The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-20 00:00:00

THE INDIA, CHINA, AND AUSTRALIAN
MAP 5.

(REUTER'S EXPRESS.)

SOUTHAMPTON, Dec. 19.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-
ship Massilia, Capt. Locke], with the heavy portion
of the above mails has arrived ; she brings 57 pas-
sengers, 32 boxes specie, value £516,729, and 2,675
packages cargo, including 1,397 boxes dates, and
823 bales raw silk, value £75,000 sterling.
The Massilia experienced a heavy swell from the
westward since making St. Vincent. On the even-
ing of the 14th she spoke a British frigate off Tarifa ;
her Majesty's ships Victoria, Hibernia, Royal Oak,
Resistance, Prince Consort, Eudymion, Cruiser,
Wizard, and Caradoc.

GIBRALTAR, 14th.—Letters from the West Coast
of Barbary state that some inconvenience and in-
terruption to their business is experienced by mer-
chants at the ports arising out of the Spanish inter-
vention in the Moorish Custom-houses.
The following British vessels have arrived here
since the 7th :—Schooner Mary Phillips, to Car-
diff ; R.V.Y.C. schooner Tyne, to Cowes ; brig
Cedar, to Sunderland ; steamer Montezuma, from
London ; steamer Hercules, to Falmouth ; brig
Marmion, to Cardiff ; steamer Italian, to Liverpool;
steamer Ripon, to Southampton ; and Britannia, to
London.

The American ship Prescott has arrived at
Algesiras from Callao ; she reports having spoke on
the 28th Oct., lat. 5.52 N., long. 27.10 W., ship
Broomielaw, from Glasgow for Bombay, 31 days
out, on the 29th, lat. 4.54, long. 27.1; barque Albert
the Good, from Sunderland to Madras, 70 days out;
and on November 15th, lat. 28.32 N., long. 32.4
W., barque Memory, from Liverpool to Salveston.
Her Majesty's ships, Gibraltar, Redpole, and Sky-
lark, are in the harbour. The American armour-clad
turret Miantonomah arrived this morning from
Cadiz. Exchanges are unaltered.

THE PONTIFICAL DEBT.

1.

The Moniteur publishes the convention signed on
the 7th inst. between France and Italy for the regu-
lation of the Pontifical debt. The provisions are the
following :

Art. 1. Tho proportional part belonging to Italy in the
perpetual debt, and the redeemable one of the former States
of the Church—to wit:—For the Romagnas at the date of
June 30, 1859, and for the Marches, Umbria, and Bene-
vento at the date of September 30, 1860, the epoch of en-
trance into possession is recognised to amount, for the for-
mer to 7,892,985 f., and for the latter to 7,337,160 f., or to-
gether to 15,230,145 f.

•
Art. 2. A sum of 1,468,617 f. being already paid annually
by the Italian Government to the holders of the stock of
the perpetual debt of the said provinces, the now charge
falling upon Italy, in virtue of the present Convention, on
account of the two speciesindicated in the preceding article
is, and remains fixed at, the sum of 13,761,527 f.
Art. 3. Italy takes, besides, to her charge the reimburse-
ment of the interest due, calculated from the epochs before
indicated, up the 31st of December. The payment of these
sums shall be effected in the following manner :—The last
three half-years, or 20,642,291 f., shall be paid in specie
on the 15th of March next, at latest. For the remainder
of the arrears the Italian Government takes to its charge
a yearly payment at par of £3,397,627f., which will by so
much increase the portion of the redeemable debt falling
upon Italy.

Art. 4. The yearly payments indicated in the two pre-
ceding articles, and amounting to 18,627,773, are to remain
at the charge of Italy, dating from the first half-year of
1867. The said payments will be made in the same manner
as was fixed for the original contracts.

