The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-22 00:00:00

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE ASIA.
LIVERPOOL, AUG. 21.
By the Royal mail steam-ship Asia, Lott, com-
mander, we have advices from New York to the
10th inst. She has brought 84 passengers, and
491,200 dols. in specie on freight.
The Asia passed the following vessels :—August
10, ships Constitution and Victoria, from Liver-
pool, going into New York ; 13th, in lat. 44.8,
long. 58.10, the Bremen ship George Williams,
bound west; 14th, at 3.30 p.m., in lat. 47.13,
long. 51.24, the steamer America, from Liverpool,
for Halifax and Boston ; 16th, at 8.20 a.m., in
lat. 49.58, long. 39.39, the United States' steamer
Pacific, from Liverpool for New York ; same clay,
at 3 p.m., ship Britannia, steering west.
The United States' steam-ship Baltic, Comstock,
commander, from Liverpool, arrived at New York

on the 7th inst.
The steamer Star of the West had arrived at
New York with advices from San Francisco to tl:e

16th ult. and upwards of 1,000,000 dols. in gold-
dust on freight.
The steamer John L. Stevens sailed from San
Francisco on the 16th ult., with 1,488,852 dols. in

gold-dust, en route for New York.
The steamer Brother Jonathan had sailed from
San Juan for New York, with 639,200 dots.

gold-dust on freight.
A very serious collision had occurred on the
Camden and Amboy Railroad, by which four per-
sons were killed and several others badly injured.
The weather at New Orleans was still very hot,
and the fever greatly on the increase. The deaths
for the week ending on the 31st ult. were 884, of
which 692 were by the fever. In 48 hours ending
on the 2d inst. 299 deaths occured, of which 243
were by yellow fever. On the sth inst. the deaths
were upwards of 150 from yellow fever.
The correspondent of the New York Herald,
Washington, of August 9, says :
"It is reported that the overtures of Mr. Crampton
for the settlement of the fishery question cover a broad
margin of reciprocities, to wit :—Free trade with the
British North American colonies, American registers to
colonial fishing smacks, the privileges of our Californian
coasting trade, and a perfect footing of equality to
Yankee fishermen in the colonial fishing places, and so
forth. Perhaps, something to the general cause of free
trade may be the result. But, not knowing much of
the antecedents of our Premier on this subject of the
fishery negotiations, we cannot be more explicit. He is
mighty cautious, but he may prove to be fast enough
yet. We hope, at all events, he will stick to it till
something is done."

St. John's (New Brunswick) papers of the Bth
inst. state that fires had been raging in the woods
on Prince Edward's Island fearfully during the
previous week. Some farmers had lost houses,
barns, fences, and all their crops, and very few
have escaped without losing some of their fencing
and grain. A great number of sheep had also been
lost ; in fact, the extent of the damage done cannot
yet be ascertained.

