The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-13 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE STEAM-SHIP MADRID.

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-
ship Sultan, Captain Cook, at rived th's morning as
an extra bo it from Alexandria, with six passengers,
and a large cargo of wool, gum, elephants' teeth,
&c. She left Alexandria Feb. .23 ; Malta, 28 ;
Gibraltar, March 4.
By this arrival we have received from Gibraltar
the following. interesting letter respecting the loss
of the steam-ship Madrid at Vigo :
The Madrid left Southampto❑ on the 17th Feb.,
with the usual Peninsular mails, and experienced
fine weather in crossing the Bay of Biscay. On the
20th, at foura.m., she made V►llano Light on port
bow, and continued during the forenoon running
along the coast at an offing of abut six miles. On
the same day, at 3.30 p.m., whilst in the act of
rounding Point Hombres, entering Vigo Bay at full
speed, she suddenly and heavily struck on a sunken
invisible rock, and remained fixed there. No con-
fusion ensued, The quarter-hosts were in the water
in about two minutes, and the women put into
them, whilst her Majesty's mails were brought on
deck. •The order, "turn astern," was given, and
the vessel moved off the rock, gave a heavy lurch
to port, recovered herself, was canted, and as she
was fast sinking, the order was given, " turn ahead
full speed," and the ship was ran stem on a sandy
beach, in a small cove, conveniently situated.. All
this took place in 10 minutes, by which timo the
forecastle-deck was just awash with the sea, and the
ves••el surrounded by native fishing-boats, the crews
of which lay off, and behaved well.
In 13 minutes her Majesty's mails, women, and
treasure were in the ship's boats, and acting in con-
cert with the captain after the catastrophe, the Ad-
miralty agent, Lieut. Tickell, left the packet,
and in about two hours after reached the British
Consul's house in Vigo. At 10 p.m. Capt. Brad-
shaw had landed, and reported that the vessel lay
still in the same position, but totally immersed.
No lives were lost. The first-class passengers
saved everything, but the second-class lost all their
private property. The cargo, consisting of bale
goods, remained under water.

The same night the Admiralty agent proceeded
with a cavalcade of horses and mu!es, taking with
him all the mails and travelling without cessation,
reached Oporto on the 22d Feb., at 6 p.m. The
Bar being closed, the Admiralty agent determined
to proceed to Lisbon by land, and horses and mules
were laid on, by Consular assistance, for the dif-
ferent stages. He took his departure on the 24th,
at 2 p.m., and arrived at Coimbra at 6 p.m. on the
25th. There he received most kind attentions from
Mr. Buxton, of the gas works.

On the 20th, at 9a.m., he proceeded by diligence
and arrived at Lisbon at 8.15 on the morning of the
27th, and delivered the mails correct and un-
damsged.

The British screw steam-ship Thalia, J. Wilson,
master, was immediate:y chartered, and on the Ist,
at 7 a.m., left Lisbon with the ma,ls for Cadiz, and
arrived at Gibraltar on the morning of the 4th.

CONFIDENCE IN LORD PALMERSTON.

Yesterday, at a Court of Common Council, the Lord
Mayor gave an account of the manner in which Lord
Palmerston received the vote of confidence lately agreed
to by the Court.

The LORD MAYOR said—l, accompanied by the Re-
membrancer, yesterday had the honour of waiting upon
Lord Palmerton with the resolution of this Court ap-
proving the conduct of her Majesty's Ministers. I have
much pleasure -in stating that we were most cordially
received, his lordsbip expressing himself complimented
by the vote of confidence recorded by the Court relative
to the course pursued by her Majesty's Government on
the Canton question. (Load cheers.)
Yesterday afternoon the following declaration in
favour of Lord Palmerston, numerously and influentially
signed, was transmitted from Cheltenham to London:—

TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD PALMERSTON.
" We, the undersigned residents of Cheltenham, beg to
assure your lordship that we have observed with feelings
last on Mr. Uobden's motion relative to tnewar 1n ~uula,
and we beg to express the full confidence we still enter-
tain in the wisdom, efficiency, and vigour displayed by
your lordship's administration ; awl we trust that the
appeal about to be made to the country will, in spite of the
unnatural and factions coalition in the House of Com-
mons, result in more firmly establishing yon in that power
which you have so ably wielded during a most trying and
momentous period, in support of the best interests of this
great country."

It is again affirmed that, during the short period of
hostilities between Great Britian and. Persia, the Rus-
sian Government obtained permission from the Couit of
Teheran to establish military posts and block-houses in
the passes of Bayazid, in order to secure the possession
of the road by Mount Ararat.
ASSAULTS ON Wolin' AND CIIILDLEN.—The following
is the number of convictions at the various police-clurts
of the Metropolis for aggravated assaults on women and
children in the year 1856—viz., at Bow-street, 15 ; at
Clerkenwell,,s9 ; at Greenwich, 25 ;.at Woolwich, 23 ;
at Hammersmith, 23 ; at Lambeth, 24 ; at Marlborongh-
street, 27 ; at Marylebone, 11 ; at Southwark, 47 ; at
Thames, 55 ;and at Westminster, 22. ,

GENERAL THOMPSON FOR BRADFoRD.—It will be seen
from the intelligence given in another column that Gen.
Thompson will be requestad to offer himselr as a candi-
date for Bradford. The electors of Bradford have done
themselves honour by soliciting the services of the veteran
advocate of free trade and reform. Gen. l'homp.on's
claims are too well known to need any eulogy- of ours.
There never has been any doubt as to the place ibe holds
among the most enlightened and consistent refo rtuere of
the age. No man living has attained to a betteir de fined
position among the leaders of liberal opinion, and few men
have laid their country under greater obligations. Sro Mr.
Cobden and Mr. Bright the praise of having act taeved
she triumphs of free trade is justly due, but those emi-
nent men would be the first to acknowledge that they
drew their opinions and arguments, in a great meat me,
from the writings of General Thompson. If there , had
been no " Catechism of the Corn Laws," there would
not have been—we are hardy over,taiing the case— to
Anti Corn-law League. It is a reflection upon t, tie
Liberal constituencies of England, that such a ma
should have been allowed to be absent for a single se I-
gen from the House of Commons, where his great exp 9-
rience, and equally great accomplishments, qualify hie
to be of signal service. We trust that Bradford wil I
have the honour of rectifying this mistake. Howev ev
great the claims of any local candidate may be,
cannot weigh for a moment against those which r
knowledged on all hands to belong to General Are ac-
, 1013.—Mancliater Examiner. Thotnp