The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-16 00:00:00

POST-OFFICE NOTICE.

On and from the Ist January, 1849, the following al-
terations. &c., in the rates of postage, &c., will come
into operation, in conformity with the warrant of the
Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, dated
the 13th October, 1848.
The postage on letters to and from the Cape de Verde
Islands, when conveyed by Packet, will be at the rate
of Is. 10d. the half ounce, except when posted or de-
livered at the port of departure or arrival of the packet,
in which case, they will, be chargeable at tho ,rate of
ls._Bd. the half ounce.

Letters for parts abroad, posted with stamps of less
value than the full amount of postage to which such let-
ters may .be liable, if addressed to places to which
prepayment Os not compulsory, will be forwarded,
charged with only such amount of postage
as shall be equal to the difference between
the value of the stamps and the proper rate of postage,
instead of being charged as heretofore, with the full
amount of postage to which they would be liable if they
bore no postage stamps whatever. If the letters are
addressed to places to which prepayment is compulsory,
theylmust be.sent to the Dead Letter-office as at present.
Printed Votes and Proceedings of Parliament may be
transmitted by post between the United Kingdom and
Hamburgh, Lubeck, or Bremen, when conveyed by the
Hamburgh packet or by private ship, under the follow-
ing regulations:—

ist.—The postage must be paid in advance.
2d. They must be sent in covers, open at the sides.
The rates of postage on such printed votes and pro-
ceedings will be as follows :

An Uniform
British Rate.
Not exceeding 2 oz. in weight ... Id.
Above 2 ox., and not exceeding 3 oz. ... 6d.
Above 3 oz., and not exceeding 4 oz. Bd.
And 2d. for every additional ounce up to the weight
of 16 ounces; beyond which weight no printed votes and
proceedings can be forwarded.

BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, DEC. 15.—We have
no improvement to notice in our sugar market; the de-
mand continues very sluggish, and the sales of the week
are of the most retail character, at about former prices
Refined goods about support their previous value, but
the market is without life. Rum has again become
rather dull, but we do not make any alteration in the
value.—Bristol Mercury.
PUBLIC DINNER TO MR. BUCKINGHAM AT ROTHE-
SAY.—The magistrates and principal inhabitants of
Rothesay, in the Isle of Bute, joined with the Young
Men's Mutual Improvement Society of that town in en-
tertaining Mr. Buckingham at a public dinner, on Friday
last, as a mark of their gratitude for the pleasure af-
forded them by his course of lectures, recently delivered
there, and also as a testimony of their admiration for
his public character, and sympathy with the many phi-
lanthropic objects to the promotion of which his long
and varied life has been devoted. The Provost of Rothe-
say occupied the chair, supported by the magistrates and
ministers of the town; and Mr. D. Macbeth, Secretary
of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society, act-
ing as croupier. Mr. Macbeth, in proposing the health
of Mr. Buckingham, thus alluded to his remarkable
career:—" Thrown upon the world a mere child;
embarking in the naval profession and going to sea
as early as nine years of age, at which period it was
impossible that he could have received any education
beyond the mere rudiments of reading and writing ;
and suffering, even at that early age, all the privations
and miseries of captivity, as a prisoner of war; march-
ing with his fellow-captives many hundred miles, bare-
footed and in want, through nearly the whole of
Spain and Portugal, he, nevertheless, by the force
and energy of his own character, arose rapidly to high
distinction in his profession, commanded a ship at an
early age, and after navigating the ocean in every clime,
and travelling by land over more countries in Europe,
Asia, Africa, and America than any man now living,
he had, in addition to all this, written and published
more than a hundred volumes of different works in lite-
rature, science, politics, commerce, and moral and
social improvement, and given the result of his exten-
sive and varied information in lectures delivered in al-
most every town of the Queen's dominions, over all
America, and in many of the foreign capitals of Europe.
—(Applause.) Such a career as this might well entitle
any man to honours and distinctions far higher than
they could bestow." After referring in very compli-
mentary terms to the lectures which Mr. Buckingham
had delivered at Rothesay, and to the eminent services
he had rendered to the world as a philanthropist, Mr.
Macbeth concluded by proposing " The health of James
Silk Buckingham, Esq., and long life to pursue his bene-
volent career." The toast having been enthusiastically
responded to, Mr. Buckingham, in a neat and appro-
priate manner, acknowledged the compliment, and gave
an interesting narrative of his life. Several other toasts
were given and heartily responded to, after which the
company separated.— Scottish Press.
HAYMARKET THEATRE.—Mr Webster has kindly
allowed this theatre to be used, on Tuesday, the
19th inst., for the benefit of the Philanthropic Associa-
tion for the employment of the Poor as Street Orderlies;
dies! on which occasion Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean
form. We have no doubt that this benevolentw object
will receive all the encouragement it deserves.
Yesterday an inquest was held at the London Hos-
pital on the body of James Sheen, aged nine years. The
poor little fellow Was removed from bis parent's resi-
dence, in Blue Anchor-lane, Whitechapel, to the hos-
pital on Saturday, and, as his friends alleged that he had
been severely kicked in the groin by a person attached
to an itinerant show, he was admitted. The medical
gentlemen, however, were unable to perceive any signs
whatever of a kick having been inflicted, but as he still
continued to complain of severe pain in the groin, he
was retained in the hospital. On Monday morning un-
mistakable symptoms of Asiatic cholera set in, and in
less than twelve hours afterwards he was a corpse. Mr.
Birch, the house apothecary, had made a post mortem
examination of the body, and bad been quite unable
to discover the slightest mark indicative of a kick in the
groin. Under these circumstances, he had no hesitation
in saying the deceased died from Asiatic cholera. Ver-
dict accordingly.

