The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-07 00:00:00

WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

PLYMOUTH, WEDNESDAY MORNING.
The African Steam Navigation Company's mail
packet Candace, Commander Hawk€sley, arrived
this morning (Wednesday).
Her homeward dates are :—Fernar.do Po, Nov.
29th ; Bonny, Dec. 3d ; Lagos, 7th ; Accra, 10th;
Cape Coast, 11th ' • Liberia, 15th ; Sierra Leone,
20th ; Bathurst, 23,1 ' • Goree, 24th ; Teneriffe,
29th • and Madeira, 31st.
. -

She brings about 1,500 ounces of gold dust.
Affairs are more quiet in all the. rivers.
The Consul at Lagos continues anxious about
Kosoko, the steamer Mina having been withdrawn,
much to the dissatisfaction of the merchants.
The Bishop of Sierra Leone has visited Lagos.
The Meander was under repairs at Sierra Leone.
The Hecla was cruizing off the Pongas River.
The Medina is waiting at Bathurst to lay down
buoys.
The Merlin was at Clarence when the Cand tee
arrived, having just returned from conveying the
Consul Hutchinson to Bonny, New Calabar, and
Brass River.

Two French war steamers were at Teneriffe,
bound to the East Indies.

The steam troop ship *ulean, with the German
Legion for the Cape, called for coal at Sierra Leone,
where two of the soldiers' wives (Englishwomen)
deserted.

The Candace brings Captain John Absolom and
the crew of the brig Lord Nelson, which foundered
in the Bay of Biscay on the 13th of December.
They were picked up by the ship Angela Burdett
Coutts, Captain Wilson, bound for Calcutta, which
landed them at Madeira.

The Candace, spoke Dec. 3, off Bonny, the
Rajapore ; and Dec. 13, lat. 7 12 N., long. 4 10 W.
the schooner Sultana.

LOSS OF THE VIOLET DOVER AND
OSTEND MAIL STEAMER.

(BY ELECTRIC TBLEURAP B.)

DOVER, WEDNESDAY MORNING, Jan. 7.
"Empress" left for the Goodwin Sands at
9.30 a.m., with Captain Smithett on board.
Royal and Imperial Mail Steam Packet Service,
56, Lombard•street, Wednesday, 11 a.m.
Mr. J. G. Churchward presents his compliments to
the Editor and begs to forward the following additional
information with reference to the dreadful loss of the
mail steam packet Violet.

(Extract of a letter from Captain Smithett.)
Dover, Wednesday, 8 a.m.
The Belgian steam packet came in about midnight,
an I the captain states that the Violet left Ostend in a
fearful storm of wind at N.E. and snow at about 8.30
p.m., on Monday.

"They had only one passenger, three others having
landed previously to her sailing.
" According to your directions, I shall start as soon
as the packet arrives from Calais, no vessel having come
in up to this time, in consequence of the heavy sea and
swell on the other side. I expect Empress about
8.30, and shall take her to Ramsgate and the Goodwin,
and hope to bring back some intelligence this afternoon.
" The occurrence has cast a great gloom over the
place. Mortalman was the mail guard."
RAXIMATE, Jan. 6, 1857.
This is sad news, the loss of the " Violet," for there
can, I fear, be not any doubt as to its being her. Three
bodies were picked up, lashed to a life-buoy, not far
from the wreck, which lies on the sand to the southward
of the beacon. From the position of the vessel's head
I am of opinion that having, as they thought, run their
distance, and catching sight of the Gull Lights, through
the terrific snow storm, the tw lights ware mis
taken tfor those of the South Foreland. I find this
mistake is frequently occurring.
" The vessel -its upright on the sand. Funnel gone,
decks, bulkheads and cabin•doors, to be seen floating
away. Some tuggers, either from this place or Deal,
were seen out at the wreck At low water"