PIEDRAS CAY LIGHTHOUSE-CUBA, WEST INDIES. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have received a notification from Commodore Kellett, C. B., Senior Naval Officer in the West Indies, that the Piedras Cay Lighthouse, on the north side of the Island of Cuba, at the western entrance of the Old Bahama, or Nicholas Channel, was blown down in the hurricane of the 25th August last; the same is hereby published, for the information of the mariner. MOSQUITO COAST, KING CAYS. Information has also been received that a coral patch, having only 2 feet water on it, has been discoverved by H. M. S. Pioneer, about 3 miles south of King Cays, on the coast of Mosquito, at 10 miles off shore. The following magnetic bearings were taken from the center of the shoal :--Sand Cay N. W. W.; North Cay, North; Eastern, or Little King Cay N. E. by N. The lead gives no warning of the shoal, as there is a depth of 9 fathoms at less than a ship's length off. Latitude 12° 41′ 45′′ N., longitude 83° 22′ W. of Greenwich, nearly. GREYTOWN HARBOR, NICARAGUA. A recent survey of Greytown Harbor by Messrs. Scott and Thomas, Masters, Royal Navy, has shown that the sandy spit named by the Spaniards Punta Arenas, has advanced a cable's length to the southwestward during the last three years, thereby reducing the width of entrance to little more than two cable's length. A black beacon buoy has been placed off the northwestern angle of the breakers, and a red buoy at a cable's length to the westward of the dry sandy point. The leading mark into the harbor at present is the flagstaff on the beach in front of the town, in line with a conspicuous tree to the southeastward of the town, bearing S. 63° 30′ E., magnetic. HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE, ADMIRALTY, By command of their Lordships, JOHN WASHINGTON, Hydrographer. These notices affect the following Admiralty Charts:-West Indies, General Sheets 3 and 4, Nos. 392 b and c; West Indies, Sheets 1 and 12, Nos. 1,217, 1,218; and Piedras Cay Plan, No. 410; also West India Directory, Vol. 1., 181; and West India Lighthouse List, No. 25. LIGHTHOUSE NEAR EAST END OF EDGEMOGGIN REACH, MAINE. p. In conformity with the notice of September 12, 1856, the lighthouse erected on Fly's or Green Island, near the east end of Edgemoggin Reach, will be illuminated for the first time on the evening of Monday, February 2, 1857, and the light will be kept burning during every night thereafter from sunset to sunrise. The lighthouse is a cylindrical brick tower, painted white, having attached a keeper's dwelling, of wood, painted brown. The illuminating apparatus is a 5th order lens, showing a fixed while light of the natural color, at an elevation of 26 feet above high water, which should be visible, in good weather, at a distance of 9 nautical or 10 statute miles. The approximate latitude from the most reliable charts is 44° 14' N., and the longitude 68° 31′ 30′′ W. of Greenwich. By order of the Lighthouse Board, PORTLAND, ME, January 10, 1857. W. B. FRANKLIN, Engineer First Lighthouse District. WRECK STATISTICS AT KEY WEST. A letter from the agent of the Boston underwriters at Key West, furnishes a list of the vessels wrecked upon Florida Reef, or arriving at Key West in distress, during the year 1856, amounting to 71. The value of vessels and cargoes amounted to $4,484,600, and the expenses to $262,664 19. The salvage amounted to $163,117 05, and the amount of sales at auction was $172,111 52. The agent remarks : Notwithstanding all that has been done, and is still doing, by the General gov ernment to light, and buoy, and mark this coast, still we have an uncommon number of wrecks, and almost every week some unaccountable one occurs. Not a few, I fear, were, if not intentional, very careless; and not until an example is made of some of them, will the wrecks be less frequent, or the expenses reduced. The salvages paid the last year are frightful, and must admonish the underwriters of the necessity of seeing that sober, good men, are put in command of ships and property. My opinion is, a good vessel upon this station would do good service, and be a profitable investment for all the insurance companies. I fondly hope the coming summer some arrangement will be made to have a steamer or sailing-vessel for the purpose of protecting the interests of all concerned in insuring property. POSTAL DEPARTMENT. STATISTICS OF THE CHICAGO POST-OFFICE FOR TWENTY YEARS. The Democratic Press of Chicago furnishes some interesting statistics of