The Express. — London, England, 1853-07-30 00:00:00

'sting the constitution and the power of such as-1 seu tu o s; and f)erfect religious equality requires that the Church of England therein at mild have no higher Au thority for its itosemhlies (if it be foolish enough I to hold say) than other voluntary religious societies; f ur it, we re;aat, in the Co!onies, is only a voluntary body I nest :te of re. lig ion in some of our Colonies is already o netLing but creditab:e to Christianity. Take the pre of New Zealand, fur instance. To such a pas hava contending palenties hrought matters there that the half-naked savages have been taught all our domestic controversies and disputes ; our party bit- terneoses and party watchwords are quite as familiar there as here. The Church Missionary Society wars ay ,st the Society for the Propagation of tho alrearl," says a letter lately give:. in a re -I.4ious journal, "a traveller is liable iu some parts to be retitled a night's lodging if he does not belong to the religion of the }set at which he stops, be it Aeg:ic..ti, Raman, or ‘Vcsleyan." Now, the ten demy of Church Assemblies and Synods, by rneou riging the pride and arrogance of Churchmen, is eminently calculated to extend religious animosities ar.d sectarian disputes. Aud it is not only as an un necewaary piece of legislation, and as an infraction of wand principles of Crlonial government, that the Cu:onial Church Regulations Bill ought to be op p,cel, but as a measure tending to promote "envy, hatrtil, malice, and all uncharitableness" amongst Christiacs in the Colonies. Stu VIIN PAKINGION came forward in the House of Commons on Thursday night in the fancy dress of a Free-trader, and, supporting the character with a certain degree of spirit, was rewarded by a measure of approbation which his partisans are wil ling to refer, nut to the mask, but to the man. The subject of Sir JintN's oration was the Salt Tax in India, and every oue, who has any acquaintance with Indian affairs, knows that the said tax does in reality constitute a very solid grievance. That has bc.m conceded by almost every writer on Indian affairs. It has been acknow ledgcd over and over again in the course of debates in Parliament. Sir JOHN PAKINGTON'S speech may be looked upon as a tolerably good, al though one-sided, view of the anomalies and the op pression ii,volved in the imposition and collection of the tax. It is quite true, as he observed, that salt, —in all countries one of the necessaries of life—is especially so in India. It is just as true, that the supply of the article in India is limited and the price unreasonable. It can be purchased in Worcester shire at ten shillings per too, in the interior of India; after the payment of duty and other charges, it is sold at prices varying from IS/. to 251. per ton. This however, he showed, was not the only hard feature in the case. The salt retailed to the unfortunate peasants of India at this exorbitant rate is adulte rated to the amount of from 23 to 40 per cent. Out of every hundred parts of the mixture called salt, which the Hindoo swallows, from 25 to 40 are sand and ashes. Sir JouN quoted authorities also to show that the health of the inhabitants of India was inatcrially affected by the plenty or deficiency of the article in question. In fact, the whole speech was an unexceptionable defence of the principles of Fret Trade in the article Salt, and the only extraor dinary circumstance attending its delivery was that the orator was a Protectionist. Sir Jonx spoke I precisely as if he had just come from a lecture on Free Trade, and felt it incumbent upon him to pro mulgate. his new impressions. He had got hold of an admirable subject, and merely repeated the stock arguments that might have been brought for ward by any ono moderately versed in the true principles of commerce. The only marvel was that he should have been the speaker. Looking at the side of the House from which the oration came, the listeners might well have been tempted to parody the verses of the satirist; and exclaim, The speech, we know, was neither rich nor rare, We wonder how the devil it got there. Sir JOILN, it is well known, belongs to a party not very celebrated for • advocating the rights or comforts or conveniences of the people; and members of his own party, as well as his opponents, must have been rather astounded to hear the ex- Colonial Minister make use of precisely the same arguments in favour of giving cheap salt to the Hindoo which he had opposed tooth and nail when brought forward in favour of giving . cheap 'stead to the British labourer. The very man who would fain have preserved the privilege of half starving his countrymen cannot restrain his virtuous indignation when the question arises as to the propriety of diminishing the quantity of salt which the Indian may eat with his rice. Astonishment at this apparent contradiction ceases, however,when wo remember that Sir JOHN PAKINOTOWS Droitwich constituents constitute a portion of the great Salt interest. He spoke as the Honourable Member for Salt, and was inspired by his subject. The ministers tried, as well is they could, to answer the various points of Sir JouN's arguments. Sir CRAZIES WOOD coolly denied the fact of &malt rim nopoly, asserting that there were five ciifferent mods* of supplying rah all competing with each other. He showed that the comparison of the quantity of salt consumed per head of the population in India; with that consumed in other countries was unfair, inas much as in the countries alluded to, large quantities of salt were used for salting meats, a process never employed in India. He argued also that the tax amounted to no more than Del. per head of the whole population. There were many other points in which Sir CUAILES met the arguments of his Protectionist opponent with varied degrees of success—for which the reader, who her not already had quite enough of Sir C. Woun's speeches, may refer to the debate. The great question, however, to be really considered was, not so much the abstract justice of the tax—which is an execrable one—but whether the English Parliament is ready to take upon itself the responsibility of sup plying any deficit caused by the repeal of the Salt Tax. If the House of Commons undertakes to settle questions of Indian finance, it must take upon itself the responsibility of providing for the deficiencies of Indian revenue. Now authorities of all polities are almost uranimous in admitting that the financial arrangements of India are best entrusted to the local government. The duty of the Imperial Parliament is to reform the Indian Government, sad then to make that Government responsible for its modes of taxing the people of India. If the House of Commons lops off a million or two from the re venue of India, are they prepared to supply the defi ciency ? A Chancellor of the Exchequer in England who abolishes a tax incurs the responsibility of dis covering a substitute, so that the revenue may not be impaired. Admitting, then, most fully, that the Salt Tax is oppressive, and ought to be abolished us soon as possible—admitting that it militates against the