The Sun. — London, England, 1860-02-27 00:00:00

. - o---..........-p................--- --- LORD ELGIN AND SIR 31. .....-=_-... SEYMOUR.\ Slaney gunboat and the Cormorant despat ch boat, -which has been lightened for the purpose, I have of course been precluded from making any movement in advance. " From all that I have heard and observed since I came here I am confirmed in the opinion that if, on our arrival, we had been in a nosition to move at once up the river towards Tientsin, with a force of from 10 to 12 gunboats, assigning, as the motive of this proceeding on our part, to any Chinese local officials who may have seen fit to question it, our determination to confer with the Emperor's Govern ment at or near the capital, and apprising them at the same time that, though we intended to do no violence while unprovoked, we were prepared to force our way if any attempt were made to stop us, we should have been able to effect this operation without encountering resistance. By adopting this course we should have furnished to the Chinese Government palpable evidence of the fact that foreign ships of war can ascend the river, which is the highway to the capital, and which has hitherto been considered a sealed channel to them. We should, moreover, have placed our force between the capital and the junks which convey to it at this season the customary supplies of grain. I think it probable that such a demonstration, wider the conditions above stated, would have sufficed to bring the Imperial Government to terms, and that any necessity for a recourse to further measures of vio lence or coercion would have been avoided. " The chief credit of this manoeuvre, if it had been executed in the manner which I have sketched above, must have accrued to the British navy ; be cause for every single vessel competent by draught of water to navigate the Peiho river which Admiral Rigault de Genouilly has at his disposal Admiral Seymour has at least five. " I have now submitted a plain statement of the course which I have followed, and of the reasons which have determined it ; it rests with your lord ship to pass a judgment on both.—l have, &c., " ELGIN AND KINCARDINE." The despatches ordered to be printed to elucidate the differences between the late Plenipotentiary and the Commander-in-Chief in China were published on Saturday. In the despatches which we subjoin each party states his own case : LORD ELGIN. " Her Majesty's ship Furious, Gulf of Pechell, April 23, 1858. " My Lord,—ln a despatch which I did myself the honour to address to your lordship from Hong Kong on the 14th of November last, and which is I No. 61, the following paragraph appears As it is, Count Pontiatine was very decided in the ex pression of his opinion that nothing would be done with the Chinese Government unless pressure were brought to bear at Pekin itself, and that the use of vessels drawing so little water that they could na• vigate the Peiho would be the best means of mak ing such pressure effective. The Mandarins on the spot, if I rightly understood him, had in conversa tion with him adverted with exultation to the fact that our ships of war could not perform this feat ; I told him that we were pretty strong in craft of the description to which he referred : that we had, as he, no doubt, knew, a quarrel of our own to settle in this neighbourhood, but that when this affair was concluded we should be prepared to go northwards in force, and very glad to be accom panied by the flags of other nations, interested with I us in extending commercial relations with China, and inducing the Court of Pekin to abate its ab surd pretensions to superiority ;' and your lordship is pleased in your despatch to me, No. 2, of the 4th of January last, to state that ' her Majesty's Go vernment approve the language, which, as reported in your confidential despatch of No. 61, of the 14th of November last, you held to Admiral Pontiatine on the occasion of his visit to your Excellency.' " I refer to the correspondence because I am de sirous to remind your lordship of the fact that from a period now remote the policy sketched in the pa ragraph which I have quoted has engaged my attention. " It is true that as a measure of conciliation, and more especially with the view of giving to the non. belligerent Powers, who were aeting the part of lookers-on, and whose hand not being with us might have chanced at any time to turn against us, a fair pretext for joining us, I proposed to Baron Gros in the memorandum to his Excellency, of which I en closed a copy to your lordship in my despatch, No. 13, of the 26th of January, that we should offer to meet at Shanghai a Plenipotentiary duly accredited by the Emperor of China, for the purpose of settling at that place all differences pending between China and our respective countries. That I did not, how ever, even at that moment, lose sight of the proba bility that a move in force to some point further north might still be necessary is apparent from the fact that in the very memorandum to which I am referring, I stated that in communicating to the Prime Minister of the Emp eror of China the propo sal which I was submitting for the consideration of Baron Gros it was my intention to add, " That if before [ ] no such Plenipo tentiary- presented himself, or if, when he presented himself, it were found that his rank or his powers were insufficient, the British Plenipotentiary would then proceed to Tientsin, and adopt such other mea sures for enforcing the just demands of his Govern ment on that of China as circumstances might ren der necessary.' " On the 2d of March, the eve of my departure from Hong Kong for the north, I addressed accord ingly to Sir M. Seymour the following letter, of which a copy was forwarded in my despatch to your lordship, No. 56, of that date I have already apprised your lordship that I am about to proceed to Shanghai in the hope of meeting there a Plenipotentiary empowered by the Emperor of Chine to