The Sun. — London, England, 1858-01-28 00:00:00

THE CALCUTTA MAIL. THE RELIEF OF LIICKNOW. The Calcutta Gazette Extraordinary of Dec. 23 contains the following General Orders by the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India in Council, p refixed to the despatches relating to the first relief of Lucknow which had recently reached the Go vernment : " Fort William, Dec. 22, 1857. " The Right Hon. the Governor-General in Council is pleased to direct the publication of the accompanying despatches relating to the first relief of the garrison of Lueknow, which have lately reached Government. " These despatches contain an account of they oceed ings of the force under the command of e late before he Major-General Sir H. Havelock, forced his way into the city, as well as of the r vr a i m ou e s s operations carried on under Major - G eneral Ostram, after a junction had been effected with the garrison of the Residency, on fosse n u de Sheiptemberl,. until the arrival of the relieving r s Exce lenoy General Sir Colin Campbell. " They show how thoroughly this gallant band has sustained the reputation of British soldiers for courage, discipline, and determination, whether in the plain, in the band-to-hand struggle of the street fighting, or in the more wearying labours of the siege. " The Governor-General in Council has already had the satisfaction of acknowledging the obligations of the Government of India to d en y Ontram; but his Lore ship in Council cannothimself the pleasure of expressing again his appreciation of Sir J. Outram's eminent services and his respect for the generoas and soldierlike feeling which prompted Sir James to abstain from assuming the position due to his superior rank. and to leave in the hands of Sir H. Havelock the com pletion of the undertaking which the latter had success fully begun. _ _ 'Z' To brigadier Inglis the Governor-General in Council can give no higher praise than to say that during the continuance of the siege, a7ter SirJ.Outram had assumed the chief command i n th e Residency, his ability, energy, and vigilance were worthy of the lasting reputation which his conduct of the defence has secured to him. "Sir J. Outran' has ackuowledged the efficient co operation which he bad from Brigadiers Hamilton and Stisted. To these officers, as well as to Capt. Bouverie and Capt. Spurgin, serving on the Brigade Staff, the Governor-General in Council desires to offer his hearty thanks for tha good service they have done. "His Lordship in Council c-mveys to Major Eyre, who had already established a claim on the gratitude of the Government ' • to Capp. Maude, Royal Artillery ; to Capt. Olpherts, Bengal Art , llary ; to Lieut. Thomas, Commissary ofOrdnai.ce ; and to the officers and men of the combined force of artillery, the assurance of the satisfaction with which he has received the evidence of their zeal and gallantry. "The labours that devolved upon the Engineer De partment have been of a most important and difficult nature, and the Governor-General in Co uncil be g s t p assure Capt. Crommelin, c )mmanding the Engineers ; Lieut. Hutchinson, second in command ; Lieuts. Rus sell and Limond ; the officers and men attached to, as well as those who volunteered to work with the depart• went, his appreciation of the courage, skill, and energy with which they bore their very arduous part in the siege. " Lieut.-Colonel Purnell, commanding her Majesty's 90th Light Infantry, deserves praise for the able manner in which he held an advanced post, exposed to the un ceasing attacks of the enemy ; and to Cap , . Brasyer,com manding the Regiment of Ferozepore ; to Capt. Lock hart, commanding her Majesty's 78th Highlanders ; to Capt. Shute, commanding a detachment of her Majesty's 64tb, who have each • maintained a difficult post with complete success • to Capt. Willis, commanding her Ma jesty's 84th ; to dapt.Galwey, commanding Madras Fasi leers ; and to Lient.Meara, commanding her Majesty's sth Fusiliers, the Governor-General in Council tenders his hearty thanks. " his lordship in Council acknowledges with pleasure the cheerful alacrity with which Captain Barrow, com manding Volunteer Cavalry, Captains Johnson and Hardinge, commanding Irregular Cavalry, have come forward to volunteer their services on every opportunity; the latter officer having also rendered good service as De puty - Quartermaster-General. "The thanks of the Government are due to Captain Garden, Assistant Quartermaster-General ; to Captain Mormons, her Majesty's 52d Regiment, Deputy Assist ant-Quartermaster-General, for the zeal they have exhibited in their various departments ; as also to Capts. Alexander, Orr and Carnegy, for their able services at the head of th e Intelligence Department ; and to Capt. Macbean and Lieut. James for the efficient manner in which, under their superintendence, the commissariat arrangements have been carried out. " The Governor-General in Council has great satis faction in acknowledging the excellent provision made for the care of the sick by the Medical Department under Superintending Surgeon J. Scott, and his lordship in Council desires especially to tender his warm thanks to the Rev. Mr. Harris for the personal courage displayed by that gentleman in the discharge of his sacred duties, and for the unremitting assiduity with which he through out the siege has sought to allay the sufferings and pro vide for the comfort of the sick and wounded. " The Deputy-General in Council offers to Major North, Deputy-Advocate-General; to Captain Hudson, (H.ll.'s 64th), Assistant-Adjutant-General ; and to Lieut. Hargood (Madras Fusiliers), serving on the staff of the late Sir Henry Havelock, the thanks they have merited by the efficient discharge of their respective dirties. _ _ " The support rendered to the force, both in the &Id --- • . • and throughout the very intricate and difficult engineer ing operations of the defence, by Co , . Napier, Military , Secretary and Chief of the Adjutant-General's Depart ment, has been most valuable, and his lordship in Council desires to assure Colonel Napier that his ability and exertions are fully appreciated by Government. " Tha Governor-General in Council has much satisfac tion in acknowledging the services of Captain Dodgson, Assistant Adjutant-General ; Captain Gordon, Deputy Judge-Advocate-General ; Lieuts. Sitwell and Chamier, or the personal staff of, and Mr. Money, Private Secre tary to, SirJ. Outram ; of Captain Dawson and Ensign Hewitt, orderly officers, and of Mr. G. Couper, of the Civil Service, who volunteered to perform the duties of aide-de-camp. " In addition to those whose n ames have been more prominently brought to notice, the Governor-General in Council desires to convey his hearty thanks to all officers non-commissioned officers, and men who have been engaged in theoperations referred to in these despatches for the valour they have displayed in the field, for the firmness with which they have maintained their position in the city, and for the cheerful, g, willin and earnest manner in which th ey have discharged all the various duties and borne the privations imposed upon them , under circumstances of extraordinary difficulty and hardship. "It will be a gratification to the Governor-General in Council to bring the eminent services of Major-General Sir J. Oatram's force, officers and men, to the favourable notice of her. Majesty's Government and of the Hon. Court of Directors by the first opportunity. Meanwhile the Governor-General in Council directs, by a separate order of this date, that the donation batta already granted to the garrison under Brigadier Inglis shall be extended to Major-General Sir J. 0 utram's force. " The Governor-General in Council cannot conclude this notice of the events connected with the relief of Lucknow without expressing his deep regret at the heavy loss which England has suffered by the fall of so many able officers and gallant men. " His lordship in council has already recorded him sense of the high worth of those true soldiers Sir Henry Havelock and Brigadier-General Neill. Their names will be eherished with honour by their fellow -country men. " He now has to lament the untimely death of Col. Campbell, her Majesty's 90th Light Infantry, than whom the Queen's service possessed no mere gallant or pro mising officer. "Major Haliburton, her Majesty's 78th Highlanders; Major Cooper, Artillery ; Major Simmons, her Ma jesty's sth Fusiliers; Major Stephenson, Madras Fusi liers ; and many other brave men among their comr a d es, have died in the di-oharge of their duty; and in memory of these the Governor-General in Council desires to record his tribute of sorrow and gratitude. " R, J. H. BIRCH, Colonel, Secretary t the Government of India in the Military Department. Tile following is the nominal Roll of Officers Killed and Wounded and Mi.king, in actions with the enemy rear Cawnpore, from the 26 , ..h Nov. to the 2d Dec., 1857, inclusive : KILL - k - 1; N Li ovem e utber. Ed. Jordea, h er Majesty's It4th Regiment s 28th 20th Ensign T. G. Applegat e , h er Majesty's 34th Regiment, November. Ensign L. J. Greer, her Majesty's 34th Regiment, 28th November. C o t N. Wilson, Kit, her Majesty's 64th Regiment, 28th November. Nov sb a j or S . tirling, her Mai itty'a 64th ' R egiment, 28 t h ember. leapt. Morphy, her Majesty's 64th Regiment, 28th November. Capt. McCrea, her Maj tety's 64. h Regiment, 28th November. Lieut. A. P. Hensley, her Majiety's 821 Regiment, 28th November. Lieut.