The Press. — London, England, 1857-02-21 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 21 1 185/. THE WAR IN PERSIA. THE Teheran Gazette of the Bth January published a proclamation of the Shah announcing the capture of Bushire, and stating his intention of taking the most energetic measures to repel the invasion. Troops under the command of Ferlate Khan and Mirza Mehemed Khan have been directed upon Bushire, while strong reinforcements have been despatched to Herat and the Cabul frontier. The intelligence from Bushire brought by the over land mail, via Bombay, reaches to the 30th of December. tip to that date ❑othing of importance bad occurred, but a force of 12,000 to 15,000 Per. sians was said to be in the neighbourhood, and con templating an attack upon the British camp. The health of the troops is generally good, but the men appear to bo suffering considerable hardship et present from the camp being two miles distant from the shore, and all supplies having to he brought that distance by the men, through loose sandy soil. A letter from Bushire of the 28th of December, in the Moniteur de l'Armie, gives some details of in. terest to us. It will be observed that our acts of occu pation point more to a permanent than temporary stay The part of the army remaining outside the town are in wooden huts, exactly like those used in the Crimea. The head quarters are on an eminence, to which the name of lialaklava has been given ; and the inner hay has been designated the Harbour of Sebastopol. Three days after the place was taken two Protestant churches were established ; they are in a new quarter of the town, called Victoria City. A racecourse has also been established, and the first day's running will take place on Jan. 1, the horses of the country being admitted to contest for the prizes. A few days after the installation of the troops, a proposition was made to the general in-chief to establish a railway across the town and the English lines, a distance of about two miles. The proposition was accepted, and the line is to be made without delay. A cemetery has been marked out, anti surrounded by a dry wall. In the centre has been erected a monument to General Stop ford, killed at the taking of the town. It is formed of a pyramid of red marble, on the base of which have been inscribed the general's name and titles, and the date of his death. Near this monument are the tombs of Lieutenant- Colonel Mallett, Captain Wood, anti Lieutenant Uttersen, all killed on the same occasion, and those of three other officers, who were carried off by illness since the occu pation. Reinforcements were immediately to be de spatched to Bushire. These include the 14th Light Dragoons, Ist Regiment of Jacob's Scinde Irregular Horse, nth Troop Horse Artillery, Ist Company 2nd Battalion Foot Artillery, her Majesty's 78th Highlanders, 20th Regiment Native Infantry, and 23rd Reg iment Native Light Infantry. A rroject for tho employment of irregular horse to be raised among the tribes of Turkish Arabia and the Persian seaboard has been decided on. To what extent it is contemplated to carry out this scheme is not plt. definitively settled. Rumour says that fifteen regiments will be raised, but as yet appointments for not more than three have only taken place. The organisation of the army was being rapidly completed. Sir James Outran, who with his per• sonal staff left Bombay for Bushire on the 10th of January, will assume the command in chief. G.,neral Stalker takes the first division, and Colonel Havelock the second. Colonel Jacob. of the Scinde Horse, commands the cavalry. A land transport corps has been organised, and some mounted field batteries will be despatched at once. "'The reieorcernents now under orders amount only to 5,000 men; but.," remarks the Times Bombay correspondent, " it is re ported that 15,001 more will follow as fast as they can be collected; but this is not quite so cer tain. The extraordinary order given to Sir James Outran to levy troops in Persia itself is considered true, and is generally supposed to indicate a deter mination to annex. The secrets of the Foreign Department are, however, so closely kept, that there is little current beyond surmises. Oar fact, howevel, is admitted. The l'crsiaii expedition is not a demonstration, but the most serious war in which the Government has been engaged for the last six years." The question of an advance into Affghanistan was much discussed at Bombay. Dost Mohammed had arrive 1 at Juinrood, in the Peshawur valley, on the Ist of January. Sir John Lawrence, who had been some time waiting for the arrival of his visitor, On hearing of his approach sent a considerable force four miles into the lillyber Pass to meet and escort him. On the 3rd of January the meeting took place : An imposing force of two troops of horse artillery, two field batteries, and a mountain train, four regiments of cavalry, and six of infantry, three of them English, formed a lane from Juintood to Sir John Lawrence's Durbar tent As the Atlghan cavalcade came down the lane Colonel Edwardes. Commissioner of Peshawur, and the military officers advanced. At its head rode Saadut Khan, of Lalpoora, the powerful and oftiimes troublesome chief of the Momunds, now on his very best behaviour. THE PRESS. Behind him appeared, plainly attired in the national " chop," an old man, worn and