The news from California is interesting. The
town of Ophir had been destroyed by fire ;the loss
is estimated at $BO,OOO to $lOO,OOO. The beautiful
village of French Corral had likewise been almost
entirely destroyed ; the loss is estimated at $50,000
Lola Montes was married in San Francisco on the
2d ult. to Mr. P. P. Hull, late proprietor of the
San Francisco Whig. Mr. Hull was a fellow pas-
senger with the fascinating countess on her journey
to California, and the acquaintance then formed fast
ripened into an attachmentwhich terminated fatally
to his bachelorhood. The wheat crops in most of
the agricultural districts of California were suffering
from rust. The summer fires had also done much
damage to the grain crops. The mammoth tree in-
Calaveras County, the greatest and most wonderful
production of the vegetable kingdom ever known,
has been cut down for speculative purposes. A
letter from Captain Love, of the California Rangers,
states that he had captured the brother of the no-
torious robber, Joaquin, who had offered, on a pro-
mise of being released, to conduct the Rangers to
the place of concealment of Joaquin and his gang.
The Fund Commissioners of Sacramento City have
paid the principal and interest of the city bonds
held in California and in New York, amounting to
$llO,OOO. Six months ago, where now stands the
handsome village of lone Valley, there was not a
house, now there are substantial dwelling-houses,
hotels, a church, livery stable, saw mills, stores,
&c. A Chinese church was about being built in
San Francisco. It is to be 45 feet long by 42 wide,
and three stories high. The Commissioners of the
Funded Debt had presented their second annual
report, from which it appeared that the total
amount of the funded debt of San Francisco was
$1,517,652 90c., $92,000 were redeemed in 1852,
and so far this year. $22,900. A further sum of
$lO,OOO will be redeemed during the present month
The real estate sold at auction by the commissioners
during the past year netted $216,085 95c., from the
proceeds of which there has been cancelled of the
old floating debt of the city $lBB,BOO 82c. From
the Custom-house statistics, published by the San
Francisco Shipping List, some idea may be formed
of the great importance of San Francisco in a com-
mercial point of view. A city of only four or five
years' growth, upon a coast before that time but
little known and but thinly populated, has with
magic rapidity risen to rank as the third seaport
in the United States. Within the six months ending
June 27, the number of American vessels that
entered San Francisco coastwise was 216, with a
total tonnage of 148,812. During the same time
two whalers arrived, measuring 355 tons. Of these
—l7 were steamers, tonnage 18,523 ; 140 ships,
tonnage 115,438 2 • 31 barks, tonnage, 10,813 ; 13
brigs, tonnage 2,331; and 14 schooners, tonnage
1,707. The number of foreign vessels entering
coastwise, from Benicia, in ballast, during the
same time was 'T, with a tonnage of 5,143 ; of these
6 were steamers, and 2 ships. The number of
American vessels entering from foreign ports was
105, with an average tonnage of 63,055 ; of these
37 were steamers, chiefly from the Isthmus, with
a tonnage of 44,565 ; 13 ships, tonnage 7,457 ; 17
barks, tonnage 4,940 ; 22 brigs, tonnage 3,812 ;
16 schooners, tonnage 2,281. The number of fo-
reign vessels, entering from foreign ports was 231,
with a tonnage of 72,600 ; of these 52 were ships,
tonnage 25,349 ; 103 barks, tonnage 34,774 ; 58
brigs, tonnage 13,351 ; and 18 schooners, tonnage
2,126. The accounts from the mining districts are
very satisfactory. New gold diggings had been
discovered at Umqua river. The report was that
the miners were taking out over 1 dol. to the pan,
and some even more than that, with prospects,
from the appearance of things, of striking rich
lodes in the neighbourhood. A large quantity of
rich gulch and hill diggings had been found near
Vallecita, sufficient, it is said, to last for years to
come. An immense business in the way of mining
was also doing at White Rock, four miles from
Placerville. Rich diggings have also been ' dis-
covered in the hills at the head of Rich Gulch.
One of the parties sunk a shaft some 30 feet and
took 10 ounces of gold from eight buckets of dirt.
A correspondent of the Sha.sta Courier, writing
from Pittsburg, a mining town in the northern
part of the State, says :
" Quite an excitement was produced here a short time
since by the discovery of rich diggings in the hill this
side of Rich Gulch, just where the trail crosses the gulch.
As high as $6 was taken out in one bucketful of dirt.
The depth to the rock is about three feet. People ' run
all night' to secure claims, and a friend who was on the
ground early on the following morning informs us that
he saw some ten or a dozen notices within a few feet of
each other, having been posted in the dark. About a
week since four Englishmen took out two pounds of gold
near the mouth of Rich Gulch."

A large amount of business had been transacted
in the San Francisco markets during the fortnight.
The trade generally, anticipating the arrival of a
large fleet of vessels, many of them overdue, had
allowed their stocks to run low ; consequently a
large portion of the leading articles of the heavy
importations met with a ready sale at rather im-
proved rates. In golddust there had been a decided
tendency towards a diminution in the supply, but
prices remained the same. Money in demand at 3
to 4 per cent, per month. The transactions in
stocks had been to a considerable extent at advanced
prices.
A letter from Surinam (Dutch Guiana) of July
16 states that African slavery is soonto be abolished
in that colony, and that Chinese coolies are to be
introduced instead.

Advices from the Sandwich Islands of the 15th of
June are unimportant. Her Majesty's sloop of
war Amphitrite arrived at Honolulu on the 27th of
May. _

Accounts from Tahiti of the 4th of May state that
the French Empire was proclaimed on the 17th of
April by M. Page, " Commander of the Mar-
quesas " with 300 guns. In the evening there was
an illumination and a dinner given bythe Governor.
The
Queen and her husband and the Consuls of
England and the United States were present.
In the New York stock-market but little busi-
ness had been transacted, and prices had slightly
declined. There was a fall in Erie Railroad shares
of ; Nicaragua Transit, The sales of State
stocks were confined to 2,000 dolls. Kentucky
Sixes. at 1071 ; Indiana State Fives, at 982. : Cali-
fornia Seven per Cents., 87. Small lots of City
stocks were also brought forward for—viz., New
York City Fives, 1870, 1031 ; 2,000 dolls. St.
Louis Sixes, 97 ; 1,000 dolls. Louisville City Si xes,
96. The money-market was unsettled. Loans on
call, 7 to 8 per cent. for first-class paper.
.Fotr
foreign exchange the demand was limited. Firs -
class bills could be bad at 109 to 1091, at 60 days,
on London ; Paris, 60 days, 5.15 to 5.121 ; short
sight, 5.10. We quote:—Londou, 108 to 1091;