The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-18 00:00:00

SICILY.

The Piedmontese Gazette of the 11th publishes
official papers from Sicily, showing that, on the 28th
ult., the Torrearsa Cabinet had resigned ; but that
the President of the Sicilian Government, not having
been able to form a Ministry, the former Cabinet, in
obedience to a vote of the Chambers, had resumed
their functions, and published a proclamation to the
people, dated the 29th, in which, after stating their
reasons for their resignation and their subsequent
return to power, they recommended the people to
observe tranquillity, if they would succeed in their
struggle against Naples.

FOREIGN FUNDS.
BELGIAN FUN DS.—BstissEts, JAN. 13.
Actual Debt, 2 per Cent •• • • —
Rothschild's Loan, Five per Cent .... •• • • —•
Loan of Thirty Millions, Four per Cent.• • • --
Ditto Three per Cent ••••••••• • • • • • • • • •
Ditto Thirty-seven Millions,ditto ••• . • •
Ditto,ditto,lB4o ••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • 86% 34%
Ditto,ditto,lB42 •••••• • • • • .• •• • • 86%
Ditto, 1844... •••••••• .. • • . • • • ••• • •• • 73 73%
Ditto, 1838 .. .. • • • . • • • • • .• „,
Ditto of the City, 1832 . • • • . • • • • • . • —
Ditto, 1843 87
Bank of Belgium .... • • •• • 65 64
Issue of 1841 • •
Exchange on London, 25.42%.
HAMBURGH FUNDS, JAN. 10.
Bills. Money.
Hanoverian New Loan, 5 per Cent. •• • • 10334 --
Ditto, 3% per Cent. .. • • ...... •• • • 91!4
.

R--- ---- __
ussian 5 per Cent. • • •• .. •• • ...... HO% 10014
Ditto, Certificate .. ••..•.••.. .. .. .. .. 96 U 96
Anglo-Russian Loan -... •• • ... .... •• 9914 98%
Ditto, Certificate • • .... • ... .. .... .. 92
Russian 4 per Cent. .• —•• • • ........ 81 80%
New 5 per Cent., Hope and Co. ••• • • •
Ditto Stieglitz ••••.• • • • • •••• • ••
Belgian Loan .. • • ...• • • ............ 41
Anglo-Danish Loan, 3 per Cent •. •• 65 61%

• _
Ditto, in 1001. skaress.... ••.. • • ....
Anglo-Swcdish Loan .. • ............. 90
Ditto, Transport Loan ..... ....... 93
Norwegian l.oan, 1848 .... ••• .. .... 95 95

Spanish New 5 per Cent •••• . • . • ...... 9 831
Ditto 3 per Cent .•• • • • • • ........ 18% 18
Ditto, 1346........ ••..•••• .. • • .. .
Anglo-Portuguese Loan, 2% per Cent • •
Dutch Actual Debt, 2% per Cent...—•••
Ditto 3 per Cent. ••••••••• • • • • • • •
National Bank Shares ••••••• • • • • • • •

American, 6 per Cent. .. •.•• •• .. •• •• 99
RAILWAYS.

Ham!). Bergit •- .... • ........... 68 67%
Ditto, Priority Shares .. • •• .. •• • • 98% 93
Berlin and Hamburg ................ 61y2 61

Ditto, Priority Shares .. ••• • • •• 933 93
Cologne and Minden • • ...... ....... 79 73X
Ditto, Priority Shares ..... . 9331
Itecklenburg. 36 3531
Altona and Kiel ..... .............. 89 8836
Gluckstadt .............. • • ...... •• 25
Hanseatic Steam Company .. • • 93

BOULOGNE v. CALMS.
(From the Boulogne Gazette.)
In our last number we stated erroneously that the
1:411, via Dover and Boulogne, had arrived at Bou-
,gne, during the last year, " 46 times too late for the
rain ;" it should have been 40 times. The fact

