The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-03 00:00:00

WEST INDIA .MAIL.

The Royal Mail Company's steam-ship La Plata,
Captain C. G. Weller, arrived at Southampton yes-
terday afternoon, at six o'clock, from the West In-
dies, with the usual mails, in charge of Lieutenant
O'Reilly, Admiralty agent.
On her homeward voyage the La Plata experi-
enced head winds for the first nine or ten days,
after which she had fine weather.

The latest dates brought by the La Plata are :
Vera. Cruz, Jan 5 ; Tampico, 1; Havannah, 9 ;
Cliagres, 8 • Carthagena, 11 ; Jamaica, 11 ; Deme-
rara, 9 • Trindad, 11 ; Barbadoes, 16 ; Grenada,
'l2 • Porto Rico, 14 ; St. Thomas, 19 ; La Guayra,
9 ; Nassau, ; Antigua, 13 ; Jacmel, 12 ; Santa
Martha, 9 ; Grey Town, 2 ; Bermuda, 11.
The La Plata brings on freight $1,038,000 on
merchants' account, $21,500 for the dividends,
$1,060,000 gold dust, four packages platina, 138
serons cochineal, 32 serons of jalapa, 30 kegs of
ginger' 51 cases of cigars, containing 12,000 each,
two bales of sarsaparalla, and a general cargo, con-
sisting of 22 serons indigo, and 59 packages sun-
dries.

At Barbadoes.—Her Majesty's ship Dauntless,
Captain Halsted, having lost 73 men and 15 officers.
The Devas'cation, arrived here, with orders from
the admiral to tow out the Dauntless, if unable to
proceed herself to Antigua ; but Captain Halsted
having refused the assistance, the Devastation re-
turned.

Stations of the Company's Steam-ships.—The
Great Western, Captain Jellicoe' Spanish Main ;
the Thames, Captain Abbot, at Barbadoes, having
lost the purser, Mr. Edward Channell, of fever, a
few days before the mail left ; the Trent, Captain
Bevis, at St. Thomas's, two midshipmen having
died of fever, Mr. Woolley and Mr. Allen ; the Dee,
Captain Wilson, at St. Thomas's, having lost 13
hands, including two engineers, Mr. Bacon and Mr.
Irving, the second officer, Mr. Hammond and Mr.
Ritchie (chief engineer) having been left sick at
Carthagena ; the Conway, Captain Sawyer, at
Jamaica, en route to Chagres ; the Eagle, Captain
Baynton, en route to Honduras ; the Derwent,
Captain Ellison, from Northern Islands, having
lost Mr. Henry Edo, purser, and the chief steward.
Mr. Ede died at St. Thomas's on the 3d of
January.
Our accounts from Barbadoes state that the
yellow fever still lingered there. The fever had
disappeared from the populous localities of the
town. Deputy-Assistant Commissary-General Cum-
mings died on the Ist of January, after a few days'
illness. The House of Assembly had adjourned
for a month. The weather had been very favour-
able for agricultural operations, and the canes had
recovered wonderfully from the injurious effect of
the drought. Planters were busy preparing for
the harvest.
The Trinidad papers contain no news, and are
chiefly occupied with descriptions of the first annual
exhibition of live stock, staples, and provisions,
which took place on the 2d of January.
In St. Lucia the weather had been unsettled.
Several States had commenced grinding, and a fair
progress in the manufacture of sugar had been
made. The new ordinance for the collection of
rum duties was proclaimed on the 3d of January.
Martinique continued very unhealthy. The
manager of the newly established bank had arrived
from France, bringing the necessary powers for
commencing business.
From Antigua we learn that, with the continu-
ance of fine weather, the island will ship one of the
largest crops known for some years. The Domi-
Tnihcaohe Colonists state that the crops of that island
promise very fairly.
The
Throughout
tite
shhMwaienstplonrtdsiewsegreengereallneryallthye healthy.weather
was very unseasonable and unhealthy from the
hadmopep rreeshsiev araelthhyea.t. From St. Thomas's the fever
disappeared, and
eraanrda theereslwiipaspinaggrweaats
deal of sickness, particularly among the shipping—
so much so that black captains were appointed
to several vessels in place of the masters who had
died.

The Dauntless is stated to have lost 73 men and
16 officers by yellow fever. The Devastation had
touched at Barbadoes with orders from the Admiral
to tow out the Dauntless if unable to proceed her-