principles, of Free Trade—that the Government In India should not be a trader in salt—still, there is room for very grave doubts about the policy of the decision come to on Thursday night. If the finances of India were regulated upon proper principles the Indian Treasury would soon be able to allow of the repealof a salt tax which'presses so heavily upon the natives of the country. Bat should not the saving be made by the establishment of proper go vernment before cutting off an importar.t source of supply ? The British Parliament is undertaking a large responsibility by meddling with details of Indian finance; and virtually pledges the Consolidated, Fund to repair whatever mistakes it may make. Is this advisable ? Ts this beginning Indian Reform at the right end ? Many will sasuredly answer in the negative. But the Care little about •aloe of their sufficient to them in general that, on a division, they have got a majority over the Government ; and to Sir Jolts Pm:maw: in particular it is enough that he has opened a prospect of profit to his coil- Istitnents of the Silt Interest. It is RUSSIA AN D TURKEY. The immediate Issue of the eastern crisis depend ing u:. the kind of reception to be given by the Czar to the advances of Tin key, is still necessarily de lved. Speculatiou. of course, is busy, anticipating the Russian decision, but no new fact., capable of affarCing a firm basis on whicli to found expectation, have transpired. All the letters received from Con stantinople continue to bear witness to a state of the popular mind fraught with the greatest danger to civil teaming:4. 'the Ottoman population arc disap pointed at the inaction of the government, and what to them appears to be the weakness or bad faith of the allies. The Greeks, on the other hand, are elate and insolent, and exalt the power of Russia higher than ever. Upon these per.lous elements, the agents of Russia are daily operating, and the observant are alarmed when they perceive how small a cause might provoke an explosion. Abbas Pacha has placed at the disposal of the Sultan 14 ships of war (four of which ate steamers). 13,000 men, and a sum ant unting to Vi,000,000 of A letter from Smyrna, of the 17th, in a Marseilles journai, announces the departure of Ali l'acha, the late governor, after receiving an address from the European colony. On the day on which he left, the commis displayed their Hags, and the vessels of war fired a salute—with the exception, however, of the Austrian consul, and the commander of the Austrian vessel. The letter then proceeds to say : The inves:igation into the assassination of Baron d'Advl b:rg is t.rinii.ated. A!I the accused nave contrived to evade arrest. The Austrian consul, M. Welabccker, insisted that the chiefs of the emigration should be hastimula, d ; but Lie Esc...honey th.erib-Effendi refused, saying, "It' they be guilty the y w i.I he prusecut«l; if innocent, what is the use of this cruelty'" The arrest of a Hungarian refugee at Beyrout, seinen truk place recently, nearly gave rise to scenes as plotab:e as those of Smyrna. The r. fugee, ac companied by his wife and his children, embarked on booed the Austrian e:camer the Lloyds. Thu captain inimediate4 signithd to him, in the name ails, c maul, that he arrested hiw, and would convey him to Trieste. The Hungarian protest. d, imel then, appearing to submit to his destiny, he withdrew to a coiner, and waiting until he saw that he was not watched, threw himself into the sea. A boatman picked him up and conveyed him to the consulate of the United States. There, proving by his passport that he was entitled to American protection, he was received. Thanks to the energy of the American consul, the wife and chil dren of the Hungarian, shorn the captain wished to keep on board, were restored to liberty, and arrived at Smyrna yesterday by the French steamer. IiRANCE. FRIDATEVEMNO. There is an almost universal distrust of the news said to have been brought by the Caradoc. The go vernment journals, especially, all throw discredit upon it and ask how it is possible that intelligence of Russia having accepted a proposition of Austria could have rtaelied Constantinople, while St. Peters • burg, Vienna, London, and Paris were ignorant of it. It appears, however, that although, as I stated yesterday, the Ceradoc left Constantinople be fore the Alexander, she may have brought later news. She left on the 11th, but was detained several days at Besika, and despatches from Con stantinople of the 20th overtook her in that port. It was reported on the Bourse to-day that another steamer, the Chaptal, which sailed from Con stantinople on the 21st, had arrived at Mar seilles with intelligence confirming the ver sion given by the Cuurrier de Marseille of the Caradoc's despatches. These despatches were e once sent by Captain I)erriman to Mr. Tucker, with orders to post from Avignon to Chalon, and to take special trains if necessary to proceed on to London. The telegraphic despatches received to-day from Germany make confusion worse confounded. One dated Vienna, July 27, says that the Divan has accepted propositions of M. de Bruck, stipulating for the evacuation of the Principalities; another of the same date affirms that the repre sentatives of the powers have entered into • formal engagement with each other to obtain from Russia a counter-declaration that she ..-- does not mean to infringe the sovereignty of the Sultan. In all this, the great question, " What will Russia do?" remains far from clear, but we know by certain intelligence from St. Petersburg that since all these negotiations have been going on at Vienna and Constantinople, Russia has manifested pretty strongly that she will not quit the provinces till all is settled to her satisfaction, and that she will give no counter declaration. One of the rumours on the Bourse to day, however, was, that favourable news had been received last night from General Castelbajac. M. Corti, the manager of the Italian Opera, has tendered his resignation to the Minister of State, upon the ground that the expenses of the theatre are such that it is impossible to carry it on upon the pre sent footing. M. Corti applied some time since for an increased grant from the state, or at least the use of the theatre rent free. _ Madlle. Alboni has been married to Count Pepo li within the last few days. A considerable crowd yesterday repaired to the plain of Satory, where the Emperor was to command the troops at a grand review, given in honour of Queen Christina. At three o'clock his Majesty arrived on horseback, accompanied by Marshal de St. Arnaud, Minister of War, and a numerous staff. A few instants after appeared an imperial open carriage, with four horses and postilions, in which were seated the Empress and Queen Christina. Several other of the imperial carriages followed, bringing the ladies of the court, and all took up their station on a slight eminence, on the left, in front of the farm of Satory. The horses having been taken from the carriages, the manceuvres commenced. The troops present con sisted of two divisions of infantry (16 battalions), of the division of cavalry of Versailles (4 regi ments), and three batteries of artillery. The Emperor, taking the command, put these troops with great ability through a variety of manoeuvres, representing an attack on an enemy's position, in which all the various troops took part, and which was supposed to prove successful. One part of the proceedings excited general admiration, being a charge of the whole of the cavalry in lice, and their stopping suddenly at the word of command, within a few yards of the Empress's carriage. After the manoeuvres, the Emperor passed along the troops, and ex pressed the satisfaction which he felt at their fine appearance and soldierlike bearing. His Majesty then placed himself near the carriage in which the Empress was seated, and the troops filed off before him, with cries of " Viva l'Empereur! Vive l'lmpis ratrice!" The imperilarty then left the ground, apparently much pl eased at what they had seen. Amongst the personages present were, Marshal Nar- viten, the Duke de ltianzares, the Spanish Ambassa dor, and several foreign officers. At the Bourse to-day a favourable reaction took place in Itentes from the fall experienced yesterday. The rise in value of the Three per Cents. for cash is 15c., and for the account 20c.; in the Four-and.a- Half per Ceuta. for cash, 10c.; while the Four-and-a. Half per Cents. for the account have lost the advanie of yesterday, sc. Bank Stock has again risen 25f. The last quoted prices are—For cash : Three per Cents., 78f. 65c. ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 40c. For the account : Three per Cents., 78f. 55c. ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 40c. Bank Stock, 2,850 f. Northern, 8801. ; Paris and Orleans, 1,153 f. 50e.; Paris and Strasbourg, 933 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 9341. 23c. ; Paris and ltouen, 1,1071 ; Lyons to the Mediterranean, 7631. ; Western of France, 749 f. ITALY. Great agitation reigns in Romagna, caused by the prospect of dearth. Disorder has taken placo at Bologna, Forli, Rimini, and Ravenna. PIEDMONT, A telegraphic despatch from Turin, dated yester day, says " This morning the anniversary of the death of King Charles Albeit was celebrated,. u great crowd assisted at the ceremony. The Minister, M. Cavuur, is indisposed, but not seri ously. The official journal publishes the accession of the Duchy of Modena to the Austro-Sardinian treaty of 1851." THE EXPRESS, SATU DAY EVENING, JULY 30, 1853 AMERICA. The United Staten mail packet Herman arrived at Cowes yesterday afternoon from New York, on her way to Bremen. Her English and French mails, pm,sengers, and cargo, were landed soon afterwards at Southampton. Amongst her passengers was the Ilea. Mr. .M'ltae, from South Carolina, the American ambassador to Paris. The New York date of the Herman is that of the telegraphic despatch brought to England on Thursday by the Eglinton. OPENING OF THE NEW YORK EXHIBITION. The opening of the Gnat lishiloi!ion by the President, and the public proceedings by which it wa. followed, were eoorn•>ing public attention at New 'lurk when the Haman left. _ . • No event bad created so general and so profound an in. West in the public mind, na this corerannial. The whole city was alive with the interest and cult. mint which the event occasioned. The ceremonies attending the arrival arid public reception of the President of the Unite d States, attracted the at ttation of the lower part of the town through-1 out the early part of the day. The streets were thronged with eager spectator., noxious to catch a glimpse of the pia ces.ittn by which ho was to be escort-d to the Crystal Palate. An immense tide of travel tended towards that building doling the whole lerenaon. The Stxtli-uveaste cars um once a minsti, each car crowded to its utmost capacity. Ties stages running to the vicinity or the build kg wine abo densely filled. At an early hour the Palace was besieged by applicants for admissioo. Stern officials guarded the tutrinces, and infortne.t all who came that until 10 o'clock now hut eslii bitirs would he admitted. At 10, however, the jeelnas gates unclose and red, and yellow, and white, end blue invitations poured in at the different entrances. The thismg, even then, was excessive. The omnibuses, the ear., the haekney coaches, all poured forth th,ir live freight at Forty-second-street, and ladies and gentlemen, at (-wry degree of temperature, ascended the stairs that led to the interior. Within the Palace was even more impo►ing. Thorwald sen's roble series of tt Christ and his Apostles," in the Danish section, attracted much deserved attention. Bright balancer. flaunted trim the galleries—snits of out armour, from the Tower of London, frowoederinily on the scene, as If the spirit of antiquity was wroth within them at the con trast between our days, bright with intellei tun' progress, ■nd loose good old benighted times in which they saw ser vice. And over all, the great dome stretched its paint. d canopy, joining together the diverging sores, es the build in.! orew together widely differmg nations. The palace filled rapidly. At the iktersectians of the nave?, and all beneath the dome, the floor was soon parti colourc das a garden with brilliant bonnets and silks. The platform in the north have, which was to be the great scene of interest for the day, began about this time tap be ani visited. Members of the Senate, guests invited by special request, militia officers, and the preeiden - of the Crystal Palace with his official staff, and a host of other persons too distinguished ta be well known, made their appearance on the boards. The Exhibition was attended by men of all parties, clams, and creeds. Bishop Wainwright, who off:ri ;I the opening' prayer, being supported by the Roman Catholic Archbishop Hughes, Mr. Prescott, the historian, Sir Charles Lyell, and Lady Ellesmere and daughter, occupied positions near the platform. Lord Ellesmere, who reached the city at an early hour in the morning, having come express from Quebec on purpose to attend the inauguration, was confined to his room by a severe attack of the gout. Professor Wilson, Mr. C. Wentworth Ditto, Mr. Duncan, and the other gentlemen of the Royal Commission, were also upon the platform. After the prayer, a choral, composed for the occasion, was sung to the tune of " Old Hundred," by the New York Sacred Harmonic Society, accompanied by the National Guard Band, and members of other societies and the organ. INDIA AND CHINA. .THE OVERLAND MAIL. Our despatches in anticipation of the India mail bring dates from Rangoon, 4th June; Calcutta, 16th June ; Bombay, 20th June ; Hong Kong, 7th June. The following is the summary of the Bombay Times : Our Summary of intelligence—which ought to ex tend from the 23rd of May to the 20th of June—has been somewhat broken.by the irregular branch mail of the 31st ult., sent round by Ceylon. As we did not send supplies to our ordinary readers by this, we shall now take up our narrative where we left it off by commencing as usual with Burmah. Notwith standing the extreme liberality of the Governor-Ge neral in conceding to the Burmese everything at which they took offence, the