The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-11 00:00:00

RAIL-WAY TRAFFIC RETURNS'.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.--
Traffic return for the week ending April 8,
1854 £12,963 1 7
Corresponding week last year 11,492 19 9
Total of the half-year to this date, 1854 139,978 3 0
Total of the half-year to this date, 1853 122,377 3 1

LONDON AND SOUTH-EASTERN RAlLWAY.—Traffic re•
turn for the week ending April 1, 1851 £16,047 12 1
Corresponding week last year 13,737 7 7

Increase in 1854..

£2,310 4 6

MILITARY CAMP, OR TRAINING GROUND.—The autho-
rities of the War-office, having obtained a grant from
Parliament of 100,0001., for the purpose of purchasing
land for occupation by the army, have bought about
4,000 acres of land at Aldershot, Farnham, and Ash, in
the counties of Hampshire and Surrey, about 35 miles
from London. From the bold elevations and undulating
character of the land, it is admirably adapted for that
purpose. The Basingstoke Canal, with some contribu-
tory lakes at Ash, affords opportunities of display in
crossing rivers, and exercise in various other military
tactics. The nearest railway stations from London will
be the South-Eastern and the South-Western, both at
Ash, and within a mile of the ground. It is intended to
encamp the militia on the ground in the ensuing month.
Parties are already building and speculating on the im-
proved value of land in that locality.
COMMUNICATION WITEI TURRRY.—The communica-
tion with Turkey has further been improved by the es-
tablishment of a supplementary mail service between
Marseilles and Constantinople by packets of the French
Government. French mail packets will hereafter leave
Marseilles for Constantinople six times in each month,
viz. on the Ist, 6th, 1 lth, 16th, 21st, and 26th of the
month. The packets leaving on the Ist, 11th, and 21st
will call at Malta, Syra, Smyrna, Mytilene, the Darda-
nelles, and Gallipoli, and those leaving on the 6th,
16th, and 26th will call at the Piratus, at Messina, and
Gallipoli. The latest period for posting in London let-
ters intended to be forwarded by these packets, will be
the evenings of the 3rd, Bth, 13th, 18th, 23rd, and' 28th.
mofaeyacbhempoonstteh ;
dobnutthew2h9etnhthi
nesmteoandthofhtahse32lBdt
ha y. s , eOnt
theers
other hand, letters must be posted on the previous
evenings when any of the dates above specified fall on a
Sunday.

ST. PETERSBURG.—The advices from Russia continue
to exhibit a total absence of reaction from the rapid de-
terioration of the Government paper currency. At St.
Petersburg strong evidence is given of the view enter-
tained by the commercial classes as to the value of the
statements attempted to be diffused, that a stock of
bullion remains in the fortress equal to 19,000,0001. or
20,000,0001. sterling, by the fact that the bank-notes for
which this gold is represented to be the security have
fallen to a discount of 12 per cent. The last quotation
of exchange on London was 33d., and there is every
' indication that the Czar can hope for no financial re-
sources to enable him to maintain large armies out of
his own territory for any lengthened period. Mean-
while, mercantile disasters of considerable importance
are taking place. Ilja Stephanoff, a cotton-dealer at St.
Petersburg, has just failed for aboub 70,0001., together
with M. Jensen, also a broker at Riga, for about
40,0001., while at Moscow the three firms of A
_eoxs e
yeff, T. Mathias, and C. Kyber, the amount. of whose
liabilities is not yet known, have likewise suspended
A t Riga the weather was mild, and the ice was
to b rheaadk
arrived,
vaebtoLuatntdhesoiltillieefofthtisherilonh.
e•
e ?Ttedo
would
NvSbev expectedelrkal ves-
sels ttake away cargoeg. At Revel, also,
some exports
hemp, &c., were iii progress
sent to Prussia and shipped ii Meow!.
ATHERTON, by Mary Russell 11...litford, author o
"Our Village," &c. A genuine English story of the
old school, Irts become very rare ; but Miss Mitford,
the most truly English of our popular authors, has
proved by the publication of her new novel "Atherton,"
that the style has lost none of its charm, and the inci-
dents and character none of their interest. Such a
heroine as " Katy" would make the fortune of any un-
known writer ; and the various adventures of the tenants
of "The Hall," and "The Great Farm," afford materials
for novel-writing which even an inexperienced constructor
of stories must have rendered effective. In the hands
of the authoress of " Our Village," the narrative be-
comes one of the most attractive that has been pub-
lished for some years ; and its literary merit, in con-
junction with its purely national character, must recom-
mend " Atherton" to every reader of taste in the
kingdom.