The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-20 00:00:00

LATEST SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

(By Submarine and European Telegraph.)
CUSTOM-HOUSE RETURN,
GRAVESEND, OCT. 20, 2 P.M,

Wind, N.
Arrived—Betsey, Ostend ; Sophia Maria, Konigsberg ;
tnity, Antwerp ; Nina, Faro ; Mercur, Riga; Rosa,
United States ; Era, Danzig ; Imperara, Monte Video ;
Victoria, Nantes ; Lucia, Aden ; Thomas, Cadiz ; Adol-
phine, Archangel ; Maria, Danzig ; Ireton (s), Calais.
Sailed—Eluquay, for Port Philipj; Rokeby, Cape of Good
Rope ; Mary Sheppard, Shanghai ; Black River Packet,
Geelong ; Colonist, Hobart Town.
Back—Edey, for Port Philip, from the Chapman
Beacon, with loss of windlass.
Tide, three-quarter flood ; weather, fine.

Wind, N.N.W. fresh and fine.
Passed—Mates:from Shields to Constantinople ; Iron-
dale, London to Melbourne; Samuel Badger, London to
Havre ; Dorcas Prince, London to Newport ; Clydesdale,
London to Glasgow.

NOON.

Wind, N.N.W., fine.—Orion, from London to Cardiff,
anchored.

TEHUANTEPEC RAILWAY.

The New York correspondent of the Times gives
the following particulars in reference to the Tehuan-
tepec Railway, the contract for the construction of
Which has been signed by Sykes and Co., of Shef-
field, England :—" It appears that after Colonel
Sloo had learnt that the Mexican Government
Would not reaffirm the Garay grant, because they
deemed it to have been rendered utterly null and
void by the non-compliance with its conditions, he
proceeded to Mexico, and for certain considerations
Procured the exclusive and perpetual right of way
for a plankroad and a railroad across the Isthmus
of Tehuantepec, including the exclusive right of
navigation of the river Coatzacoalco. The right
was conferred on Colonel Sloo and his associates by
the then constitutionally existing authorities of the
Mexican Republic ; and a law was passed by the
Mexican Congress especially forth() purpose of recog-
nising the grant and adding the greatest possible
sanction to its legal validity. It was thought that
since Mexico was then in a disturbed state the vali-
dity of the grant might subsequently be questioned ;
and the highest authority of the State was invoked
to crown it. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was
authorized by the Meifcan Congress to recognize
the claims of Colonel Sloo, thus established by
legislative action, in a treaty which was proposed
for the acceptance of the United States and the
sole object of which was to impart the highest in-
ternational sanction to the Sloo grant. When
Santa Anna returned to Mexico and took the con-
tol of the Government, he readily concurred in all
that had been done on this subject, and instructed
his Minister to the United States to press the
adoption by our Senate of the treaty of which
have spoken. This treaty arrived in Washing-
ton too late for the action of our Senate last
spring ; but, as there is no objection to it, it
will doubtless pass that body as a matter of form
only ; while I have ascertained that the same
Minister now has in his possession, already exe-
cuted by Santa Anna, another copy of the same
treaty, ready for delivery on the exchange of rati-
fications. It was with a full knowledge of all
these facts that Sykes and Co., of Sheffield, un-
dertook the construction of the Tehuantepec
jl‘nkroad and Railroad. The taint of suspicion
'as attached to the validity of nearly all the
Pants for special or exclusive rights made to
clividuals or corporations by the Americano-
A _Panish Governments in both North and South
"'lnerica. This has been owing chiefly either
t° the informality which has attended the
here
of these grants, or to the fact that they
"ere made during the period of revolution. But,
r° the case of the Sloo grant, the question of in-
rurality, or legislative or official action during a
revolutionary period, can never legitimately be
.hrairsecl. ; for the grant had its origin in regular and
unanimous legislation, and has been confirmed and
'Warmed, under every form of executive Govern-
kent that has existed since.
" These are the reliable facts in the case ; and I
nem it advisable to state them, since British in-
!!rests are involved in the whole transaction. The
Tehuantepec Plankroad and Railroad will, be de
•"2"0, a British interest, as they are to be con-
ttructed mainly by British capital ; but, although
uilt mainly by British capital, the amount re-
rired is too small to affect the financial affairs of
4•
Igland even for the excitement of a day, as the
d is only 166 miles in length, and there are no
ngineering obstacles of a formidable character to
encounter. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is in lat.
tN., corresponding with that of Jamaica, and is
the_ salubrious region. The climatic obstacles that
t're opposed th construction of the railway across
Isthmus of Panama have proved far more
8el• ious than the engineerfinds in tunnelling moun-
`4lns or bridging rivers."