settle existing differences between Great Britain and China, and to place the commercial re lations of the two countries on an improved foot ing. " If I should be disappointed in this hope, it may be necessary, in pursuance of the policy prescribed by her Majesty's Government, to bring pressure to tear at some point near the capital. IVith a view to this contingency I think that it would be advis able that your Excellency should collect at Shang hai towards the end.of March, or. as soon after as may be convenient, as large a fleet, more especially of gunboats drawing little water, as you can spare from service elsewhere' " In his answer, of which a copy was enclosed in my despatch, No. 57, of the 6th of March, the Ad haral states :—‘ In reply, I beg to acquaint your Excellency that for some time past my attention has been directed to this object. One of the gun boats and. one gunvessel have already sailed for Shanghai, and arrangements are in progress for others to follow. It is my intention to sail for Shanghai in the Calcutta, should nothing prevent, on or about the 16th inst.' " As ever since I arrived in China I have been in constant and unreserved communication with Sir Michael Seymour, and as he was perfectly aware both of the tenour of my note to the Court of Pekin, of the term fixed in it beyond which I had resolved not to await the arrival of a Plenipoten tiary from the Emperor of China at Shanghai, and of the importance which I attached to our being able, in the event of failure in the attempt to nego tiate at that place, to appear off the mouth of the Peiho with a formidable fleet of gunboats, drawing little water, at as early a period as possible after such failure, I confess that I addressed to him the letter above quoted, rather ex obundante cautela and with a view to put matters in a proper official shape, than for any practical purpose ; and his answer implied that he considered it in some degree supererogatory. Indeed, I may observe, in proof of the accuracy of this assertion, that I qualified my request that his fleet should be at Shanghai at the end of March by the phrase, or as soon after as convenient,' only because on the morning of the day on which my letter to him was written he had informed me that it would not be convenient for him to leave Hong Kong before the 15th of March, and that therefore I must not expect him to be in readiness to move with his force from Shanghai to the north before the end of the first week in April. " Such being the position of affairs, and such the nature of my understanding with Sir M. Seymour, your lordship will no doubt have learnt 'vithout surprise that when on my arrival at Shanghai I found that the Government at Pekin had refused to Rend a Plenipotentiary to meet me there, and had communicated that refusal in a manner which was eminently significant of its determination to pre vent all direct intercourse between foreign func tionaries and the supreme Government of the em pire, I at once determined to bring pressure to bear at some point near to the capital, my conviction being that nothing was at that. time necessary to make such pressure effective, at least, to the extent of inducing the Government of Pekin to appoint a negotiator to treat with me, except the presence within the bar of the Peiho of a small number of foreign vessels of war, qualified by their light draught of water to navigate that river. As I had stated to Count Pontiatine in November last, I knew that we were stron g in vessels of this d e s cr ipti on , and I considered the Admiral's letter to me of the 2d of March to be a positive pledge that they would be forthcoming in the neighbourhood of Shanghai at or about the end of March. "I accordingly addressed to their Excellencies Baron Gros, Count Pontiatine, and Mr. Reed com munications of which copies were enclosed in my despatch to your lordship, No. 72, of the Ist of April. " On the 3d of April, however, two days after the despatch of the communication in question, the Coromandel, tender to the flag-ship, arrived at Shanghai, conveying the very perplexing intelli gence that not only had Sir M. Seymour put off his own departure from Hongkong from the . 16th, the date mentioned in his letter of the 2d of March to me, to the 25th ult., but that no preparations for the immediate despatch of gunboats to the north seemed to be in progress at the time of her sailing. I gathered this information from the verbal reports of the officers of the ship, for on neither point did I hear from Sir M. Seymour. " I had then to consider whether, in the altered position in which I found myself, it would be my duty, first, to adhere to the plan of proceeding. which I had already communicated to the repre sentatives of the great Powers who are at this conjuncture acting with us in Chinese affairs ; Secondly, to await the arrival of Sir M. Seymour at the risk of losing both the healthy season and the grain ju n k s; or ' thirdly, to abandon altogether the plan of a movement towards the north. After duly weighing those several alternatives I eat the conclusion conclusion that I ought to rally round me all the' force I could collectand prceed without delay to the mouth of the Peiho, for tl , i . e reasons stated in my I despatch to your lordship, 7 . 