The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-04 00:00:00

AMERICA

LIVERPOOL,
The America has arrived with advices from eV.'
York to the 21st, and 564,227 doll. and 8501.':.:
She passed the Canada on the 23d ult.
The Washington corre6pondent of the Herald
states that a change was about to take place in the
Cabinet by the withdrawal of Messrs. Marcy,
Campbell, and Guthrie.
Mr. Marcy is to replace Mr. Buchanan in Lon-
don. Mr. Mason will probably resign his post in
France, and take a seat in the cabinet. Soule,
Belmont, and Seymour will be recalled.

American advices from Cuba to the 16th state
that the Cubans contemplated a rising.
The Secretary of the Treasury had given erotica
that he was preparged to purchase, before the 20th
of November, certain stocks, amounting to about
3,840,000 dols.
The Herald states that a despatch had been re-
ceived from Mr. Buchanan in London, advising
strong measures respecting Cuba, but that the Go-
vernment is not prepared for such a determined

course.
For public securities the tendency was down-
wards ; in consequence of heavy losses by fires and
at sea insurance stocks bad suffered.
The cotton-market bad declined. The transac-
actions in grain were limited, holders being firm.
Their was a fair export and speculative demand
for common brands of State flour, and the market
was firm. In better grades there was less doing.
Freights to Liverpool were firmer.
Exchange on London, 1084 to 1091.
The news from Europe was published at New
York on the 23d ult.
Flour has advanced. The market is unsettled,
holders of wheat and corn asking a considerable
advance.

The money-market is stringent ; stocks dull.

Cotton was dull and had receded.
The Canadian had arrived at Portland.

THE', PENINSULAR MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY NIGHT.
By the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
steam-ship Madrid we have dates from Gibraltar
to the 24th ; Cadiz, 25th ; Lisbon, 29th ; Oporto
and Vigo, the 30th ult. The Madrid brings on
freight specie valued 14,9001., 391 boxes of oranges,
and a sundry cargo of wine, dates, eggs, &c. She
changed signals to-day with- a British line-of-battle
ship off St. Alban' Heal.
From Gibraltar we are advised of the incessant
passage through the Straits of ships of war and
transports laden with troops and stores towards
the East. The steam-ship Cleopatra passed on the
17th ult. ; the Caudia, for Toulon, on the 20th; the
Robert Small, on the same day ; the Ripon, bound
for Tonle n, arrived at Gibral tar on the 23d. The Royal
mail steam-ship Thames passed the Straits on the
night of the 22d. Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle
ship Hannibal, with supernumerary Marines and
ordnance stores for the Black Sea, reached Gibral-
tar on the 21st, and proceeded, after a short delay,
for Sebastopol. The' steamer Rajah, with Govern-
ment stores for Constantinople, left Gibraltar on
the 24th ult. Her Majesty's steam gun-boat Snake
arrived on the 24th, iu six days from Plymouth,
and sailed for the East. The screw steamer Melita,
arrived at Gibraltar on tho 23d, en route for Smyrna.
The troop-ship Alipore arrived at Gibraltar on the
24th ult. A British screw transport ship passed

the Straits on the 23d ult., Name unknown. The
steamer Amazon, bound for Constantinople, arrived
on the 22d. The British b 0 Captain has put into
Gibraltar, leaky.

LATER FROill THEMRAZILS.

ARRIVAL OF THE BAHIANA.

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY NIGHT.
The Royal Mail screw steam-ship Bahiada, Cap-
tain Daniel Green, has just arrived, with ad vices
from Buenos Ayres to October 12th ; Monte Video,
16th • Rio Janeiro, Ist ultimo ; Bahia, 6th ; Per-
nambuco, 9th ; Madeira, 24th, and Lisbon, 27th.
She brought 5,2161. 12s. 6d. in gold (comprising
1,270 Spanish ounces), and diamonds valued at
44,966. sterling, and 12 passengers.
At Monte Video, the poverty of the internal re-
sources of the province daily became more appa-
rent, and business in imports could hardly be in a
more apathetic state.
At Rio Janeiro, exchange on London ruled at
27i to 28, and on France, 345 to 348 per franc.
Freights—To the Channel, 525. 6d. to 555. ; London
and Liverpool, 40s. to 455. ; Hamburgb, 50s. to
555. ; Mediterranean, 555. to 60s. ; and United
States, 70c. to 80c. Bullion—Spanish and Patriot
doubloons, mil. 28 650 to mil. 28 750 ; sovereigns,
mil. 8 700 to mil. 8 800.

From Bahia we learn that the port was quite
healthy, that sugars were coming in slowly, and the
cane was beginning to suffer from drought. Some
unimportant transaotions had taken place in Ex-
change at 271- Freights to London, 50s. to 555. ;
Lirerpool, 40s, to 455. ; Channel (for orders), 02s.
Gd. to 555. ; Hamburgit, 555. to GOs. ; and to the
Baltic ports, 60s. to 655. per tou.