wizened, but with hic beard dyed a fine black. This was the Ameer of Catul. A likenes of the Dost, taken in 1811, may be seen in Sir A. Burne's " Cabal." It is from a drawing by a Bengal offi cer, and is pronounced by Sir Alexander to be an excellent likeness. In his train was seen a litter slung between two ponies, in which was carried a notable prisoner of the Bost's, not to be trusted out of his presence, the ex King of Balkh. Arrived at the Durbar tent, Dost Mohammed was received with a royal salute, and the troops formed in column and marched past in review. Sir John and he then proceeded to open the conferences; but our news only coming down to the day after the meeting, we as yet know nothing of what has passed at them. It may be easy to guess whet the chief will ask for—it is less so to know how much the commissioner is empowered to grant. But if au advance through the passes is decided on, it must soon be known here. Of Herat, we only hear from Cabul, whither the information was sent by Hyder Khan at Candahar, that the Persians are busy strengthening the defences, mounting fresh guns, and laying in large stores with a view to further advance into Affghanistan. In the direction of the Bolan Pass, or Southern Affghanis• tan, we learn that fa portion of the money and ammu nition sent to the A tneer by that route had reached Quettah. And of the Khan of Khelat it was reportel at Shikarpoor that he had told the English that he was both willing and able to defend the Bolan Pass against any attempt of the Persians. Le Nord of Monday pub:ishes the subjoined letter from a correspondent at Teheran, dated Jan. 10 : Preparations for war are being made with the greatest activity. All the resources of the country are laid under contribution; the troops are being concentrated, the irre gular militia convoked, and, finally, a levy en masse has been decided upon. A "Holy War" is preached. The foreign representatives advised the Government to abstain from this appeal to fanaticism, but the Government persisted in its intention, while giving assurances that public order should be untroubled, and that the life and property of Christians should be respected. All the functionaries, as %ell as the clergy and the sadrarcon, assembled in the mosque of the Shah—more than 30,000 people covering the court and terraces. The meeting lasted nearly the whole of the day, and concluded with the reading of the firman of the Shalt iu four different parts of the mosque, so that the document might be heard by the entire assembly. This production, long and prolix, according to Oriental fashion, speaks first of the peace and friendship which reign between Persia and the other powers, with the exception, unhappily, of England ; then gives an exposé of the circumstances which led to the rupture ; and the people, in conclusion, are exhorted to fight, and sacrifice life and fortune, if necessary•, in the defence of their religion and country. The assembly dispersed tran godly, but it is feared thatsome badly-disposed persons will profit by the excitement to create disturbances. The firman will be read with similar solemnities in the forty principal towns. Unfortunately, scenes of disorder are much more likely to occur in the provinces than in the capital. Accounts from the shores of the Caspian state that the 13th Division of Rus-.ian Infantry, under the orders of General Chruleff, took position on the 28th of January at Djabal, at the confluence of the Araxes and the Knur. On the following day Abberad Khan, sent by the Governor of Farsistan on a privati mis sion, had a long cool< r!nce with General Chruleff at the headquarters of the latter. THE CHINESE WAR. UP to the 30th of December affairs remained muc:•. in state quo. Since the burning of the factories, cn the 14th of the same month, Admiral Seymour occasionally bombarded the town from the Dutch Folly Foit ; but, on the whole, he seemed disposed to remain on the defensive u 'tit the arrival of troops from India. One European regiment, one regiment of native infantry, and the Ceylon Rifles, were under orders at Calcutta for Hong Kong. The burring of the factories was admitted to be the result of a well planned schome of the Chinese, who showed more energy than usual in at tempting to cut cut or burn and blow up stray vessels. On the night of the 28th an attempt was made to blow up the Hornet, while at anchor, by a powder-boat, but fortunately the powder did not ex plode, while a Mr. Cuwper, of Whampoa, had been seized and captured by the Chinese, and carried off into Canton. The river also swarmed with war junks. One of the small postal stean•ers was attacked between Canton and the Bogue on the night of the 22nd Dec. by a large fleet of mandarin junks, and had a narrow escape from capture. The pilot and one of the crew were killed, and two others wounded. A lorcha, which she was towing, had to be cast off, and was captured, proving a rich prize, as she was laden with goods and valuables, re moved from the Canton warehouses at much risk and expense. Before being cast off her crew were taken on board the steamer. The junks then re tired up the shallow creeks with which the country is intersected, and where the draught of water is too small tor our men-of-war. Gunboats were very much required. The Friend of China, in its issue of Dec. 30, sums up the latest news from Canton : 183 There is little of any moment to report, excepting some tiring into the city from the Dutch Folly. Admiral Sey mour, for the present, reclines on his arms, as good policy , perhaps, as more active measures; for, as every day's ina'Ality to go about their customary avocations must cause serious distress to the Celestial " Obstinates," it cannot be doubted but in course of time they will come to their senses. Reports hum the north run that /eh had been superseded, and that the incoming High Imperial Com missioner has full liberty to admit us within the city. This report is not likely to be true—Yelt, perhaps, would be glad if it was. Our news from Canton comes up to yester day noon. At that. time her Majesty's steamship Coro mandel, Lientenant Douglas commanding, left for this port, having on hoard Mr. Consul Parkes, Captain Busb, of her Majesty's SJtlt Regiment, and Dr. Anderson, of the Calcutta, in charge of sick seamen. Since) the hot-shot firing of Saturday night, there has been no more hostile demonstration. It is now pretty certain that Mr. Cowper, Ben., is alive within the town of Whampoa, and one of the elders has been released on parole, to institute measures for his release. The Americans have done nothing more, but the following circular letter from the United States' commissioner explains their present position and attitude. It clearly points to ulterior coercive mea sures:— TO THE MERCHANTS AND OTHER CITIZENS Cob' THE UNITED STATES. Legation of the United States, Macao, Dec. 27, 1856. His Excellency, Peter Parker, Commissioner of the United States of America to China, &c., referring to the notice of the 9th inst.. hereby makes known that the reply of the Imperial Commissioner to his Excellency's despatch of that date was received last evening, and that, with the semblance of a desire to maintain friendly relations between the two countries, the same disposition to evade obligation, misrepresent facts, and erroneously interpret treaty stipu. lations which for years has characterised the correspond ences of Imperial Commissioners still obtains with his Excellency Yeh ; the resumption of trade to any extent at. the port of Canton during the existence of the local hosti lities is not encouraged by the tenor of the communica tion now received, and means more ample than those now at command wile. be required to meet the emergency of the public interests of the United States in China, and the satisfactory and proper adjustment of the relation of the Five Ports is an event yet future.—By order, S. WELLS WILLIAMS. Secretary of the United States' American Legation. The Spaniards appear, by some accounts in the Spanish papers, to have been dragged into the quarrel. The Espana says : Letters from Manilla state that the Chinese attempted to burn one of the Spanish steamers which was undergoing repair at Hong Kong, and that the crew had been forced. to seek refuge on board a merchant vessel. In consequence of this, it is said that the brig El Eseipion has been sent from Manilla to demand satisfaction, and to protect the Spanish subjects there. Intelligence from Hong Kong up to the 31st of December states that FO much excitement existed. among the Chinese inhabitants that great precau tions were taken to secure the factories, private houses, and property of the foreign residents. The French Admiral Guerin had landed a strong force of seamen and marines from his frigate the Virginie. In connection with the dispute we may observe that a correspondence revecting the registratii.n of colonial vessels has recently been published, from which it appears that, on the 3rd of March, 1855, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed a colonial ordinance, establishing "a system of regis tration for colonial vessels." Of this ordinance the important clauses are the second and the sixth. The second section provides that there shall be t%ia classes of registers granted in the colony—lmperial registers, as prescribed by the Imperial acts, for long-voyage ships; colonial registers, as prescribed in the ordinance, ror China trading ships. The six h section provides that Chinese residents within tl e colony, it registered lessees of Crown lauds, may, n giving due securities for compliance with the requii e ments of the ordinance, ohiam colonial registc-s. The Board of Trade doubted whether this deparu re from the Merchant Shipping Act (17th and lb h Viet., c. 104), according to which British owners!' p was an essential condition of British registry, cou'd be sanctioned. Ultimately, on the 2thh of Mry, 1850, a further ordinance, under the provisions a the 547th section of the Merchant Shipping Act passed the Legislative Council of Hang Kong, settirg for h in its preamble that it was intended to amer.d the Merchant Shipping Act of 1854 and the Chinese Passengers Act or 1855, in their application to the colony of Hong Kong; and in pursuance of such in tention, as far as the former of those two acts was concerned, enacting by its first clause that " the British flag may lawfully be used by any Chinese resident within the meaning of the ordinance of March 3, 1855." This ordinance reached home in the course of the year, was approved by her Majesty, and on the 27th of August Mr. Labouchere wrote to Sir John Bowring directing its proclamation in the colony, before which it could not take effect.