3, of the 3d inst. " I have now to repor, N) hat, pursuance h of this determination, having addressed ln senior offi cers at Shanghai and IHongkong the hr-.tteirs,of which copies were sent to your lordship i n il spateli referred to , I left Shanghai for thenorth de on - the morning of the 10th inst., taking with me in tow thl Slane3-, the only gunboat on the station ; and that I reached my present anchorage in the Gulf of reTheli, at a distance of about five mile s from the bar of the Peiho river on the 14th instant. Since my arrival Capt. Osborn, with the assistance of the very zealous and intelligent master of the Furious, itifr. Court, has been diligently engaged in collecting information with respect to the depth of water on the bar, and on other points, which may be useful at some future time. But having with me only two vessels which could cross the bar, the " Her Majesty's ship Furious, Gulf of Pecheli, April 28, 1858. " My Lord,—With reference to my despatch to your lordship, No. 91, of the 23d inst., I have now the honour to report that Rear-Admiral Sir M: Seymour reached this anchorage on the 24th inst., in her Majesty'. chi p Cc._l,,,++. dQ +h vessel draws about 25 feet of water, she cannot approach within several miles of the bar of the Peiho river. Since then his steam-tender, the Coromandel, has arrived, towed by the paddlewheel steamer Samp son, which also cannot cross the bar. " On the alternoon of the 24th Admiral Seymour called upon me and handed to me the despatch of which I herewith transmit a copy. From the me morandum enclosed in it it appears that, exclusively of the Slaney, which left Hongkong before I did, five gunboats of the larger class are under orders for the north, and may be expected, if nothing occurs to delay them, to reach this place during the course of May. I say, if nothing occurs to delay them, because from more recent information,l already know that the Lev©n was detained at Amoy for several days beyond the allotted period in conse quence of some failure in the execution of the orders left to relieve her; and that the Opossum and the Bustard, which were to have sailed from Hong Kong on the 10th of this month, had not come down the Canton river on the 12th. " If, on the plea that it could not be spared from the Canton river Sir Michael Seymour had declined to send to the north the large fleet, especially of gunboats,' for which I had applied. I should have been compelled, however much I might have dis sented from it, to bow to his decision on a profes sional point, and I should have shaped my course accordingly. If, again, he had told me that it was not towards the end of March, but towards the end of May,' that his fleet would be available for service in this quarter, I should have made a corres ponding change in my arrangements. But in his letter of the 2d of March he promised, in the most uncompromising terms, to give me the support for which I had asked, and offered not a syllable of ob jection to the period which I had specified as that on which I required that the support in question should be forthcoming. It is, therefore with a de gree of surprise which I have difficulty in describ ing, that I learn, from the information which he has now for the first time furnished to me, that his arrangements are so made that the very inadequate force which he is about to supply will not arrive here until the approach of the season when the climate is most unfavourable to the European con stitution. _ _ __________ " No explanation of the cause of this most griev ous disappointment has been given to me, and I do not trust myself to hazard a conjecture on the subject. It is idle to charge the delays which have taken place upon the monsoon, because where the French gunboats and the Slaney - could navigate it is manifest that other gunboats of the English squadron might have done the IMMO moreover. the Admiral has under his orders powerful paddlewheel steamers, such as the Fury and Sampson, which could have towed to this point a considerable number of the smaller class of gunboats if it had been deemed expedient so to employ them; nor can it be alleged that there was any room for doubt as to the policy which the High Commis sioners of the allied Powers were, in obedience to their instructions, about to pursue, for, indepen dently of the communications, both verbal and written, which I had myself addressed to him on this point, Sir M. Seymour knew before he left Hongkong—indeed, he mentioned this fact to me when he visited me on the 24th inst.—that Admi ral Rigault had sailed for the north with all the force lie could collect, including, with one exception all the gunboats under his command. In point of fact, the whole French fleet reached this anchorage on the 25th inst.; and at the moment when I am writing this despatch the French flag is represented by two gunboats within the bar of the Peiho, the English by two despatch boats aground on the top of it. " I much fear that it will be found, when. the matter comes to be inquired into, that one of the reasons for the non-appearance of gunboats here at a time when their presence would be so valuable is the fact that many of them are unserviceable from the way in which they have been lately worked in the Canton river in the discharge of duties a large proportion of which might, at any rate since the blockade has been raised, have been as well exe cuted by the ordinary passenger or merchant car rying craft. " I am satisfied, indeed, from what I witnessed on the occasion of the capture . of Canton, and from what I have since observed in my progress along the coast, that the means at the disposal of the Bri tish authorities in these spas, if properly employed, arc ample for any objects which her Majesty's Go vernment may desire to accomplish in China. " I am confident that this truth, if it has escaped the notice of some among ourselves, has at any rate made itself fully apparent to those who are acting with us or standing by. "In order, however, to the attainment of this end, and more especially to its attainment without an unnecessary expenditure of blood and treasure, it is indispensable that those who control the material force of Great Britain in this quarter should lend to those who direct its diplomacy a vigorous and intelligent support. "I have furnished the foregoing statement be , cause I think it right that her Majesty's Govern ment should have the means of judging whether or not this condition is realised in the manner in which the public service of Great Britain is now conducted in China. "For my own part, I shall continue to use my utmost endeavours to carry out the policy which I am commanded by my instructions to pursue.