commissioners have refused to sign the treaty, and they left for the capital on the 10th of May. A steamer, with a gun boat in tow, which expected to pass them on the river, was immediately despatched for Meaday, the place we were willing to yield to them, but which we would now retain. The robber chief, Meea-loon, had fled from Pegn, and proceeded to Burmah Proper, where he was said to have been received with great honour by the Sove reign. It seemed somewhat uncertain how we should next proceed, although the river boats had all for some time been getting in readiness. The idea seemed to be that there would be no advance on Ava—that we should maintain our position and punish the enemy should he annoy us, without caring a straw whether a treaty—which would be observed by the Burmese monarch only when it suited him—existed or not. The newspapers in India, slanderously affirmed to be in continual antagonism with government, have been loud and unanimous in their approbation of Lord Dalhousie's papers regarding Burnish, which have just been published—opposed on many points as these are to the opinions generally entertained. Four-fifths of the measures, both of the present and late Gover nors-General, have met with the warm approval of I two-thirds of the newspapers. What English admi nistration, save the present, could ever say as much? The discussions in reference to Surat affairs have awakened with fresh vigour in Bombay, and it is now very obvious thattheseandotherkindred matters can only be cleared up by a local commission, such as forms the prayer of two separate petitions pub lished in this day's issue.—The annoyance which the management of the affairs of Baroda has of late years occasioned, and the scandals to which our connexion with it have given rise, has at last determined the government at home to make over the charge of Guzerat to Bengal ; and the arrangement, deeply as it reflects on the local authorities, seems an emi nently wise one. For thirty years has our name been tarnished and our face been blackened by oar counexion with that most corrupt of adminie trations ; it has been the source of countless broils and innumerable slanders, and the wretched system of hushing up and concealment constantly resorted to, especially since the case of General Ballantyne, has impressed on the public mind ineradicably the conviction that we have not been at all so clean-handed as we ought. The alienation of the State from our supervision will relieve us at all, events of suspicion, and before the chan nels of Khutput are fairly opened up with Calcutta, the dynasty of the Guicowar may, through the misconduct of the present sovereign, have ceased to reign. This will probably prove the solution of the mystery attendant on the apparently conflicting reports that Colonel Outram would be restored to his former office, and he would be em ployed under the Bengal government. The two con tingencies will not hereafter be incompatible, but may be brought about at once. Highly as we ap prove of the measure independently and by itself, it forms, in connexion with the qualified apology of the Court of Directors for the Bombay govern ment, a specimen of that miserable drivelling and temporising which characterise our adminis tration altogether. "Oh, you are not at all to blame," says the Secret Committee, " neither is Col. Outram, whom you condemned. It is very true you have managed Baroda so badly that we must estrange it from your hands, and pass it into those of an authority twelve hundred miles away; but don't take this the least to heart—you will all be al lowed to remain out your natural term of ser vice, and your honourable President gets an extra year just to soothe his feelings."—We have to re gret the loss of our junior magistrate of police, Mr. Itivett, who was a few days since suddenly cut off.— The Governor-General and Sir Henry Pottinger con tinue at Calcutta and Madras respectively. Lord Falkland is at Poona, where also are the Commander in-Chief and Junior Member of Council, Mr. Bell, the latter too being severely indisposed. The only member of government at the Presidency is Mr. Blanc, who also suffers from indisposition, and on whose shoulders thus devolve the whole duties of the administration. Had Lord Falkland been a member of a mercantile firm, he would of course have returned to head-quarters the moment the establishment felt shod-handed. As it is he takes his ease at Poona, accompanied by two of the ablest secretaries under him, leaving matters to look after themselves at the scat of government us they best may. Why should he not, after having received au evidence of the countenance of the authorities, such as Nlountatuart Elphinstone and Jonathan Duncan alone could boast of P—The Commander-in- Chief of Bombay has for some time past been in a very alarming state of health, but is now getting better.—The Commander-in-Chief of India, Sir W. Gomm, is said to have ordered the discontinuance of the improved system of drill and discipline recommended by his lordship. The monsoon I —which held off nearly ten days longer than 1 usual, and was not preceded by the thunder storms which usually herald it in has just burst upon us with unusual violence, nearly twenty inches of rain having failed betwixt the Bth nod ' 20th, with every appearance of continuance. The fall has not as yet extend, d into the interior, and at Poona they are complaining of hen• and drought. We are looking forward with unusual anxiety for the advent of the mail of the 24th May, now nearly due, and which will bring us intelligence of the in tentions of ministers regarding India. Trade coa -1 tinues dull. SINGAPORE. JVNE 16.—The opening up of an extended com munication with Australia, by means of sailing vessels and steamers, has given an extraordinary impetus to the trade of this port. Within the last six months scores of vessels, with full cargoes, have quitted for Melbourne, and at the present moment ten vessels, averaging 4,000 tons, are loading for Austra ha, at the high rate of 41. to 41. 108. register tonnage. These Teasels are all chartered, and will be followed by scores of others. The immense population at Melbourne, and the thousands of new arrivals at that port being unable to procure house accom modation, has occasioned an immense demand fur wooden houses, which are being constructed here by hundreds, and sent away with all practic able despatch. The high rate ruling for exchange (on Australia at ss. per dollar). and the selling price of gold dollars thirty to one per buncal, affords gold shippers to this port 84s. I.od. per ounce—a higher sum than procurable at London. The Rus sian frigate Pallas has arrived from Europe, and sailed again tor Hong-Kong and Japan. The United States leviathan steamer Paramattan arrived here yesterday from New York, Cape Town, and Mauritius. She will remain here about 15 days, and then proceed to Borneo, on a visit to the Sultan, en route to Japan. The Shanghae, screw-steamer, from Australia, is due, by contract time, to day; but we do not expect her for some days, for it seems scarcely probable that any but the most powerful vessels will be able