The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-27 00:00:00

THE VAR IN PARAGUAY.

The French journals have received information that the
defeat of Lopez was less serious than was represented ; in
fact, he still occupies Villeta. But a private telegram
received in Liverpool supports the earlier news. After
f-Nvo terrible battles, Villeta was taken by the Allies.

UNITED STATES' SIIIPPING.—The following report
confirms in a marked way the facts we hare so long
urged, and shows the necessity for some important
theWchaengaereinoadto
Navigation Laws of the United States.
see that the American press very
generally advocates such a modification as will permit
American citizens to purchase, and own as American,
foreign-built steamers to be engaged exclusively in the
foreign trade of the country. The Treasury Department
of the United States Government has published, as a
supplement to Secretary lii`Culloch's annual report, a small
pamphlet of important statistics on the tonnage of the United
States, accompanied with a paper by Mr.Nimmo on the ship-
building of the Union from 1817 to 1868, showing a tonnage
in 1868 but little more than half what it was in 1855, and
very little above what it was in 1847. On the 30th of June,
1868, the total tonnage of the United States,incl uding steam
and sailing vessels, barges, and canal boats, we are told, was
as follows : On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 2,974,975
tons;
Pacific coast, 166,512 tons; Northern Lakes, 695,604
tons; Western Rivers, 581,217 tons ; making a total of
4,318,309 tons. The number of vessels which return this
tonnage consisted of 18,189 sailing vessels, 3,619 steam
vessels, 1,631 barges, 4,679 canal boats, making a
total of 28,118. The tonnage in Jane, 1861, was
5,539,812 ; in June, 1868, only 4,318.309—a decrease of
1,221,503 tons. In the fiscal year 1854-55, the most pros-
perous year in shipbuilding, 373 ships and barks were
built; in 1867-68 only 69. Mr. Nimmo, showing the falling
off in the building of large vessels since the war, says :
" During the five years from 1853 to 1858 65 per cent. of our
seagoing tonnage built on the coast consisted of ships and
barks, while during the five years from 1863 to 1868 only 28
per cent. consisted of ships and backs." From 1852 to 1862
the aggregate tonnage of American vessels entered at sea-
ports of the United States was more than double that of
foreign vessels; from 1863 to 1868, instead of being double,
it was declined till it has come to be only 26 per cent.
The steam marine gave even mare markevl returns. The
arrivals of vessels, of which wo have a return for the port
of New York, bear out the above statistics. Those coming
from foreign ports, in 1368, were 4,861 againct 4,676
in 1857. The class of vessels were as follows :
Steamers, 619 ; ships, 331; barks, 1,055 ; beige, 1,499 ;
schooners, 1,223. Tho arrivals of American vessels were
2,095 in number, distributed as follows :—Steamers, 204
ships, 223; barks, 359 ; brigs, 535 ; schooners, 774. The
arrivals of the British vessels were 2,032, distributed as
follows :—steamers, 355 ; ships, 102 ; barks, 378 ; brigs,
771 ; schooners, 426. The North-German vessels were
379 in all, of which 109 were steamers, 49 ships, 152
barks, 63 brigs, and 6 schooners. The French vessels
were 29, of which 26 were steamers.

THE SALMON FISHERIES.—At a meeting of the
Carlisle Angling Association, held on Friday night, it was
stated by the committee in their report that the spawning
beds in the river Eden are "literally crowded with sal-
mon," and the oldest watchers on the river never saw so
many salmon in the river as there are this year. Similar
reports come from the Nal), in Dumfriesshire.