The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-10 00:00:00

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t WEST INDIA MAIL.

T)ißoyal mail steam-packet Tay, Richard Sharp com-
mander, and Lieutenant N. Percival, Admiralty agent, ar-
rived at Southampton at four o'clock on Saturday afternoon,
after an excellent passage of twenty-one. days from St.
Thomas (calling at Bermuda), throughout which she expe-
rienced fine and favourable weather, with the exception of a
heavy gale on the 4th and sth inst. She brings mails of the
following dates :—St. Juan Nicaragua, March 25 ; Chagres,
March 28 ; Carthagena, March 30 ; Tampico, 31st ; Santa
Martha, April 1 ; Demerara, April 3; Vera Cruz, April 4;
Trinidad, April 5; Grenada, April 6; Jamaica, April 7 and
13; Barbadoes, April 7; Havannah, April 10; Nassau and
Guadaloupe, April 12; Dominique, April 13; Jacmel, April
15 ; Puerto Rico, April 17; St. Thomas, April 17 ; Bermuda,
April 24.
•
The Tay brings 76 passengers ; amongst whom are Lord
and Lady Howard de Walden and the Hon. F. Ellis, from
Havannah ; also part of the crew of the barque Chanticleer,
lost on Crooked Island, on her voyage from Jamaica for Lon-
don, and Lieutenant Davis, R.N., late Admiralty agent of the
Tweed, dangerously ill from injuries received on occasion of
the wreck of that vessel.
The following is a list of the chief cabin passengers in the
Tay :—Mr. J. W. Judd, from Hayti ; Mr. Masquera, from
Laguayra ; Dr. Sinclair, from Trinidad; Dr. Quigley and
Miss Birt, from Barbadoes ; Mrs. Melville and infant and
servant, Mr. Aremendia, Mr. Cooke, Captain Watson, R.N.,
Mrs. Auld, Mr. Bahre, Mr. Ude, Mr. Henry, Mr. Antonio
Carriaga, and Mrs. Stricken, from Vera Cruz ; Lord and
Lady Howard de Walden and son and two servants, Messrs.
Sands, May, Vinas, Jansen, Bouchard, and Mrs. Mac-
kisson and three children and servant, from Havannah ;
Mr. J. Ramas and five
.sons, and Captain Shannon, from
Chagres; Captains Henrique, Galois, Pelie, and Vabancourt,
Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, infant, and servant, Messrs. Henry,
P. M. Toro, Gahan, RN., and P. Goldsmith, from St.
Thomas's ; Messrs. Sparks, Cooper, and Auger, from
Demerara ; Messrs. De Labenque, Bennett, and Clavaan,
from Martinique ;
and Messrs. Keneday and Brown, from.
Bermuda.
The Tay has a valuable freight, 500,000 dolls., and the
same value in silver bars, both on merchants' accounts,
none, however, on account of Mexican dividends ; 60,000
_dolls. gold and gold dust, 3,000 dolls. platina, 55 cases of
cigars, the large number of 553 serons of cochineal, 200
sundry packages, 70 barrels of putatoes from Bermuda, and
126 live turtle. She left at Vera Cruz on the 4th of April
her Majesty's brig Daring, steamer Hermes, frigate Alarm,
steamer Vesuvius, French brig Mercure, 18; Pylades, 18;
United States ships Ohio, 86; Raritan, 52; Potomac, 52;
John Adams, 22; Albany, 22; St. Mary's, 22; Mississippi,
10; Princeton, 10 ; Spitfire, 3 ; Vixen, 3. At Havannah,
April 10:—Her Majesty's ship Vindictive, Vice-Admiral Sir
F. Austen ; French, Andromeda, 50, Admiral La Place ;
Noyade, 32; La Rosetta, 24 ; La Perouse, 24; and Blonde,
20. Spanish, Soberano, 80 ; Christina, 50 ; and Juanita
schooner. At Nassau, April 12 Her Majesty's ship
'Electra.

Her Majesty's troop-ship Vengeance arrived at Bermuda
on the 15th of April, with Colonel D. A. Cameron and the
first battalion of the 42d Highlanders from Malta; and on
the 24th, when the Tay sailed, her Majesty's troop-ship
Resistance arrived with the reserve battalion of the above-
named regiment, to relieve the 20th Regiment going to
Halifax.

