The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-24 00:00:00

AMERICA.

The Arago, Capt. Lines, with the United States
mails, arrived at Cowes 'yesterday, on her way to
Havre. She left New York on the 11th inst. She
had on board seventy-eight passengers for Havre
and seventeen for England. Amongst her cargo
was specie to the value of 141,000 dols. for England,
and 485,000 dols. for France. She experienced on
the first part of her voyage moderate weather, but
towards the latter part strong westerly gales.
On the 16th inst., in lat. 47.40 N., long. 48 W.,
she spoke the steamer Ariel, bound for New York,
and learnt that on the Bth inst. a tremendous sea
washed over the Ariel, and killed the commander,
Captain Ludlow, and wounded two officers and two
seamen.

The Ariel arrived at Southampton from New
York on the 17th ult., having met the disastrous
and terrific equinoctial gales.

On the 11th inst. there were seven steamers on
the Atlantic bound for New York—viz., the Edin-
burgh, Persia, Aria, Arabia, New York, Saxonia,
and Kangaroo. The Persia left Liverpool on the
27th ult., and she had not been signalled off Sandy
Hook on the 11th inst. The weather was clear and
the wind S.S.W. She was thus 14 days out, and
some surprise was manifested at her non-appear-
ance.

The City of IVashingtan had arrived off Cape
Race.

The Cersea had not arrived out.
The telegraph announces the death .of the Hon.
Robert Baldwin, at his residence, near Toronto, on
the 9th inst. Mr. Baldwin was a distinguished
citizen of Canada; he had been Attorney-General
of the Upper Province, and was an associate of Sir
H. Lafontaine in the Canadian Government, and
bore an unblemished reputation.
The weather at New York was very cold and
wintry, and it was expected that navigation on the
canals would soon be stopped. The Welland Canal
was entirely closed up by ice.
The gold discoveries at Cherry Creek, Nebraska,
turn out to be of considerable importance. The
Nonpareil, published at Council Bluffs, lowa, has
information direct from the diggings, from a gen-
tleman recently arrived and from a correspondent.
It is alleged that miners who have been there long
enough to get permanently located and at work are
making, without the aid ofperfect implements, from
21 to 20 dollars per day. The advent of winter
was interfering with operations somewhat, but it
was believed that on the opening of spring the
miners will reap a rich harvest, especially in the
mountain gulches.
The brig Planet, of Salem, arrived at Province-
town, reported having seen, in lat. 8.24 deg. and
long. 64.21 deg., a large vessel on fire, with fore-
mast and bowsprit standing, bright topmast head
and double topsail yards. No person was seen on
board. It is not improbable that the was a clipper
ship, but it would be impossible to surmise what
one. There was no name on the quarter or bows.
Mr. John Henderson, one of the oldest and most
respected of the Sandy Hook pilots, was acciden-
tally crushed to death on the afternoon of the 9th
inst., while in the act of leaving the schooner J. B.
James, which he had piloted to sea, and getting on
board of the steam-tug Underwriter. The accident
was caused by his foot slipping upon ice after he
had touched the steamer's guards. He lived only
an hour after the accident. His body was brought
to his residence in New York.
The Federal Judges at Columbia, South Carolina,
have decided that the law under which the crew of
the slave brig Echo has been detained is constitu-

tional.
The Nicaraguan filibusters have their rendezvous
in the Florida Keys. It is believed that a steamer
has escaped from Mobile with a number of filibus-
ters.

