The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-16 00:00:00

THE PENINSULAR MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, MAY 14.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Iberia, Captain John Bowen, arrived at 2 p.m. to-
day with the usual mails from Gibraltar of the 4th ;
Cadiz, the sth; Lisbon, the 9th ; and Oporta and
Vigo, the 10th inst.

The Iberia brings 51 passengers, among whom
are Lord George Loftus and Captain Paulson, R.N.,
and on freight three packages of specie, value 7561.,
seven barrels of dates, 537 half-chests of oranges,
32 half-chests of lemons, 62 boxes and eight bags
of new potatoes, 35 packages of green peas, 56
cases of eggs, and sundry merchandise.
The Iberia on her outward voyage, while pro-
ceeding from Oporto to Lisbon, fell in with the
wreck of a large vessel bottom upwards, and, as
the same wreck was observed in a similar position
on the 2d of April last, there is reason to believe
that the anchor of the vessel is at the bottom, and
will remain there, unless measures, are taken for
its removal.

Her Majesty's steamer Firebrand was anchored
at Lisbon when the Iberia left.

On the Bth inst., at 5.30 a.m., the steam-ship
Ripon, with the outward India, China, and Aus-
tralian mails was telegraphed passing the mouth of
the Tagus, bound to Gibraltar, Malta, and Alex-
andria.

The Lisbon exchanges for bills at three months
are quoted this mail at 54 to il on London ; Paris,
527 to 528 ; Amsterdam, 43k ; Hamburgh, 482 ;
Genoa, 525 to 526. Few transactions had taken
place, and money remained over on London at 544;
Five per Cent. Stock, 40f to g ; Three por Cents.,
32 to 32 ; Bank of Portugal Shares, 185 to 188
rnilreis discount per share. These rates are in
Lisbon bank notes, which were at 21- per cent. dis-
count. Bank of Oporto shares, 4 to 5 per cent.
premium, in metal.
The following is the letter of our Lisbon corres-
pondent dated the 9th inst.:--

" The first sod of Messrs. Hislop and Waring's
projected railway from Lisbon to the Spanish fron-
tier was turned by the Queen of Portugal on Satur-
day last, in a field near the Beato Antonio, about
three miles from the centre of the city, and half a
mile north of the Tagus. A programme regulating
the ceremony had been published on the sth."

From Oporto our accounts are to the 10th inst. '
Exchange for the past few weeks had been stationary
at 54i The Custom-house revenue for April
amounted to 159 cantos. The shipments of wine to
Great Britain during the same month amounted to
4,000 pipes, and 13,500 pipes for the first four months
of this year. Tho wine market was brisk, and
prices continued to keep up. The holders of
brandy also looked for higher prices. Politics were
quite in abeyance. London wine freights were
nominally quoted at 355. The vessels loading wero
principally Dutch and Hanoverian galliots, there
being few British vessels in port. One vessel had
arrived to load for Australia.
Our Gibraltar advices are to the 4th inst. Her
Majesty's ship Antelope, the French war steamers
Grondeur and Petrel, the Portuguese steamer of
war Argos, and the Sardinian brig of war Eridana,
were at anchor in the bay. The British freight-
ship Emerald Isle sailed for Quebec on the 28th
ult. The screw-steamer Tiber, six days from Liver-
pool, arrived on the 30th ult., en route to Italy.
The screw-steamer Grecian, 5 days 20 hours from
Liverpool, arrived on the Ist inst., bound to Alex-
andria, and the steamer Balbec' 14 days from Con-
stantinople and 5 days from Malta, touched at
Gibraltar the same day, en route to Liverpool.
The Orestes, 11 days from Alexandria and 5 from
Malta, arrived on the 2d, and sailed for Liverpool.
Exchange on London was quoted at 51g. Spanish
pillared dollars, 21 to 2,, per cent. premium.
The Spanish steam-frigate Isabella Segunda was
to leave Cadiz for Havannah on the 7th inst.

THE NEW EXCHEQUER BONDS.—Subjoined is the re-
turn from the Bank of England of the progress of the
conversion of Consols and Reduced. The amounts con-
tinue extremely small, and it will be noticed with sur-
prise that, although the terms upon which the new Ex-
chequer bonds are to be issued, and which were made
known for the first time this morning, are fully as favour-
able as had been at any time anticipated, not a sin-
gle application has been received for them. Con-
sidering that there was more unanimity as to the
way in which this new security would be welcomed
than existed with regard to either of the others, such
a result is very remarkable. It does not, however,
furnish any decided indication as to the final turn of
public opinion. At this moment the singular depres-
sion long observable at the Stock-Exchange is more
intense than ever, and the general soundness of the
scheme of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is not
to be impugned by the occurrence of a state of feeling
which, in some respects, is as inexplicable as the wea-
ther, from which, perhaps, it partly has its origin. One
cause, however, of the inconvenience now sustained, in
addition to any anxiety about the harvest, is sufficiently,
obvious—namely, the continued absence of regular arri-
vals from Australia ; and it will be well for the Govern-
ment to recognise that if their present plans are jeopar-
dised they will owe the circumstance in no small degree
to their former obstructiveness in relation to steam com-
munication with that country, and the subsequent want
of promptitude in establishing a mint :
" Bank of England, May H.
" Amounts of New Stocks accepted this Day
£ s. d.
Three and-a-Half per Cents. ... 17,301
6 it
sixth
Two-and-a-Half per Cents. ... 53,100 16
Exchequer-bonds •••
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY 211
kblic drawing for rights of choice amongst the
tuncom-
pleted shareholders took place on Saturday, at the
offices' 33, Norfolk-street, Strand, in presence of Vis-
CountEanelagh, the Rev. Dr. \Vorthingtou,' Mr Fector
Laurie, Mr. Cribb, and other members of the executive
Countiesy .four: i
Middlesex,
dwl
ee
sree x r
sa luvr
rn
ebyy,
cmoemmmbietrtse ei
na
the
sfooclileotwy p
Hneerrtefso. rdTshwireen,tYy.fiorykesh sharesiin, Essex, Kent, Gloucester and
were added to the list by
seniority. It was announced from the chair that the
suoneeig by
etuyalhleadd progressed, and was progressing, in a way
any other society of a similar nature ;
that some additional purchases of estates will shortly be
made, and that the next drawing will take place in the
thirdo weekof in
the
irJtuhned, at the Freemasons' Tavern, on the
quarterly meeting of the society.