to run from Sydney to this place—calling at Mel bourne, Adelaide, and King George's Sound—under 35 days, the existing contract time being 30 days, and the description of vessel employed of too small steam power. The Chusan will leave in two days for Sydney, &c., with the English mail of May 9, and return here in August next. FATAL AFFRAY WITH PIRATES. In the prevailing unsettled state of the northern ports, the Chinese pirates have been actively pursuing their merciless calling, knowing well that the impe rial naval forces had no time to attack them, were they even willing to risk an engagement. These pirates, however, have had a most signal thrashing from her Majesty's steam-ship Rattler, Commander MeHersh, although not without severe lose on our part, including that of a brave young officer, Lieut. Pid ' cock, who imprudently ventured to capture two junks with boats and small arms men despatched to arrest the fugitives making their escape to the shore. The affair altogether was a very gallant one. Com mander D'Orville, who bore a prominent part in the engagement, goes home by this mail in charge of despatches, which will probably find their way into the Gazette. The Friend of China affords a full and correct version of the matter, and which is given below : On the sth of May, in a letter from Mr. Acting-Consul Walker, it was intimated to Commander Mellersh, of 11.51.6.8. Rattler, then at Amoy, that a formidable fleet of pirates was at anchor about Namquan (Namquan har bour is in Lat. 27.15; Long. 120.20) a harbour above the Min River, and that the Spec, a small British schooner cmployedon the caul in convoying Chinese junks, had been so riddled with the pirates' shot that she had been obliged to leave the vessels she was accompanying to their fate ; the result of which was that the pirates took the whole, and held them to a ransom of ten thousand dollars. On the receipt of this intelligence, Captain Mellersh imme diately coaled from the ship Garland, and working all night, at daylight got underweigh, and about 7 p.m. suc ceeded in reaching White Dogs, at the mouth of the Min. The whole of the neat day it unfortunately blew so fresh, and the weather was so thick, that communieation with the I shore was impossible. About four s.m., of the 10th, how• ever, Captain bleat rah despatched Mr. Wi st, the master, in a cutter to reconnoitre, and about 3.30 P.m. he returned with tte schooner Spec, and intelligence that the piratical fleet were still in Namquan, waiting for the ransom money, which they were advised had been despatched to them overland. Taking the Spec in tow, the ItaVler, about 5.30 p.m., proceeded onwards. hay of the 11th broke in a thick fog, and the approach being dangerous the Rattler's engines had to be eased until about 8 a.m. The fog lifting, Single Rock was at that hour seen about a mile and a halt a-beam—the pirates' haven some seven miles distant. Without delay the Rattler dashed on, the fog still banging so thick ovir the hills that the pirates' looks-out did out see her until she was right in amongst them. Then commenced a spicies of panic. Cutting cables and making sail, they *taut for tho entrance of the harbour; but a strung fined tide swept them inwards, and then, hoisting bnakets of stink pots to their mast beads, they permed in earnest for close action. The Rattler opentd tic. hall with a shot across the bows of one vessel making for the river ; where , upon the whole 11‘ et, core.isting tit seven heavily armed junks, and Lorcha Ns. 19, belched firth broadsoies of round shot, gr..pe, and pieces of chain about a feet long tied together. Their aim generally woe too 11101, only a few of the guns taking effect on the Rattler's hull. Giving them two ilioadsidis tram herstltho.ird battery, s:tiiontesntu opened d on to th fire. th e e l ti l ls tt ; le t r h izi:st: t i c u a p tu , towardsanil t t o i o . k ti ; i t . sire o: , Upon this the pirates hors up wit h intent to board . Lieut. ritkock (afterwards killed) tending the large eigh l rne gun, thereupon taking precise elm, tent t r a hell r ig ht in to pirate chief's large junk, which, catching the magi ':haree caused her w also 0 0 t b h l e ow ,ffe up t owfitshinkailnlghaanviels„;.it.haeleur plosi m having side of her. The Lerch* then dropped astern, ceased prig& and hoisted Portugue e colours at the n, with Irene& at the mato. The other vessel* made the best of their way to the shore, and getting as near as possibie the crews jumped overboard and swam to the beach. There, how ever, they were met and knocked cn the bead by the villager., who showed them no mercy; many bang speared and stoned to death in the water. The Rattler's boats were then lowered, manned, and despatched in charge of Commander D'Orville, Mr. West, and Messrs. Willcox and E het, mates ; possession , of the rest of the fl• et being tleeteu with little or no fur -1 their resistance. Up to this yelled c a sualties en o ur s ide were inconsiderable, but news was shortly afterwards brought the some of the pirates who had i seeped had cap , tur,il a small junk, killed the crew, and were doing their brat to get up the river. Upon this Lieutenant rides:de gave chase in the cutter. It •up 'rays that he was not vi ty long in voming up with the ! ruiszreants in two junks, uue of which he had boarded, when the other ilropind alongsi:e, and some fifty men whet were hid in the vessel in p(IEW141011 rushed up from below and overpowered them. The list even of Lieutenant Pid -1 cork alive was on his knees (with his sword throu;;h a Chi nese', borne down by half a dozen spears. Two had fallen by his hand just before he dropped. Georg b e ,, l t t h yd w er e , n q t ua d r o t w er- a er, awl m r w e i s i t:h t of ci e l j e o by cutter's a l :e i , II I liePgrseiwt rable e d ;p seaman, d r r e i tii" to n overboard,t he lot . The cf them bearing honourable testitunmy to a brave di fence of their gallant though less fortunate comrades. Edward ordiaary seaman, 'IRS no less than Id Ipt or wounds, mine. vi ry deep ones, and it is doubtful waether he will re cover. The people on shore behaved admirably, sending off sompsnes to pick up cur men as they were repuked; and by their aid the . wounded men succeeded in getting back to the Rattler about half-past 8 p.m. The whole of this encounter b. ing nut of sight of the steamer, the grief felt on board at the painful and tines , vette' result may cati:y be imagined. Immediately the itig and a cotter were manned and despatched in charge of I Commander D'Orvilie, Mr. West, and Mr. Willcox; but the night was so dark that nithuugh they pulled en until 2 a.m., nothing whAever ot the joints could be teen. Soon after daylight, too, the pinnace was hoisted oat, a gun got into her, ant, in toned and serried, the three boats again stated, in charge ot Commander D'Ortille, Mr. 