The - New York Times of December 11 says :
Nothing of special importance transpired at Wash-
ington yesterday. The Senate was in session but
half an hour, when it adjourned till Monday.
There has been nothing further done in relation to
the removal of Douglas from the chairmanship of
the Territorial Committee. The treasurer's state-
ment shows that the balance in the Treasury on
Monday was 4,090,000 dols. ; the receipts for the
week, 651,000 dols. ; and the amount of the drafts
paid was 1,568,000 dols. The amount of the drafts
issued was 2,358,000 dols., a reduction from last week
of 1,700,000 dols. In the house, Mr. Boyce moved
that Lieut. Maury be admitted as a delegate from
Arizona, which was objected to by Mr. Jones, of
Tennessee, on the ground that Arizona was a part
of New Mexico, which already had a delegate.
A Washington telegram, of Dec. 10, says :
‘"l'he President's grand programme for the pro-
gress of our great country will overshadow the
miserable political squabbles of partisans and pre-
sidential aspirants. The 6th of Dec. is an epoch in
our history. The belief that Congress will sustain
the President in his foreign policy grows stronger
the more the message is discussed. In this he will
be supported by several opposition members. Or-
ders have been sent to get the new steam sloop-of-
war Brooklyn, at New York, ready for sea. Captain
Farraght has been assigned to command her. She
will be sent to the Gulf. She Will leave about the.
*lst of January. The St. Louis has also been or-
dered to the Gulf. The want of suitable vessels for
the service is much felt by the Navy Department
A recent note from Lord Napier to the state de-
partment informs the Secretary of State that the
Earl of Elgin had expressed to his Government the
obligation he was under to our consul-general at
Japan, Townsend Harris, for important aid ren-
dered him and his interpreter in negotiating the
treaty lately concluded with that empire. Lord
Napier adds that the Queen is anxious to confer
upon Mr. Harris a solid testimonial of her gratitude
for his conduct, in the shape of a snuff-box, with
the royal cipher; and his lordship desires that Mr.
Harris may be authorised to receive it. Secretary
Cass has replied to Lord Napier's letter, and has
also communicated the matter to the chairman of
the Senate and House Committees on Foreign
Affairs. Little is said of Kansas just now, and it
is certain that all the power of the big and little
republican magicians cannot conjure up the ghost
of that dead humbug.

COMMERCIAL.
NEW YORK, DEC. 11.
The cotton market was steady yesterday, with sales of
about 1,100 bales,:closing without quotable change in prices.
Flour continued in fair demand, chiefly from the home
trade, with some purchases for export, while prices were
steady. Wheat was firm for the higher grades, while
prices were moderate. Corn was steady, with sales of Wes-
tern mixed at 76c. to 77c., and prime Southern white at
871 c. Pork was less buoyant, and sales moderate, inclu-
ding old mess at dols. 17 9,5, new ditto at dols. 18 371 to
18 50, and prime at dols. 14 35 to 14 50. Sugars were
steady, with sales of about 375 hhds. and 75 boxes. Coffee
was steady; sales of 3100 bags of Rio were made by auc-
tion, at an average of about dols. 10 55, and 278 bags that
were withdrawn were afterwards sold at 11c., and some
Laguayra sold at 111 c. Freights were steady, but engage-
ments were light.
There has been no movement in the money market
to-day. At bank the best endorsed paper, net over 60
or 90 days, is done at 4 ; one-name paper at 5 ; and
ordinary good mercantile notes, 4 ; and six months' are
done at bank and at the discount houses at 5 to 6 to
8. Exchange on Europe for the' steamer tomor-
row is not active. We quote sterling, bankers',
at 109 a to 1; mercantile bills, at 1081 to 109; francs, at
5.14 to 5.16, some choice bankers' bills being held at 5.121.
A small shipment of bars will probably be made to-morrow.

MARKETS.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 10.—Stocks firm. Pennsylvania
State Fives, 951- ; Reading Railroad, 26k ; Morris Canal,
49 ; Long Island Railroad, 11l ; Pennsylvania Railroad,
42g.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 10.—Cotton—Sales to-day 15,000
bales, the market closing with an advance of one-eigth of a
cent.; middling, I ladc. to 1 1 a c.; stock 314,500 against 259,000
last year. Sugar ull, and declined one-eighth of a cent ;
sales at 51c. Molasses, 271 c. Flour firm at dols. 5 25.

Lard? in kegs, 12e. Coffee firm. at 11c. Freights—Cotton
to Liverpool unchanged, and to Boston, . 4e. Sterling ex-
change, 108 to 1084, and with bills of lading 1061 to 1071.
MOBILE, Dec. 10.—Cotton—Sales to-day 3,000 bale
unchanged prices. Tho sales of the week sum up 22,03)
bales, and the receipts 29,000, against 17,750 for thecor-
responding week of last year. Receipts ahead of last year,
115,600 bales. Stock, 117,500 bales.
SAVANNAH, Dec. 10.—Cotton firm. Sales to-day, 980
bales.

CHARLESTON, Dec. 10.—Cotton—Sales to-day, 2,400
bales at prices ranging from 101 c. to 11/c., the market
closing firm. .

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 10.—Flour quiet; superfine, dols.
5 121 to dols. 5 37i. Wheat dull, sales' 2,000 bushels, red,
dol. 124 to dol. 128 ; white, dol. 1 37 to dol. 1 42. Corn
advanced, sales 4,000 bushels—new yellow, 53c. to 70c. ;
white, 64c, Whisky firm, at 25c. to 26c.