The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-11 00:00:00

COLONIAL.

TEA. —At the public sale of this article full prices were
realised. Common Congou, 94cl to 90 ; young Hyson, Id
to 'ad per lb.
SUGAR.—There has been little disposition shown by
purchasers to make investments, although lower terms
were offered by holders. Barbadoes low greyish to good
white yellow, 45s Gd to 19s ; crystalised Demerara low
middling to fine bright, 45s Gd to 51s ; Martinique good to
fine yellow, 47s to 50s ; Mauritius low blacks, 32s Gd to
33s ; good grocery, 42s to 47s 6d ; Mayotte middling to
fine soft brown, 40s to 41s per cwt. No transactions have
taken place in either Bengal or Bahia. In the refined
market no business whatever is reported as having taken
place.
COFFEE.—Plantation Ceylon has realised steady prices.
Fine to fine fine ord, 53s to 625; low mid to mid, 62s Gd to
61s. 6d ; pea berry, 63s to 65s ; and triage, 48s to 57s 6d
per cwt. Native Ceylon has been quiet ; ordinary, 50s to
525; good ordinary, 535; and blacks, at 23s to 26s per
cwt. Bahia, 42s to 45s for ordinary to good ordinary.
Coco,&.—Tho market for this article continues dull, and
but few sales have taken place ; Bahia has been sold at 4Ss
to 50s per cwt.
RICE. A small business has been done at lower prices ;
ordinary pinky sold at 13s Gd •, Bengal 16e to 163 6d, and
low broken Bengal at 13s to 14s 6d per cwt.
small parcel of Mauritius has been sold at
2s sd, and strong Demerara realised 3s per proof gallon.
SAGO.—There has been a steady demand for this article,
although prices have slightly receded; middling to good
sold for 29a per cwt.
SPICES.—A brisker demand has been exhibited for Pi-
mento, and prices have advanced about Is Sd per lb ; fine
1 small bright brought 4id, and mid and good mid rather
coarse, 40 to 4id ; ordinary coarse mixed, 44d to 4kd per
lb. Pepper—Singapore white brought 7d to Bd. Nut-
megs— Ordinary small to good bold brown is lid to 3s 2d,
ordinary shrivelled kind, is 4d to 1s 5d per lb. Cloves—
Zanzibar ordinary to fair dark; shd to sjd per lb. Mace
—good mid 2s 4d to 2s sd, and mid 2s to 2s 2tl per lb.
SALTPETRE has been dull ; Bengal, 91 to 9 lb fine
crystal sold at 335, ditto 7 lb refraction brought 32s Gd
per cwt.
COCHINEAL.—The market has been steady. Tenoriffe
silvers, 3s Gd to 3s 1C1d; blanks, 3s 10d to 4s ld per lb.
TALLow.—The market has shown greater firmneas.
P.Y.C. on the spot 68s to 681 3d, and spring delivery
G7s 3d per cwt.

THE MERCHANT MARINE ACT.—A dispute is pending
at Liverpool of some importance to the shipping inte-
rest. The lawful exercise of the powers of Receivers of
the Droits of the Admiralty has on many occasions been
doubted, and a question has arisen with that functionary
at Liverpool, under the following circumstances, the
point to be solved being the perplexing one of what is a
wreck within the meaning of the 17th and 18th of
Victoria in the Merchant Marine Act :—A vessel named
the Pied-ner was dropping her anchor, to wait the tide
for docking, when the chain parted. Boatmen from
shore were working at the time on board, and the mas-
ter contracted with them to lift and restore the chain
and anchor for 16/. Upon their being raised and brOught
alongside the Receiver of Droits prohibited their deli-
very except upon an order signed by him, and a deposit
of 161. with 1/. 10s. fees. The deposit and fees were
paid, and the chain and cable restored, but no order,
it is said, was ever signed by the Receiver. The owner-
ship was never disputed, and the questions contested
are—was this a wreck, and was the Receiver entitled to
any fees ? Mr. M'Culloch says a wreck is usually un•
derstood to mean any ship or goods driven ashore or
found floating at sea in an unmanageable condition ; but
that, according to the legal sense of the word in Eng-
land, it is assumed a " wreck" must have come to land,
since when at sea it is distinguished by the barbarous
appellations of flotsam, jetsam, and lagan. In the pre-
sent case it is insisted none of these terms are applicable,
as the cable parted in the river, and not at sea or in a
roadstead, awl may be said never for a moment
to have been out of cognisance. The Board
of Trade have considered the matter of sufficient
consequence to send down an officer to inquire
specially into the circumstances, and the decision is
locked for with interest both by merchants and under-
writers. Many complaints are made of the Marine Act
in consequence of the vexatious exactions for which it is
used as a pretext. The Government, however, are ad-
mitted to have shown every disposition to investigate
and remedy these evils.