'traumatise, purer (volun , terr), and MOM. Willcox and Elhott.ffhey returned about 7.3 U p.m., having seen nothing of the pirate*, hut his ing qiceeede:i in recovering the bodies of Lieut. Pidcock and George Ryder. To return to the captured junks. The burning one was speedily towed on there ai.d scuttled, and at low water no less than 170 pounds of molten never were taken not of her, a few burnt dialers and three bags of rash. Five jut.ks and tho Li robs were the fell , wing morning [Alien in tow, but it coining on to blow, one ut the junks w. s sunk. and the Lorcha had to be cast off. (She sub 'a nu( idly art iced at Amoy.) Four junks, however, were token ii to the Fuliehow, together with filly prisoners, who were all given up to the Mandarins. Thus ended oue of the most valuable achievements we cc: r rem( &ter to have seen recorded 1.5 the work of one v‘el in China. The piratical fleet destr,) ed have been the terror of the coast for a longtime; the detestation in which the crews were veld being evinced by the conduct of the peep le on shore. The number of guns captured, of all dzcs, was 81, of which the pirate commodore's junk alone mouuted sixteen, viz., two 32-pounders, two long nine feet 18 pounders, two 18-pounder caronnudes, four 12-poundera, suit others of various calibre. Where all appear to have done their duty it is hard to sly noire in praise of one than another. Commander Mel lersh, we learn, for three successive nights never knew what sleep was ; and from continual actiou was hardly able to stand on his fret, which had swollen so much that he was unable to go on shore to inform Mr. Acting-Consul Walker of the success his pr inaptitude iu notifying to him had brought about. To Mr. Willett: (of whew: gadantry as senior mats under the Admiral's flag, at Martaban and Rangoon, we have heard most honourable mention) Capt. Mellersh has given the acting lieutenancy, an appointment which we have no doubt will be at once confirmed by Admiral renew. Commander D'Orville, whose services with the Rattler were specially alluded to in our issue of the sth of March lost, bears with him from China another well earned laurel. Of poor Lieut. Pideock an officer writes— Ile was dreadfully wounded about the head. Poor fellow, his messmates have lost a kind-heeded friend, and the service a clever cud most zealous uttirer. Ile died a warrior's death, and we buried him, between Nemquan and the Incog Islands, with all military bailouts." The Lorcha, No. 19, has been given over to the Purtugue es government. Well manned end handled by the pirates, it was only by superior suiting the Spec succeeded in escaping her clutches. Killed: George A. Pideock, 2nd lieutenant; George 11.:t der, Quarter-master; Jubn Phillips (A. B.) Wounded: William Boyce, psint.r, severely; Edward Ward, ord., dangerously, 15 wounds; Peter Doige, A. 8., severely; George Wright, A. 8., severely; Douglas Col . Itins, A 11., severely ; William Capon, Ist class boy, severely; Thomas Kelly, A. 8., slightly, stone bruises. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. BOMBAY, JUNB 19. Since the despatch of our last report, trade, as is usual at this seastin of the year, is dull, and nothing has been cone further than supplying mere local wants, or at such low prices, as to induce speculators to purchase in anticipation M the opening of the season. The monsoon set in on the night of the Bth, and we have had an abundaut fall of rain, up to the present time not less than fourteen inches having fallen. Almost the only piece goods in which anything is doing are grey maddapolams. In metals a slight decline in price has taken place. Linseed may be quoted at its. 3 8 per cwt. Pepper cannot be purchased under its. 13-10 per cwt. for Behtcole, and Rs. 13 for Malabar. Cotton hassrisen in price, as freights have fallen. Prices may he quoted at Rs. 107 per candy fur Surat, at Its. 106 far Dollerah, and Its. b 8 for Ooznrawutty. Freight.—A considerable number of arrivals have taken place lately, and a few days ago tonnage could be had for :Kis. to Liverpool and 2/. to London. They have since risen, and may now be quoted at five shillings higher. To China the rates are Rs. 8 to Rs. 9 per candy. Exchange has undergone no alteration since our last report, and still stands at 2a. lid. . • on China the rates are Its. 230 per 100 dohs., and on Calcutta Rs. 991 per cent. sixty days' sight. CALCUTTA, JUNE 16. . _ Rain has fallen, generally, in Bengal, beit our advice@ from the Indigo districts are still unsatisfactory, and the prospects of the crop, owing to the advanced period of the season, continue uncertain. The shipments of Indigo up to the 4th instant amount to 25,962 chests, containing fy. Inds. 97,732, of which 14,391 chests have gone to Great Britain and 8,120 to France. • A moderate business only has been done in sugar; stocks are, however, light ; vacuum pan sorts continue in good di mend at an advanced on qualities ',ridable for Australia. 'the market is yet but soaringly supplied with saltpetre, and that of Inferior quality. The reduction in the rates of freight have bad sae effect of increasing the exports of rice to a small extent. Safflower remains with out change, the shipments of this dye to Great Britain for the opening of the season to date amount to 2,612 mds. The report of the victorious progress of the insurgents in China, and the consequent interruption to trade in the vicinity of Shanghae has had the effect of inducing some shippers here to operate in raw silk as freely as the limited state of stocks would permit. The June silk band promises well. There is less demand for Corahs, but the very small supply prevents prices from rising. The demand for hides on English account has not been so active as before. Toe price of linseed has declined a little, and may now be quoted at 2-6 to 2-8 per md. Rake :•eed has also fallen off in value, and is quoted at 2.6 to 2-4 per md. Lac dye has further given way 2 to 3 Ifs. per rod., and shell lan 4to 8 sauna. Jute conunues in great favour. Our import markets, we regret to say, have rather gone back than otherwise since the date of our last re ports. Many kinds of cotton piece goods have de ehued a little in value. 'Grey and white shirting. and Madapollams have fallen in price, 1 anna per piece. Cam brks, Ito 2 annas. Jacunets are in fair demand, and re main us they were. White figured shirtings are very little wanted and lower. Lappets are ditfical; of sale, and will only be taken for immediate wants at lower value. Mull Mulls are a shade lower. Book towline are quoted at 14 anuas for No. 1, with the usual rise. Mule twist has been placed to a lair extent, 40s. have advanced $ to 1 pie per morah, other counts remain un changed. Turkey lied Yarns arc in fair request, but without any alteration in value. Orange and green are neglecte:',. Copper is dull, and a little lower ; we quote Sheeting at lis. 40, nail at 40.4 to 42, old 38.8 ; Tile at 37.8. I:on remains without demand. In Speller and Lead we have no sales to report. The money market is still liberally supplied, but there are decided indications of a cessation of the plethora which has for some time past existed, and money, though readily procurable, is dearer. Government have announced the pa} :milt, in September nee', of the. whole of the re mainder of the Sicce Five per Cent. paper. The start ling suddenness of this notification took the publics completely by surprise, fur no one expected that any further financial movement would have been made 1 before the expiration of the period fixed for the payment • 1 of the first instalment of the second five per cent. loan. quite government deranged. A pa l re e r w. m .ti a d r , k n e o t e has b. be co c e n seq d, u! t n ro , 3 ly .ed be in ce s m he e , t T p h r o'e firmly e l o o lodgefib believed an y i existence n a t e tt e haa o ckt f the w new l e immediatelyl i iii ce d p: a r uf tpue e r t u n t t h . teh l loci,, i i i t i ni , and enwct iOO itonce, eog is ft d e ~ c s . ne.l teats t :3 1 1. o. h ..rh e ea shares :ap value aaurroef of teot Fives h ., o quoted a rr u aee e tmm w 6a..oi firniae, at ir, ; 1.1 sod la 1 very 4 s ,atdoewi Bank, f il ar :l k e . .ci; .. q t o t u ßssoT a a l l (I hr 2 1. 