The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-16 00:00:00

THE PENINSULAR MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, MAY 14.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Iberia, Captain John Bowen, arrived at 2 p.m. to-
day with the usual mails from Gibraltar of the 4th ;
Cadiz, the sth ; Lisbon, the 9th ; and Oporto and
Vigo, the 10th inst.
The Iberia brings 51 passengers, among whom
are Lord George Loftus and Captain Paulson, R.N.,
and on freight three packages of specie, value 7561.,
seven barrels of dates, 537 half-chests of oranges,
32 half-chests of lemons, 62 boxes and eight bags
of new potatoes, 35 packages of green peas, 56
cases of eggs, and sundry merchandise.
The Iberia on her outward voyage, while pro-
ceeding from Oporto to Lisbon, fell in with the
wreck of a large vessel bottom upwards, and, as
the same wreck was observed in a similar position
on the 2d of April last, there is reason to believe
that the anchor of the vessel is at the bottom, and
will remain there, unless measures, are taken for
its removal.

Her Majesty's steamer Firebrand. was anchored
at Lisbon when the Iberia, left.

On the Bth inst., at 5.30 a.m., the steam-ship
Ripon, with the outward India, China, and Aus-
tralian mails was telegraphed passing the mouth of
the Tagus, bound to Gibraltar, Malta, and Alex-
andria.

The Lisbon exchanges for bills at three months
are quoted this mail at 54A- to #on London ; Paris,
527 to 528 ; Amsterdam, 43, ; Hamburgh, 481 ;
Genoa, 525 to 526. Few transactions had taken
place, and money remained over on London at 54k;
Five per Cent. Stock, 40k to 1 ; Threo per Cents.,
32 to 32 ; Bank of Portugal Shares, 185 to 188
milreis discount per share. These rates are in
Lisbon bank notes, which were at 2k per cent. dis-
count. Bank of Oporto shares, 4 to 5 per cent.
premium, in metal.
The following is the letter of our Lisbon corres-
pondent, dated the 9th inst. :

" The first sod of Messrs. Hislop and Waring's
projected railway from Lisbon to the Spanish fron-
tier was turned by the Queen of Portugal on Satur-
day last, in a field near the Beato Antonio, about
three miles from the centre of the city, and half a
mile north of the Tagus. A programme regulating
the ceremony had been published on the sth."
From Oporto our accounts are to the 10th inst.
Exchange for the past few weeks had been stationary
at 541 to 1. The Custom-house revenue for April
amounted to 159 cantos. The shipments of wine to
Great Britain during the same month amounted to
4,000 pipes, and 13,500 pipes for the first four months
of this year. The wine market was brisk, and
prices continued to keep up. The holders of
brandy also looked for higher prices. Politics were
quite in abeyance. London wine freights were
nominally quoted at 355. The vessels loading were
principally Dutch and Hanoverian galliots, there
being few British vessels in port. One vessel had
arrived to load for Australia.

Our Gibraltar advices are to the 4th inst. Her
Majesty's ship Antelope, the French war steamers
Grondeur and Petrel, the Portuguese steamer of
war Argos, and the Sardinian brig of war Eridana,
were at anchor in the bay. The British freight-
ship Emerald Isle sailed for Quebec on the 28th
ult. The screw-steamer Tiber, six days from Liver-
pool, arrived on the 30th ult., en route to Italy.
The screw-steamer Grecian, 5 days 20 hours from
Liverpool, arrived on the Ist inst., bound to Alex-
andria, and the steamer Balbec, 14 days from Con-
stantinople and 5 days from Malta, touched at
Gibraltar the same day, en route to Liverpool.
The Orestes, 11 days from Alexandria and 5 from
Malta, arrived on the 2d, and sailed for Liverpool.
Exchange on London was quoted at 51g. Spanish
pillared dollars, 21 to 2l per cent. premium.
The Spanish steam-frigate Isabella Segunda was
to leave Cadiz for Havannah on the 7th inst.

ME NEW EXCHEQUEE BONDS.—Subjoined is the re-
turn from the Bank of England of the progress of the
conversion of Consols and Reduced. The amounts con-
tinue extremely small, and it will be noticed with sur-
prise that, although the terms upon which the new Ex-
chequer bonds are to be issued, and which were made
known for the first time this morning, are fully as favour-
able as had been at any time anticipated, not a sin-
gle application has been received for them. Con-
sidering that there was more unanimity as to the
way in which this new security would be welcomed
than existed with regard to either of the others, such
a result is very remarkable. It does not, however,
furnish any decided indication as to the final turn of
public opinion. At this moment the singular depres-
sion long observable at the Stock-Exchange is more
intense than ever, and the general soundness of the
scheme of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is not
to be impugned by the occurrence of a state of feeling
which, in some respects, is as inexplicable as the wea-
ther, from which, perhaps, it partly has its origin. One
cause, however, of the inconvenience now sustained, in
addition to any anxiety about the harvest, is sufficiently
obvious—namely, the continued absence of regular arri-
vals from Australia ; and it will be well for the Govern-
ment to recognise that if their present plans are jeopar-
dised they will owe the circumstance in no small deg,:ee
to their former obstructiveness in relation to steam com-
munication with that country, and the subsequent want
of promptitude in establishestablishing
" Bank of England, May 14.

t..e crtlh7i3sol Day
sB. d.
58,100Ni11.6
Thr" Aeem.sonudn.tas-RofaNlfewporStocecnktss.acc7
Half per Cents.
6.
sixth
for rights of choice amongst the THETExweoholaeoncirtuds-eaErlnb°vAnTdisvE• ...
• LAND- —The six
public drawing
uncom-
pleted shareholders took place on Saturday, at the
offices, 33, Norfolk-street, Strand, in presence of Vis-
countßanelagh, the Rev. Dr. Worthington, Mr Fector
Laurie, Mr. Cribb, and other members of the executive
committee and society. Fifty-four rights were drawn by
members in the following counties : Middlesex, Surrey,
Herefordshire, Yorkshire, Essex, Kent, Gloucester and
Herts. Twenty-five shares were added to the list by
seniority. It was announced from the chair that the
society had progressed, and was progressing, in a way
unequalled by any other society of a similar nature ;
that some additional purchases of estates will shortly be
made, and that the next drawing will take place in the
third week in June, at the Freemasons' Tavern, on the
occasion of the third quarterly meeting of the society.