The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-15 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA IVIAILI

SOUTHAMPTON, JUNE 14

The Royal Mail Company's ste3m-ship L. Platt,
Capt. C. G. Weller, arrived this 'morning, at four
o'clock, with the West India and Pacific mail 4, in
charge of Lieut. Charlton, R.N., Admiralty agent.
She has experienced fine weather during tho honk-
ward voyage, with strong westerly wiuds from tie
Western Islands. La Pleta's dates are : •

Belize (Hon' uras) May 17 i Bridgetovvu (Bar-
S'to ta Martha ___ 23' bc.ies) ... ...... May 27
Greytown ('404 — Gr-nada
(pito) • h--- 19 St. Vi.nt
I nc. — 26
Carthagena

Colon
N 23 I NTartu ue ... .. 28
King.cton..Tamaies 27 Gu4dal,uoe
Jacm,l (Hayti) ... 28 Dominique — 28
San Juan (Porto , Ant,gua — 29
lt,co)
Berbice
29
Georgetown (De- St. Mitt's
merare)
Tobago
Port orSpain (Tri- ISt. Thomas — 31
nidad)

• On freight she brings—gold—lust, value 377,650
dols. ; specie in silver, 326,656 dols. ; silver in
brrs, 114,621 dole. ; gold in bars, 222,383 dols. ;
plating, 16,422 dol4. ;—total value in dollais,
1,057,734 ; or, say, 211,5461. sterling.
Our advicea from Jamaica are to the 26th ult.
Daring the previous fortnight the question of the
wages of agricultural labourers had birn warmly
agi. ated. The Falmouth Post and the Watchman
argue that, as 'he labourers cheerfullysubmiite l to
a le lact'on of ther wages when stLar was saling
at from 10/. to 121., thy are entitle i to an increase
now that the price has 'risen to 301. per Mid. The
Daily Advertiser consders such a mode of argu-
ment to be misilievous, as tending to sow the
seers of disc°rd e-weea employer and employed,
find con tendstliat, ae the plant, r had been a I oserfor
some yestrs past, he is j nst.fied in t king dri It rage ot
the pre en i rise in the price of produce. The Morning
Journal prefers neutrality on the quest-toil, cn-
,ceiving that the matter concerts only thoize who
are directly intereted. The William Hammond
troopship, with ade • achment of the 41st Reg;ment,
having smallpox on board, had been admitted to
pratique. The sick were landed at the Apostles'
Battery, and the remainder, landed at Kingston,
were marched up. to Newcastle. Precautions had
been taken to prevent the spread of contagion, and
no case of smallpox having broken out in the island
had. been heard of up to the latest dates. The de-
tachment of the 2d We .t India Regiment, which
was sent to Belize, Honduras, had been sent back

in consequence of smallpox beinr prevalent at that
place. The "May seasons"' had fairly set in, and
heavy rains ha,-I fallen for the last two or three
days, completely flooding the streets. The public
health continued g'od.
De Cordova's Mercantile InteTligencer quotes
ffes as worth 455. per 1001 h. for-ordin iry. New
corn was wanted. 1,200 barrels of flour sold at
395. per barrel, and the market was fi'm at that
price were very plentiful, and dull of sale,
al. had been accepted for some recent lots. Sales
of mess pork had been made at 1264. to 128 s. per
barrol. No pMaPnto at market. - For soap there
was no demand at all. Alewives were wor h 244.
rer barrel. Late receipts of corn meal kid sold at
224. to 235. Exchanges at Jamaica and colonial
banks,f on Lrnlon, were quo,ed-90 days, per
cent. pm. ; 60 days, 1 per cent. pm. ; 3tl days, 1
per cent pm. ;*private bills, at par. On New York,
merchants' bills, 1 per cent. pm.
Files of Demerara paters are to the 23,1 of May.
The Combined Court had been constantly sitting

---
since the departure of the last packet. Mr. Porter,
at the last meeting of the Court after the mail had
left, took the earliest opportunity to express the
gratfication he felt at seeing the satisfactory leter
of Mr. Thomas H. Gladstone in the Times, in re-
. .

ferenc-+ to the e,milition of immigrants in the British
West Inlia cllonies. The proposition of Messrs.

