The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-29 00:00:00

who had held her head so far above

a governess, and had, moreover, so comported her-
self in her brief hour of giddy elevation as to draw
down the contempt o those she tried to ape in
=micro, and arouse the indignation of those she
affected to ignore the existence of, being known
in her early days of hardship. Some of the
details are very ingeniously arranged in their com-
plication, as, for instance, the discovery of the box
containinc;:the papers of the Elliott family. Through
such trifles as the carelessness of a servant in mis-

directing a box, or other trivial matters, how
often are the hopes and happiness of a family
destroyed. This is an exciting story in
many of its passages, and fully illustrates
the importance while it reveals the folly
of making money the aim and object of life.
This shining, shifting ore, here to-day and goneto-
morrow, is not to be only thought of by those who
are the pilgrims to a land where buying and selling
is over. If rightly used, and well employed it may
benefit them here and bring them blessings here-
after, from being their happiness below it may be
their crown above. But those who, like Joshua
Smith, heap up gold and garner treasures to feel
that they were his and his alone, of what avail
could such an accumulated avalanche of shining
stores be. He found them powerless to save his
only child who was to inherit them, he found them
failing him at last when distress overcame the mo-
netary world, and many of his speculations failed.
He, who had worshipped money as his god found
his divinity fail him at the last, and his death-bed
was haunted by visions of the wealth of the coun-
try departing and the glory of the world laid low.
This was a solemn warning to those who like him
consider money above all, first and foremost before
patriotism, honour and ambition, to say nothing of
brighter and holier hopes, of greater and more
glorious desires. Those who grasp gold as their
idol may learn of old Joshua, who proved the im-
potence of his tutelary divinity when he laid his
heir in the dust while a voice murmured in his ear,
" We brought nothing into the world neither may
we carry anything out," and may linger at his
death-bed which was gloomy and terrible.
Had he rightly used the ten talents entrusted to
his care, might not far other visions have irra-
diated the Valley of the Shadow of Death ; might
not hosts of those whom he laud relieved and bane-
fitted on earth have preceded him on the road, and
sang his praises at the gates of heaven. Hs could.
have turned in triumph from the momentary fail-
ure of the golden crop below, to rejoice in its har-
vest scene above, where spirits, freed from tempta-
tion, and souls as rescued from the bondage of sin,
would have made him their benefactor and their
known friend. This work contains many passages
of interest, and the narrative is arranged with
great skill in many divisions. Its author
may be considered to have achieved a success in the
arduous undertaking that he has endeavoured to
accomplish ; and in an age when the worship of
Mammon is so prevalent that its idolatry far super-
sedes all devotions paid in temples made with hands,
its appearance is welcome and satisfactory. It
shows in a decided manner the ills that result from
over-zeal in the cause of riches, and the insufficiency
of its attractions to prove' the sole stay of life and
solace and support of death. Therefore these
volumes are desirable subjects of perusal, inasmuch
as they demonstrate an evil of the times, and reveal
a mistake that is made by thousands of whom
Joshua Smith, in his grasping life, may be the pro-
totpye, and, in his gloomy death, may be the pre-
cursor of their own last hours.

WEST INDIAN, MEXICAN, AND

PACIAIC MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, OCT. 28.

The Royal Mail Company's steamer Seine, Capt.
Revett, with the above mails, has arrived. She
brings 87 passengers, and treasure upwards of a
million and a half of dollars—consisting of gold.
bullion, 210,156 dols. ; gold coin, 42,422 dols. ;
silver bullion, 638,283 dole.; silver coin, 622,81$
dols. ; pearls, £3,450; and platina, 717 dols.
A private letter from the city of Mexico states ,
that the conducta which left Guanajuato on the Ist
ult. with 1,200,000 dols., was taken by Santos
Degollado, general in chief of the liberal forces:
Her Britannic Majesty's consuls in Mexico, San
Luis, and Guanajuato went to Santos Degollado,
in Lagos, to obtain restitution of the money, but
failed, the general stating that he intended to make
use of it to take the town of Guadalajara, which
city was defended by Severn Castillo, general of the
Conservative or priest party. He states his inten-
tion to refund the money when he has taken
Guadalajara, with the sales of the church property.
The president of the Liberal Government had sent
an order to Degollado to restore the money, which
was not respected.

