The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-15 00:00:00

THE PENINSULAR MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, SATURDAY MORNING.
By the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
steamship Madrid, Captain Bradshaw, we lion,
dates from Gibraltar March sth ; Cadiz, 6th;
Lisbon, 9th ; Oporto and Vigo, 10th.
The Madrid brings 22 passengers (among whop%
is Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte, from Lisbon),
and 40 distressed seamen. On frieght there are
five packages of specie, value 1,5361., and a cargo
consisting of 220 boxes of oranges, 15 boxes of tan-
gerines, 4 cases and 5 casks of wine, 20 cases of
dates, 17 boxes of eggs, and 40 packages of Go'
vernment stores from the wreck of the Canterbury.

During the homeward voyage the Madrid expe-
rienced strong head winds. On the 10th instant,
spoke to the Peninsular am' Oriental steamer Tagus
off N.E. end of Bayonas, with the outward Penin-
sular Mail ; 13th, passed the Royal Mail Steam
Oompany's ship great 'Western, steering to south-
ward, in lat. 48.57 N., long. 5.1 W. ; 14th, passed
the Robert Parker, beating to windward, in hit.
50.13 N., long. 3.05 W. ' -
There is no news of importance from Lisbon.
The Madrid left her Majesty's steam-ship Blen-
heim, Captain Hall, at anchor in the Tagus, on the
9111 inst.

The Lisbon exchanges for three months ars
quoted by this packet at 55d. for London ; Paris,
518 ; Amsterdam, 434 ; Hamburg, 491 ; and Genoa,
517. The transactions upon the continent were
limited, but a good deal was negotiated on London
at 55, and although a few bills were done at 541
towards the close of change, bills remained over
which could not be passed under 55. The stock
market had again become dull, at 43 to 43i for
Three per Cents., few buyers appearing at the
recent advance. Bank of Portugal shares 500 to
502 milreis each, and Oporto Bank shares, 16 to
17-i per cent, premium.
The debates in Parliament continued devoid of
public interest.
From Gibraltar our dates are to the sth inst•
The steam-transport Eagle left for London on the
Ist inst. The Peninsula, laden with medical stores
for Balaklava and Scutari, and the Northumber-
land, bad left for the Crimea. The Peninsula,
Progress, General Codrington, and Black Prince
had also touched at Gibraltar en route to the Crimea.
The Prince Arthur arrived in the bay on th• morn-
ing of the 4th from the East, with shot and shell
for Gibraltar and Deptford ; and the steam-trans-
port Chanticleer, from Malta to Spithead, laden
with gunpowder, sailed on "the same day. The
steam-transport Pioneer was discharging the stores;
she brought from Malta preparatory to starting for
Deptford. The steam-transport Berwick had nearly
completed her fittings for horses and mules, which
she was to receive on board on the sth inst.

SUFFERERS BY THE LATE FIRE &2

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

. Mr. Mitchell having received numerous sums of
money to be applied to the temporary relief of the la'
bourers and mechanic:, and others thrown out of ern'
ployment by the recent destruction of Covent-garden
Theatre, and this ruorninz having been entrusted with
the munificent sum of 1001. by his Grace the Duke of
Devonshire, begs to announce that he is ready to re-
ceive any additional subJeriptions ; and that arrange'
manta will be made for afferdivg immediate assistance to
the most pressing cases, and for zt proper application of
the funds which may be kindly eutcusted to him.
A list of the subscriber: may be referred to, but it
will not he considered necessary to incur the expense of
advertising the nacres.
itoyal Library, 33, Old Bond-street, March 14.

SIR BENJAMIN HALL AND THE SUNDAY QUESTION-^'"
On Thursday a deputation front the West London Sun-
day-Rest Association had an interview with Sir B. Hall'
Mr. Haldane explained that the object which the Assn'
ciatton had in view was to prevent the desecration of
the Sabbath by the opening of the British' Museum, the
National Gallery, and the Crystal Palace on that day,
and also to abolish the practice of the band playing in
Kensit.gton Gardens on Sunday evenings. Sir B. Han
said he did not see how the Sabbath was desecrated by
the band playing. For more than 100 years bands
played on Sundays in every town where a regiment Wag
quartered. No case bad been made out for discontinu-
ing the practice. As Kew Gardens had been referred
to, he would say that he could not 'recommend their
being dorsi on Sundays, or Hampton Court either, nor
could he give any assurance that the band would be
proTontocl from playing iu Sonsinto Garde&