The Royal moil steam-packet Dee was at Halrannah, and
left on the morning of the 10th for the Gulf. The Clyde was
at St. Thomas, and left on the 17th for Jamaica, and is ex..
pected to be the next ship home. The Eagle was at St.
Thomas, and the Reindeer at Grenada. The schooner Larne
had arrived at Jamaica from La Guayra.

The Tay spoke the Danish brig No. 35, and the barque
Franklin, on the 4th of May, both outward bound; and the
barque Bengal, on the 7th of May, 30 miles south-west of
Scilly, also outward-bound.
The West India files gives us no intelligence of importance.
Jamaica papers continue to speak of the prospect of the next
crop being greatly abundant, and that the present crops are
nearly all got in. The weather appeared to be somewhat
_
unsettled.

Collections were continuing in favour of the Irish, and

liberally responded to.
The session of the Legislature of the Bermudas was opened
on the 21st of April, by his Excellency Captain Charles
Elliott in the usual speech. A:ter bearing testimony
to the acts of his predecessor, he addressed himself particu-
larly to the subject of education and the means of promoting
its extension ; stated his intention of submitting a plan for
establishing a school for engineering and general attainment
and the commencement of a mechanics' institution. He
also directed attention to the necessity of stimulating emi-
gration from Europe; proposed to construct places of refuge
ter boats and small vessels; and concluded by congratulat-
ing the House on the promising appearance of the crops.
By this arrival we have news from Vera Cruz so late as
the 4th of April, and a paper called the ..4merican Eagle, dated
the 3d of April, being the first paper ever printed at Vera
Cruz. Nothing of any great importance had occurred in ad-
dition to what has already appeared in the Times. About a
third, the south, part of Vera Cruz is partially destroyed.
The persons killed and wounded, during the bombardment
of two days, were principally old men, women, and children
amounting to about 400. The Americans account their loss
at 17 killed and 32 wounded. An American force of 600
men will remain to garrison the city and castle of Vera Cruz
and General Scott, with 14,000 men, 1,500 waggons, and a
heavy train of artillery, were preparing to proceed to Jalapa
and city of Mexico.'

By accounts received at Vera Cruz from the city of Mexico •
t 3 the Ist of April, when the surrender of Vera Cruz was
known, we are informed that it was resolved to continue the
war, and 3,000 men had received orders to march from
Mexico, and 4,000 from San Luis Potosi. At the Puente
Nationale, a very strong position on the road to Jalapa, and
after leaving Jalapa, at La Hole, another equally strong po-
sition, some 6-pounders bad been mounted. There were only
a few regular troops at these points, but about 2,000 Indian
militia. General Canalizo had arrived at Jalapa to take the
command.

Santa Anna, who was again at the head of the Govern-
ment on the Ist of April as President, had demanded autho-
rity from Congress to raise a loan of 20,000,000 dolls. on any

terms.

When the Tay left Tampico on the 31st of March it was
occupied by an American, force of 2,000 men, under com-
mand of Colonel Gates. The port is open for the shipment
and importation of merchandise by foreign ships, subject to
similar duties• as they would be in ports in the United
States, with the additional duties named in relation to Vera
Cruz.

At Vera Cruz the shipping lay at Sacrificios, on account
of the bombardment of the teem, the Amarirane bed lost
about 27 sail, principally transports, from the effects of a
strong norther. On the 27th and 28th of March the wrecks,
strewed the coast for miles.
The town and neighbourhood were occupied by about
15,000 troops, all of the most ragged description.
Bills on England were at 9 per cent. premium.
The advance of the army under General Scott were on
their way to the city of Mexico, and would probably reach
it by about the end of April ; it was expected that no resist-
ance would be offered, and the Americans would be allowed
to enter and take quiet possession. General Taylor was ex-
pected to make a diversion on San Luis and Zacatecas
during General Scott's advance.
The American authorities had established a tariff at Vera
Cruz, on provisions, of 5 per cent. ; wines, ale, cider, and
porter, 15 per cent. ; 10 per cent. on all other importations ;
75 per cent. on spirits—all ad valorem ; and 4 cents. per lb.
on raw cotton. Regulations had just been issued for the
guidance of ships arriving, subjecting them to the same rules
adopted in American ports. As it was, the Tay came and
left at her own convenience, unmolested.

We have received by this arrival a copy of an American
newspaper already established at Vera Cruz, called the Ame-
rican Eagle. It 'consists of twelve columns, which are for
the present almost exclusively occupted with the returns of
killed and wounded, and the general orders of the new com-
mandant, General Scott.
The crops of sugar in Havannah were generally plentiful,
and of good quality.