Business in Mexico continues very, dull. No
goods can be sent into the interior for the robbers
who infest the roads. Travellers coming down from
Mexico to Vera Cruz are generally stopped four or
five times during the journey.
The West India Islands are generally healthy.
At Trinidad the weather has been very suitable and
of surprising regularity. The crops were progress-
ing most favourably.
From Barbadoes there is very little news to re-
cord.

The British steamer Bogota had arrived at
Panama from Callao, &c. From Lima dates are to

the 29th of September. The new contracts for the
guano had been closed. The house of Gibbs and Co.
are entirely thrown out after the expiration of their
contract in 1861. Meanwhile the new contractors
have to give the government five millions of dollars,
and they will then have to take the stock on hand
and pay Gibbs and Co. all their charges against it,
which it is presumed will require seven millions
more, so that there is a probability that the old
contractors may still retain it when the final award
is given. The successful competitors are the house
of Zaracondegui for England, the British colonies,
and the United States ; Lachambre, for France ;
Lescan, for Belgium ; \Vitt, far Germany; Cane-
varo, for Holland; and Patroni, for Italy. The
contractors are to receive 21 per cent. commission
on sales, insurance, and charter of vessels, and 4
per cent. interest on the advances made to govern-
ment, the contracts to last four years. A Ham-
burg house offered three millions advances for the
contract of Germany at 4 per cent., and asked only
for 11 per cent. commission. But this proposition
arrived a few days after the term of 100 days
in which the propositions were to be made had
expired, and the Minister of Finance had refused
it. The agent of the Hamburg house then
applied to Congress, and reduced the interest
on the advance to 31- per cent. Some people be-
lieve that the Government will not fare so well
with the new contractors as it did with the house
of Gibbs, in spite of the reduction of the commis-
sion. The shipments of guano are considerable :
last month 40,000 tons were exported, and as the
net profit of Government cannot be less than 37
dols. a ton, makes (says the correspondent of the
Panama Star at Lima) a pretty income for the
government of a small nation of one million and a
half of inhabitants, which does not spend anything
for public works or improvements of any kind.
Nothing definite has yet been done with the
American claims, nor is there any prospect of the
Peruvian Government acceding to the demand of
the United States. The United States vessels of
war still remain in Callao ; it was expected that
when they leave, the United States Minister, Mr.
Clay, will leave with them.
From Ecuador the news is highly important.
Flores had entered Guayaquil, and after a short
fight, completely routed Franco, who left the coup-
try fel- Lima,
Dates from Valparaiso are to the 16th : from
Chile there is very little news of interest. The
country remains peaceable, and great preparations
were making to celebrate the anniversary of inde-
pendence onatilipaerlaioBsth: e Chilian brig Veloz had
arrived 15 men, composing the
a t v
crew of the American ship Horsburgh, bound from
Callao to the United States, loaded with guano.
She sprung a leak on the 10th August, in lat.
41 deg. S. and 1011; 9Q W
Valparaiso,
The master imme-
diately steered for but on the 16th of
August, atabout 2S miles from the island of Juan
Fernandez, the ship nad already ten feet water in
her hold, and tile crew were obliged to abandon
her, taking refuge in Juan Fernandez where they
remained 25 (DlY's.
'Business ,t Valparaiso is reported dull, owing to
the holidays' The British ship Louisa Barrington
and brig Black Prince had arrived out from Liver-
pool. The following are the latest quotations of
Chile produce :----Copper, in bar, per quintal, 20
dols, ; ores, 25 per cent., 3 dols. 374 c. ; regulus, 50
to 60 per cent, 8 dols. ; hides, hung dried, 16 dole.;
tin, jo Arica, 30 dols. ,• saltpetre, in Iquique,l dol.
92c. Exchange on London, 60 days, 431 per dol-
lar on Paris, 60 to 90 days, 4.55 ; on United
st.tes, 90 days, 13 to 15 per cent., par.