-Col. C. Woodford, Itiflee, 28th November. Capt. H. U. Day, her Majesty's 88th Rogimeut, November. WOITNDUD. Lieat.•Colonel R. D. Keiiy, her Majesty's 34th Reg' melt, 27th No% e-nher. Jae. M,a4ell, her 11 jeaty's 34th Regimen 28th November. Brevet-Maj,.r James Jorden, her Majeatre 34th Re. giment, 23th November. Captain F. D. Cassedy, ber Majesty's 34th Regimen 28th November. Captain D. Stewart, her Majesty's 34th Regimen 28tii November. Lieutenant J. R. Coebrane, her Majesty's 34th Regi ment, 28th November. Lieutenant Holroyd, her Majesty's 34th Regiment, 28th November. Lieutenant H. L2mpeD, her Majesty's 34th Regiment, 28th November. Lieutenant N. T. Pavons (unattached), her Majosty'a 64th Regiment, 28th November. Lieutenant C. J. East, her Majesty's 82d Regiment, 26th November. Major C. T. V. B. Isaac, 1.24. , r Majesty's 82d Regiment, 28th November. Captain John Gordon, Ler Majesty's 82d Regiment, 28th November. r JTE SCN LOND I ON, TnATRSDAY EVENING, Assistant-Surgeon T. Carey, her Majesty's 64th Regi ment, between 29th November and 2d December. t, 28th Lieutenant Birch, her Majesty's 88th Reginazin November. Lieutenant Burke, her Majesty' s 88th Regime nt, 28th November. vneamntbWer.. Gay, her Majesty's 88th Regiment, 26 Lut th ie No e Ensign Mitchell, her Majesty's 88th Regiment, 26th November. Lieutenant and Adjutant Evans, her Majesty's 88th Regiment, 27th November. Lieutenant Austen, her Maj esty th Regiment, 27th November. Lieutenant and Interpreter Clarke (attached), her Majesty's 88th Regiment, 27th November. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Ewart, 93d High lenders, between 29th November and 2d December. Captain G. Cornwall, 93d Highlanders, between 29th November and 2d December. Lieutenant E. C. Haynes, 93d Highlanders, between 29th November and 2d December. Lieutenant Travers, Rifles, 27th November. Lieutenant Pemberton, Rifles, Nov. 27. Captain M. Dillon, Rifles, Nov. 28. Captain L. P. Mulles, Rifles, Nov. 28. Ensign 11, Lawton, Rifles, Nov. 28. Cadet Dyce, Rifles, Nov. 28. Cadet Madden, Rifles, Nov. 28. Lieut. and Interpreter C. Armstrong, Rifles, Nov. 28. Midshipman Lord W. T. Kerr, H.M.S. Shannon, between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. MISSING. - _ Lieut. M'Kinnon, H. M.'s 64th Regiment, Nov. 24. Lieut. Gibbons, 52d Regiment (attached), H.M.'s 64th Regiment, Nov. 28. The following is the Nominal Roll of Officers killed and wounded during the siege of Lucknow : General Staff. Wounded—Brigadier-General Sir H. M. Lawrence, K.C.8., commanding the force, mortally (since dead) ; Officiating Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General, Captain T. F. Wilson, slightly ; Officiating Deputy-Assistant Quartermaster-General G. N. Hardinge, slightly. Brigade Staff. Wounded—Aide-de-camp to Brigadier J. Inglies, Lieut. F. M. Birch, slightly. Killed—Second Lient, E. P. Lewin. Wounded—Capt. A. P. Simons, slightly (since dead) ; Lient. D. C. Alexander, severely ; Second Lient. J. H. Bryce, severely (since dead of cholera) ; Second Lieut. J. Bonham, once slightly, once severely ; Second Lient. J. Alexander, severely ; Second Lient. D. Mao Farlan, F. J. Cunliffe, slightly (since dead of fever). engineers wounded, also 15 gentlemen of the uncove nanted servioe and others killed and 9 wounded—are not included in the above. (Examined.) _ T. F. WILSON, Captain, Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General. J. INGLIS, Brigadier, commanding Lucknow Garison. (True copies.) R. J. H. BIRCH Colonel, Secretary to the Governme nt of India in the Military Department. THE MARCH OF THE CAMERON MEN. " Oh ! proudly they follow their ohief to the field." Never did traditional ballad contain a line more truthful in its application than this to the 79th Cameron Highlanders. Sir Colin Campbell, their chief, sailed for India in July, and ere that month had expired, the 79th Highlanders had also em barked to " The land of the East, and clime of the sun." The regiment's embarkation was effected with so much order and good conduct that it became the subject of eulogistic remark in the Dublin Garrison Orders of that date. On the first day of August, then, the clipper ship Weimer Castle sailed from Kingston harbour with the head quarters and body of the 79th Regi ment on board, and " With white sails flowing the seas beyond," she continued "To plough a furrow in the deep," until the Ist November, when the monotony of the voyage was broken by the vessel casting anchor in the roadstead of Madras. Here it was that the regiment perused for the first 'ime, with a thrill of horror, the accounts of the Unparalleled atrocities which had been perpe trated in the Bengal Presidency. The men gathered on the deck in groups, and repeated to each other whispers those stories of treachery by which so many brave men have been sacrificed, and those ghastly tales of ruthless violence by which so many helpless and unoffending women and children have been sacrificed. Revenge, or a feeling much akin to it, seemed to take possession of men and officers ; at least, all became animated by a deep desire to in flict a condign punishment on bein g s who, by their deeds, have cast a stigma on the human species. But the Madras authorities detained those 500 able soldiers for more than six and thirty hours, though a favourable breeze was blowing, which would have carried them on in but a short time to Calcutta. No wonder, then, that the pipes played without ceasing _ _ " Hey ! Johnnie Cope, are ye waukin' yet ?" The sequel to this unnecessary delay was, that on the third day from leaving Madras the wind fell, and for an entire week the Walmer Castle lay be calmed off the Coromandel coast, literally "As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean." At length the welcome breeze returned, but being from ; the N.B. it involved a constant tacking and re-tanking, so that a fortnight more elapsed before the ship began to stem the swelled waters of the Ganges, aided by a steam-tug. It was on the 27th November that the Walmer Castle at last dropped anchor in front of what travellers have been wont to call the City of Palaces—Calcutta. These Cameron men are deserving of all praise for their conduct during the voyage ; crime was unknown, and the most perfect harmony pervaded all ranks—the defaulter books being the only closed during the passage. The lett wing oft he regiment having been tran shipped at Point de Galle into the steamer Simoom, had already arrived, and were in actual possession of the Town Hall of Calcutta. Circumstances con sidered, it were impossible to have devoted that noble building to a more rational purpose. Au artist would have found good subject matter for his pencil in delineating the picturesque tableaux which its inside presented—here, a stalwart High lander might have been seen standing with folded arms against some statue by the hand of a Chau trey, tie Herculean proportions of the former vie lug in their development with those of the latter ; and there, a son of Scotia, wrapped in slumber, lay reclining at the feet of some beautiful women whose portrait, painted by the brush of a Winterhalter, adorned the lofty wall. The 30th of November being St. Andrew's Day, in the evening the officers of the regiment gave a dinner at one of the principal hotels, to which about sixty Calcutta residents, of whom so many were Scotch, were invited. After the repast, which was in itself good and excellently served, succeeded toasts, wherein the past, the present, and the future were all severally alluded to—then " Wild and high the Cameron's gathering rose," and the regimental pipers entered playing one of those ,wild and spirit-like pibrochs that so entrance and thrill the heart ; by and bye this merged into the lively quickness of a strathspey. " A reel ! a reel I neish t neigh !" was now the cry ; and now all seemed inspired and dancing. Dervish-like commenced the maddening " Hielind Fling" and " Reel of Tu110.. , ,h." Rarely had the inhabitants of Calcutta seen a "St. Andrew's Nicht" so well sus tained ; it brought back to them "The days of acid langeyne." On the 2d Dec. the left wing marched from their quarters in the Town Hall, and commenced their "up country" journey, going by railway so far as Raneegunge. On the following morning the right wing, head-quarters of the reLiment, paraded at Fort-William for a similar purpose, and their pro gress to that point of the river where it is requi site to cross over for the railway station was a com plete ovation. As the steamer left its moorings the band commenced playing " Partant pour la Syrie ;" the crowd on shore reciprocated with a loud cheer. The bayonets of the soldiers glistened in the sun, while bright eyes sparkled with a responding gleam on the river's bank, and fair hands waved snow white handkerchiefs, to which feathered bonnets were doffed in reply. The whole was one of those unique scenes in a soldier's life. That evening the whole regiment found itself encamped at Ranee gunge, where the railway terminates, at a distance of 130 miles from Calcutta. Here it is intended the regiment should remain in quietness till the end of the week—it is the calm before the storm—the pause made by the lion before springing on the treacherous tiger. The Queen's Bays (2d Dragoon Guards) and part of the 20th Regiment are also here encamped. The 20th, however, proceed on to-morrow by bullock waggons. Raneegunge, Dec. 8, 1857. —Edinburgh Courant. entailment of much misery in Canton from scarcity of food. Of rumours regarding the movements of the forces, we have enough and to spare, but little definite has transpired. Diplomacy continues re markably silent; we gather, however, that Yell has been addressed by Lord Elgin and Baron Gros separately, and that, failing his acceptance of their conditions, the combined force will, in few words, knock Canton about his ears. A notification in the name of the two Plenipotentiaries is in circula tion along the river, warning the inhabitants of the impending contingency, and urging them to look to themselves ; and some copies, we understand, have been sent into the suburbs for distribution. As nothing is further from probability than that Yeh will surrender unconlitionally , the assault on the ro io city, vuerrs,e it ao nf is a a fewa p pretty odra tyiosdays. evident,wAelrl the Marines a re i n th e eto land on th e Honan will take place i n th e side. The artillery are on board the troopship Mooresfort, ready to start. The party of Engineers arrived by the mail steamer, with, it is said, 4 c,m panies of the 59th Regiment, are under orders to embark on board of the Lancashire Witch ; and about 300 of the Chinese Coolie corps go up in the Inflexible. The steam transport Hesper, under command of Mr. Henry Hill, late master of Her Majesty's ship Sybille, has been loading with faQcines, scaling ladders, ordnance, and other mu nitions of war, and leaves this morning, having on board also some of the military staff and 200 na tive camp followers. Lord Elgin himself, we understand, will leave Hongkong for the river either to-day or to-morrow, Her Majesty's ship Furious having been prepared for his reception. Of the arrangements for the attack we 'are told that the French fleet, the adv a nced ships of which entered the river on the B th , will take the Whampoa breach Captaone of the best in A. C. Key, of the s aoe of the river. pa re il( w hois considered officers in the service), is to command the Naval Brigade, and will be supported by Captains Cochrane and Osborne, and Commanders Hamilton and Hood ; while the field-piece parties are to be under the immediate direction of Admiral Seymour and Captain Hall. The Bittern has been converted into a mortar-vessel ; and the crews of the gunboats have been increased from sto 10 men each. General Straubenzee, who went up on Saturday last, will of course command the land forces. Yesterday the combined fleets were to close in upon Canton, but previous to that tho stations of the British men-of-war were Actoson Hornet, Ilighflyer, Elk, and ten gunboats (the advanced squadron), from Macao Fort to the Bittern, Barrier ; Nimrod and two gunboats at Fatshan Creek ; Sybille, Racehorse, and Surprise, with two gunboat 4, at Whampoa ; Sampson, at Second Bar ; Nanking, off High Island; the rest of the fleet about Wang-tung and Tiger Island. False rumours have been spread abroad to the effect that plundering has been sanctioned by the Admiral, and that 48 hours was to be granted for looting in the city, it may be as well to mention, that a circular has been issued by his Excellency, expressly forbidding anything of the kind, and threatening with severe punishment any breach of his orde' s in that respect. The steamer Adelaide, whose long passage had begun to cause some anxiety, arrived on the 13r, having on board 20 officers and 507 men of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, and 5 officers and 20 men of the Royal Artillery. She left Port smooth on the 17th August, arrived on the 3d October at the Cape of Good Hope, whence, after having been detained six days for coals, she sailed on the 9th, and reached Singa pore on Nov. 19, leaving for Hong Kong ou the same day. She reported that the Princess Glut-- lette, storeship, had left Singapore on the 18th, and the S tnspareil, with the Marines from Calcutta, on the 19th ; neither of which, however, though anxiously looked for, has yet arrived. The men by the Adelaide are in fine order, only one casualty— the loss of a corporal overboard—having occurred on the whole passage. She left for the river the morning after her arrival. The gunboat Lee, it appears, captured a snake boat the other day, with a valuable cargo. The cargo she took out and brought down to Hongkong —the junk she destroyed. The military force has sustained a heavy loss in the death, from inflammation in the bladder, of Lieut.-Col. Lugard, commanding RoyalEogineerx, whose remains were interred on the evening of the 2d inst., at the Protestant Burial Ground in the Wong-nei-chung. The funeral procession was com posed of two companies of the b9th Regiment, and one of the Royal Artillery, with a number of officers and civilians. Lieut.-Colonel Lugard was highly respected as a good officer and a kind-hearted man. As some alarm may be felt for the safety of Hong Kong during the absence of the expedition, Nye would mention that the colony will - be properly eared. for by Major Cazalett and Capt. King, with from 800 to 1.,000 men, consisting of Artillerymen, the remaining :companies of the 59 h, the Medi cal Staff Corps, and Madras Sepoys. It is also rumoured that a body of French Marines will be landed at West Point, for the protection of their naval stores ; and we suppose the Americans will have a strong guard at their stores in Spring Gar dens. The Tribune will remain for the protection of the harbour. The transport ship Neleus had arrived at Singa pore on the 22d Nov. She made a capital run down the China Sea (only 8 days), and had had lovely weather. Four of the invalids died on the passage, but the rest of them were pic kingup rapidly. From Amoy we hear little of importance. Trade seems to be dull, and raw cotton, cotton yarn, and rice are the only imports in which ti ansactions have taken place; the latter is said to be in good demand, and is quoted 2 dols 30 for Siam, and 2 dols 55 for Formosa. (Prom Special Correspondent of the Times,) HONG KONG, DEC. 13. It will be remembered that the last mail went out leaving Hong Kong denuded of all it s diploma tis grandees. There was a solemn *conference at Macao:, and it was soon whis p e red that Count Pu tiatine was admitted to the councils of Lord Elgin and Baron Gros. A rumour soon spread that M r . Reed had taken an independent line, and had met with a rebuff. H e had, so wont the story, sent a proposal to Yeh to treat with him inside the city, but Yeh replied that he should be happy to see him outside the city, but could not think of admitting any barbarian within the walls of Canton. Mr. Reed then proceeded to Macao , but even rum our did not venture to af f irm what he proposed to him selfte m p b t y n this h i,s refusaljo urney or whether th e rat h er con temptuous e had just recei ve