1 8 u fobi e rfu in tBr e 1 at which rate there are no sellers. New Chiginal Life Insurance Com:•any, 36.5. 11.ngal Coal I Company, 7W, on which t.rais OU shares were recently sold. Very little change has occurred in the rale of Exchange : ! with London, which remains at 2-13 to 2-la credits, and "-11 to 241 documents. Scotch Bank Btu: at 90 days' I- 1 • tight have been freely sold at 2-11. r i Freights remain masitcreil. We quote to London—Salt ! rive ut 31. 105.; Sugar at 31. 10s. to 31 . 12 s. e ; d. ; nice at , 31.125. 6d. CULNA MARKETS. CANTON, JUNE 5. Isiroirts. Lengthened entrees from the ora (Intl Herald, to h fund under our gen: ral •ry, displaco in the pre sent issue our usual apart of thi:Caniou Market. Busiue% BURNIAIt. Our correspondent says--We have reetived news fio:n Rangoon (Burmah) to the 27th ult., and to the' 18th from Prome. Nothing further had been heard from Ara, but the return of the Burmese commis sioners about the 4th June was fully expected. bile the troops were suffering dreadfully from sickness, and deaths were of daily occurrence. Col. Coots, 18th ILL, Lieut. Pilmer, K.0.L.1., and Lieut. Montgomery, 80th Foot, h d been carried off by dysentery ; and a couple of other officers are said to have fallen victims at Shewy-geen. The move of the Europeans out of Promo had not been at all beneficial, and the 80th were just about to return thither wheu a violent storm levelled their barracks with the ground, so they were compelled to culla at Shew-atong. Since the opening of the war it appears we have lost no fewer than 54 European officers and 1,333 soldiers, and 2,000 Sepoys—the greater number of these having fallen victims to the climate. General Godwin has changed hid residence, his aides-dc-camp and military secretary residing with him—all the other members of hie staff re maining in Prome. Captain Phayre, the commis sioner, was to have left on the 19th May on a tour of inspection down the river. Heavy rain had fallen on the 10th, and had rendered the weather cool and pleasant. No further preparations for an advance on Ava had been made, but the orders of the Governor-General were auxiously awaited. The subjoined letter is taken from the columns of the Calcutta Enylishman of the oth inst.:— Prome, May 16.—This afternoon, about 3 p.m., we were visited by a terrific hurricane—hail, it under, lightning, and most violent rain. The new Hues lately built on the hill for the 40:h Bombay Native Infantry were nearly all blown down; similar to what happened some tine ago at Loodi anali, but luckily without the same results. Ono eepoy's leg was, however, broken, but that, I believe, is the extent of the casualties. The officers' quarters also suffered, owing to the rain being so heavy as to penetrate through the roofs, to the great detriment of everything that was not shut up ; and great was the devastation amongst windows and doors, owing to rude 11..reas carrying theta off. Part of the roof of the Mesa house was also carried away, which must be rather annoy ing, as it is just finished, having only been occupied for two days. The beat in tents is unbearable—on the hills, however, they are better off than below, the thermometer above being only 104, whilst in the other quarters it is fre quently 106. All the European regiments are re moved to Shui-dan, above nine miles from this, where they have already lost one of their officers, Lieut. Montgomery, of the 18th Royal Irish, after about a month's illness; the mortality amongst the men is still SA bad as ever. There are very few officers with headquarters in any of the regiments of Prow, owing to their being ad many away on detachment duty at Totaboo, llamado, and Donabew ; all three places are garrisoned by troo?s partly native and European. These stations seem mush healthier than Prome, where there is still a great deal of sickness both amongst officers and men. The General is going to a place down the river for a short time, which is between this and Yall Doom ; he expecte to be away about a week. Major Phayre is at Meea-Day, where they have sent thu Pluto an a guard-ship. It is generally supposed that without provocation things will remain in dolts quo, but in the event of Merrill Toon, who is said to be row Commander-in-Chief to the King of Ave, not being satisfied with his many hair-breadth eicares, and wishing split to test the extent of strength possessed by the tish Lion, that an advance on Ave will he effected. The ' Proserpina Damoodsh, and Nurbudda are off the station, one of them will start for Rangoon this evening with mails; they had great difficulty during the storm in preventing the fiat running foul of them. Yon have of course heard all about the Ava Commissioners. I open my letter to say that the damage was much greater than at first supposed, not a house, with the exception of the officers', is standing in the lines of the 40th save those belonging to the Light Com pany, and about half a dozen of their men have been se rioesly hurt." Commodore Lambert had been compelled by ill health to quit Rangoon on the 24th May for Maul main, and it waa feared he would be obliged to pro ceed to sea for change. Colonel Coote's remains were interred at Rangoon on the 23th with due mili tary honours : the gallant officer had died on the 24th in the Bassein Creek on board the steamer. CASUALTIES. The number of casualties amongst the officers of the Indian armies, reported since despatch of last mail, has been very large indeed. The following are the names of the victims :—Lieut. E. C. Scott, 37th Bengal Infantry. [This sung man bad gone down as far as Diamond Harbour with Brigadier bluish, and returning thence to Cal cutta in a country boat, had caught a fever, which ended in his death on the 20th of May.] Lieut. E. Bagenall, ll.M.'s Bth King's, at Deese, on May 24, from effects of wounds inflicted on him by a tiger a few days previous. Captain W. H. Smith, 61st Bengal N. 1., at Patna, on the 18th May. Lieut. F. A. Hook, 73d Bengal N. 1., at Burdwan, on 21st May. Assistant-Surgeon J. L. Johnston, H.M.'s 75th Foot, at Umballa, on 24th May. Lieut. J. Spier, H.M.'s 80th Foot, at Poona, on 4th June. Lieut. Calllw, 2d Madras E.L.1., at Secunderabad, on 27th Mg. Lieut. R. H. llootgomerie, H.M. 80th, at Prome, on 15th May. Lieut.