ILLNESS OE DR. Hoox.—The Rev. Dr. Hook is so
seriously indisposed, that his physician forbids him at-
tempting to preach at Snenton, near this town, on Tues-
day next. It gives us plessure, however, to be able to
add that he hopes to be able to fulfil his promise at no
distant date.—Nottingham Journal.

COURT CIRCULAR.
OSBORNE, FRIDAY.
Her Majesty the Queen arid his Royal Highness
the Prince Albert and the Royal Children, took their
usual walking and riding exercise yesterday, in the
neighbourhood of Osborne.
Admiral the Hon. Sir Bladen Capel, Lieutenant-
Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, and Mrs. Phipps, had
the honour of joining the royal dinner party yesterday
evening.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess de
Nemours left Osborne this morning.
His Royal Highness the Prince Albert crossed to
Portsmouth, in the Fairy, this morning, to view the
practice, and observe the system of education pursued
on board her Majesty's ship Excellent.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived
at Clarence House, St. James's, yesterday morning,
from the Priory, Stanmore, the residence of her Ala_
jesty the Queen Dowager. Her Royal Highness left
town in the afternoon on her return to the Priory.
Viscount Palmerston arrived in town yesterday
from Brighton.'
Mr. Hart Davis, Deputy Chairman of the Excise ;
and Mr. Higham, Secretary•• and Comptroller-
General to the Commissioners for the Reduction of
the National Debt, had interviews with the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at his official
residence, in Downing-street.
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office fro-n the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.
Dispatches were sent off yesterday evening from
the Colonial• office for the Governors of the North
American Colonies.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat
yesterday, and heard an appeal from British Guiana,
" Arrindell v. Retemayer." The Court then rose.

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE
OF FRIDAY.
DIVIDENDS.
At the Court, Basinghall-street. _ _

W. Fugler, Lawrence-lane, Cheapside, Manchester
warehouseman, Jan. 6, at half-past eleven—J. Bishop,
Little Russell-street, Gilbert-street, and Bury-street,
Bloomsbury, wheelwright, Jan. 6, at eleven—C. Pottin,
ger, Banbury, Oxfordshire, tailor, Jan 9, at eleven—W.
I. Dawson, Lime-street, and Belinda-terrace, Hackney,
cigar merchant, Jan 9, at twelve—J. B. Boyd, Grosvenor-
street West, Pimlico, baker, Jan. 9, at half-past one—
S. Marshall, Austin-friars, Russia broker, Jan. 9, at half-
past twelve—J. S. Turner, Wdolwich, surgeon, Jan. 9,
at half-past one—D. Sharp, Southampton, attorney at
law, Jan. 9, at one—A. A. Lackersteen, Moorgate-street,
merchant, Jan. 9, at twelve—G. Bishop, St. Mary-axe,
merchant, Jan. 9, at twelve—T. H. For.ter, Haymarket,
chemist, Jan. 9, at half-past twelve.
In the Country.
G. Smail, Coventry, draper, Jan. 16, at ten, at the
Court, Birmingham—J. H. Denner, Nottingham, pawn-
broker, Jan. 12, at eleven, at the Court, Nottingham
G. Bensly, Bristol, draper, Jan. 5, at eleven, at the Court.
Bristol—J. Willis, Liverpool, merchant, Jan. 4, at eleven ,
at the Court, Liverpool—J.Forster, Hartburn, Northum-
berland, banker, Jaa. 10, at eleven, at the'-Court, New-
castle-upon-Tyne—W. Lax, Darlington, land-surveyor,
Jan. 10, at half-past ten, at the Court, Newcastle-wpon-
Tyne.