d h ad in any way modified his op i n i on as to en t ang li ng alliances. Tire Chinese have another version of this affair, laugh They professwhn theyto have seen a copy of th e answer, and s peak of it. I have no t b een able to induce any of them to procure me a tran scr i pt, e and cannot make much of their description of ir. If it should reach you by way of Am er i ca, I ' Mr,think ih h er has you repliedwill find to his that i s the Excellency Imperial sioner o Reed by what is vulgarly called " a sell," a sort of Chinese version of is Don t you wi s h you may get it 1" Certain it is that Mr. Reed is very irate with his celestial friends, and has rather abandoned his idea of being master of the position. Yeh seems re solved to show the world that he is determined to carry out the policy openly acknowledged in that notorious Chinese State paper, and to consider the terms of the last treaty binding only so lou . as he had not force enough to break them. He seems to be confident also that the present is a proper sea son for perseverancein this policy. He has doubt less heard of the might and wonderful contrivances of the Minnesota. Nothing that can be said in praise of her discipline and arrangemen.s, her ex quisitely finished machinery fir economising labour and e true leer in officers'the working cabins, of her gun s , her Sharpe's iti and her state reception rooms, can be too great r ~ praise, but Yeh has heard Il i all about these. We have just seized copies of a correspondence which has been passing between a Chinese writer resident on this island and Howqua. It contains a minute chronicle of every event and descriptions of men and things, including a by no means flattering account of the personal appearance of Lord Elgin. Possibly it also included a statement of the draught of water of the Minnesota. I recol lect that once on circuit, when a zealous and hot tempered junior replied with a scarcely decent violence to an interruption of the judge, and drew down upon himself a rebuke, a sarcastic old stager who sat by said, "Pitch into him again, give it to him well, he can't come down to you." Yeh knows that the Minnesota cannot come up to him. More over, he has filled his city with soldiers from the North.' We have ju s t kindly rescued and released 300 of these from the wrecked Waverley. The Chinese report that the walls are now bristling with ctnnon, that the streets are all undermined, and that Yeh is determined to blow the whole place into the air rather than give it up. We shal se? shortly what truth there is in these tales. They by no means lessen the eagerness of our fel lows to get into the city, but they may perhaps in duce the Admiral and Ge*eral to explode these mines by a few shells before they set our British bulldogis at the walls. /sleanwhile the valleys and precipices of this mountain island ring and echo with preparations. The quiet citizen cannot take his afternoon walk without his rumination upon the pricss of gray sh irt trigs or this sigh over the depreciation of " Malwa" being interrupted by a sharp volley of musketry, or the ringing of a Minie bullet, or the whistling of a shell. The Chinese are certainly not a nervous race. Ou the parade -ground to the east of this wall-less and citadel-less city of Victoria some 500 ..) Engineers. Killed —Captain G. W. W. Fulton. Wounded—Assistant Field Engineer Lieut. F._W. Birch, 59th Native Infantry, mortally (since dead). 7th Regiment Light Cavalry. Killed—Lieut. L.A. Arthur. Wounded—Capt. C. W. Radcliff, dangerously (since dead); Capt. T. T. Boileau, slightly ; Veterinary Surgeon F. A. Hely, dangerously (since dead). Her Majesty's 32d Regiment of Foot. Killed—Lieut. - P. 0. Webb. Wounded—Major E. W. D. Lowe, slightly ; Captain W. Power, dangerously (since dead) ; Lieut. J. Elmon stoune, severely ; Lieut. C. M. Foster, slightly ; Lieut. E. Harmar, severely ; Lieut. H. Cooke, slightly ; Lieut. J. W. Charlton, dangerously ; Ensign W. H. Studdy, mortally (since dead). Detachment of her Majesty's Bth Regiment of Foot. Wounded—Lieut. D. O'Brien, severely. 13th Regiment Native Infantry. Killed—Major C.F. Bruere. Wounded—Capt. D. P. Waterman, slightly ; Capt. R. B. Francis, mortally (since dead). 41st Regiment Native Infantry. Wounded—Capt. M. F. Kemble, severely ; Lieut. H. Inglis, severely ; Ensign G.. L. Hewett, slightly 48th Regiment Native Infantry. Wounded—Lieut. and Adjutant 0. L. Smith, severely ( accidentally) ; Lieut. C. W. Fletcher, severely ; Lieut. A. J. Dashwood, slightly( since dead of cholera); Lieut. D. Hay, slightly ; Ensign H. C. O'Dowds, slightly; Surgeon W. W. Wells, slightly. 61st Regiment Native Infantry. Wounded—Capt. G. Strangways, slightly ; Surgeon W. Brydon, severely. Officers not belonging to the Oude Brigade. Killed—Major J. S. Banks, 33d Regiment Native Infantry. Wounded—Lieut. H. S. Lester, 32d Regiment Native Infantry, mortally (since dead); Ensign R. L. Inglis, 63d Regiment Native Infantry, slightly. Oude Irregular Force. Wounded—Major of Brigade, Capt. G. R. P. Barlow, slightly (since dead). Ist Oude Irregular Cavalry. Wounded—Capt. H. Forbes, slightly. 2d Oude Irregular Cavalry. Killed—Lieutenant J. S. Shepherd. 3d Oude Irregular Cavalry. Wounded—Lieut. F. W. Graham, twice slightly. 6th Regiment Oude Infantry. Wounded—Capt. W. 11. Hawes, severely ; Lieut. G. Grant, dangerously (since dead). Bth Regiment Oade Infantry. Wounded—Lieut. J. A. Vanrenen, slightly. Assistant Chaplain. Wounded—Rev. H. S. Polehampton, severely Once dead of cholera). _ Ordnance Department. Wounded—Peru:it:went Conanotor P. Baxter, severely ;since dead). Gentlemen of the Civil Service. Killed—M C. Ommauey, Esq., Judicial Commis, toner. Wounded—Deputy Commissioner of Munson, W. C. Capper, Esq., slightly ; Officiating Deputy Commis sioner at Gondala, G. H. Lawrence, Evil., severely ; Assistant Commissioner of Lucknow, J. G. Thornhill, E,q., slightly. Civil Engineers. Wounded—J. M'Rae, Esq., severely ; J. Casey, severely (since dead of cholera). Abstract. Killed and Died of their Wounds Officers Gentleman of the civil service 1 Warrant officer 1 Wounded. -19 Officers Gentlemen of the civil service Civil engineers Assistant chaplain .. 35 -41 -60 Total.. T. 1. Wnsorr, Captain, Officiating Deputy Assistant-Adjutant-General. J. INGLIS, Brigadier, Commanding Lucknow Garrison. Return of Killed and Wounded of the Garrison o Lncknow, from June 30 to Sept. 26, 1857. General and Brigade Staff—Killed and died wounds, 1 European officer ; wounded, 3 ditto officers, Artillery (Regular and Irregular)—Killed and died o wounds, 2 European officers, 2 ditto warrant officers anti staff sergeants, 6 ditto non-commissioned officers, 1 ditto bugler or drummer, and 13 ditto privates and gunners, total 24 ; wounded 6 European officers, 2 ditto warrant officers and staff sergeants, 6 ditto non commiesioned officers, 1 ditto bugler Or drummer, and 10 ditto privates and gunners, total 25; killed and died of wounds, 3 native non-commissioned officers, and 8 ditto rank and file, total 11 ; wounded ditto commis sioned officer, 2 ditto non-commissioned o ffi cers, 1 ditto drummer, and 6 ditto rank and file, total 10. Engineers—Killed and died of wounds, 2 European officers, and 2 ditto warrant officers and staff sergeants, total 4 ; wounded, 1 ditto warrant officer and staff sergeant. 7th Regiment Light Cavalry—Officers killed and died of wounds, 2 European officers, 1 ditto veterinary surgeon, and 1 ditto warrant officer and staff sergeant, total 4 ; wounded, 1 ditto officer. Her Majesty's 32d Foot—Killed and died of wounds, 8 offiss•rs, 9 nowoomonesioned officers, 2 buglers or drummers, and 70 privates and gunners, total 84 ; wounded, :6 officers, 15 non-commissioned officers, buglers or drummers, and 114 privates and gunners, total 139. Detachment her Majesty's 84th Foot—Killed and died of wounds, 2 non-commissioned officers, and 10 privates and gunners, total 12 ; wounded, 1 officer and 2 privates and gunners, total 3. 13th Regiment Nati, e Infantry—Killed and died of wounds, 2 European officers . ; wounded, 1 ditto officer ; killed and died of wounds, 2 native commis sioned officers, 6 ditto non-commissioned officers, 3 ditto drummers, and 18 ditto rank and file, total 28; wounded, 7 ditto commissioned officers, 9 ditto non-commissioned officers, 2 ditto drummers, and 34 ditto rank and file, total 52. Detachment 41st Native Infantry (officers and drammers)—Killed and died of wounds, 1 European warrant officer and staff sergeant ; wounded, 3 ditto offic,rs ; killed and died of wounds, 5 native drummers. 