The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-26 00:00:00

CALIFORNIA.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 16.—Her Majesty's
steamer Virago, Captain Marshall, arrived in this
port on the 28th ult., in six days from Victoria'
Vancouver's Island. On the same day the dis-
covery ship Plover, Captain M'Guire, arrived from
a cruise in search of the Franklin expedition. On
the day following (the 29th) the frigates President
and Pique, Captains Burridge and Sir F. Nichol-
son, arrived in 13 days sail, also from Victoria ;
and the Amphitrite, Captain Conolly, arrived on
the 7th of this month, in 17 days, from Honolulu,
Sandwich Islands. The President now bears the
flag of Commodore Frederick (late of the Amphi-
trite), promoted by the death of Admiral Price.
Tke Plover has been condemned as unseaworthy,
and is to be sold here. Her officers and crew are
to be transferred to the Russian prize ship Sitka,
which was taken at Petropaulovski, and which they
are about to take to England, with the Russian
prisoners, for condemnation, &c.
Tke Presidentand the Amphitrite sail to-morrow
for Valparaiso, I believe ; and the Virago leaves
the following day for San Bias, coast of Mexico.
Of course nothing more can be done in the North
Sea against the Russians at this late season.
The last mail was brought from New York in 23
days and 13 hours, via Panama—an unusually
quick time.
The French squadron, composed of the frigates
Forte and Eurydice and brig Obligado, have been
here since the 3d of October taking in supplies and
repairing damages sustained in the attack upon
Petropaulovski, until a few days ago, when the
Obligado sailed for Guaymas, coast of Mexico. The
Forte and the Eurydice are to sail in a few days.
their destination not yet given out. The French
Admiral has been very unwell since his arrival at
San Francisco, and is still feeble.
The United States' steam frigate Susquehanna,
Capt. Buchannan, arrived on the 11th inst., from
Japan, via Honolulu. She brings no later news
from Japan than has been published already ; her
dates from the Sandwich Islands are to the 28th of
October.
Proposals to dredge out the harbour of Honolulu
and to deepen the channel have been advertised
for by the Government, and an appropriation male
by the Legislature to pay for the work, but no con-
tract offered for it ; so it is reported that the Go-
vernment will undertake this desirable job itself
without delay. The American steamers Seabird.
and West Point, both from San Francisco, belong-
ing to the Hawaiian Steam Navigation Company,
have been put into the inter-island trade with
every prospect of success. The islands are making
great progress in the rearing of stock and in the
rearing of agricultural products. The number of
visitors from San Francisco is large and increasing.
The question of annexation seems to sleep for the
present.
By a combination between the Pacific Mail Com-
pany yid Panama, and the Nicaragua Company,
via San Juan, we have a weekly mail now to and
from the Atlantic States. An enterprising attempt
has been lately made by the express house of Adams
and Co., of San Francisco and others to run an
overland " express" across Mexico from Acapulco
to Vera Cruz. From these points the trip is to be
made by relays of horses in 66 hours, which will
bring intelligence and postal matters eight or ten
days in advance of the mails, and reduce the period
of transmission of letters, &c., to 16 days from
New Orleans to St. Francisco. The project is fea-
sible, and its execution is only delayed by the pre-
sent disturbed state of Mexico.
Since I last wrote mercantile business has been
quite brisk. The merchants have done a very good
fall trade, and a great quantity of goods has been
cleared off at advanced rates. Shippers should,
however, avoid sending over supplies as usual, in
the expectation of their meeting an equally good
spring trade, for the stocks in the interior are un-
precedentedly large, and Sacramento, Maryville,
and Stockton, the great depots of the mining coun-
try, as well as the more remote trading posts, are
largely supplied. If the arrivals during the winter
do not again overstock San Francisco, a remune-
rative spring trade may be expected.
The credit system is gradually being adopted in
mercantile dealings, in spite of the efforts of the
merchants to discountenance it. This is the effect