The exports from Pernambuco for the year ended
the Ist Nov. exhibited a total of 16,941 bags of
cotton, 580,533 bags 89,374 barrels 5 boxes 676
cases, or 50,963 tons of sugar, 139,947 hides, and
5,901 pipes of rum. When compared with 1853,
these returns exhibit a falling off.

THE BRITISH FLEET IN THE OLDEN
TIME.

The fleet of Richard I. of England, when he weighed
anchor for the Holy War, from Messina, in Sicily, where
he passed the winter A.D. 1190-1, is said to have con-
aisted of 13 dromones, or ships of the largest size ; 250
ships of second-rate ; 53 galleys, and a vast number of
barques and other vessels used as transports. Edward
lll.'s fleet before Calaii, in 1317, consisted of 738 ships,
carrying 14,956 mariners, being an average of only about
20 in each ship ; 15 ships, and 495 mariners, from Bay-
onne, being 30 to each ship ; 7 ship', and 148 men, from
Spain ; 1 from Ireland, carrying 25 men ; 14 from Flan-
ders, with 133 men, scarcely 10 to each ship ; 1 from
Guelderland, with 24 mariners. 15 of these were called
the King's own ships, and were manned by 419 mari-
ners. It would thus be seen that the British vessels of
that period were of a small size. About the middle of

the 15th century ships of larger proportions began to be
constructed. William Canning, the eminent merchant,
who was five times mayor of Bristol, A.D. 1474, having
forfeited the King's peace, was condemned to pay
300 marks--in lieu of which sum Edward VI.
took of him 2,470 tons of shipping, amongst which
there were one ship of 900 tons burden, one of
500 tons and one of 400 tons. In 1506 James IV. of
Scotland built a large ship, which was lost on her way
to France. In the fleet fitted out by Henry VIII. there
was one ship, the Regent, of 1,000 tons. The Henri
Grace Dieu, was of a still larger size, and said to have
been the first vessel which accomplished a voyage round
the world. At the present time, when so much atten-
tion is directed to naval affairs, it may not be without
interest to give the following particulars of our navy of
former days, and which in 1575 consisted of only 24
ships, and the number of merchant ships belonging to
England amounted to no more than 135 vessels of above
100 tons, and 656 between 40 and 101 tons. At Queea
Elizabeth's death, in 1603, there were not above four
merchant ships of 400 tons each. The largest of Queen
Elisabeth's ships of war was 1,000 tone, and carried 340
men and 40 guns, and the smallest 600 tons, carrying
150 men and 30 guns. The account given by Sir Wm.
Monsen, about the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth
a as follows :-
2 ships of 1,000 tons, carrying each 500 nen.
500 ~
900 „ ft / 400 ~
a „ 800 „ 400 ~
350 ~
2 ~ 700 Of 400 „
350 „
1 300
ft
tt

3 1)

GOO ~

4 „ 500 ~ f 7
2 ~ 400 "„ ft
310 fl
10
p
7 / 200 ',, If
9 smaller vessels ; 39 in the whole.

250 „
200 „
160 „
100 „

TILE Tourrsu EXHIBITION.—The directors of this
exhibition
sof d
benevolentlya issi
oon Monday, announce that they
Dec.
y intend
1 tlo,
for do-
vote the receipts
the benefit of the Patriotic Fund, which will be paid
over free of every expense.
The Right Rev. Dr. Burgess, one of the Roman
Catholic prelates in this country, died somewhat suddenly
on Friday evening last, from an affection of the heart, at
the convent of St. Frances de Sales, at Westbury-on-
Trim, whither he had arrived in the afternoon of the
same day on some ecclesiastical business. Dr. Burgess
was in the 64th year of his age, having been born in the
year 1791. He was formerly president of Prior Park
College, near Bath, and is reported to have been a pre-
late of amiable character and moderate opinions. Ho
eras appointed Bish( n of Clifton in 1851, succeeding
Dr. Hendren, whose name was brought before the world
in connection with the case of Miss Talbot in that year,

.and 'who has retired to a monastery at Nottingham.
ai-DE.ATH OF A CIENTENAIIIAN.—Died at Nairn, on
Pway last, the 27th inst., Donald Ross, at the patriarchal
314 e of 108 years. This is the age which his friends
directed to be inscribed on Lis coffin, but we believe he
vas several years older. etas said eh
as
employed,
when about 16 years of ag, one of the boat's crew in
carrying stones from the opposite side of Moray Firth to
Fort George, when that fortress was in course of
erec-
tion. He was a native of the parish of Nigg, Ross s
shire, and came to reside on the small farm of
Steps" about 25 years ago. Ile occupied it for some
time, but was subsequently a carter in
deathNairn.
and Ross
was on foot till within a month of his , re-
-34.192 tamed all his mental faculties to the latest hour of his
1649dt° .kife.—lnverness Courier.
1,707 Nzw GRANADA.—The advices received yesterday front
416 New Granada, both from the coast and the interior, re-
-2,G23'1 present the insurrectionary movement as drawing rapidly
39'7"i to a close. The Constitutional Government was holding
678 03
its sittings at Ibalpi, where the Congress was installed.