance, strug-
gling against the decrees of an adverse destiny.' The
materials for the life of the consort of the last of the
Stuart Kings are chiefly derived froi a unpublished let-
ters and documents procured from th p secret archives of
France, through the influence of M. 12,uizot. The light
thrown by the volume on the person al history of King
James,
on
the
ee charactersday,is consid of n any of the leading
personagesand
of
IChronicle. Morning