48th 11,,girnent Native Infantry—Wounded, 5 Euro pean officers, 1 ditto surgeon, tn)tal 6; killed and died dru 7 rn i me , r , , of wounds, 2 native non-commissioned officers, and 1 ditto rank and file, total 3 ; wounded, 1 ditto commis gi''ned officer , 2 ditto non -coairnissioned officers, 1 ditto and 3 ditto rank and file, total 7. woun 'L lt , e l g E irn u e r r o a pe N an at w iv a e rr l an n t fa o n ffi tr e y e r officer, 2 ditto die d flue, total 9 ;wirn.eclaTustalindillsetclaffasnedrgdeiaednto;f 'you d d of kill : d " 11,1,1 1_ ditto officer and 1 ditto surgeon—total 2 ; ditto nos-co m 1 ditto moans n l uloffi native cer commissioned d issioned o ffi cer, 6 file, total 12. "I"bu3ne4 office rs , and 6 ditto rank and nude Irregular Fo r , 2 European officer., ; Rifled and died of woti nds, and died of wound uautLded, 5 ditto officers ; killed 1 ditto drummer, mad 1 dittoe non-c"liniahi"ed officer, 3 ditto non-commissioned ftowar, total ; wounded, 3 13. offi cers and 10 ounded, Pensioners e and di e d „, um.* sowers, non-commissioned officers and 7 ran k - 4 ; wounds 2 wounded, 15 non-cornuaiesioned offic ers tad' 0 g file—total, 31. 0--ceee and 16r k al' and New Native Levies—Killed, and died commissioned cer and 1 rank an of wound. 1 wounded, 4 ran offi k and file. d file—total ,2 ; Lucknow Magazine—Killed and died of wounds. 3 European warrant officers and stag sergeants; killed and died of wounds, 2 native rank and file ; wounded 2 ditto rank and file. Officers not attached to the Onde brigade killed and di=d of wounds, 2 European officers ; wounded, 1 ditto officer. N.B.—One member of the civil service killed, and three wounded-1 military chaplain wounded--2 civil OHINA. We take the following summary of China news from the Overland China Mail of the 16th of December : Our readers out of China will doubtless be anxi ously looking for news by this mail of the bombard ment and capture of Canton, and, if so, they are doomed to disappointment, for though the prepara tions are well nigh or altogether completed, (nothing has yet been done beyond the drawing the blockade closer round Canton), in which proceeding, as will be seen from the following official notice, taken from the Gazette, the French squadron is now taking part : " NAVAL DIVISION OF INDO-CHINA, CABINET OF THU ADMIRAL. " Macao Roads, Dec. 10. " Mon. le Ministre,—lhave the honour to forward to your Excel'ency copy of the notification of the blockade of the Canton River by the naval forces of his Majesty the E uperor of the French, which are placed under my orders, which blockade I deela x r h e caevl e le s e t n a tc b hi l e : s s h h c e vli d e:.yu fr r o h m utcm, the 1 11 2 0 ih ns o ie t u t r he le c m ur i r n e i n s t tre m , o y n o th u . r — E I and very obedient servant, "The Rear-Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Division of his Majesty the Emperor of the Frenob, " C. RIGAULT de GENOUILLY." " TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE MINISTER-PLENIPOTENTIARY OP HER 3fAJESTY THE QUEEN OY GREAT BRITAIN, &C. "Naval Diviiun of Indc-China, Cabinet of the Admiral, Frigate Nemesis, 10. h Dec., 1857. " I, the undersigned, Rear-Admiral, Commander-in- Chief of the Naval Forces of his Majesty the Emperor of the French in the China and India Seas : "After coming to an understanding with the High Commissioner of his Imperial Majesty on the pending difficulties between the Government of France and that of Chins, on the means of terminating them, on the resolutions of the Governments of France and England to proceed by common action for the reparations which are due to them, and in virtue of the powers appertaining to ins as Commander-in-Chief, declare : From the 12th day of the current month the river and port of Canton and their ou lets will be held in a state of effective blockade by the naval forces placed under my command, acting in concert with the naval force of Her Britannic Majesty. Any vessel attempting to violatethe blockade will be proceeded against according to international law, and the treaties in force with neutral Powers. "C. RIGAULT de GENOUILLY. On board H.I.M. Frigate La Nemesis, Macao Roads, 10th December, 1857." - - • on the 13th, taken of the alliance, the British, British, hoisted the French, and the French the y i :.l ylyiug The two squadrons are to act in concert, and in flags at the main on board the men-of-war. For merly the blockading force was stationed at the - 1 - o g l .le, and little interruption was give❑ to native blockade has °ll b t e h e e n river, anto,teHfyracomintthhelsfliaeteldt: turned t a 4 10 9 41, tells us that from 40 to 50 junks are branch oibuafiletkhcteidoraniivlyceir atthe a ; t vta W htee h en a a m ettire : e a lkow a o n nitse d hci t t h uh a een t Fe a e n ai o tss : i h ti ah e trel JANITA.4Y 28, 1858 men of the 59th may be daily seen at their exercise. A. cloud of Chinese children take advantage of the severity of discipline to hang upon their skirts, stooping down and picking up the cartridge papers from between the feet of the immovable redcoats, who dare not even raise a foot to tread upon the fingers that tickle their ankles. We are too poor in men to be able to spare any to keep the ground. Up in the ravine behind Government-house a de tachment is firing at a target at a range of 1,000 yards. That target has its attendant company of more adult Fuk-hees. They can scarcely be kept at a safe distance, and when the bugle sounds to cease firing they rush in and dig out the wasted lead. Further off on the side of the mountain, with little flagstaffs fixed on rocks at various ranges, a field battery is practising with shot and shell Straight in the line of fire the Chinese washermen are spreading their clothes to dry upon the brush wood, quite unconcerned at the discharges, satisfied to confide in the skill of the artillerymen, and having a full practical knowledge of the flight of shot. At the short ranges the shells must pass a few feet over their heads. It cannot be that men who behave thus can be of a race of cowards. We have also had a sham fight on a grand scale. The racecourse and the surrounding hills, and the road leading thence to the city, were coa tested with steadfast valour ; but, alas ! in this month of December the thermometer still stands at 84 deg. in the shade, and the men look white and worn before the work was done. As a balance to the contemptuous indifference with which we open all our preparations and all our intentions to the spies of the Canton authorities, we take care to use our own special sources of strength, discipline, and wealth. The Coolie Corps are, like everything else in China, anomalies in warfare. They are natives of a country about to be invaded, under drill, to carry the guns and provisions of the invaders. Each gun has 18 coolies attached to it, and they are exercised to attend the process of un limbering, and to take up the gun on their bamboo poles and trot off with it, at a pace which might be dangerous if their fidelity were in doubt, or if there were no Minie rifles in their rear. These fellows will do their work if they can be got on shipboard. They will not desert, for they are better paid by us, and would probably be beheaded by Yeh. They will scarcely be expected to take the guns up under fire from the enemy, so they will have no violent incentive to run away. From the experience we have here of the Chinese character—if such a fagot of contradictions can be called character—l believe they will do what we have hired them to do—act as artillery and commissariat mules over rough ground intervening between points of debarcat ion and points of action. It will probably be arranged that their pay shall be a little in arroar, and they know that they will be shot down without mercy if they attempt any tricks. A short time since Mr. Caldwell, the "protector of Chinese," whose practical knowledge of the Chinese population is greater, perhaps, than that of any European, was invited to inspect this body. They were paraded to the number of 800. In walking down the ranks he picked out 18 men as Canton men, and three others as Mandarin soldiers. He was right in every instance. The Canton men when interrogated at once admitted they had never had the least intention of trusting themselves in the neighbour hood of their own authorities, but proposed to take the English pay, and escape at the last moment. The Mandarin soldiers said they would serve, for the Mandarins owed them arrears, and the English paid regularly. The other men come ft ore a distant mountain