the business of the Post-office in that flourishing city, which we here subjoin. A noticeable feature in the table is, that the surplus of the Chicago Post-office is only second to New York, the great Commercial Emporium of the country:— COMMISSIONS, EXPENSES, COMPENSATION, AND SURPLUS, AT THE CHICAGO (ILLINOIS) POST-OFFICE, FROM 1836 TO 1856, INCLUSIVE. COMMISSIONS, EXPENSES, COMPENSATION, AND SURPLUS, AT THE CHICAGO POSTOFFICE, FROM APRIL 1, 1853, TO JUNE 30, 1856. SURPLUS OF COMMISSIONS AT THE FOLLOWING OFFICES; ALSO AMOUNT OF BOX RECEIPTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 30TH JUNE, 1856. The Union states, on the authority of the Post-office Department at Washington, that the single rate of letter postage between the United States and Borneo, Labuan, Sumatra, the Moluccas, and the Philippine Islands, when specially addressed to be forwarded via India, will in future be 33 cents when sent via Southampton, and 53 cents the quarter-ounce, or 63 cents the half-ounce, when sent by closed mail via Marseilles-prepayment required. The postage on newspapers for Borneo, Labuan, Sumatra, the Moluccas, and the Philippine Islands, addressed to be forwarded via India, will in future be 6 instead of 4 cents eachprepayment required. POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. According to Allen's Indian Mail, by the new postal convention between England and France, the provisions of which came into operation on the 1st of January, 1857, a reduction has been effected in the amount of the transit rate paid to France for the conveyance of that portion of the India mail which is forwarded via Marseilles. In consequence of this arrangement, a reduced charge will in future be levied upon all letters exchanged between the United Kingdom and India via Marseilles, making the total rate for a letter as under :— If not exceeding one-quarter ounce Os. 9d. 1 ... If exceeding one-quarter ounce and not exceeding one-half ounce. The charges upon letters conveyed directly between France and India via Egypt are also reduced under the convention, and it has been agreed that upon all such letters the entire British sea postage shall be collected in France on behalf of the English Post-office. Under this arrangement the Red Sea rate of 1s. the halfounce, to which such letters have hitherto been subjected in India, will no longer be chargeable, and no charge for sea conveyance will hereafter be levied by the Indian Post-office either on the dispatch of letters and printed papers to France, or on the delivery of letters and printed papers from France. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF THE POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT IN 1856. A STATEMENT OF THE AMOUNT OF LETTER POSTAGE, NEWSPAPER POSTAGE, REGISTERED LETTERS, STAMPS SOLD, COMPENSATION ALLOWED POSTMASTERS, INCIDENTAL EXPENSES OF POST-OFFICES, AND AMOUNT CREDITED CONTRACTORS AND OTHERS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE MAILS, BY STATES AND TERRITORIES, FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30TH, 1856, DERIVED FROM THE REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL. Grand total. $1,688,281 22 $632,826 25 $31,472 65 $4,235,041 60 $6,587,621 72 EXPENDITURES FOR ALL PURPOSES. Total com Compensation al- Incidental exp. pensation & in Transportation. lowed postm'st'rs. of post-offices. cidental exp'nses. Tot. expenses. Total... $5,913,873 72 $2,093,306 32 $963,952 54 $3,057,258 56 $8,971,132 28 Add to the above the receipts for Prussian postage, $58,138 72, and British postage, $9,085 78, and deduct miscellaneous entries, $738 76, and we have a total letter postage received during the year of $1,754,766 96. DEFECTIVE STAMPING OF LETTERS. In the Queen's Bench, December 17, 1856, Lord Campbell said he thought it right to state publicly that he had received a very satisfactory answer from his Grace the Duke of Argyll, the Postmaster-General, with respect to the import int subject on which he had addressed him, namely, the imperfect and slovenly inanner in which letters were stamped in the English post-offices, from which great inconvenience arose to individuals, and the due administration of justice met with serious obstruction. His grace admitted that the present system was defective, and pointed out the difficulty in amending it, in consequence of the great number of letters which had to be stamped in a very short time. His grace, however, promised to me his best exertions to remedy the evil, and he (Lord Campbell) had |