ti.
THE FRENCH EM
His Excellency Lord Cowley, Ambas 44,6 f /.0
Britannic Majesty, on Saturday presen d to Atikr-NNI:`
Emperor, at a private audience, letteri,trona
Queen to their Imperial Majesties, ziotitYing:
them the birth of a Prince, her son. The Emperbi
also received, on Saturday, from the Duke of Parma,
a reply to the notification of his Majesty's marriage.
The Emperor, accompanied by the Duke and
Duchess of Hamilton and M. Fould, Minister of
State, went on Saturday to the Menus-Plaisirs to
visit the annual exhibition of the works of living
artists.

The Moniteur of Saturday gives a long report
from M. Ducos, Minister of Marine, on the neces-
sity of re-organising the commissariat department
of the navy, with a view, first to render it more
efficient, and next to introduce certain modifica-
tions in it, calculated to lead to a reduction in
the expense. The report states that according
to the ordonnance of Dec. 23, 1847, the annual
cost of this branch of the service was 1,613,800 f.,
whereas by the plan now proposed it will be only
1,532,740 f., or 84060 f. a year less. The report is
followed by a decree from the Emperor, approving
of the modifications proposed in the report, and
ordering them to be carried into effect.
By a decision of the 14th inst. the Emperor has
been pleased to accord a remission of the measures
of general safety pronounced by the Commission of
Revision of the Ist Military Division and by the
Mixed_ Commissions of the Departments in the case
of 19 persons, whose names are given. Amongst
them are two medical men and a former judge of
the Tribunal of Premiere Instance of Bordeaux.
The price of bread in Paris for the second fort-
night of the present month remains without altera-
tion at 31 centimes the kilogramme, first quality,
and 24 centimes the second.

A letter from St. Petersb urgh of the 21st ult.
announced that the cholera, which was then raging
with great violence at Moscow, had reappeared in
the Russian capital, where several persons, among
whom were two theatrical performers, had died.
Another letter, of more recent date, states that the
disease had not made any further progress, and has
been confined to isolated cases.
The Ami de la Religion announces -the death of
the Rev. Father Roothaan, the General of the
Jesuits, which took place at Rome on the Bth inst.
The Princess Achilli Murat, who recently arrived
from the Floridas, had a private audience of the
Emperor on Saturday. The Princess married, on
the 30th July, 1826, the eldest son of King Joachim,
and has been a widow since April, 1846. Her High-
ness is grand neice of General Washington.
The Duke of Genoa, brother of the King of
Sardinia, is shortly expected in Paris. Apartments
are, it is said, being prepared in the Tuileries for
his reception. •

At the Bourse on Saturday, although the amount
of business transacted was not very extensive, the
previous quotations of the various descriptions of
Government Securities were steadily maintained,
with an advance at the conclusion of business of sc.
in the Three per Cents. for cash. For the account,
the Three per Cents. rose 15c., and the Four-and-
a-Half per Cents., sc. A decline of sf. occurred
in Bank of France Shares. The final quotations
were :—For money, Three per Cents., 81f. 80c. ;
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 104 f. For the
end of the month, Three per Cents., 82f. ;
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 104 f. 30c. Bank
Stock 2,725 A fall of 2f. occurred in Credit
Foncier shares, which closed at 882 f. 50c.
A rise to the same amount took place in those of
the Societe Mobiliere, which were finally quoted at
958 f. 75c. In the Railway Share Market yester-
day there was again much activity, shares being in
demand, and generally at an improved quotation.
Paris and Strasbourg shares advanced 15f., and
those of the remaining lines were lf. to 7f. each,
_
with the exception of those of the Western of
Franco, Rouen and Havre, and Caen and Cher-
bourg, which each declined 2f. Closing prices—
Northerns, 935 f. ; Paris and Orleans, 1,120 f. ;
Paris and Strasbourg, 953 f. 75c. ; Paris and Lyons,
972 f. 50c. ; Paris and Rouen, 1,170 f. ; Lyons to
the Mediterranean, 857 f. 50c. ; Western of France,
797 f. 50c. ; Rouen and Havre, 550 f. ; Bordeaux
and Cette 673 f. 75c.: Caen and Cherbourg, 647 f.
50c.

,_T`ti~.