The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-07 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Lctts's Diary for 1856.—Notwithstanding ilts
many almanacs and diaries which bid for publics
patronage, Letts's annual maintains its well-earned
pre-eminence. The diary for this year is replete
with information highly useful to commercial men.
It contains a great variety of tables, embracing
a wide range of matters indispensable for reference,
such as an almanac, ready reckoner, interen
tables, Post-office regulations, lists of country and
London bankers, weights and measures, foreign
and British stamps, tariffs, Houses of Peers and
commons, Ministers, life assurance tables, in
short, whatever is essential to the man of business,
with a commercial summary and chronological
statement for the year, ending December, 1855.

The Post-office Official Monthly Directory for
January, 1856, edited by F. W. Herbert, Esq., of
the General Post-office, besides its usual intelli-
gence respecting the despatch and arrival of mails
to and from all parts of the world, contains a list
of all post towns over the Continent and else*bere
to which letters are sent. This list is very correct
as well as extensive, being copied from Kelly's
Post-office Directory, by permission of the jGro-
prietor, and occupies no less than 21 loig
columns of very small type. This renders it
doubly useful and handy for the traveller and the
counting-house. Published by Letts and Co.

THE GREAT EXPRESS ROBBIIIiT IN TEN
UNITED SLIM,

It will be remembered that in the month of Septem-
ber last the American Express Company was robbed of
$lO,OOl in gold, which it was conveying from Dubuque,
lowa, to the New York branch of the sub-treasury. The
company, failing to recover the stolen specie, paid over
the amount to the treasurer, but did not at all relax
their efforts to ferret out the thieves. The messenger,
W. C. White by name, who had charge of the treasurys
during its transit by night from Chicago to Detroit, re-
signed hit! office at the end of the month, and came
to this State. Mr. Best, a detective officer in the
employ of the company, after a few weeks' investiga-
tion, was at last able to write to his employers that
two men, Oliver King, who formerly kept an hotel in
Lowell, and William C. Ayer, formerly a broker at
No. 17, Brattle-square, in this city, had, through a
third party, who has also been arrested, deposited
$5,100 in gold in the Haverhill Bank, and from oth
circumstances not yet divulged it was thought the
they were in connection with White. It was sub-
sequently ascertained that King, whose previous po-
verty was well known, had made purchases of houses
and other property, and seemed to be rolling in wealth.
17pon receipt of this information officer Best, with twe
of the partners in the American Express Company,
Mr. Fargo and Mr. Williams, immediately started
for this city. Here they held a conference with the
chief of police and other officers, and accompanied by
deputy-chief Ham, officers Savage and Lyncb, they pro-
ceeded to Lawrence, where King and Ayer reside.
Arrived at Lawrence, Mr. Ham, leaving the rest of
his party at the hotel, went out to reconnoitre, and soon
discovered Ayer riding in one of his newly-purchased
carriages. Returning to the house he met and arrested
King at the very door, and after placing him in
custody went in pursuit of Ayer. He soon cap-
tured him and returned to the hotel. In a search of the
premises and persons of these two men, silver plate, gold
and bank bills to the value of nearly 2,200 dole. were
found he the possession of King, whose financial tran-
sactions of different kinds within the past few months
have amounted to nearly 12,010 dole. Ayer has re-
cently purchased half of a livery stable, and two or three
valuable watches wore found in his possession.
After a fruitless search for White in New Salem,
Litchfield, Manchester, and other places, the officers re-
turned to this city on Saturday, and found him hbre. The
three were taken before the Police-court is the after-
noon, and required to furnish bail in 15,000 dole. each
to appear at the trial. Otis P. Lord, of Salem, and T.
A. Parsons, of Lawrence, have been engaged as counsel
for the defendants.

There was a rumour a few weeks ago that this money
had been found as mysteriously as it was lost. This re-
port first appeared in the Chicago Triltunc, and was con-
tradicted immediately. It may have originated from
the letter of officer Best to his employers, which was
imprudently mentioned in that nei;hbourhood.—Boston
.2.dvertiscr.