—l have, &e., "ELGIN AND KINCARDINE. " The Earl of Clarendon, K.G., sze„" " SIR M. SEYMOUR'S REPLY TO THE EARL OP ELGIN'S COMPLAINTS. " Calcutta, at Hongkong, Sept. 27,1858. " Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the re ceipt of your letter, No. 363, of the 9th of August last (M.), enclosing a copy of a despatch of the 16th July from the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, with copies of two despatches from the Earl of Elgin, dated the 23d and 29th of April last, and informing me that the Lords Commis sioners of the Admiralty entertain no, doubt that I shall consider it due to my character to furnish their lordships with such explanations upon the statements therein made as the circumstances may require. " 2. In reply, I hare the honour to state that I have perused with care and attention Lord Elgin's despatches, which I regret to observe charge me with a failure in collecting in the Gulf of Pecheli a naval squadron, including vessels of light draught, at a sufficiently early period to meet his lordship's expectations and intentions. As these despatches embrace a variety of charges, including an impro per performance of my duties as the Commander in-Chief on this station in the employment of the gunboats in the Canton river, I pr3pose to answer theta in succession. " LORD ELGIN'S DESPATCH OF. THE 23D APRIL. " Lord Elgin first refers to a conversation he held with Count Pontiatine in November last, in order to show that from a period now remote the policy sketched in the paragraph quoted had engaged his lordship's attention. " 3. Their lordships will doubtless have consi dered that.the subject of this conversation, embrac ing the services and co-operation of the ships under my command, was known to me at the time, but it was only on my arr i va l i n the G u lf o f P ec h e li, on the 24th of April, that his lordship first mentioned it to me, until which time I had no kn 1 of it ow e the gallant officers and men under my orders. The French Admiral hoisted his flag n an Eng lish gunboat ; English gunboats took he French forces to the attack on the forts ; an Erglish gun boat led the attack ; an English vessel iceived the French wounded ; English gunboats hi the way up the Tien-tsin River, and were the fist foreign vessels ever off that city ; English gunboats alone kept up the communication btween the city and the fleet outside ; and when roops were likely to be required, English gunborts took on board the whole of the French troops ior convey ance up the river. I mention tlese facts, not with any desire to exaggerate the cervices of the British gunboats, in depreciation of the forces under my gallant colleague, whose while conduct has been marked by frankness and sincrity since the opening of the campaign, and from wlom I have invariably received the most cordial support, but to defend the character of the squadron under my orders. Our gunboats were much smallerthan those of the French, and consequently more available in narrow waters. Had the case been revered I should have received the same support fron Admiral Rigault. "9. I entirely differ in Lord Elgir's opinion, that had we moved up the river immediately on our arrival off the Peiho, without resistance, it would have sufficed to bring the Imperial Government to terms, and that any further measures ofviolence or coercion would have been avoided. l have had two years' experience in Chinese warfare, and any one who has been long in China will tear me out in the assertion that nothing but the conclusive evidence of irresistible force will ever filly satisfy the Imperial Government. I considier therefore as stated in my despatch reporting the oierations at the Peiho, that the Chinese having bean allowed time to fortify their position, and being confident of their strength, the capture of the forts under such circumstances would have a greater moral effect on the Imperial Government then if we had attacked them when less prepared. Subsequent events fully bore out my o e imon. It was ascer tained that guns from Tien-tsin, and even from Pekin, had been conveyed to the forts at Taku, and that all the available military force was also assem bled there. At one blow therefore the whole of their guns were captured, arid their army driven like a scattered rabble into the surrounding coml• try, to spread everywhere the reports of our invin cibility, and the destructive and terrific missiles we made use of. To this brilliant and complete suc cess I attribute our total exemption from annoyance while at Tien-tsin, and the conclusion of a treaty within a month after, which may be said to open the whole of China to the world, and which may in a few years develope a field for commercial en terprise of which we have at present no conception. " 10. On my arrived off the Rugged Islands I only remained a sufficient time to send off despatches to England, and hurried off to the Gulf of Pecheli, where I arrived on the 24th of April, and found that Elgin had the same morning, before my arrival, i oe N e td d os h makeai p t Taku, hadan y admitted'onward n though, wa sent in his ultimatum to the Chinese Viceroy, Tan, o a hv l e r e e mh a a d edn y tn r ioent rtdh as a ul t who had t hf a ios r r i e j n i s a udaffivr advance. whatever. His lordship informed me then that he reported it to the Earl of Clarendon. " His lordship goes on to state, that on the 2d of March he addressed me a letter , stat in g that it would be advisable I should collect at Shanghai, towards the end of March, or as soon after as might be convenient, as a large a fleet , more especially of gunboats drawing little water, as I could spare from service elsewhere,' and that I had replied that my attention had been for some time past directed to that object ; that one gunboat and one gun-vessel had already sailed for Shanghai ; that arrangements were in progress for others to follow, and that it was my intention