The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-27 00:00:00

Till EASTi bN LTEA W NAVIGATION

COJiP~ NZ.

TO TELE EDITOR OF ThE SUN.
am requested to inform you that, in the opinion
I the Directors, it will be for the interest of the Company
hat the Seventh Annual General Meeting of the
ropri tors which studs adjourned to the 31st
instant, should be further adjourned to the 17th of
April next, by which time they will be prepared with
contracts for the completion of the works connected with
the ship and engines, and also to afford to proprietors the
requisite information ; the meeting on the 31st will there-
fore be iheld pro forma at this office (instead of at the
London Tavern as advertised), at two o'clock precisely,
when the further adjournment will take place.—l am, Sir,
your obedient servant,

JOHN YATES, Secretary.

THE CHINA MAILS.

ARRIVAL OF REFUGEES FROM LUCKNOW.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Colombo, Captain J. S. Field, arrived at Southampton
yesterday morning, bringing a small mail from China,
Ceylon, Alexandria, Malta, &c. The Calcutta mail,
*islets should have come by this vessel, was lost in the
.va, The Colombo left Alexandria on the 13th March,
Vialta the 17th, and Gibraltar the 21st. She expe-
ienced fresh north westerly gales from Alexandria to
Nialta ; thence to Gibraltar and along the coasts of
ipain and Portugal to Cape Finisterre, fine weather ;
:elm and foggy weather across the Bay of Biscay; and
fresh northerly breeze up Channel.
The Colombo brings 107 passengers—viz , 42 fiat
ilass, 24 second, 27 children, and 14 dock ; and on
reight 111 packages of specie, value 59,7821. sterling,
33 boxes of oranges, 365 boxes of almonds, 22 boxes of
iates, 37 la:xes of valuables, 263 bales of cotton, 39
packages of elephants' tusks, and 110 packages of gene,
ral merchandise.
The yacht Gondola, belonging to Mr. Gibbs, of Bris-
tol, was at Alexandria ; also the Liverpool steamers
kraxes and Pactolus, Lloyd's steamer Australia, and
the Egyptian fleet.
At Malta were Admiral Lord Lyons' fleet, lying in
the Grand Harbour, and the French steamer Borysthenes
the Quarantine Harbour.
Gibraltar advices are to the 20th, on which day the
quotations of exchange were as under :—London, 90
lays' date, 49,-1 to 50 ; Paris, ditto, sf. 30c. ; Marseilles,
litto, sf. 30e. ; Genoa, ditto, sf. 35c. ; Madrid, 8 days'
flight , 1i dia. • Cadiz, ditto, par; Malaga, ditto, g die ;
ieville, ditto, # die. ; Alicante, ditto, die. ; Valencia,
yl die. ; Barcelona, ditto, I die. Spanish pillared
'altars 4 per cent. premium, none, no demand.
The Gibraltar Chronicle of the 17th inst. says :—" It
is understood that instructions have been received from
;he Horse Guards for Major-General Williams, K.H.,
commanding the First Brigade in this garrison, to pro-
ceed to England. It is probable that the General, ac-
companied by his Staff, will take his departure in the
course of the ensuing month."
The British steamers Norna, Hercules, and Crimean,
wrived at Gibraltar on the 17th, 18th, and 20th respec-
tively, the two first-named from London, and the last
from Liverpool.
The Dutch galliot Albert Romeling, Goosens master,
which put in at Gibraltar on the 7th with cargo shifted,
left on the 11th for her destination, all right.
The Austrian brig Maria, Capt. M. Russovich, which
arrived at Gibraltar on the 10th from Liverpool, landed
the crew of the British barque Eliza Carrew, coal laden,
vhich foundered on the 26th ult., in lat. 46 N., long.
13 W. The crew were saved at great risk, during very
boisterous weather, by Capt. Russovich. The sufferers,
Rho had lost everything except what they stood in at
the time the barque foundered, spoke very highly of the
aospitable treatment experienced from all hands on board
the Austrian bridfrom the moment they were picked up
until their arrival at Gibraltar.
The Barbaras, of South Shields, lost foremasthead,
foretopmast, jib, and main boom and sails, besides sus-
taining other damage, in a gale from the S.E. on the
6th inst., 40 miles west of Cape Spartel. She would
ave to undergo repairs at Gibraltar before leaving for
Corfu.