Davies, Son, Campbell, and no., of London, solici-
tors to the holders of tie bonds of the Demerara
Railway, to take over the line, to extend it, and
pus it in compete working order, alid al-43 to pay
off the 45,0001. doe to the colony, on condition teat
the colony.
.guaranteed the payment of Mei est not
exceeding 6 per cent. fit the sum of 150,0001., un-
derwent considerable diseussi(m. Several resolu-

tions were ultimately agreed to, in effect s anction-
ing the proposed arrangement, under certain con.
di Lions, which were set forth at leegth in the reso-
lutions, The Court had voted the sum of $35,000
for payment of bounty ou Portuguese immigrants
from Madeira and the Wes ern Islands, to be free
of indentures on their art ival and at liberty to
choose their own employer& The whole question
of immigration had been brought forward, and re-
solutio:ns adopted, set ing forth the great want of
c:irit'nuous labour in the co!ouy aA the only draw-
back to its advancement and pro-p,,rity and the
development of its resources, and making a strong
appeal to her Majesty's Government.for the entire
removal of all restrictions against the introduction
by private enterpr se of immigrants from all
parts of China and the adjacent islands. The
Court bad resolved to vote the sum of $40,000
er annum for steam communication between
Georgetown .and Berbice and Geargetown and
Essequibo, and for steam feriage across the
rivers Berbice and Demerara, on the under-
standing that a spare steamer should be provided
for sea service, and that none of the above services
ba ever performed except by steam vessels. Capt.
Sproston had offered to undertake tee sea service,
with the Tyne, at pre-ent under repair, for
26,000 dols. per annum ; and in the course of 15
months to put on a second reserve steamer of from
80 to 100 horse power, on condition of the colony
lending him 12,000 dais. on the arrival of the
steamer, which would be given as security for the
repayment of the money. The two steamers to be
put 'tufo( 33,000 d ls. He also offere ito take over
the Dome, ary ferry on the expiret on of the present
contract and on the same terms. Thy sum ref 45,000
dols. had been voted for the cholera expenses, and
15,000 dole, were placed on the estim,te for the
purpose of establishing dispensaries in the rural dis-
tricts. Communications had been laid before the
Court from Mr. G. Fielding, of Guernsey, and Mr.
W. S Lindsay, of London, f,r direct steam com-
munication, monthly, between Demerara and Great
Britain, via Barbadoes and Madeira, in reference
to which the Royal Gazette observes :—" We hays
no hesitation in saying that such a comtnunice ion
would be profitable to the promote' s, provided they,
put on ships of sufficient power to perform the dis-
tance in a shorter time than the present mail
steamers, and of capacity to bring a general cargo
at moderate rates. If the steamer a went hence di-
rent to England they would always be sure of get-
-1 ting a large number of the passengers who now go
home or come out by sailing vessels for the sake
of economy, and they would also get a consider-
able share of merchandise and small packages.
The object of the p omo. era should be to carry
passengers and merchatidae a' moderate rates. If
they do that they will be well supported." •
The Merchautman, from Calcu t,, arrived at
Demerara on the 13th Mey, .after a voyage of 90
days, with 260 coolies. Tee wort ality on board had
been fearful, 113 having died during the passage,
and of 60 who were conveyed to the hospital on
their arrival five died while being lauded, and
several others subsequently expired in the hospie al.
"It appears from the investigation," seys the
Royal Gazette, " That the conies selected :were. a
.set of sickly, emaciettd creatures, the refuse of the
immigrants collected for tare Mauritius anti other
places, and Veen put on board were more fit to
have been sent to a hospital than on along sea voy-
age. Many died of cholera during the pas-ag‘a down
the Hooghly, and many more et dysentery and di-
arrhoea before they reached the Cape. Ship fever
then broke out with fearful virulence, and the whole
ship became a sort of general hospital, in which
the sick and the healthy were indiscriminately hud-
dled up together. The arrangements of the chip,
made under the orders of the emigration authori-
ties in Calcutta were injudiciously made. The plat-
forms erected around the ship obstructed the ven-
tilation • the privies, too, were an intolerable nui-
sance and the changes which have been made in the
dietary tables, by the substitution of better food
than the immigrants have been accustomed to, has
been found productive of injurious effects. These
and several other causes combined have lei to the
most severe mortality that has ever occurred on
board anyirnmigrant ship coming to this colony. It
is but due to the captain and surgeon to say that
they did all they could to prevent the progress of
the disease, and to ameliorate the condition of these
unfortunate people." •
The weather at Demerara had been very wet
during the last fortnight, and the rainy season was
fully set in. The exports were small. Trade was
dull, tonnage abundant, and freights so tree.
At Grenada the legislative session bad prema-
turely terminated by an. adjournment moved by
the leading member of the Exa.cut•ve Council. The
Charcoal Tax having been found to work oppres-
sively the inhabitants peti toned for its: repo d.
The House of Assembly went into committee ou the
petitions, andreported rerecommeirdation that their
prayer be granted, and a 811 was brought in no
give it effect. This report was adopted by 10
votes to 9. As an expedient to prolong tine lax, a
proposition
.to adjourn the. House the Bth of
September was then made, and carried by 10 to 8,
and, the Lieutenant-Governor having acceded, the
hoUse stands adjourned accordingly. Three vac 'n-
cies had been declared in the Heuse of Assembly,
for the supply of which writs had been issued, and,
as soon as these elections are made, it was thought
probable toat the Lieutenant-Governor would call
the Legielattire together by proclamation in order