The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-22 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA MAILS.

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SOUTHAMPTON, TUESDAY NIGHT.— The- royal
mail steamer Avon, Lieutenant Philip Hest, R.N.,
commander, arrived off this port at nine o'clock, with
the West India and Mexican mails in charge of
Lieutenant South, R N., Admiralty agent. She
brings on freight 1,327,000 dolls , none of which are
mentioned on the manifest as being for account of the
Mexican bondholders.

The accounts from Jamaica extend to the 23d of
July. The island was entirely occupied with the
general elections. Eight members have been already
returned, six of whom declared themselves favour-
able to retrenchment. Similar results were expected
from the remainder of the elections. Business had
been a little brisker during the week prior to the
sailing of the packet. Sugar was scarce, and quoted
16s. to 20s. per 1001 b. The weather throughout
the island was by no means pleasant, and although
there had been partial rains in some parishes, a
drought generally prevailed, and the heat was into-
lerable.

The Mexican intelligence received via New York
by the Caledonia, respecting the project for an ar-
rangement of the external debt is confirmed by our
direct advices by this steamer. Trade at the Mexi-
can ports was very dull, owing to excessive importa-
tions at the beginning; of tho year.
Our accounts from Havannah are to the 28th
of July. Sugar was in active demand. Freights
were dull. Exchange on London, 14 to 15 per cent.
premium.

Our advices from British Guiana mention that the
Combined Court bad met and proceeded with the
business of the colony, and it seemed unlikely that any
further difficulties would at present occur between the
Governor and the Legislature. The weather had been
very rainy, and little produce had been made. The
markets and shipping were inactive.
In St. Lucia the weather had been showery. The
ordinance for enabling the local Government to ob-
tain a loan to meet the expenditure of the current year
had been sanctioned by the Governor.
In Antigua the rainy season had at last set in, and
the hopes of the planters were beginning to revive.
Meetings had been held to memorialise the home Go-
vernment relative to the infraction of the slave trea-
ties by Spain and Brasil.

-
PRUSSIAN MUMET3.—In the campaign of the
Grand Duchy of Baden the Prussian Foot were armed
with muskets of a newly.invented construction. The
plan on which they are made, and especially the compo-
sition and arrangement of the charge, are a secret of
the Prussian War-office. We have, however, been ena-
bled to gather the following particulars respecting these
muskets, which are known in Prussia by the name of
" Zundnadelgewchre," from the explosion being pro-
duced by the passing of a pin through the cartridge:—.
The barrels are rifled, and the bullets which are shot out ,
of them are spitz Angels, a kind of conical bullet. They are
conical at the point, cylindrical in the
. middle,
. and
globular at the end. The cartridges in which these
to
tlie bullets are have a layer of explosive mass next
bullet, and the gunpowderis at the bottom of the cartridge,
_ntho
which is put in at the lower end of the barrel.
l(ise 0
el) enters
trigger being pulled, a thin piece of .'steel
barrel,
and
through a hole in . the back of
gunpowder,
it
piercing the cartridge and the
mass,
which is
proceeds to the . explosive
employed for the usual
similar to that which
is
gunpowder is thus lighted at the
percussion caps. The!
owder is consumed. The
front, and every
.grain of p
charge of powder
of an ounce, while that of a
percussion
musketis 3.24ths
is usually 4-24ths of an ounce.
These muskets
enable a soldier to charge and fire six or
eight times without
lowering his musket, and 1,000
yards is still a food killing distance. It is not a safe
distance for hitting, bat 800 yards is; and a good shot
is at that distance pretty sure of his aim. 800 yards,
then, is the range of these muskets, while the usual
musket range is 400 yards; and thus the enemy must
advance 400 yards in the fire of the Prussian troops be-
fore they can think of returning it. A troop of soldiers
marching in double-quick time would make that distance
iu four minutes, and be exposed to from 25 to 30 shots
from each Prussian musket. The cavalry, which wants
two and a halt minutes to advance SOO yards, is exposed
to 20 shots from each man. As for the artillery, their
discharges of grape and cannister tell fearfully at 400
yards, and have but small effect at SOO yards. The ar-
tillerymen are thus exposed to the Prussian muskets and
can be picked off as they stand by their picots.—United
Service Gazette.

Statements having recently been circulated in the
Irish newspapers, which have also been copied into some
of the London journals, that measures are in contempla-
tion fur removing the port of departure of the royal
mail steam packets from Liverpool to the west of
Ireland, we have been assured by one of the contractors
that no such alteration is either contemplated or will
take place.— Times.
True poetry announces itself thus, that, as a worldly
gospel, it can by internal cheerfulness and external com-
fort, free us from the earthly burdens which press upon
us. Like an air-balloon, it lifts us, together with the
ballast which is attached to us, into higher regions, and
lets the confined labyrinths of the earth lie developed
before us in a bird's-eye Coek's jeurng