district, have no families within the power of the Mandarins, are many of them implicated as rebels, and may, as Mr. Cald well thinks, be moderately trusted to act as their interests may point. These traits of Chinese character are not unim portant. It is only little by little that we can come to get a notion of a people whose trains of thought and motives of action are so utterly different from OUT own. On the Ist the death of Colonel Lugard, of the Engineers. was announced, and on the 3d he was buried with all military honours in the cemetery bard by the racecourse. It was an imposing spectacle, for all the officers of all the European nations now present in Hongkong followed iu long procession the gun carriage on which he was borne to his grave. Many of those present not only knew him as an officer whose loss at this critical moment is disastrous to the public service, but also loved the man. I was on• of those who mourned to think we shall heir no more his frank hearty laugh, and receive no more his manly, soldierly greeting. Poor Lugard was a victim to hard labour in this treache rous climate. He had much to do and small materials to work with. He was a leader withcut soldiers. He had to form and fashion a corps of Engineers and Sappers and Miners out of troops of the Line. His labour was incessant, and he paid the penalty which these trying Hongkong heats almost always exact for over-exertion. The long-expected Adelaide made her appear ance on the lit, having on board 20 officers and 507 rank and file. On the 4th the Assistance came in from Calcutta, bringing us back the 300 Marines left behind by Lord Elgin and 100 of the 59th. The letters by her were very unsatisfactoryin their tone, and gave no promise of more troops from India. _ We are now able to calculate the force upon which we must depend to take and hold this city with its million of inhabitants. The first act in the way of a move was the issuing of the following General Order to the fleet : " GENERAL ORDER "The period being nowat hand forcommencing active operations against the city of Canton, the Commander in-Chief has to call the serious attention of the captains, officers, seamen, and marines of the squadron to the necessity of carefully protecting the lives and property of the peaceable and unarmed inhabitants, not only on the ground of humanity, but likewise on that policy, which renders it so important to retain the goodwill of those classes of the Chinese population, whose material interest and predilections separate them from the High Mandarins and the military powers of Canton, against whom alone hostile actions will be directed. "The Rear-Admiral has also to impress upon the offi *Ts and men who may so soon be actively employed, his determination to discountenance and prevent all looting or plundering, both as demoralising and as sub versive of thr discipline that is so essentially necessary to success. He trusts that the officers, by precept, and especially by their example, will carry out his views and instructions. "The Commander-in-Chief takes this opportunity of expressing his warmest thanks to the commodore, cap tains, commanding officers, seamen, and Royal Ma rines of the squadron for the patient endurance they have evinced during the last twelve months in the monotonous and frequently harassing duty of keep ing open the navigation of the river, and he fur ther assures them that, whatever may be the nature of expected operations, he shall enter upon them with the strongest confidence in their ready and gallant co• operation for the maintenance of the honour of the Bri tish flag and the success of our arms. SEYMOUR, Rear-Admiral, Commander-in-Chief." The next act was a declaration from the French Admiral declaring on the part of Franc) a blockade of tie Canton river. On the 11th it became known that the Chinese writer, Ochung, who had been taken into custody for maintaining a correspondence with Howqua, had been sent into the city with letters from the English and French Plenipotentiaries announcing their arrival, and giving note of their credentials. On the 12th Mr. Wade, the chief of Lord Elgib't , interpreting staff proceeded to the city under a flag of truce, and delivered the demands of the English and French Plenipotentiaries upon the Imperial Commissioner holding toe city of Canton. A proclamation in the Chinese language was at the same time circulated in the suburbs of the city. It stated that certain demands had been made upon the Imperial CoMmissioner, and that 80 days had been given him within which to accede t) I)iern ; that in the meanwhile (on the following Monday) the allied forces would occupy the Islandof Lionel), opposite to the city, doing no damage unless resist ance should be made ' • that at the expiration of the 10 days allowed to the Commissioner an at tack would be made upon the city, unless the terms demanded were yielded, and warning all non-belligerents to take such measures for the removal of their families and property as they might think expedient. It is a curious fast, illustrative of the rapidity with which the Chinese obtain intelligence, that on the Friday morning, while all the English in Hong kong were in ignorance of any communication being about to be made up the river, I heard the Chinese picture-dealer, to whose shop ass focus of Chinese news I have already alluded in these letters, offering to bet a picture against $5O that the English would not be in Canton within ten days. .He would not bet about 12 days.' He must have got an early - copy of the proclamation, which was, I believe, printed on boardship up the river, and could nut, even at that distance of 50 miles, have been in the hands of any Chinaman more than a very few how e, I poet this letter on Sur lay, although the mail does not leave until Monday, fur as Honan is to be occupied on Monday, and as I am going to witness the operations, I may not be able to write again by the outgoing mail. If.possible, however, I shall send you a second letter. We must hope, in the interest of humanity , that when the allotted interval has expired Yeh will yield. He must know that he has at his gr,tes the representatives of the four great nations of the earth, arid that however they may differ upon the m3dus operandi, they are equally determined to tolerate no Inge,r this foolish Chinese pageant. Mr. Reed does not, I apprehend, propose to him self to go home withoiv, making a treAty, any more thin does Count Putiatin, or Baron Le Gros, or the Earl of Elgin. However much we may deplore the undignified policy which the American states men at home have chosen to adopt, and however much we may feel satisfied to find that they are baulked of even the advantage they proposed to themselves of monopolising the trade while we were fighting the common battle, still our interests are identical, and eventually we must work toge ther. The High Mandarins of China cannot but know the power of the nations arrayed against them. But, if they do not, if they are ignorant of what every Chinaman at Singapore knows full wt l and of what each small tradesman at Hong Kong could tell them, what a practical satire this igno rance is upon that system of competitive examina tions and the rule of literary men, which, as it_ is worked in China, has been so little understood and so senselessly extolled ! It is useless; however, to speculate upon what Yeh will do, for the next mail will bring you tidings of what he has done, and what we have done. Meanwhile we must have troops. It will not do to " give up China altogether." The hot months will soon be round again, and we must expect that of our handful of land force many must be invalided. If disease should unhappily so reduce our scanty and insufficient garrison as to compel us to retire from the city, after having once taken possession, the cansequences would be most disastrous. Already have placards been posted at Amoy threatening a massacre of the English there. It is a vain threat while the might of England is felt in the South, but it would easily become a dire reality. The English families are mixed up in the crowded Chinese town. They are without any means of mutual protection, and the presence of a single ship of war is rather a terror to the Chinese than a protection to the Bri►ish. At Swatow, where many English now reside, there is, and can he while the present treaty holds, no protection whatever. At Foo-chow there is a flourishing English settlement, but the ships of-war cannot get within 10 miles of the place. What might be suffered at Ningpo the Portuguese