The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-18 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, MAY rt.
The Royal Mail Company's st3amship Orinoco,
Capt. T. W. Sawyer, arrived this morning, bring-
ing the West India and Pacific mails, in charge of
Lieut. Cashman, RN., Admiralty agent. Her
dates are :

Nassau (Bahamas) April 18
Belize (Honduras) 17
Greytown
Carthagena - 25
Colon
Kingston,Jamaica 27
Jacmel (Hayti) 28
San Juan (Porto
Rico)
Berbice

Port of Spairr(Tri-
nidad)
Bridgetown '(Bar-
batioes)
St. Vincent - 26
St. Lucia
Martinique 28
Guadeloupe
Dominique — 28
Antigua — 28

• --- 27

Georgetown (De-
merara)
Tobago
Grenada — 25

Montserrat 28
Nevis - 29
St. Kitt's
St. Thomas May 1

On freight she has the following amount of valu-
ables :
Specie in dollars
Ditto in copper coin 1,050
Ditto in gold
Pearls 6,500
Platina

Total value in dollars 5765,515
or say 153,1031. sterling ; and the cargo comprises
80 serons of cochineal, 694 serons of indigo, 14
serons of jalap, 94 cases of cigars, 9 casks of coffee,
105 bales of sarsaparilla, 12 packages of vanilla, 111
bales of bark, 15 packages of inditrubber, 74 serous
of cocoa, and 117 packages„ of
,sundries. The Ori-
noco experienced on the Jititieward voyage light
easterly winds till the Bth May, nor h and north-
westerly till Vie 13th, Southerly breezes till her ar-
rival in the Channel, and ire the Channel light airs
and calms.

Our dates.from Jainaica are to the 27th ult. in-
clusive, being the day on which the steamer left.
There is no news of any importance whatever. The
chief topic in the papers is the capture of the slave-
ship by her Majesty's brig Arab, off the coast of
Cuba, of Which intelligence has already been re-
ceived in England by way of America. The island
generally was healthy. The head-quarters of the
3d West India Regiment embarked on the 22d
ult. in her Majesty's transport steamer Persever-
ance, for Demerara.
From De Cordova's Mercantile Intelligencer of
the 23th, we learn that coffee was getting scarce
and bringing 435. to 445. 'for ordinary. Sugar was
worth 235. to 265. according to quality. The stock
of corn was light, and but little doing ; 435. per
bushel had been realised for lots for some time past.
Of flour some late parcels had been sold at 37s Gd.
to 38s. Alewives continued at 245. Late parcels
of American butter sold, at ls. Two recent cargoes
of codfish had been sold at 18s. tierces, and 20s.
boxes, but the last was held fa- advanced rates.
Herrings were plentiful, and only commanded 245.
per barrel. Hams abundant, and little demand ;
last sales at 9d. There were no arrivals of pork ;
mess, of which the stock was very small, was held at
128 e. ; late sales at IG2s. for prime mess. A cargo of
rice from Barbadoes at auction realised Ils. Gd. for
yellow, and 13s. 6d: for white. Of pimento there
was none at market. Rum was worth' 3s. 5d to
3s. Gd. per gallon, proof 18. Soap was dull, with
large stock in the hands of dealers. Tongues were
in scanty supply; a parcel of very superior Ameri-
can sold at 60s. Exchanges on London :--Jamaica
and Colonial Banks, 90 days, 41 per cent. premium ;
60 days, one per cent. premium ;30 days, per
cent. premium ; priVa'e bills at par. On New York
merchants' bills 12 per cent. premium.
At Demerara the vacancies in the Court of Policy
occasioned by the resignation of the Hons. Dr.
Havey and A. D. V. Gon Netacher had been filled
up by the election of Messrs. D. Macdoneld and J.
E. Roney. The new Militia Bill was read a second
time ou the 20th ult. by a majority of one, after a
vigorous and strong opposition.
The Chief-Justice had moved for a return of all
the male Portuguese between the ages of 16 and
50 resident in Georgetown, with the view of in-
troducing certain resolutions urging upon her
Majesty's Government the propriety of getting
the clause in the treaty between England and
Portugal *rescinded which exempts Portuguese
from military duties in a British colony. The
weather during the fortnight previous to
date of advices had continued dry, and
warm. The young canes were thriving and
there was every prospect of a fair crop. The exports
dui ing the fortnight had amounted to—sugar, 2,730
hhds., 209 trcs., 242. brls., 400 bags ; rum, 1,327
puns:, 351 hhds., 33 brls. ; molasses, 204 puns. ;
coffee, 3 brls. ; cocoanuts, 53,432 ; timber, 12,255
cubic feet ; lancewood spars, 164 ; hides, 508 ;
horns, 2,196 ; flour, 331 brls. ; rice, 4,425 bags ;
pork, 70 brls. • gin, 100 cases; 50 demijohns ; chain
cable, 3;• anchors, 4. Trade was still dull among
the merchants. Freights scarce.
At Barbadoes a new road bill, unaltered from the
one recently thrown out bythe Council, wasbrought
in and passed by the Assembly on the 21st ult. The
health of the island con .inued good, and trade in
some branches was brisk. There had been a great
many arrivals lately; and, the market being over-
s'ocked with breadstuffs, inactivity and depressed
prices were the result. The wind had been favour-
able for crop operations, which proceeded slowly.
Some few estates,, principally in St. Michael's
parish, had finished, but the crop was on the whole
backward, nor was it likely to be equal to last
year's. The export of sugar to the 27th amounted
to 11,250 hhds., 584 tierces, 2,077 barrels ;
Molasses, 2,181 puns., 37 hbds., 50 brie. ; rum 31
puns.'; cotton 11 bales; aloes 18 goitrds,—not
more, so far as sugar is concerned, than half of the
quantity shippel at the same time last year.
Popular demonstrations were being made in Gre-
nada against the charcoal tax, and other obnoxious
measures of taxation recently initiated by the' Exe
cutive Council, and carried through the influence
of its members in the House of Assembly. The
weather was still favourable for the work of sugar
manufacture throughout the island, and unabated
activity prevailed on the plantations. As tb.e sea-
son advanced the yield of the cane was found pro-
gressively to improve, and things in general bore a
more encouraging aspect than for some time pre-
vious. Many estates would, it was anticipated,
double the quantity made last, year, and the quality
of the sugar produced was unexceptionable. It was
considered pretty certain that the total crop of the
colony would exceed that of last year by at least one-
half. The, cocoa trade continued brisk, and pr.,-
Iduc- en were obtaining oil tl,w spot 50s. to 52a. per
cwt. About 6461 b. of nutmegs, of a superior qua-