The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-12 00:00:00

TRE INDIA MAILS.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam•packet
Ripon, Captain R. W. Evans (Admiralty agent, Lieut.
Thomas White Farrer, R.N.), arrived yesterday at
Southampton, with the India mails. Her dates are
Alexandria, Dec. 26 ; Malta, 30th; and Gibraltar,
Jan. 5.

The Ripon brings 85 passengers, amongst whom are
Col. Kelly, Capt. Brady, Capt. Gregory, and Dr.
Kewan, R.N. 18 first-class, 2 second-class, 5 children,
and 10 seamen. She brings 18 packages of specie, value
8,639/., and 16,000 fire-franc pieces.
At Alexandria, Dec. 26 : English yachts Sylphide and
Titania, screw-steamer Prince Arthur. At Gibraltar*
Jan. 5: Screw-steamer Albanian, ship Sea Queen,
barques, Lady Wharncliffe and Drydens, brig Nestor.
Vessels spoken with : Dec. 31, 11 a.m., barque Con-
queror, off Pantellaria, steering S.E. ; Jan. 3, 8 a.m.,
her Majesty's ship Diamond, 143 milas east of Cape de
Gatt, steering west ; sth, 5 p in., barque Hinda, off
Malaga; steering west ; 6th, 9 a.m., screw-steamer St.
Andrew, off Cape St. Vincent, steering S.E. ' • 7th,
7.30 a.m.,. Peninsular and Oriental steamer Colombo,
20 miles north of Burlings, steering S.S. W.
Movements of her Majesty's ships—Dec. 20. Lying
at Malta—Her Majesty's ships Hibernia, Conqueror,
Brunswick, Dauntless, Conflict, Osprey, Caradoc, Re-
cruit, Centaur, Wanderer, Wye. 25th. Lying at Alex-
andria—Her Majesty's ship Tartarus. Jan. 4. Lying
at Gibraltar—Her Majesty's ship Curlew.

DELAY OF THE AUSTRALIAN MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, SATURDAY.
The Eurowan and Australian Royal Mail Company's
steam ship Columbian arrived in dock this morning, and
is now being got in readiness to convey the next mails
to South and West Australia, Victoria, New South
Wales, Tasmania, and New Zealand, advertised on
Monday, the 12th instant. The next mail for Australia
will leave Southampton on the 24th of February next,
and will be the first mail conveyed via Egypt, the
supplementary mail, via Marseilles, being appointed
to leave London on the 2d of March next. By this
a; rangement the steamer will be expected to arrive at
Alexandria on the Bth of March, leave Suez on the
11th, reach Melbourne on the 19th of April, and
Sydney on the 22d. Subsequently the mails will be
despatched from Southampton on the 12th of each
month. The first mail from Australia will leave Sydney,
vic; Egypt, on the 11th of April next, and will be due in
London viii Marseilles on the 30th of May, and at
Southampton on the sth of June. The mail packets are
to touch at Point de Galls on the outward voyage, and
at Ring George's Sound and Point de Galle on the
homeward one.
The Columbian is a first class steam ship, and elegantly
fitted up for first-olass passengers only. She is corn.
manded by Captain Pander. During her passage from
the Clyde to Southampton she at times made 12 and 13
knots per hour, although at times she was compelled to
go at half speed, owing to the thickness of the weather.
The engines performed most satisfactorily.
The following important notice was posted at the
General Post office, St. Martin's-le-Grand, by command
of the Postmaster-General, at half-past two o'clock on
Saturday afternoon. " The contractors having informed
his lordship that the mail packet Columbian will not be
ready to leave Southampton until Tuesday next, January
dloentteorns
Taunedsdnaeywinspoarpneinrse willnex next."
in
tli3mthe'iffopr Australia,