to sail for Shanghai in the Cal cutta, should nothing prevent me, on the 16th of March. " 4. By reference to the disposition sheet of the squadron, dated the 15th of March, their lordships will at once perceive that at that date the following vessels had sailed from Hongkong for Shanghai : Higkfiyer, Slaney, Cormorant, Nimrod, and Sur prise ; that the Sampson, Coromandel, and Leven were preparing to sail, and did sail a few days after; and that the Opossum, Staunch, and Bustard were to sail when the monsoon abated. These vessels I ordered to be convoyed by the Hesper, steam store ship, that they might be supplied by her with the necessary coals, to hasten their voyage. I left orders with Commodore Stewart to despatch the smaller gunboats on the 10 th of April , that being, as I considered, from experience, the earliest conve nient time at which they could proceed, to allow them to reach Shanghai in an efficient state for ser vice, and I gave orders for two more gunboats to be kept ready if sent for, as stated in the disposition sheet. I should have left on the 18th of March in the Calcutta, but I was detained till the 25th, on account of a succession of heavy gales peculiar to the season. I sailed on the 25th in tow of the Niger, but I found the north-east monsoon still so strong that on the third day I proceeded under sail. The French Admiral left Hong Kong the day after I did. " His lordship next stated, that ever since I have arrived in China I have been in constant and unreserved communication with Sir Michael Sey mour, and as he was perfectly aware both of the tenour of my route to the Court of Pekin, of the time fixed in it beyond which I had resolved not to wait the arrival of plenipotentiaries from the Em peror of China at Shanghai, and of the importance whifili I attached to our being able, in the event of &Hare in the attempt to negotiate at that piaoo, .to appear off the mouth of the Peiho. His lordship confesses that he addressed to me the letter of the 2d March more with a view to put matters in a pro per official shape than for any practical purposes. " 5. Up to the date of the capture of Canton I am quite willing to allow that Lord Elgin was in constant and unreserved communication with me, but this has not been the case subsequently. The extent of my knowledge of his lordship's despatch to the Court of Pekin is embodied in my letter to you (No 68) of the 14th February, and to the mere fact that his lordship had asked for plenipotentiaries to meet him at Shanghai; but I must plead enti re ignorance of any date beyond which his lordship had determined not to negotiate at Shanghai, or of his lordship's intended ulterior proceedings, beyond bringing pressure to bear on some point. near the capital, the extent of which, as far as my know ledge went, was to blockade the mouth of the Peiho and the mouth of the Grand Canal in the Yang-tse- Kiang, as directed by her Majesty's Government. " Lord Elgin proceeds to recapitulate the before mentioned reasons, and states that on the 3d of April the Coromandel arrived at Shanghai, and brought the very perplexing intelligence that not only had Sir M. Seymour put off his own departure from Hong Kong from the 16th to the 25th of March, but that no preparations for the immediate despatch of gunboats to the north seemed to be in progress. This information his lordship gathered from the verbal reports of the officers of the Coro mandel, for on neither point did his lordship hear from Sir Michael Seymour. His lordship, under these circumstances, determined to rally round him all the force he could collect, and proceed without delay to the mouth of the Peiho; that his lordship therefore wrote certain letters to the senior officers at Sh"anghai and Hongkong, and proceeded to the north on the 10th of April, taking with him the Slaney in tow of the Furious, and arrived in the Gulf of Pecheli on the 14th. That having only the Cormorant and Slaney, he had been precluded from making any movement in advance; and that from all he had observed and heard, his lordship was confirmed in the opinion that if on our arrival we had been in a position to move at once up the river towards Tien-tsin, we should have been able to do so without resistance, convinced the Chinese that foreign ships of war can ascend the river, and have placed our force between the capital and the junks conveying supplies of grain, which would have suf ficed to bring the Imperial Government to terms; and that any further measures of violence or coer cion would have been avoided. His lordship con cludes this do%pateh by stating that the chief credit of tins ineasuie must have accrues to th., Britigh navy. " 6. On the 23d of March I despatched the Leven and Coromandel to Amoy and Shanghai ; the for mer to remain at Amoy until relieved by the Elle, to sail in a few days. As I was to sail two days after the Coromandel, I did not write to Lord Elgin by that opportunity, though I had written t' his Excellency a private letter on the 15th; and to show how little I anticipated any sudden removal from Shanghai, from any information in my possession, I quote the following extract from my letter to you, No. 138, of the 25th of March I have the honour to report that I intend to sail this day, in her Ma jesty's ship Calcutta, for the Rugged Islands, the nearest convenient anchorage to Shanghai, with which I shall keep up a communication by means of the Coromandel steam tender.' On my arrival at the Rugged Islands, on the 13th of April, I found the Sampson and Coromandel waiting for me, with the intelligence that LordElgin had, with the Pique, Furious, Cormorant, and Slaney, proceeded to the Gulf of Pecheli on the Bth and 10th of April. A. letter from Lord Elgin announced the same in telligence; and that letter, of which a copy is en closed in my letter, No. 148, of the 13th of April, contained the first intimation I had rece i ve d f rom his lordship of his intention to proceed up the river to