Art. 5. In what concerns the life debt of the former
States of the Church, the Italian Government will pay al
the pensions regularly settled at the periods of the annexal
tious to the holders belonging to the former Pontifical pro-
vinces, and residing in the kingdom of Italy.
Art. 6. The demands for reimbursement which Italy
may have to make on the Holy See are reserved, as are re-
ciprocally the claims which the Pontifical Government may
have to address to Italy.
Art. 7. The Government of the Emperor of the French
will produce, iu the shortest delay possible, all the docu-
ments that will be necessary for the transfer to the Great
Book of the Italian Debt of the inscriptions of the various
kinds of Route of which the Holy See is discharged in
virtue of the present Convention.

Art. 8. The present CJavcatiou shall be ratified, and
the necessary papers exchanged, within a delay of a week
or sooner if possible.

THE TASMANIAN.

SOUTHAMPTON, Wednesday.
Instructions were received from the Privy Coun-
cil this morning, that the passengers by the West
India mail steamer Tasmanian were to be released
from quarantine to-day, provided the report re-
specting their health was satisfactory to the medical
superintendent of quarantine. Dr. Wiblin proceeded
to the Motherbank this afternoon to make the ne-
cessary inquiries, and act accordingly.
A curious incident has transpired in connection
with the Tasmanian and the present state of the
quarantine laws, the facts of which are set forth in
the subjoined memorial which has been forwarded to
the Board of Customs iu London :
Southampton, Dec. 17, 1866.
" The Hon. Commissioners of Her Majesty's

Customs.

" Honourable Sirs,—l beg leave respectfully to
lay before your honours the following plain .state-
merit of facts :

" I have been many years a waterman in this
town, having several boats of my own, and ever
since the Royal Mail Company's ships have been
here I have done work for them. On Saturday
evening last I was employed by the provedore super-
intendent of that company to convey from the
docks to the Parana, then lying in the river under
quarantine, fresh meat and provisions for the pas-
sengers who had been transferred to that ship from
the Tasmanian. I sent my boat, the Alma, man-
ned by George Deyer and William Blake (who have
been upwards of 20 years in my employment), and
as the weather was stormy I sent an extra hand in
the boat. Mr. Fletcher, of the provodore depart-
ment in the Royal Mail Company, made the ar-
rangements with the tide surveyor for the boat going
off, and a Customs' officer was sent in charge, with
instructions to see that everything was carried out
regularly, and no communication held with the
ship beyond delivery of the things while the boat
was alongside. Dr. Wiblin, who was passing along
the river in a small steamer, challenged them;
whereupon he was informed by the Customs' officer
that he was an officer of Customs there, under in-
structions from his superior officer, in charge of the
boat, for the purpose of transferring the provisions
to the Parana, and that everything had been carried
out according to the directions he had received.
Notwithstanding this, Dr. Wiblin ordered the boat
into quarantine, and as the Parana proceeded yes-
terday morning to the Motherbank, my boat was
also ordered by Dr. Wiblin to proceed there. The
Custmq officer, I believe, went on board the
Parana Yesterday, and my men, I understand, were
put on board the 2Eolus, the boat remaining on the
quarantine ground.
" As my boat was employed in a lawful manner
in charge of your officers, I have respectfully to seek
the interference of your honourable Board on a
matter in which the liberty of British subjects has
been so grossly outraged; and I have further humbly
on behalf of the men employed by me, and on my
own behalf, to ask for compensation for the loss and
damage we have sustained, and are sustaining, by
reason of your proceeding.—l have the honour to
be, your honours' obedient servant,

" WILLIAM DIBLE."

The whole question of the quarantine laws and
their operation upon commerce at home and abroad
was brought under the consideration of the Cham-
ber of Commerce at this port on Monday evening,
and a deputation was appointed to wait upon the
Privy Council to endeavour to obtain such a modi-
fication of the present laws as shall, if possible,
satisfy the requirements of foreign Governments,
and, at the same time, relieve healthy persons arriv-
ing at British ports from the lengthened detention
to which they are liable under the present system
when rigidly enforced.
The Parana steamer and the Tasmanian passengers
have been released from quarantine, and the pas-
sengers landed in the docks this evening—the
healthy crew on board the 2Eolus, the convalescents
in the Menelaus. Dible's boat and men are still de-
tained at the Alotherbauk.