The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-23 00:00:00

Pr N 1417 ;443-qiitiOn 4,4447 f +

SUN OFFICE, Six o'Clock.

lALY.

Letters from Rome of the 15th mention that a
despatch had been received there the day previous
from the War-office in Paris, ordering the depar-
ture of a battery of the Bth Regiment of Artillery
which has been for some time in garrison in that
city, and at the same time of a regiment of Dra-
goons. The half of that force was ordered to march
on the 20th, and the remainder on the 22d. They
are to go by laud, and it is only when they shall
have marched some distance that their destination
will be communicated to them. It is supposed that
they are to enter the Austrian territory, and thence
to proceed to the Danubian Principalities. I men-
tioned some days since, on the authority of a letter
from Lyons, that a brigade of cavalry of that city
and a considerable body of infantry were expected
soon to take the same route.

ALTI,R.ITION IV ME MAIL SERVICE TO
PENANG, SINGAPORE, AND CHINA.

General Post-office, Dec., 1854.
The mails from Penang, Singapore, and China, will in
future be forwarded once a month only, instead of
twice a month ; and the packet service, which hitherto
has not extended beyond Hong Kong, will be carried on
to Shanghai.
The mails for the above places intended to be de-
spatched by the route of Southampton, will be made up
in London on the morning of the 4th of every month
(commencing in January), and those via Marseilles on
the evening of the 9th of every month.
When, however, the 4th of the months falls on
Sunday, the mails via Southampton will be made up in
London on the previous evening, and when the 9th of
the months fills on a Sunday, the mails via Marseilles
will be made up on the evening of the following day.
ROWLAND HILL, Secretary.

STATE OF TRADE.

( From the Manchester Guardian of this day.)
MANCHESTER, Dec. 22.—There is hardly any notice-
able change in our market as compared with Tuesday
last. The Greek merchants continue to purchase yarns
and goods suitable for their markets ; the producers are
consequently well supplied with contracts, in many cases
for some weeks to come, and prices are maintained at
the highest point. For South America some business
is in progress. The advices from India have given no
impulse to the demand for that quarter, which, there-
fore, remains languid. The Germans and the Dutch are
buying cautiously and for immediate delivery, as their
customers watch very closely the declining tendency
which has latterly characterised our market and that of
Liverpool. On the whole, the balance of influences is
rather on the side of increased quietness.
LEICESTER, Dec. 21.—The approach of Christmas
finds the workmen better employed in all branches of
our trade, except the straight down kinds in the middle
gauges, the circular frames interfering considerably with
this sort. The yarn market is firm, with a fair business
doing. Notwithstanding the long depression which has
so long continued in the Bradford and Yorkshire mar-
kets, wools have remained firm, and are now
looking upwards. We hear of 28s. per ton being given
for first-rate tanners' lots.

NOTTINGHAM, Dec. 21.—The lace and hosiery trades
are as inactive as is usually the case at this season, and
until Christmas is turned it would be unreasonable to
expect a change for the better. A fair spring trade is
looked for, which may reasonably be expected.