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

THE CHINA MAILS.

ARRIVAL OF REFUGEES FROM LUCICNOW.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Colombo, CAptain J. S. Field, arrived at Southampton
ve•terday morning, bringing a small mail from China,
Ceylon, Al+-xaudria, Malta, &c. The Calcutta mail,
which ehoul 1 have come by this vessel, was lost in the
A.va. The Colombo left Alexandria on the 13th March,
Slalta the 17th, and Gibraltar the 21st. She expe-
rienced fresh north westerly gales from Alexandria to
; thence to Gibraltar and along the coasts of
ipain and Portugal to Cape Finisterre, fine weather ;
alm and foggy weather across the Bay of Biscay; ri‘ d
resh northerly breeze up Channel.
The C rlombo brings 107 passengers—viz , 42 fiat
Gass, 24 second, 27 children, and 14 deck • and on
reight 111 packages of specie, value 59,7821. sterling,
33 boxes of oranges, 365 boxes of almonds, 22 boxes ef
fates, 37 boxes of valuables, 263 bales of cotton, 39
aackagee of elephants tusks, and 110 packages of gene
r merchandise.
The yacht Gondola, belonging to Mr. Gibbs, of Bris-
tol, was at Alexandria ; also the Liverpool steamers
%razes and Pactolus, Lloyd's steamer Australia, and
t re Egyptian Let.
At itlalta were Admiral Lord Lyons' fl t, lyinz in
the Grand Harbour, and the French steamer Borysthenes
in the Quarantine Harbour.
Gibraltar advices are to the 20th, on which day the
quotations of exchange were as under :—London, 90
lays' date, 49i to 50 ; Paris, ditto, sf. 30c. ; Marseilles,
ditto, sf. 30c. ; Genoa, ditto, sf. 35e. ; Madrid, 8 days'
sight, 1i die. ; Cadiz, ditto, par ; Malaga, ditto, dis ;
Seville, ditto, 4 die. ; A licante, ditto, ; Valencia,
die. ; Barcelona, ditto, 4- dis. Spanish pidared
Irdlars 4 per cent premium, none, no demand.
The Gibraltar Chronicle of the 17th inat. says :—" It
is understood that instructions have been received from
the Horse Guards for Msjor-General Williams, K.H.,
commanding the First Brigale in this garri-on, to pre-
ceed to E"gland. It is probable that the General, ac-
companied by bis &aft', will take his dep+rture in the
course of the ensuing month."
Tile British steamers Norna, Hercules, and Crimean,
Arrived at Gibraltar on the 17th, 18 h, and 20th respec-
iiwely, the two first-named from London, and the list
front Liverpool.
The Dutch galliot Albert Roweling, Goo,ens 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. Ru-rovich, which
arrived at Gibraltar on the 10th from Liverpool, landed
the trey of the British barque Eliza Carrew, coal laden.,
.which foundered on the 26th ult., in lat. 46 N., long.
13 W. Tne crew were saved iv, great risk, clarion v -ry
boisterous weather, by Capt. Rursovich. The sufferers,
who had lest everythine except what they s ood ru at
the time the barque foundered, spoke very highly of the
hospiiable treatment vxperienced from all band+ on beard
the Austrian brig from the moment they were pit ked up
arril their arrival at Gibr-ltar.
The Barbara% of South Shield', IoA foremasthead,
foretopmast, jib, and main boom and sails, do-ides sue.
taming other damage, iu a gale from the S.E. on the
h inst., 40 aides wept of Cape Spartel. She would
,ave.to undergo repairs at Gibraltar before leaving for
Corfa.