Is
bar
OU OP THE WILLIAM AND JANE BARQUE.—The
William and Jane, of Shields, from Galatz,
4°Midered at sea a week ago. Captain Joss and crew
4rrived at Plymouth on board a Norwegian brig yesterday.
'SWINDLING THEATRICALS.—An account was given in
August last of the condemnation to three years' impri-
'untuent of a man named Delagneau for having com-
mitted numerous acts of swindling by obtaining sub-
-Beriptions from different persons on pretence that they
fWere for the distressed widow and family of a literary
an of some note. Amongst his victims were Madames
',Aide Tedesco, Cruvelli, Cerito, and other theatrical
~..notabilities. To commit his frauds, he took the
tot4l° name of the Vicomte de Croix-Marie. The
al sum he received was about 2,500 f. On Saturday
;e aPpealed to the Imperial Court against the
icodemnation. The prisoner alleged that he is a
„erarY man by profession, that he had been connected
W
different newspapers, and that he had been accus-
ed to earn money by writing vaudevilles for noted
s`ratoatists, who brought them out under their own
ihanles• It was stated in the course of the proceedings
ih'44t in 1834 he was arrested for having been concerned
~.„-` a Carlo-re üblican plot, that in 4845 he was sentenced
P
.„.." four month's imprisonment for libel, and in 1850 he
;44 condemned to three months' imprisonment and five
. 'ears' interdiction of civil rights for swindling. In the
'Present case, he originally pretended that he had really
a
_e°°ted the money received to a distressed family, and
th
iirt he should be able to prove it by the testimony of
that family. But the proof was not forthcoming, and
e former sentence was confirmed.
a„ I'llE COTTON CROP IN THE UNITED STATES.—The
-`4.11 closed on the Ist of September with the largest
cotton crop ever produced in the United States, and
planter
fa:,_ may congratulate themselves on a twofold
-I""age- The prices they have received have so
::aseexdceeded those, even on the shorter crop of last
441., almost in the same ratio as the greatly in-
quantity of the crop itself. Prices have
et a$ been sustained with that remarkable degree of
but, which distinguished the market of last year ;
some although its fluctuations have proved a source of
vitt! annoyance to merchants,- they have been attended
The verY little inconvenience to planters themselves.
2, e extreme fluctuation for middling cotton has been
),Zl. per lb.. which is lc. higher than the average of last
before and only 2c. lower than the high prices of the year
200:o,; There has not only been an increase of about
e 1,.. u 0 bales over last year's crop, but an increase in the
thrafe Weight of the bales ; it having risen from 4381 b.
1852 erage of 1851 and 1852, to 4551 b., the average of
fifty.CedrolBiso3n;ptohnunsdmi.ncreasing the entire crop about
Sul,
air -41)E11. DEATH IN A COFFEE-HOUSE.—Last evening
IL; --' Baker, coroner, held an inquest at the London
tita-sPital n view of the body of Thomas Chap-
n, ages
ai)l3lfP eearhedtise 4undeyreartsh,o who was found dead at a
circumstances :—lt
ec,,ee , that the deceased was a carpenter, and bad
don. "'unto Lo.westofb on a visit to his friends in Lon-
:so,,, en rrived very late on Saturday night with his
15%
ullt?oadrihestrged a lodging at the Mazeppa Coffee-house,
eet, Whitechapel, where they retired to rest
of be., e 0 clock on Sunday morning. The boy got out
liea,,,"aanbdout 11 o'clock, but could not make the deceased
to be When the waiter was called deceased was found
--,Streetquite insensible. Mr. Comley, surgeon of High-
i, , was called h
h '• There Were w 0 pronounced the deceased to be
Rated
beet
sic, no marks of violence, but the deceased i'ated th t 4 after he drank some coffee. Mr. Comley
4%1 ttat the deceased had died of apoplexy arising
Nod b rtT causes. The jury returned a verdict of
° visitation of God."

