The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-23 00:00:00

NOTICE TO MARINERS.

Admiralty, Feb. 14.

Sir,—l am commanded by my Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty to transmit to you, for the information
of the Committee for Managing Affairs of Lloyd's, the
enclosed copy of a letter from her Majesty's Consul at
St. Michael's, stating that the shoal supposed to exist
near that island could not be discovered, two British
shipmasters having been sent to try and discover it.
(Signed) H. G. WARD.
Capt. G. A. Halsted, R.N., Secretary, Lloyd's.
St. Michael's, Jan. 22, 1849.

My Lord,—With reference to my dispatch No. 2, of
the 4th inst., I have the honour to acquaint your Lord-
ship that, thinking it of the highest importance to
British trade that the existence of the shoal, which
formed the subject of that dispatch, should be proved
or disproved. as soon as possible, I induced the
masters of the British vessels Prospero, of Lon-
don, and .ZEolus, of Guernsey, to proceed to survey
the quarter in which it was said to have been seen.
They returned yesterday from a week's cruising,
having passed repeatedly over and near its alleged place,
without finding any discolouration of the water or other
indication of a shoal. But they stated that they saw
during bad weather frequent heavy breaking seas, like
the " Overfall" of the Gut of Gibraltar, which might be
easily mistaken, even at a short distance, for breakers.
I trust that it may be considered as satisfactorily
shown by the tracks of the two ships, as laid down in
the inclosed chart, that such a mistake was made by the
shipmasters whose reports I had the honour to transmit
to your Lordship, and that there is nothing to endanger
the passage of, ships between this island and Terceira.
It is probable that the meeting of the tidal and At-
lantic currents, which, it will be seen from the small
chart introduced, cross each other at right angles in
this quarter, may make such appearances a regular ac-
companiment of bad weather.
(Signed) THOMAS CABER HUNT.
Viscount Palmerston, G.C.8., &c.

The private advices as well as the newspaper de-
details by the Canada. although they bring no positive
intelligence later than the 22d of November from Cali-
fornia, are extremely interesting. It was a curious fact
that up to the sailing of the steamer, the gold from the
mines received in the United States did not exceed
100,000 dollars, while the amount of specie taken by
the swarms of adventurers who had already sailed was
upwards of 500,000 dolls.; goods and provisions having
also been shipped to the estimated value of 5,000,000
or 6,000,000 dolls. Under these circumstances it was
felt that unless considerable arrivals of gold should soon
take place a severe pressure might ensue, since the goods
sent off, and for which the returns can only come at
a distant date, must be supplied by fresh imports
tions that will call for remittances. The disappointment
at the non-arrival of any large parcels from the mines
had been used by those who have endeavoured from the
first to throw discredit on the whole affair to justify their
distrust, but there were no apparent means by which
any such supplies could have been expected, while at the
same time all the additional statements which had trans-
pired from indirect channels tended not only to confirm
the former accounts of the discovery, but also to increase
the estimates of its results. The latest accounts appear
to be contained in a letter dated Mazatlan, Dec. 20; but
as this gives no date in connexion with its news from
San Francisco, it is only from the circumstance of its
it
IBrirTitnissh
mentioning a fall of snow that there is reason to suppose
to reach beyond the advices already received.
PIRATES
crew of Wsehz:Toneil;Dßiist Bittern Th er captain
arrived
a t icaanrd.
ern afr
mouth, Nova Scotia, a short time
Indies,, gives the following accounaigoi
the
eonlao the West
vessel:—About the 22d of Deeember,e twhe sa
ff?ifSathbeir
near St. Thomas's, they discovered nar then
piratical-looking schooner, filled with negrino a raking, which
sailed round them several times, apparently eteo' recon-
noitre, and endeavoured to draw them from the land.
From the proceedings on board the strange vessel, the
captain and crew of the Bittern had no doubt that the
supposed pirates intended to board their vessel, and,
therefore, as soon as night set in, they abandoned her,
taking with them what money and valuables they could
landed at Sabea. The governor the
next in a boat, and
r inpursuit e
next day dispatched a sc oo of the pirate.
on
vessel had, however, Both the Bittern and the pirate
dis-
appeared. It is supposed that the pirates boarded the
Bittern, robbed her of all that was valuable, and then
scuttled her. The crew of the Bittern were taken to
Yarmouth in the British schooner Osier.—Boston Tran•
script.
THE PARISH or BERMONDSEY.—On Friday the
adjourned meeting of the ratepayers of this parish for
the election of Commissioners, under the Bermondsey
Improvement Act, was held in the Committee-room,
Russell-street. The meeting had been adjourned from
Wednesday last for the purpose of taking a poll for the
respective candidates. Shortly after ten o'clock, W.
Lambert, Esq., took tho chair. The poll having been
formally opened, Mr. Drew, the clerk, read a letter from
Mr. C. Legg, stating that he was authorised on the part
of Mr. G. Porter, Mr. Fauntleroy, Mr. Christie, Mr.
Bathe, and Mr. Challis, they not wishing to create any
disturbance or excitement in the parish, to withdraw any
further opposition, and they would now retire from the
contest. The following gentlemen were then declared to
be duly elected as Bermondsey Improvement Commis-
sioners (being the candidates proposed by the Rate-
payer's Association) :—Mr. W. Deykes, Mr. Richard
Harris, Mr. S. Watkins, Mr. W. Hooper, and Mr. E.
Hunt. Thanks were then voted to the chairman, and the
meeting broke up.