During the Colombo's homeward voyage she spoke
the following ves,ets :---March 15th, the Penin.-ular and
Oriental Company's steamer lodus, in lat. 33 46 N.,
long. 21 55 E. ; 19th, the steamer Msleber, belonging
to the seine company, let. 37 29 N , long. 5 49 E ; 20 b,
the British schooner Pride of the Spas, lat. 37 12 N.,
1 E. ; the ship Storm Qieen, lat. 45 20 N., long.
10 W.
Among the passengers by the Colombo were the fol-
lowing from Lucknow e--Lady Inglis (daughter of the
L rd Chancellor, and wife of the late Commandant at
Lucknow, Brigadier-General Inglis) and three children;
qra. Bruen° and four children, Mrs. Ruggles, Mrs
Apthorpe and t o children, Captain Lawrence, Lieut.
Foster and Lieut. Cook. Great interest wae, of coarse,
excited to catch even a momentary glimpse of Lady
Inglis, who, we are happy to say, looked well and
cheerful, despite of the snff,ringe and privations she has
been elided upon to endure. Much regret is felt at the
ioss 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-
comed on board the steamer by her brother (Colonel
Thesiger), sister, and cousin (Captain Tinling, R.N.) ;
while others of the Lucknow heroines were received
by their respective relatives and friends, the mutual
interchange of affeclonate greeting rendering the scene
on the deck of the noble steam-ship one to be long re-
membered by those who witnessed it. Major Isaacs, of
the 82 I, who lost an arm in General Windham's disas-
trous affair at Cawnpore, was also a passenger by this
packet.
The Mayor and other members of the Local Relief
Committee were early on beard the Colombo, in pursuit
of their philanthropic mission ; but the only case calling
for 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
bef ire the geeeral committee in the metropolis for their
consideration.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Her Majesty's ship Excellent, Capt. R. 6. Hewlett, C. 8.,
is reported so shaken by her long gunnery training, 6zc.,
that she will be replaced by another ship, probably the St.
Vincent., 102.
The Excellent has been in the service about 70 years, and
was for :ierly known as the Boyne, 98 guns. She was em-
ployed in the last French war, and formed one of the flying
squadron ..ff Brest, being one of the fastest ships in the fieJt
of that day.
The Urgent, 6, screw troop-ship, Commander M Donald,
will be undocked to-day at Portsmouth. The Soalark and
Rolla naval apprentices' training brigs are refitted for summer
service at Portsmouth. Capt Moorsom, C. 8., resumed com-
mand of the Diadem, 32, at Spithead ye terday.
The instructors • f musketry at Chatham have commenc d
their summer instruction of the officers and men of the various
East India depots attached to each battalion.
In consequence of the strong repr, sentations which have
been made to the with, rities of the inconvenient - and danger
lik,•ly to arise to the troips of the R •yal Engineers quartered
in Bromptou-barracks, Chatham, from a po, tion of that est a-
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 effect. This steamer
is oue 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 ht Southampton on Thursday afternoon
to eml ark a set of Lamb •nd Summers's patent flue boiiers,
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 Guu Foundry,
Woolwich Arsenal, the select committee of Royal Artil cry
officers have recommended that sach guns should bo cast
from a mixture of Swedish with Nova Scotia iron. The
failures which recently occurred are attributed to the fact
that Swedish iron unmixed h 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 allo sed
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 Miliary Storekeeper's Offices, in the Royal
Arsenal, these departments having been consolidated in ac-
cordance with instructions from the War tment
The paddlewheel steamer Panther, of about 700 .
700 tons and
350-horse power, chartered by the Peninsular and Oriental
Company f.n. their Malta and M arseillesl2 knots line, arrived
p a yester-
day from Glasgow, having Traged on her sa.,'o
round from the Clyde.
The following appointments have been made at the Ad-

rairalty
The Hon. xr• A. Wingfield, midshipman to the
n2i shipmau to the Renown ; R.
Marl-
borough;E.soneE. C. Hawtrth,
s,
master to the Coastguard ; John Little, promoted
to the rank of surgeon; Richard Pick(); promoted to the
rank of acti g surgeon ; John D. liogers, second-master tO
the Marlborough ; and Llewellp Edward., 1/Ift'fi assistant
to tho Urgent.