During the Colombo's homeward voyage she spoke
the following vessels :—March 15th, the Peninsular and
Oriental Company's steamer Indus, in lat. 33 46 N.,
ong. 21 55 E. ; 19tb, the steamer Malabar, belonging
the same company, Ist. 37 29 N., long. 5 49 E. ; 20th,
,he British schooner Pride of the Seas, lat. 37 12 N.,
,eg, 1 E. ; the ship Storm Queen, lat. 45 20 N., long.
810 W.
Among the passengers by the Colombo were the fol-
lowing from Lucknow :—Lady Inglis (daughter of the
ird Chancellor, and wife of the late Commandant at
Lucknow, Brigadier-General Inglis) and three children ;
Ars. Bruene and four children, Mrs. Ruggles, Mrs.
4pthorpe and two children, Captain Lawrence, Lieut.
Foster and Lieut. Cook. Great interest was, of course,
excited to catch even a momentary glimpse of Lady
Inglis, who, we are happy to say, looked well and
cheerful, despite of the sufferings and privations she has
been called upon to endure. Much regret is felt at the
oss of her ladyship's diary of the siege, in common with
-.early all the baggage of the passengers, by the wreck of
the ill-fated Ava steam-ship. Lady Inglis was wel-
, ximed on board the steamer by her brother (Colonel
rhesiger), sister, and cousin (Captain Tinting, R.N.) ;
while others of the Lucknow heroines were received
ay their respective relatives and friends, the mutual
interchange of affectionate greeting rendering the scene
the deck of the noble steam-ship one to be long re-
membered by those who witnessed it. Major Isaacs, of
the 824, who lost an arm in General Windham'e disas-
trous affair at Cawnpore, was also a passenger by this
packet.
Toe Mayor and other members of the Local Relief
Committee were early on board the Colombo, in pursuit
~f their philanthropic mission ; but the only case calling
or their interposition was that of a female servant, the
wife of a sergeant, who lost everything she possessed in
the Ave, and also 181., which she had saved from her
hard earnings in India. The poor woman received a
small gratuity from the gentlemen in question, who also
forwarded her to London, and intend to lay her case
before the general committee in the metropolis for their
consideration.

.:VAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Her Majesty's ship Excellent, Capt, R. 3, Hewlett, C. 8.,
is reported so shaken by her long gunnery training, &c.,
that she will be replaced by another ship, probably the St.
Vincent, 102.

The Exeellsnt has been in the service about 70 years, and
was for,nerly known as the Boyne, OS guns. She was em-
ployed in the last French war, and formed one of the flying
squadron off Brest, being one of the fastest ships in the fie:A
f that day.

.
Tile Urgent, 6, screw troop-ship, Commander M'Donald,
will be unlocked to-day at Portsmouth. The Sealark and
Rolla naval apprentices' training brigs are refitted for summer
gel vies at Portsmouth. Capt Moorsom, C. 8., resumed com-
mand of the Diadem, 32, at Spithead yesterday.
The instructors of musketry at Chatham have commenc2d
their summer instruction of the officers and men of the various
East India depots attached to each battalion.
In consequence of the strong representations which have
been made to the authorities of the inconvenience and danger
likely to arise to the troops of the Royal Engineers quartered
in Bromptou-barracks, Chatham, from a poi tion of that esta-
blishment being converted into an hospital for the sick and
wounded troops who are expected from India, the idea of
placing the sick and effective soldiers together has been aban-
doned, and it is intended for two large men-of-war to be fitted
up as hospital ships in the Medway, for the exclusive accom-
modation of the invalids from India.
The large screw steamer Hero, 91, at Chatham dockyard,
is now completed, and will be launched as soon as the Admi-
ralty orders have been received to that effetit. This steamer
is one of the largest screws ever constructed at Chatham, and
has been in progress nearly four years.
Her Majesty's steamer Rhadamanthus, Master Command-
ing Sturdy, arrived at Southampton on Thursday after noon
to embark a set of Lamb And Summers's patent flue boilers,
manufactured at Northam for H.M.S. Coromandel, with
which she sailed next afternoon for Woolwich.

