The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-05 00:00:00

THE BRAZILS AND RIVER PLATE.

The Royal Brazilian Mail Packet Tyne arrived
at Southampton yesterday, with mails from the
Brazils and the River Plate. Her dates are Buenos
Ayres, Feb. 27; Monte Video, March 2; Rio de
Janeiro, 11; Bahia, 15 ; and Pernambuco, 15. Her
freight comprises diamonds of the value of £18,070 ;
specie, from Rio, £11,483; from Bahia, £3,100;
from Pernambuco, £1,675.

The dispute between America and Paraguay is
settled, America accepting about one-third of her
demand. The flotilla had returned to Monte Video.
English, French, American, and Brazilian squad-
rons were at Monte. Video.

From Buenos Ayres we hear of a revolution in
Chili.

The Buenos Ayres Commercial Times says:—
" Speculation has been rife, and the excitement
caused has proved very detrimental to legitimate
business, which has been dull throughout the month,
though the arrival of the packet infused consider-
ably more animation into most branches of our
trade, but more especially into exports, the advices
from all parts being highly favourable."
Heavy rains hadcontinued to fall at Rio, which
had caused much damage to the coffee crop, and
had prevented supplies from being brought to
market. Yellow fever was prevalent among the
shipping, though not so violent as last year.
The new President of the Brazil Bank, Viscount
Itaboraky, was installed about a fortnight before
the sailing of the packet.
Since the departure of the February packet sales
of coffee may be estimated at 123,000 bags, and
during the whole of last month about 160,000
chiefly purchased for shipment to the United
States about 20,000 only for European ports. The
bad weather and state of the roads have caused a
decrease of existing stock, and prices have advanced
fully 200 to 300 per arrobe since last advices. We
quote—Superior, 5.400 to 5.600 ; Ist good. 5.200 to
6.300 ; Ist ordinary, 4.900 to 5.100 ; 2d good,
4.500 to 4.700 ; .2d ordinary, 4.000 to 4.400. Sales
this month, 53.000 bags. Stock, 15.000 bags.
Exchange for this packet has ruled at 251 d., 90
days' sight on London, at which rate about
£580,000 has been passed.
At Bahia there was a great want of rain. Crops
were withering. A few cases of yellow fever-had
occurred. Little had been done in sugar during the
past week. The Bahia Price Current says that 5
milbags of coffee were sold at 4 per arroba, which,
at the exchange of 26d., is equal to 38s. 2d. per cwt.
free on board, without freight ; and that stocks on
hand consist of about 2 mil bags only, for which
4.100 per ameba is demanded.
Freights were gradually giving way, and closed
flat. The following charters were effected during
the week :—The Asia for London at 30s. per ton ;
the Joshua Waddington for the Channel, and west-
ern or southern ports of Great Britain, 255. per
ton ; the St. Pietro, for the Channel and Great
Britain, 255. ; the Eudora, for the Channel and
Great Britain, 255.
Exchange transactions during the week were
effected 26d. ; latterly drawers had refused to grant
this rate, offering 251 d., but nothing had as yet
transpired at this quotation.
At Pernambuco a good deal of rain had fallen,
and it was expected that the prices of sugars would
be fully maintained as entries fell off.
Cotton had been in demand and prices had ad-
vanced. Entries were confined to 902 bags.
Forr.et:eg,hts : Rates for the Channel have ruled at
15p. to 375. 6d., and 5 per cent. fpr the United
ballast
aarolinriafgsod:trmhi,s'wlth the usual extras for the Continent.
-F Liverpool : 17s. 6d to 205.; 5 per cent., sugars
5-16 d. to -,73 . and 5 per cent. per lb. cotton.
editrranean, 455. and 5 per cent.
Exchange About £130,000 have been passed so
conveyance, of which about £40,000
bills),(railwayat 26d. 60 and 90 days. £24,000 at
25i
the remainder at 251, 90 days,
h
(tlhueo and
t taacc.on • but the closing rate will
; ounts from Rio. Money scarce,
nd k rate
discount 9 per cent p.a. for bills
waieebni 9
iaonis , daps,
p upon
a our
depend a
to mature in fourmonth,s.

A great many scientific persons. builders, and
others, were called as witnesses, and they expressed
an opinion that the alterations that had been made
were justified by their experience, and that there.
was •no reason for apprehending that the casing of
the staircase in question with iron was at all calcu-
lated necessarily to occasion the catastrophe that
occurred.
111 r. Justice Wightman summed up the whole of
the evidence very carefully, 'and in the result left
four questions for the consideration of the jury. Ist,
whether the defendants had themselves been guilty
of any negligence; 2dly, hether they had employed
competent persons to perform the duty of making
the alterations that were required; 3dly, whether,
suppOsinithey had done-so, those persons had per-
formed the duty cast upon them in a proper and
workmanlike manner ; and, 4thly, whether the
accident was attributable to their neglect in this
particular, or.to the defective manner in which the
building had beemoriginalta. constructed.
The jury.retired at half-past five o'clock, and at
half-past six they returned into court, and said
that with regard to the first question they were of
opinion that there had been no negligence on the
part of the defendants personally ; as to the second
question, they were of opinion that they had em-
ployed competent persons to make the alterations.
AS to the third, they could not undertake to say
that the persons so employed had taken the proper
*tiled to repair the staircase in question.
Mr. Justice Wightman interposed, and said the
question was one of negligence, and he should re-
quest the jury to say yes or no to the question
whether the persons employed by the fipfendants to
make the alterations had exercised the necessary
skill and caution
.to effect that object.
The jury then again retired, and were absent
more than an hour, and upon their return into
court they said they were of opinion that proper
skill and caution had not, been exercised by the
persons employed by the defendants to make the
repairs and alterations, and they therefore returned
a verdict for the plaintiff, with .£lO damages.
An application was made by the attorney for the
plaintiff for immediate execution, as there had been
a suggestion that if the verdict in this case was
adverse the company would take advantage of the
Winding-up, Act, but his. lordship declined to make
any order, as various points of law had been re-
served for further consideration.