The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-18 00:00:00

THE AUSTRALIAN MAILS

The General Post-office have posted up a notice
that the Mail for Australia, by the Mermaid, is
postponed till Monday evening, 21st July, and she
sails on Tuesday.

NORTH AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN MAILS. —The
Cunard steamer Arabia is appointed to sail for Halifax
and Boston to-morrow (Saturday) morning. The Post-
offide box will close at 8 a.m., with late fee at 8.30 a.m.,
and on the landing stage at 0 a.m. The Mermaid is
appointed to sail with the mails for Australia on the
20th inst., but as the Post-office authorities have issued
no notice respecting her it is doubtful if she will be de-
_

spatched before Tuesday.
THE CO3IIIANDER-IN•CHIUF'S OFFICE, July 17.--Hi'
Royal Highness the General Commanding-in-Chief wil
hold a levee at tho Horse Guards, on Menday next, al
one o'clock.

The officers of the let Life Guards will give a grand
pie-nic pas ty at Virginia Water this afternoon. A bril-
liant circle of the aristocracy have been invited, and a
special train is to take the visitors to Windsor.
Gen. Windham arrived at the British Hotel, Jermyn-
street, yesterday morning from the Crimea. After
having seen the General Commanding-in-Chief, the gal-
lant general left for Warwic'sshire.
ARRIVAL OF TROOPS PROM THE EAST.—POETSIIOIITH,
Friday.—The following vessels have arrived from the
East, with about 2,500 troops :—The Centurion, 80,
screw ; the Colossus, 80, screw ; and the Trent, Nor-
man, and Tonning, transports.
Nelson Lee, jun., son of Mr. Nelson Lee, lessee of
the City Theatre, aged 13, has gained the Shaksporian
Prize at the City of London School. The subject of the
essay was the " Beauties of Macbeth."
The three steamers constituting the Brazil line of the
South American and General Steam Navigation Com-
pany of Liverpool have been re-charterd by the Govern-
ment to carry troops to the Cape.
A letter from Naples mentions that the Neapolitan
Government has sent to Paris the Baron Giacomo Pa-
varesco, " who," the letter says, " is charged with the
mission of appeasing, or trying to appease, the indigna•
tion excited in England and France by the conduct of
the King of Naples."
AUSTRALIAN GOLD.—Of the 670,000/. Australian gold-
brought by the Frances Henty and the Earl of Sefton,
about two-thirds are expected to be sent to France and
the remainder to the Bank of England. It is thought
probable that after this supply the purchases on French
account will be suspended.
NEW MILITIA ACT.—An act to suspend the making
of the lists and ballots for the militia of the United
Kingdom has been issued. All meetings relating to the
militia and ballots for such militia are suspended to the
Ist of October next year. Proceedings may be had dur•
ing such suspension by an order in Council.
RIGA RAILWAY.—the Directors of the Riga Railway
have issued a circular to their shareholders, cautioning
them against giving credence to the reports lately cir-
culated regarding that undertaking, and recapitulating
the nature of the documents by which their con-
cessions and the government guarantee are secured.
FOREST OP DEAN RAILWAY.—The prospectus has
been issued of the Forest of Dean Railway, with a capi-
tal of 65,0001., in 10/. shares. The line will be about
71 miles in length, and is to pass through the important
coalfield of the Forest of Dean, estimated at 5.000
acres, and to connect it with the South Wales Rail-
way and the port of Brimspill, on the Severn.
DEEIMAA COINAGE.—At a meeting of the oity bankers
yesterday, the question was discussed as to the expedi-
ency of introducing a decimal coinage, their opinion
having been requested by the commissioners appointed
to report to the Government on the subject. The con-
clusion arrived at, with only one dissentient, was that
any legislative alteration would be undesirable.
THE ALPHABET.—The alphabet may be varied so many
millions of times that, if a man could accomplish the
impossible task of reading one hundred thousand words
in an hour, it would require four thousand six hundred
and fifty millions of men to read those words, according
to the above hourly proportion, in twenty thousand

years.
THE ROBBERY AT THE PAVILION HOTEL, FOLIKE-
BTONE.—Anguste Hastier, who stands charged with
stealing a sum of money, the property of a Frenchmar,
named Delafosse, was again brought before the mayor
and other magistrates at Folkestone on Thursday. The
prisoner was committed for trial. The charge against
him is with stealing 1,6001. part of 16,0001., which had
been entrusted to his care, and tb money was alleged
to here been found upon him.