• Several experiments having recently taken place in order to
ascertain the best description of metal for casting heavy ord-
nance at the newly erected Royal Standard Gun Foundry,
Woolwich Arsenal, the select committee of Royal Artil cry
officers have recommended that sach guns should be cast
from a mixture of Swedish with Nova Scotia iron. The
failures which recently occurred are attributed to the fact
that Swedish iron unmixed is too hard for such castings.
Lieut.-Col. F. Eardley Wilmot, superintendent of the Royal
Gun Factories, has issued a notice to the effect that until the
arrangements are more complete, strangers will not be silo ved
to be present to witness the casting of heavy guns. The im-
proved description of furnace invented by Major A. Vande-
leur, Captain Instructor of the Royal Gun Factories, having
been submitted to a series of competitive experiments with
other furnaces, has received the approval of the authorities,
and will be introduced generally for service in the shot and
shell factories.

The various clerks and other officers connected with the
Field Train department of the Royal Artillery, have been
transferred to the Military Storekeeper's Offices, in the Royal
Arsenal, these departments having been consolidated in ac-
cordance with instructions from the War Department.
The paddlewheel steamer Panther, of about 700 tons and
350-horse power, chartered by the Peninsular and Oriental
Company f)r their Malta and Marseilles line, arrived yester-
day from Glasgow, having averaged 12 knots on her passage
round from the Clyde.
Captain Joy, late of the company's steamer Alhambra, has
gone to Glasgow to bring round the new steamer Benares, of
2,500 tons and 500-horse power, expected at Southampton in
a few days; and another addition is about to be made
to their fleet by the launch on Wednesday next at the
building-yard of Messrs. Summers and Day, at that
pert, of the Northern steamer, of 1,500 tons and 320-horse
power. The Benares will shortly leave, we understand,
with a number of troops from Sheerness for conveyance to
India by the overland route.
Detachments of troops from different regiments have ar-
rived at Southampton, and embarked on board the Ripon,
&pt. H. W. Powell, which leaves to-day with the Bombay
mails for Alexandria. The Alhambra, Capt. Babot (acting),
also leaves to-day with the Peninsular mails. A detachment,
consisting of 6 officers and 56 men, are under orders to cm-
bark in the Royal mail steamer Parana, which sails from
Southampton on the 2d proximo for Vancouver's Island.
The following appointments have been made at the Ad-
miralty :
The Hon. M. A. Wingfield, midshipman to the Marl-
borough; E. C. Ha cv,rth, mi Ishipman to the Renown ; R.
E. Jones, master to the Coastguard; John Little, promoted
to the rank of surgeon ; Richard Picken, promoted tot the
rank of acting surgeon; John D. Rogers, second-maser to
the Marlborough ; and Llewellyn Edwards, master's assistant
to the Urgent.

OPENING OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE ON St/NDAVS.
Yesterday Vice-Chancellor Page Wood granted an in-
junction restraining the Crystal Palace Company from
accepting the surrender of shares in exchange for tickets
of admission on the terms Fpacified in the company's
recent adverti4ement., and from admitting any persons
to the Crystal Palace or its grounds on Sundays,
consideration of money payments, whether made directly
in
or indirectly. A report of the proceedings on demurrer
will be found among-our legal intelligence.