tiler way appears at first sight to sanction the
nerge of irregularity preferred against Boulogne by
s too eager enemies. We hope, however, to be fa-
voured presently with such statistics, on the mail ser-
vice, via Dover and thulogna, as shall at once dis-
-3el the cloud of exaggerated and interested reports
elder which it has laboured. It may he too late to
epair the mischief that has been done, but truth is
acceptable at ail tim.'s, and sooner or later will pre-
vail. The question is, not the late or non-arrivals
of the mail at Boulogne, but the causes of thosekite or non-arrivals. If the inadequacy of the pet
of Boulogne were proved to be the cause, we should
rejoice at the removal of the service to Calais,
but, as we stated in our last, the night service at
Boulogne was only attended by 46 (say now 40) de-
lays, while the day service at Calais was attended by
no less than 38 for the same period. But there are
many circumstances that may have prevented the
due arrival of the mails at Boulogne, and over which
the port itself may have had no possible control.
For instance, if the mail cannot leave Dover, it
cannot reach Boulogne ; if the captains of the mail
packets choose to go to Calais, the mail at Boulogne
may be expected in vain. Under the action of all
or any of these contingencies, it is perhaps surprising
that the irregularity of the port of Boulogne has
not been greater than it has. We hope, however, to
prove that by far the major part of th&se irregularities
lie at any other door than that of the port of Boulogne.
During the whole of last year, which was our year
of trial, it is a fact that not one single day passed
over without several steamers leaving the harbour of
Boulogne, both by the day and night tides, while as
many entered, except on Dec. 4, when, however,
one left in the day time, and another in the night.
Why then could not the mails come ? It is also a
singular fact that, just at the time when Lord Clan-
ricarde visited Paris, the captains of the mail-packets
visited Calais in preference to Boulogne. Their
excuse was that it blew a gale of wind—and a long
gale it was—bat not so severe but that the
=steamers left and entered the Boulogne harbour as
usual, and the boats carried off the mail bags to
the packet in the roads as usual ! If we mistake not,
Lord Clanricarde visited Paris during our September
files, and it was then we fear that a parley to the preju-
dice of Boulogne took place. We maintain earnestly
that never was a sea service more regularly main-
tained than at the port of Boulogne during the year
1848. Out of the forty delays occasioned to the regular
transmission of letters to Paris, we hope to prove that
25, at least, are attributable to the port of Dover, the
South-Eastern Railway, or the captains of the Boulogne
mail packets. We know the disinclination of the cap-
tains for the port of Boulogne—we know their partia-
lity for the old beaten track of Calais. But it will be
something new in these go-a-head times ifprej udice for a
particular port be suffered to interfere with the public
weal. Hitherto the mail via Boulogne has been the
greatest benefit ever conferred on the commercial re-
lations of France and England—to-morrow that benefit
might be greatly increased. Five hours is amply suffi-
cient for the transit from Boulogne to Paris, which, if
the system were adopted, would allow the captains of
the mail-packets such latitude, as to time of starting
from port to port, &c., that the perilous boat service
would be almost annihilated. Generally speaking, the
boats might steam from port to, port without its
intervention—and be in time. Greater regularity is
not likely to be obtained at Calais, the same speed
never can.

Since writing the above we have been favoured
with the following : _ _ _

STATISTICS OF TIE PORT OF BOULOGNE FOR 1848.

The mail from London to Paris, via Boulogne,
leaves London every evening (Sundays excepted) at
half-past eight o'clock, and arrives at Dover at eleven,
performing the distance in two hours and a half.
About half-past eleven of the same evening it is put
on board the packet in the Dover harbour, or sent off
in a boat to the packet in the Dover roads, as the case
may be, and ought to be landed on the quay at Bou-
logne before forty minutes past three in the morning,
the train leaving Boulogne for Paris at fifty minutes
past three. Deducting from the 366 days of the
year 1848, 53 days for the morrows of the Sundays,
and Christmas-day, it is clear that the mail has been
forwarded to Boulogne 313 times. It L s arrived at
Boulogne 305 times, and the remaining eight, namely,
March 1, Oct. 26, Nov. 29 and 30, Dec, 2,5, 6,
and 8, it was landed at Calais. Was this change
in its direction justified by circumstances ? —We
shall see.

March I.—lt blew a gale of wind from the S.W.
The Dover roadstead was impracticable, and the mail
could not leave the harbour till about half-past four,
consequently too late. But, why did it not come to
Boulogne? It could have done so, for at the same
moment that it quitted Dover, the Lord Warden left
Folkestone for Boulogne and the Queen of the French
left Boulogne for Folkestone, both effecting their
passages with the greatest ease—and yet the English
mail could not do so ?—So much for that day.
Oct. 26.—1 t was high water at Dover at half-past
ten ; the mail therefore could easily leave at half-past
eleven, and the wind being favourable, arrive at
Boulogne at half-past one. Why then did it go to
Calais ? It certainly was not on account of bad
weather, and as a proof of the fact, a boat went out
at three o'clock to the Onyx, in the Boulogne offing,
with the mail destined for England. On that day the
danwdhotshee
tCheonftaiunletl was deprived
oc
fo mi t
sm
de
ir,cpea
toefliFe
sr_a n
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30, and Dect.h2a.t—iTs,htehetyideasllosewrevdedofboththe
at Nov.pov 29,era
and Boulogne,
departure from the quay
at Dover so as to arrive at
the quay at Boulogne, without the aid of boat service
in either roadstead.
of the mails come from Dover to
Why, then, dßidounlootgnthee,
particu-
larly
andtheirw
bitrhotahelersscafpatvaoiun from Boulogne to
Dover,Dec. 5,6, and S.—There was plenty of water at
Boulogne at the hours of the arrival and departure of
the mails favourable wind i
; those which carried to Dover the French
mails went out of our port at the usual hour without
difficulty, and immediately after the arrival of the
trains, but the English mails did not reach Boulogne.
The captains of the vessels declared that being de-
tained in the port of Dover, where the bad weather
prevented the boat service in the roads for so long a
time as to leave no hope of saving the Boulogne train
of fifty minutes past three, they steered for Calais,
in order to be in time for the six o'clock train on the
Groat Northern.
Out of the 305 times that the English mail arrived
at Boulogne, there were 40 times that it arrived too
late for the train of 3h. 50m., viz.:—
January 1, 5. 7. 9, 18, 26. 28 ... 7 times
February 4,5, 6, 10, 25, 26,27, 28 8 ~
March 2,3, 12, 23 ... 4 „
April 12, 13, 14, 18 ... 4 ~
May 17 ... • •• • .. 1 „