STAB P

PONY,

The annual general meeting of the proprietors in this
company was held yesterday in the large room of the
Clarendon Hotel, Terrace-gardens, Gravesend.
Mr. CHARLES BECKET, one of the directors of the com-
pany, in taking the chair, after referring with much
feeling to the loss they sustained by the death of their
late chairman, Mr. James Harmer, said that he had
himself been twenty years one of the directors of the
Star Packet Company, and he could now truly say that
at no period during that time had their affairs been in a
more prosperous condition than in the present year, as
the reports, which would be laid before them, would
evince. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. W. DOBSON then read the auditors' report, which
was to the effect, that there was a balance in hand from
the last year of 1,4321. 17s. 9d. ; that the earnings of
the packets in the year just ended amounted to 26,5711.
lis., and that other items, including the sale of the
Vesper packet and an issue of new shares, made a total
of receipts of 29,4021. is. id. ; that the disbursements
(including 4,3501. further payment for the Mars packet
2,7501. for purchase and fitting of the Comet packet in
the present year, and 5261. 7s. expenses of a collision

with a barge, with 8111. 17s. 11d. dividend and inte

rest), amounted to 27,9231. 4s. 2d., leaving a balance,
after payment of all liabilities, in favour of the com-
pany of 1,5781. 16s. 11d., to be carried to the account
of the next year. Mr. Dobson then read the directors'
report, which, after expressing deep regret at the loss of
their late chairman, Mr. Harmer, proceeded to con-
gratulate the proprietors on the increased prosperity of
the company's affairs during the year just passed, and
the still greater prosperity they had every reason to
anticipate in the future, and recommended that a divi-
dend of ss. per share of 51. or 51. per cent. be paid on
the original shares, and that 2s. 6d. per share for the
half-year be paid on the new shares.

This recommendation was adopted unanimously.
Mr. Becket having been elected chairman of the
board of directors, all the directors and other officers of
the past year were re-elected by acclamation.
On the motion of Mr. JOLLIFFE, a proprietor, who
expressed his extreme satisfaction at the prosperous
state of the company's affairs, which he was perfectly
convinced was owing mainly to the admirable manage.
ment, zeal, and persevering exertions of their secretary,
Mr. Dobson, in his department, a recommendation to
the directors to add 1001. a year to that gentleman's
salary of 2001. a year, was unanimously adopted by the
proprietors.

Another PROPRIETOR said, that as it was the bounden
duty of the proprietors to testify their warm acknow-
ledgments of their secretary to their interests, they weie
no less bound to mark their strong sense of the admi-
rable services of their treasurer, Mr. Coles Arnold, he
therefore moved that 1001. should be voted for the pur-
pose of presenting to that gentleman a piece of plate
that would be a perpetual testimonial of the proprietors'
high estimation of his zeal and energy in promoting the
welfare and prosperity of the company.—Carried with
acclamation.

Mr. DOBSON and Mr. ARNOLD having respectively re-
turned thanks for this spontaneous proof of the estima-
tion their services to the company were held in by the
proprietors, and a vote of thanks having been passed
to the chairman, the meeting, exulting in the prospe-
rous condition of the company's affairs, separated.