The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-21 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA MAIL•

• • -
SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY.—The Medway, Royal
m dl steam-ship, Richard Rivett, commander, arrived
this afternoon, at half-past four o'clock, with the usual
mails, which will be dispatched by the two o'clock
A.M. train.

Her dates of departure are from Demerara 21st
December, Trinidad 17th, Jamaica, 23d, Barbadoes
21st, Grenada 24th, St. Thomas's 31st, and Fayal
13th of January.
The Medway had a remarkably fine passage, with
the exception of the last two or three days. She is
only nineteen days from St. Thomas's, and has ar-
rived here one day before she was due.

The Medway brings the following passengers :
Major Rowland, R.A., and family; Mr. White ;
Lieutenant Sillock, 48th Regiment; Mr. Lambton,
Mr. Steinkoff, Mr. Cruickshank, Mr. Daveson,
Mr. Hutson, Mr. and Mr 3. Knox, Mr. Cipriani,
Mr. Robert Lake, Capt. Dring, Mr. Valdez, Mr.
Belligny, Mr. Le Febre, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cooper,
Mr. De Vera and servant, Mr. Rodrigues, and M.
Francisco : also three shipwrecked seamen belonging
to the schooner Truelove, from Berbice, with a general
cargo, wrecked off Guadaloupe ; and the captain and
13 others from the brig John Naylor, which was
totally lost off Fayal.
The Medway brings on freight 2,235 ounces of
gold, 518 oz. of gold dust, and 8001. in British silver.
The Teviot, Captain Allen, arrived at Barbadoes,
from Southampton on the 21st December, Grenada
on the 24th, and proceeded to St. Thomas's with the
Windward Island mails for the Medway. She took
in coals at St. Thomas's, and was to proceed to Porto
Rico. The Tay left Grenada on the 25th for
Jamaica, Havannah, and Mexico.
The Medway does not bring any news of import-
ance. The fever is represented to have been very bad
amongst the civilians at Jamaica, and was still raging
when the Medway left. Mr. Freeman, Collector of
Customs at Kingston, had had a severe attack,
and was not expected to recover. The military,
generally speaking, had escaped, and the whole of
the troops were healthy. The weather had been ex-
tremely hot, and one of the passengers, who had re-
sided nearly twenty years on the island, informed
us he never remembered it so oppressive in the
month of December.
The Swift, of Glasgow, left Fayal, with a cargo of
fruit, for Southampton, on the 13th inst.
The brig John Naylor, Captain Orr, reported
above as having been totally lost off Fayal,
was from Ichaboe, with a full cargo of guano,
and belonged to the port of Liverpool.
She was 283 tons register, and was in-
sured for 2,0001. In consequence of losing
her rudder, she put into the island of Ascension,
having previously thrown upwards of 100 tons of
her cargo overboard to lighten her. The brig made
Fayal on the 21st of December, and endeavoured to
enter the harbour, but in consequence of ber dis-
abled state, the captain could not effect his object.
On the 22d she bore up, the wind blowing a strong
gale, and endeavoured to get to the leeward of
St. George's Island, and on the following
day was running down the land when her
temporary steering machinery gave way, on the lar-
board side, and the vessel immediately canted with
her head on shore. Captain Orr, thinking to save
her, let go anchors, but seeing no chance of doing
so, ordered the boat out, and got eight of the
hands, who were dreadfully ill of the scurvy,
in first, and then made for the shore, a
heavy sea running, with a tremendous surf.
The landing was most difficult, and one poor
fellow, in his anxiety to save himself, jumped into the
water to swim for his life, and was drowned. The
captain, on the boat striking, was violently thrown on
the beach, and was much cut and bruised. Three
others died on the same night from exhaustion and
exposure to the cold. The vessel drove on shore on
the 24th, and became a total wreck. The weather
was so boisterous that it was impossible to get to her,
and consequently everything was lost.
The captain reports that there were upwards of
400 ships at Ichaboe when he left, loading and wait-
ing for their turn. He supposes by this time the
guano is pretty well exhausted.
We feel a pleasure in publishing the following
testimonial from the passengers of the Medway to
Captain Rivett, the more especially this being
the first voyage of that gentleman as a
commander in the service of the Royal Mail Com-
pany. It must also be a gratifying circumstance to
the Directory to find their officers spoken of in such
terms of praise, and complimentary to themselves for
the very excellent and liberal manner in which the
passengers are entertained on board these splendid
ships :

" Royal Mail Company's steamer Medway,
Jan. 18, 1845.

"Dear Sir,—Our voyage from the West Indies being
near its termination we, the undersigned passengers on
board the ➢ledway, under your charge, beg to express
our high sense of the great attention which we in
common have received from you and your officers while
on board.

" The table has been most amply and luxuriously fur-
nished, the attendance good, and every means on your
part adopted that could tend to our comforts ; but
it is not for these alone that we have to tender
you our kindest thanks; your unremitting attention to
the duties of the ship under your charge had given us
such confidence in your skill as a seaman as contributed
greatly to the pleasure and happiness of our voyage.
" It will at all times afford us pleasure to hear of your
welfare and prosperity; and we beg to subscribe our-
selves, dear sir, yours very faithfully, &c."
(Here follow the signatures of the passengers.)