have already proved. Shanghai has the guns of the Pique, and Sir Frederick Nicholson might land his men and do something to protect the settlement, for it has already shown itself defensible. But it is our moral prestige which protects us in the North, and this would be utterly ruined by ahy weakness or shortcoming at Canton. Better be wise in time, and send on a reasonable number of troops at once than have to exact more terrible vengeance for more massacres. The attacking force, exclusive of the ships, a list whereof I gave you by the last mail, will be as follows Troops from the garrison of Hong Kong, including the 59:h Regiment, the Artillery, the Engineers, and a portion of the Madras troops BOO Marine 5........................... .. Naval Brigade . French troops and sailors 9OO Coolies— Chinese Attached to Medical Staff Commissariat Malays 5,700 671 85 48 183 Total CANTON RIVER, DEC l5. As I had reason to suppose that the occupation of Honan would take place on Tuesday, and that the mail would be detained to allow the news of this fact to reach Englan , l, I came up the river on Sunday and found the English Admiral's flag still flying at the anchorage between the Bogue Forts and Tiger Island. The French fleet had just moved up. The two navies had been indulging in mutual civilities on the occasion of the French declaration of blockade. The English Admiral hoisted the French flag at the main and issued a congratulatory general order. The French returned the compliment, and issued an order very fervent in its term. Moreover, the French entertained the English fleet with theatri cals, and supper after the play, and they have left Jack in high good humour with his lively allies. Mr. Wade and M. Marques had returned from their mission. Yeh despatched a mandarin of the fifth rank—" All same, Captain," as the pilot re marked—to receive the two epistles. His scribes are probably now looking up, Mencius and Choo-tze for a stock of moral sentiments to be worked into the reply. If the reader has any curiosity as to this piece of Chinese ceremonial it was after this fashion :—The Chinaman, Achong, had been seat with a letter from Sir John Bowring, and another from M. Bourbelonne, notifying the arrival of the English and French Plenipotentiaries, and stating that on Saturday, at noon, a communication from these high officers would be sent to the Imperial Com missioner. Al 10 o'clock on the day appointed. a Hong boat containing ' a well-known official—rather a low fel low an d d ec id e d i n his opinion s a s t o outside bar barians —t oo k its station in the river. At noon the English gun-boat, accompanied by the Dragonne French gunboat, appeared at the western point of Honan Island, and choosing its anchorage sig nalled to the Mandarin's boat to approach. The interpreter, accompanied by M. Duchesne de Bel cour, Captain Bate, and some few other spectators, went /cm board the Chinese boat, and was received by the Mandarin with that tone of rollicking, swag gering civility which is thought by the Chinese to be good manners towards barbarians, but bad man ners towards each other. He called for tea, and after this had been duly taken delivered Yeh's answer to Sir J. Bowring and M. de Bourbelonne's notes. Then he received the despatches from the plenipotentaries of the allied Powers, and with bows and "chin-chin" the parties separated. I understand that Yeh's answer is couched in terms of scant courtesy; that it recognises the plenipo tentiaries not as ambassadors to the Emperor, but as ambassadors to Canton, and that it merely says he shall receive any communications they may have to make to him. General Von Straubenzee, attended by Major Clifford, joined the fleet on Sunday. This morning at half past .nine the Admiral, ac companied by the General, left the Calcutta for the Coromandel. They go up together to the French Admiral, and will direct the debarkation of a marine force of about 1,000 men on Honan Island. I have frequently explaiued—but some do not read and some do not remember, so I may as well re peat—that the Canton River is a very enormous volume of water, seeking the sea by various chan nels. In front of Canton there are two of these channels of special importance, and between these two and formed by them is the large island of Ronan, more than a mile and a half wide and four or five miles long. On the channel opposite to the back of the island stands the Macao Fort, now in our possession aid garrisoned. The island, there fore, lies between Macao Fort and the city of Canton. The Imperatrix and the Imperador have already gone up with the Marines, and behind the Coro mandel is the curious sight of a long train of Chinese bumboats, freighted not only with or dinary stores, but carrying 30 head of live cattle. The Chinese purveyors modestly desired that a gun boat should be ordered to tow them up, and although the request excited some merriment among the blue jacket., these bumbo4tuuen are much too important to be left behind. So the Plover is tugging them up the stre tm. That' stiff little Plover, the last time I saw her she was sharin g the shot with the Hong Kong high up Fat shan Creek ; now she is dragging up a ragged crew of China boats. Let us move up the river after the Admiral and the Gene ral. It is fortunate for General Straubenzee that he is not only a good soldier, but also that be is a man of popular and winning manners. The fleet, who all have a sort of Chinese filial affection for Sir Michael Seymour, were rather inclined to look with an evil eye upon any one who came to share his laurels. They began rather early to find fault with the General's name ; but now he has been among them a little the general opinion is, as I heard it expressed, "It is impossible to help liking that old Strawberry jam after all." Moreover, they see Sir Michael and the aforesaid Strawberry-jam consorting together with intimate cordiality; the Marines see that the General is every inch a sol dier, and everything in this important matter moves easily and well. Dim 16. This morning the occupation of Honan took place. The sight from Macao Fort was interesting only for a few minutes. One battalion of our Marines and 150 French sailors disembarked, under the guns of shipping, upon the back of the island, and out of sight of Canton. As they advanctd into the island we watched the lines of red and blue, not quite expecting, but feeling the possibility that some puff of smote might give signal for a fight. The Chinese, however, had wisely seen that this plain and open island was not defensible. If there ever had been any soldiers there, which is voty improbable, they had been withdrawn, when we issued our proclamation to the inhabitants than we intended to take peacable possession. Some tents were now pitched, the outposts formed, the French and English positions demarcated, and our material guarantee was seized. Another affair has happened, which terminated in a very different manlier. Intelligence travels slowly from ship to ship in our widely-separated force, but I believe the circumstances are these : On the afternoon of Monday Lieutenant Pym, of Arctic celebrity, who now commands tie Ban. erer, landed for exercise in the neighbourhood of a Mandarin village some way d9wh the river. lit Was accompanied by Mr. Wurgman, the artist who is here sketching fur the Illustrated News. Allured by the friendly appearance of the inhabitants, they entered the village, and they appear also to have entered the house of the Mandarin there. Whether Lieutenant Pym was acting prudently or properly in doing this I am not able to state ; my informa tion is too indistinct to allow me to offer even a suggestion upon this point. All that is certain is that as the party returned to the boat the popula tion of the village suddenly encompassed them and poured in a volley from giegals and other firearms. Five men were killed. Lieutenant Pym was shot through both legs. The interpreter then jumped overboard, and was followed by several of the men, who retreated across the paddy fields. They were followed by the Chinese multitudeand six wounded. All this took place within sight of the Nankin, whence a-Sistanee was, of course, despatched at the first sound of fire-arms. The Nankin men arrived just in time to rescue Lieutenant Pyn, who was keeping the Chinese at bay with his sword and revolver. Of the whole party every one was either killed or wounded, except Mr. Wurgman and two seamen. This seems to have been a most treacherous and unprovoked assault, and an attack upon the village was subsequently