the city of Tien-tsin. Having left Hong Kong under the impression that on my arrival at Shanghai any future naval operations would have been de cided on, after due consultation with the naval commanders-in-chief, I must confess my extreme surprise on learning that Lord Elgin had already left for the Gulf of Pecheli; and I may add that my feelings were fully shared in by Admiral Rigault. Before leaving Hong Kong I had made every in quiry respecting the navigation of the Gulf of Pecheli, and had come to the conclusion, which I had hoped to hav e c ommun i ca t e d t o L or d El g i n , a t Shanghai, that the end of Ap r il w ould b e suffi ciently early for her Majesty's ships to R esemble off the Peiho, to carry on operations with effect; and the fact of the Calcutta having carried away her mainyard in the still strong north-east wind, while crossing the gulf on the 23d April, sufficiently proves the correctness of my opinion. Even after the 10th of May there were many d a y s d ur i ng which it was quite impracticable f or th o gun b oa t s to carry on active operations. " 7. On referring to the Admiralty letter No. 151, of the 20th April, 1857, it is distinctly stated that the letter from the Foreign-office of the 17th April, 'that when negotiations become useless, it then rests with the Admiral to determine where and how the forces at his disposal shall be employed,' and in the memorandum for Lord Panmure which accompanies that letter this sole responsibility is made more manifest. Had Lord Elgin waited my arrival at Shanghai, I should have been able to learn his Excellency's wishes, and to have made the necessary arrangements for carrying out any intended operations ; but no later than the 10th of April his lordship, acting on the verbal reports of the subordinate officers of my flag tender, and know ing I must be close at hand (I arrived thrce days after wards), proceeded with thesmall force then at Shang hai to the Gulf of Pecheli, and, having arrived there on the 14th, finds, according to his lordship's own ad mission, that the force was inadequate for making any movement in advance; so that the only object attained was the placing me in a false position by taking my ships under my orders, and giving to the Chinese an undue knowledge of our approach. " I most respectfully, and with all deference to t sp l t i ol e . opinion ewsesr,tupon t ipl o oa t no ' f thetemrthe , of Elgin, arrived lordship beg to submit that there was no urgent necessity for making the com municationhich I had potnerdsntianaritipessi Shanghai, theh:n muck othedr that the delay of a f ew d ays inen nime i n a c i i i n g g ai, nm a n n st also s) mn important netnntifo o tn p hs e e r l a s i n n it me a s p t t o t el l n i t e na nsoetpgeninteinnwegeo consequence. l f hdi theav seasonhave been lordship to stop the grain junks f rom en t er i ng t h e P e ih o. His lordship had it in his power to carry such ob ject into effect by application to the senior officer; and I know that the senior French naval officer had orders to carry his Minister's wishes in that re spect into effect should it be desirable. One gun boat inside the bar of the Peiho would have suf ficed. Had any casualty happened to the ships which Lord Elgin took into the Gulf of Pecheli (and one was very near occurring), or had the on ward movemei.t in advance,' which his lordship seemed to contemplate without reference to me, on whom the sole responsibility rested, been a failure, it would have been the Admiral, and not Lord Elgin, who would have been held answerable both to their lordships and the country at large. " 8. With regard to Lord Elgin's last observa tion, that the whole credit of the measure proposed would have accrued to the British navy, I have only to remark that the result of the operations which did take place were highly creditable to LORD ELGIN'S DESPATCH OF THE 20TH OF APRIL. " This letter commences with reporting the Ad miral's arrival in the Gulf of Pecheli, in the Cal cutta; but as the ship draws 25 feet water, she can not approach within five miles of the Peiho River ; also the arrival of the Coromandel, towed by the Sampson, which also cannot cross the bar. His lord ship likewise expresses doubts about the arrival of the gunboats till the end of May; and remarks on the inadequate nature of the force I had ordered to the Peiho, and that it would not arrive till the ap proach of the season when the (Inmate is most un favourable to the European constitution. " 11. Lord Elgin should in candour have added, these ships bring with them a body of 600 trained seamen and marines, six large boats mounting guns, and peculiarly adapted for river service, and a large sepply of provisions, stores, clothing, and money for the squadron ; and that the Coromandel, besides her armament of five guns, possesses in her roomy decks a desirable shelter for troops, and draws only 8 feet of water. The five gunboats alluded to arrived ready for service on the 9th and 10th of May, in company with the Hesper, and, with the force al. ready in hand, proved more than sufficient for the service required. " 12. So far from the climate being unfavourable to Europeans, there was not one death from sick ness in the whole British force in the Peiho, from the 20th of May to the 7th of July. Indeed, I may say, that, notwithstanding the men were for the first fortnight constantly in boats, there was hardly a case of sickness, as reported in my despatches. Lord Elgin is in error in stating that I promised a large fleet, especially of gunboats, to be ii the Gulf of Pecheli at the end of March. I engaged that an adequate force should be at Shanghai at the end of March or as soon after as convenient. It is utterly imnossible to move a force of gunboats up a stormy coast with tne prect3wil or a ialliraj aLia, though his lordship makes so light of the monsoon, and suggest towing the gunboats up the coast by paddle steamers, I can assure their lordships that, while