-Colonel C. J. Conte, 18th Revd Irish, at Bassein Creek, on 24th May. Lieut. R. Pilmer, Slat K.O. L. 1., at Fenian. Colonel W. A. Yates, C. 8., at Cawnpore, on sth June. Captain Austen, 18th Bengal N. 1., at Um balls, on 24th May. Major Gifford, Bengal Invalids, on board Queen of the South, on 18th May Captain W. It. Brown, let Madras E. Fusiliers, in Burmah, on 27th April. Assistant-surgeon W. C. Owen, Bengal, at Midnapore, on 24th May. Assistant-surgeon Wray, H.M. 87th Foot, in the Puniaub. CHINA. The summary of the Overland Friend of China, Juno 7, says :—" Leaving speculation, we have here to continue our report of actual occurrences since the last Overland despatch. Amoy had then just fallen into possession of the insurrectionist body known as the Short-knife society :—a body, so far as we are safely advised, having no particular connection with the men at Nanking. As more fully detailed below, on Sunday the 29th ult., the Impenalists tried to re gain possession; but were quickly repulsed with some loss. "The safety of Canton is naturally a subject of considerable anxiety. We have no information, however, from which we are led to infer that it is at present in more conspicuous jeopardy than it has been in for some time. Canton was the last place to succumb to the Tartar Dynasty, and the probabili ties are that it will be just as soon in falling to the Tartar's successor. The local Mandarins are known to possess less political virtue than their contempo raries in other parts of the empire ;—and so far as it lies in their power there is reason to believe that they will be fully vigilant in aiding to crush attempts to destroy that system under which they have throve better than, no doubt, they will stand a chance of under a new order. . . " The son of the Taoutae at Shanghae is now' down here organising a fleet of armed fishing' boats to proceed to the Yang-tse•kiaag. Re- cently ho called at the Government-house, Macao, and requested permission to view the guns in the forts and their mode of working—which was ,readily granted. Re then stated to an officer that he had secured the services of sixty vessels, with thirty fighting men each, to whom he was going to pay 10 dole, per month per man. On reaching Shanghae this fleet will, we suppose (co-operating with the vessels already in the river) endeavour to recover Chin bang foo and possession of the Grand Canal. From the pith and known character of their opponents, however, chance of their success is doubtful. _ " Leaving a secretary at Shanghae to report pro gross, his Excellency Sir S. G. Bonham returned to ; 1 Hong-Kong. Direct'? his Excellency's inten tion. were known, feasts. Hogg, Beak, and Skinner, the members of a committee of safety ap pointed by the community, waited upon him for the purpose of representing their alarm at the an nounced departure of the Hermes, and their opinions as to the extremely inefficient protection to be ex pected from the Salamander—respectfully reque.ting that the Hermes might be retained until somethiog more definite was known regarding the state of affairs at Nankin and movements of the rebel army. To this his Excellency replied that ho had himself, personally, no immediate apprehension for the safety of Shanghai, that it w as absolutely ne cessary he should return to the south, and he must go in the Hermes—but that en route he would call at Amoy, and take measures for the despatch of the Ratter to fill the Hermes' place ; and that, perhaps, the senior navalofficer would s e fit to send up the Spartan. That "he had bad that morning, some conversatior with the Rev. Mr. Taylor who had just returned from the vicinity of Chin keang foe; tied frein the information he had obtained from Mr. Taylor, he (Sir George Bonham) could not see cause for any increased apprehension on the part of the community. The purport of Mr. Taylor's information amounted to this :—that the ciptaiii of the Hewlett, a vessel in the employ of the Shanghae Taoutac, and stationed a few miles on this side of Ching-keang, had stated that the insurgents had declared that they would put to death ad foreigners seized fighting against them : a threat not to be w ondered at under existing circumstances. Mr. Taylor had further heard that seine five hundred men had been dressed in red coats, with shakos on their bends, for the par-' pose of deceiving the insurgents into a belief that foreign !oldie:Ts were en„ ged to fight on the side of the Imperialists. All this information did not lead him to suppose that matters sere now in a different state to what they were when he left I Nunkiu, that is, that both Nunkin and Ching- I keang are in the hands of the insurgents, and that these places aro surrounded by imperial troops. He would therefore adhere to his original intention of leaving Shanghae, and at the same time do all in his power to supply, as early as possible, the place of the Hermes by as efficient a vessel of war. And, accordingly, his excellency left, arriving here two days after the last mail was despatched. Fol lowing their interview with Sir George, the eom- I mittee had another with the Hou. Humphrey Mar shall, at which that gentleman way requested to prevent the United States' ship Plymouth from fol lowing the Susquchannah and Mississippi on their Japan expedition. "It was well known," the commit tee said, "that large armies occupied the banks of the Yang-tsze kiang, within 170 'lilies of Shanghae; and that large fleets of beats Sated upon its waters subject to their command. The city of Shanghae could be occuph d by the forces of either patty within a very few hours; and it is al-o infested by a numerous class who during this paralysis of trade have no employment, MAI whose propensities to crime are quickened by their necessities. There could be no doubt that thou sands of loose, vicious, and desperate charac ters were now in Shanghae ready to swoop upon whatever booty they could find, when the reins of discipline should be slackened to nffirrd room for the display of their licentiousness." Tu this the United States commissioner replied that he agreed with the committi c in considering the danger to Shanghae more imminent than before, and woul I also regret the withdrawal of the Plymouth; but the arrangement aependvd on the discretion of a naval officer, to whom he would have much satisfaction iu presenting the committee's communication. The committee then waited on M. de Montigny, French Consul for Shanghae sad Ningpo, and having asked him to keep the steam sloop Le Cassini in port, after communication with Captain de Plas, the consul, on the 20th, forwarded them a copy of a letter from the' commander, in which, after saying that as much as it depended on himself, he felt great zeal in aiding in any arrangements for the com mon defence, he went on to state that according to his last orders from the Station Commandant, the stay of Le Cassini at Shanghae was strictly limited to the 31st May. Should, however, at that date, new facts tend to show the propriety of a longer stay "if imminent dangers should threaten our worthy missionaries or the foreign community," he would then consider it his duty to hold consultation with the Consul, and would adjourn departure "until just apprehensions had been dissipated." I I