made by the Nankin. The first attempt was, I believe, not very successful, but it will doubtless he renewed. TUESDAY NIGHT. It is most provoking that the most important events will happen wi hin half an hour of the de parture of the mail. This afternoon a messenger from Yeh arrived at Macao Fort with a despatch for the .Plenipotentiaries. You know how hoping against hope I have kept up some intelligence in side the city. Hitherto it has stood me in little stead, but at a critical moment it has turned up trumps. lam informed, then, that the Chinese_ merchants say that Lord Elgin's demand was of the most temperate character - that he asked for no more than that the treaty should be carried out, that Canton should be put upon the same footing as the other treaty ports, its gates opened to com merce, compensation given for damage done to British merchants, and our occupation of Ronan acquiesced in as a material guarantee until all matters are settled. At least one of the Chinese merchants thinks that these demands should have been jumped at. Yeh, however, thinks otherwise. The answer just gone up to Lord Elgin is couched, if my information is correct, in a fine sarcastic vein,, much like that returned to the American. It tells his lordship that the question of the treatment of strangers at Canton has been settled by the decree of the Emperor ; that Sir George Bonham was made a baronet for respecting that decree, and he recommends Lord Elgin to follow his example ; that, as to compensation, Yeh has a demand upon the English Government for losses suffered by the Chinese. You must make some allowance for a version of a Chinese document read to me in Canton English ; bet I think I can pledge myself that this will be found to be the substance of this document. Lord Elgin is no true son of Robert the Bruce if he stands this style of answer ; so we may soon now expect something decisive here. THE TRANSIT THROUGH EGYPT. ALEXANDRIA, Jaw :la. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Candia, with the Calcutta and China mails, arrived at Suez on the evening of the 14th inst., about three days before they were actually due, and fully two days have oonsequently been lost in Egypt, during which the homeward mails have lain at Alexandria awaiting the arrival of the steamers from England. This is far froth being the worst or * the first instance of a similar nature, but one al teration having recently been made in the postal communication between England and 'the East, I mention the detention more particularly on this occasion, because it clearly demonstrates the neces- • sity for further improvements, with the view of attaining the 'object which ere long will on all sides be peremptorily insisted upon, namely, that there shall be no avoidable delay on any point of the route whatsoever. It is obviously impossible to contrive arrangements by which the arrivals of the boats from England and from India will be abso lute and at all times simultaneous. The only way, therefore, of avoiding frequent delay is to have the steamers at Suez and at Alexandria before hand, ready to carry forward the mails and passen gers immediately on their arrival, the inward boat remaining in port for the following transist. This, or some similar plan, will of a certainty ere long be carried into execution, although there may be ob stacles which for the present still render its adop tion a matter of more or less difficulty. • by T t he arrival hatotth of the C e HoiEas an t. da was l i ndia followed eom next day pany,ssteamer Punjaub, from Bombay, one of the two boats ap pointed to receive the 71st Highlanders en route to India. Of the other steamer—the Feroze—we were without tidings until this morning, but the Candia had brought-no information of her having reached Aden. This morning a telegraphic de spatch from Suez announced ber arrival there, bringing the untoward news that the East India Company's steamer Ajdaha, which left Suez about the 24th ult., with 270 men of the 69th and the outward London mails of the 10th of December, had returned to Aden in a leaky state after having proceeded about 300 miles on her voyage. The men were to be transferred to the Alma, which has remained at Aden since her breakdown, and the Candia is preparing to receive them and to carry them on to their destination. Her Majesty's steamer Vulture, with about 200 men of the 71 s t Hi g hl an d ers, reac h e d Al exandria from Malta on the 10th inst., and the Princess Royal arrived five days after : the latter drawing , two feet more than the depth of water on the bar, is shut out of the harbour, and the weather having been very rough she could not anchor outside, but was obliged to cruise off the port until yesterday, when the men were transferred to the Vulture. To-day the whole are to be landed, and to be sent forward to Suez. At that place, however, there will again b e some d ays ' d elay, the Punjab and the Feroze having to take in large stocks of coal and water, which, at Suez, more especially, is a work of some labour. The men will on this occasion again be provided with donkeys to carry them across the 25 miles of Desert intervening leatween Suez, and the extremity of the railway. There has been a marked improvement in busi ness during the past fortnight, and both cotton and breadstuffs have undergone successive advances in prices. Said wheat is quoted 265. 6d. to 275. 9d. per quarter free on board ; beans 225. 6d. to 235. 6d. ; barley about 14s. The sales of cotton since the 4th inst., are computed at about 22,350 cantors, at prices varying from about 6d. to Bd. per lb. f. o. b., according to quality. Exchanges are firm at 1011 piasters per £ for three mouths' bills on London. The demand for shipping has likewise improved. Country Tvlaniets. EDINBURGH HAY AND STRAW MARKET JAN. 26. Supplies of all kinds these last six day ' s large. Oat straw, from 8s Od to 10s Od per kemple of 16 stones tron ; wheat do., 6s 6d to 8s Od ; barley do., 6s Od to 7. Od. Hay from 10d to 12d. • EDINBURGH MEAL—JAN. 26. • There were in the market to-day 14 sacks oatmeal, each weighing 2801 b imperial, which sold at 33s Od and —e„ DALKEITH MEAL MARKET—JAN. 25. There were in the market to-dap 10 bags of oatmeal, oof barleymeal, and 0 pot barley. Sales ready. Oatmeal, per sack of 2801bs First. Second. Third; Imperial Barleymeal, per ditto -s Od —s Od —a Od Peasemeal, per ditt o Flour, new, per ditto. . . —s Od —a Od —s Od Pot-barley, new, per ditto —a Od a Od Od DUBLIN. JAN. 26. o o u f r grqaiunotaattimonarskfeort to-dayswiTthheare slow was and wheat must be noted 6d cheaper. Oats and barl e y scarce l y sup mdoduellra sateles, supply ported last day's currencies. In Indian corn our quota. tions only represent retail transactions. White wheat, 27a Od to 29s Od ; red ditto, 24s Od to 27m Od; ditto new, —a Od; barley, malting, 148 to 198 Od; grind ing, —6 to —a ; oats, old, Us 6d to 14s; ditto, new, 2 Oct to —s Od ; oa t mea l , 14s to 1580 d; bere, new, 14s to 15s Od ; rapese• d, 23s Od to 25s Od per brl ; bake's' flour, 156 6d to 22a Od per. owt ; Indian corn , 31 s 01 to 32i 01 per 480 lbs BIRTHS. ARMSTRONG —On the 26th inst., at Worthing, Lady Arm strong, of a son. BURNAND—On the 27th inst., at Brighton, Mrs. H. Minuend, of a son. Howe—On the 26th inst., at 123, Cambridge-street, Pimlico, the wife of Edward R. J. Howe, of Lincoln's•inn, barrister at-law, of a son. PIIRDET—On the 27th inst., at Warwick -crescent, Mrs. Jas. Purdey, of a son. MARRIAGES. BENrxs—BowsEss —On the 25th inst., at St. Jude's Church, Southwark, Robert Benns, Esq., of Blackfriars•road, to Lydia Frances, youngest daughter of Wm. Bowness, Esq., of Wapping. S. Aosaw---On the 21 s t instD EATH ~ at 24, Moray-place, Edinburgh, La .y Agnew, of Lochnaw, aged 62. BsNNErv—On the 25th inst., John Morris Bennett, Esq., of Upper Baker-street, Marylebone, surgeon, aged 69. DEARLOVE —On the 26th inst., at Lower Tulse-hill, Henry Dearlove, aged 65. HANcocx—On the 26th inst., at Ventnor, 1.W., Major Fitz hardinge William L. Hancock, 74th Highlanders, second son of the late Rear-Admiral John Hancock, C.B. SOY -0 0 the 2611 inst., at Portswood, South ampton, John Soy, Esq., Commaner of the P. and 0. Co.'s steam-ship Per a, aged 55. WEBBKR —On the 24th inst., at Foothill Rectory, the Rev. Simon Webber, aged 75. WrLDE -On the 26th inst., at Sonthwell, John Charles; Wylde, Esq., aged 49. .;,NDoN ! Printed and Published by !WED° YOUNt.i. of No, 112, Strand, Printer, at Tht Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the connlY of Middlesex, Thursday, January 28, 1851