the Calcutta was making her voyage to the north, the most powerful merchant steamer in China of 400-horse power, was obliged to bear up within 40 miles of the Yang-tse-kiang, and run back to Foochow, a distance of 200 miles, from stress of weather. My arrangements for getting the gun boats up to the north were made with the view to see them arrive in an efficient state, and nDt torn to pieces by being towed against a dead sea, an object I fully accomplished, by causing them to coast the shore, and anchor in bad weather. The Fury, the fastest steamer under my orders. did tow two gun boats from Shanghai to the Gulf of Pecheli, but there was no advantage gained, as the gunboats which came up under sail made the passage in the same time. Lord Elgin compares the powerfully built and full-rigged French gunboats, and the 80- horse power gunboat Slaney, with our small ones of 60-horse power. I leave that for their Lordships' decison. " Lord Elgin next states that the French admiral arrived on the 25th of April with his whole fleet, and that, at the moment of writing, the French flag was represented by two gunboats within the bar of the Peiho; the English by two despatch boats aground on the top of it. " 13. I might smile at this statement, were it not on account of the motives which appear to dictate it, and the impression it must have made on their Lordships. The Nimrod and Cormorant grounded in the previous night in trying to cross the bar in company with the three French gunboats, as did one of the latter (their Lordships must under stand that at low water the bar of the Peiho is nearly dry, and it is only at particular times of tide that even a ship's launch can cross). In two hours after his lordship's despatch was sent away both vessels had crossed the bar, and the Eng lish flag was represented by three English vessels, including the Blaney, of superior force to the French ; the English boats close to the batteries, the French somewhat to the left, I cannot refrain from drawing their lordship's particular attention to the impression attempted to be made by this complaint, in reality so groundless. The Cormo rant, Nimrod, and Surprise were specially selected by me, as peculiarly qualified for service in the north. They draw only a few inches more water than the French aunboats ; arc more capable of re sisting bad weather than the smaller vessels ; and the Cormorant , the only one of the three I consi dered it necessary to take up to Tien-tsin, was more manageable than the French gun•boats. As Lord Elgin mentions that on the 25th April the whole French fleet arrived, I add a list of the ships of the two flags on the day in question:— English. Calcutta, 84. Pique, frigate. Sampson, steam frigate. Furious, ditto. Nimrod, gun-vessel. Cormorant, ditto. Slaney, ditto. French. Nemesis, frigate. Aucheieuso, ditto. Primauguet, steam sloop. Phlezeton, ditto. Fusel, gunboat. Dragonne, ditto. Avalmche, ditto. Coroniindel, ditto. " On the 29th April, at Lord Elgin's earnest re quest, but against my own judgraent, I despatched the Sampson to Hongkong for tiro 40-horse power gunboats, which, having but one engine, are not desirable vessels to employ at a distance from a fac tory. Lord Elgin availed himself of the opportunity to forward to England the two despatches now in question. When these vessels arrived active opera tions were concluded, and, from their limited power, proved far inferior in efficiency. to the 60-horse power gunboats. " Lord Elgin next adds that he much fears that it will be found, when the matter comes to be in quired into, that one of the reasons for the non appearance of gunboats when thqr presence would be so valuable is that many of them are unservice able from the way in which they were workod in the Canton river in the discharge of duties which migllt have been done by merchant steamers. " 15. I should decline to take notice of this state ment were it not that I desire to give their lord ships the fullest explanation of toy conduct. It has excited the astonishment of ever,- one competent to offer an opinion on the subject that the gunboats, after so long a voyage as from England, and con stant employment in the Canton river, should have remained so long serviceable. Though many of the boats have, as opportunities of Bred, been docked and refitted, particularly those intended for service in the north, I do not believe that at any one time two gunboats out of the whole number were un equal to their work. " 16. The communication between Canton, after its occupation, and Hongkong, and the con stant conveyamee of sick, stores, and provisions, could only be carried on with safety and efacism7 THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENIIIO, FEBRUARY 27, 1860. by armed Government vessels, and the gunboats offered the readiest and most economical means. A roster of the whole number was therefore made, giving to each her term - of service, and also the consequent rest to men and machinery. These boats, in their passage up and down the river, always stopped near the Furious for Lord Elgin's com mands, and his lordship had, in addition, a uptcial gunboat at his own disposal. " His lordship next adds, that from what he witnessed at the capture of Canton, and from what he observed in his progress along the coast, the means at the disposal of the British authorities in these sews are ample for any objects which her Majesty's Government may desire to accomp li s h i n China, " 17. In this I quite agree with his lordship ; I never doubted it. "18. On the vague and conjectural character of the concluding paragraph of Lord Elgin's last despatch, I do not consider it incumbent on me to offer comment ; but as his lordship is pleased to observe that, in order to attain the above objects, and more especially to their attainment without an unnecessary expenditure of blood and treasure, it is indispensable that those who control the mate rial force of Great Britain in this quarter