The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-25 00:00:00

THE MEDITERRANEAN.

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY, MIDNIGHT.—The Penin-
sular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's ship
Ripon, Capt. R. Moresby, 1.N., arrived] off this port at
9 P.M., with the heavy portion of the East India, China,
and Mediterranean mails, in charge of Lieut. Brady, R.N.,
Admiralty agent. Her dates of sailing were—Alexan-
dria, Nov. 8; Malta, 13; and Gibraltar, 18. The
Ripon has experienced fair but boisterous weather in
crossing the Bay of Biscay. She has this voyage
arrived earlier ttan any of the company's ships have
hitherto done, and her run has been r ,rformed in an
extraordinarily short time.
The freight list comprises 185 packages of specie,
value 100,000/. sterling; 40 bales of silk, 140 barrels
of dates, and 200 packages of general merchandise,
principally valuable goods from India.. There are 55
first-class and 20 second-class passengers, amongst
whom we notice Mr. James Allan, the secretary of
the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Company, who
has been out to India on a mission connected with an
extension of the company's steam operations in the In-
dian Seas.

The news from India and China, brought by the
Ripon, has been anticipated by the overland expres3
via Marseilles, but we have ten days later from Gibraltar
than has been hitherto received.
The Board of Health in Tangier, imitating the absurd
regulations at Gibraltar, had promulgated a decree, or-
dering a quarantine of 15 days to be imposed on all ships
arriving from ports of Great Britain.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's agent at Gib-
raltar had fitted up the hulk Santa Anna for the recep-
ception of goods and passengers arriving from England.
in which to perform the necessary quarantine.
O❑ an examination of the cargo of the brig Three
Sisters that had been recaptured
.from Moorish pirates
by her Majesty's steamer Polyphemus, it had been found
that 850 barrels of gunpowder and a considerable quan-
tity of Manchester goods had been abstracted by the
Moore; the remainder of the cargo, consisting of cocoa,
tobacco, and coals was untouched.

The Peninsular steamer Madrid, Capt. John Weeks,
'eft Gibraltar for Southampton on the 16th instant,
Ind would touch at Cadiz, Lisbon, Oporto, and Vigo for
ho mails. She may be expected to arrive to-morrow,
he 24th instant.

A t Gibraltar the rate of exchange on London, at 90
days, 49; on Paris, sf. 29c.; Madrid, 8 days' sight,
3 discount.

'The United States frigate United States, Commodore
Reed, last from the Gulf of Spezzia, was at Gibraltar.
The steamer, Polyphemus, Commander M'Cleverty, ar-
rived from Malaga, on the 18th instant.

The Ripon sioke the following ships :—Nov. 17th,
100 miles E. of Gibraltar, the barque Flower, steering
W., desired to be reported ; Nov. 18th, in the
Straits of Gibraltar, the brig Duchess of Leicester, bound
to Malta; on the 19th, off Cape St. Vincent, the brig
Wish, homeward bound; on the 21st exchanged colours
with the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Iberia, 50 miles N.E. of Cape Fini sterre, steering S. W.

THE INDIAN ARMY.—A correspondent states that
the Government of India has decided on augmenting the
force of the Bengal army by increasing the number of
the men without any addition to the number of officers.
This can only have been done on the supposition that
the amount of officers is more than sufficient for their
present duties. Whether this supposition be well-
founded or not may appear from the fact that the 51st
Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry, now serving before
Moultan in the army of General Whish, has not a single
captain present with the regiment, and the two senior
lieutenants are absent on staff duty.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—MANSION-HOUSE AND CITY
THEATRES.—Captain Ackerley waited this day upon the
Lerd Mayor to request ho would instantly suggest to
Government the rescinding of the order at the Horse
Guards for allowing the 200 men composing the
Guards' Bands of music, being by night employed at
Drury-lane Theatre, under flattering unction to
their military talents for shilling enticement of 3,000
persons to the pit of that house, and thereby lending
themselves for a surreptitious profit of 1,600x= weekly, to
the manifest ruin of our Legitimate Drama, the com-
mercial lesees, our self-supporting actor, and other em-
ployees at the minor theatres.
CHILD MllNDER.—Yesterday, a woman named
Waters, wife of the coachman of a gentleman residing at
Canterbury, was committed by Mr. Coroner Bedford,
charged with the wilful murder of her infant. Prisoner
was confined on Tuesday, at her lodgings, in the Com-
mercial-road; on the following day she went out, taking
the child with her. On Wednesday night the lifeless
body of the infant was found on a dung-heap in Bel-
grave-mews West, Grosvenor-place. The woman went
home and said she had taken the child out to nurse.
The Gazette of last night contains an order in
Council for the equalisation of duties payable on wines,
&c., admitted into the city, garrison, and territory of
Gibraltar. The inequality hitherto existing had the
effect of exempting altogether from the payment those
classes of the community which are best able to bear
such charge; and whereas, moreover, in consequence of
such inequality, numerous frauds are committed with
the object of evading the payment of the said duties, to
the great prejudice of the local revenue, and with detri-
ment to the fair trading licensed dealers; in order, there-
fore, that relief may be afforded to the inhabitants of
Gibraltar generally; that the revenue may bo protected
by removal of the temptations to fraud; and that the ex-
pense attending the present system of partial imposition
of duties, may be reduced by establishing a just equality
in the payment of the duties on wines to be consumed
within this garrison; it is expedient to rescind a certain
order of his late Majesty King William IV„ which is
consequently rescinded, and in lieu thereof to promul-
gatethe present order.

- The London line of packet ship, York Town,
Captain Sebar, arrived at Gravesend yesterday, from
New York, which place she left on the 2d instant. She
has brought over a full general cargo.
A SMUGGLER'S EPITAPH.--A sailor, engaged in
the contraband trade, having been shot by an xri,r n,qn,
his epitaph was thus written:—
, Here I lies,
Kilt by the X.l's.l