should lend to those who direct its diplomacy a vigorous and intelligent support, I have the honour to re port that it has been always my object to do so ; and I beg to refer to the copy of his lordship's despatch of the 6th of July, transmitted to you in my letter, No. 229, of the 6th of July, in which Lord Elgin acquaints me that it will not be neces sary to continue any longer at Tien-tsin the pres sure which has been applied by your Excellency with so much effect, and at so small a cost of human life and suffering.' I also transmit, for their lord ships' information, a copy of a despatch of the 21st of May, written to me by Lord Elgin after the cap ture of the forts at the mouth of the Peiho. " 19. I have endeavoured, as fully as possible, to reply to the charges brought against me, and I am now quite content to leave the whole case in their lordships' hands. I was in entire ignorance of Lord Elgin having written these despatches until the arrival of the last mail. Why his lordship should have proceeded from Shanghai .to the Gulf of Pecheli in the haste he did, three days before my arrival, and without any consultation with me as to tho unturo of thc c.untemplated operations, and whence the urgency for entering into negotiations with the Chinese authorities at the Peiho without any communication with those who were to be re sponsible in the event of negotiations failing, I have never been able to understand, no subsequent cir cumstances having brought to light the grounds or reasons for such precipitancy. Most fortunately for the sueces3 which finally attended the great object of Lord Elgin's presence in the vicinity of Pekin the coercive measures that became inevitable, and which the posture of affairs demanded, were delayed until the 20th May, thus affording the time, and only a sufficient time, for the imperial authorities to collect their military strength and resources to a degree that excited a confidence on their part so highly favourable to the ultimate estimate of our irresist ible power, when in a little more than three hours their boasted defences were overthrown and ample proof given of the inutility of further resistance. The surest foundation was thus laid for the success ful fulfilment of Lord Elgin's mission to China, the accomplishment of which has, through the skill and perseverance of his lordship, been realized in the highly advantageous treaty with China which is now known in Europe. " 20. I sincerely hope that the apprehensions felt by Lord Elgin in April were diminished in June and July, when affairs in the north were terminated. " 21. Ever since Lord Elgin arrived in China I have endeavoured to conduct myself towards his lordship with the respect and deferencce due to her Majesty's Plenipotentiary, and their Lordships may rest assured that I shall continue the same course. —I have, Sze., " M. SEYMOUR, Rear-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief. " The Secretary of the Admiralty, London." SPAIN AND MOROCCO. (From the Correspondent of the Thnes.) TETUAN, FEE. 12. Now that fighting is for the time suspended, that no Moorish camp is in sight, or restless enemy harassing the outposts and provoking repulse, the great question of interest here is, and for some days has been, that of peace or war. Is the campaign at an end or not ? Will Tetuan prove the limit of advance, or Tangier be shortly assailed ? The majority of opinions, the unanimity of wishes, were for the first alternative; but it is only since yesterday that scarcely any one doubts of its reali sation. For, yesterday forenoon, four tall and dignified Moors, well attired, well mounted, and ..•• voar.h.a Inc , adc - juarterfa, whither they had been forwarded by General Prim, who commands the corps in advance, and were ushered into the tent of the Commander.in-Chief. The details of what passed beneath the shade of that sacred canvas are of course envirotsed with the customary mystery, but the substance has oozed out and is understood to be to the following effect : —The chief of the four envoys was the Kaid of Tangier, and he came from Muley Abbas. Recent events, he said, had convinced the Prince that Allah was not on the side of the Moors, and that therefore they could not conquer. He sent, therefore, to know what the Christians wanted. To this O'Donnell replied that he came to Africa to make war, and not to make peace, and that he had not authority to conclude the latter, nor could he say what terms his Government might think fit to demand, but he would send immediately to the Queen of Spain, and would be prepared with a reply on Thursday next. To this end General Uztariz, of th e General's staff, left yesterday afternoon, on board the Volcano man-of-war steamer, for Alicant, whence he will hasten to Madrid and return hither by Thursday, on which day the Moorish deputies will revisit the camp to receive a reply. It is said to be probable that Muley Abbas himself will come to the camp, as he has expressed a wish to make the acquaintance of the Spanish Commander-in-Chief. The Moors say they had been deceived as to Spanish power and resources, which they had believed to be much less than they have lately been shown to be, and they recognise their inability to continue the struggle. The Spaniards who, witli an obstinate prejudice that troubles itself little about proofs, see the agency of the British Consul-General everywhere and in everything, of course believe that it is he who has misrepresented them to the Moors, forgetting the fact that their long endurance of repeated insults to and aggressions upon their African possessions fully accounts for the low estimate formed of their force and energy. The question now is what terms will Spain de mand, and will they be such as the Moorish Em peror can and ought to accept ? The point on which a difficulty is most likely to arise is that of the indemnity which will be claimed from the Moors for the expenses of the war. There are no means of knowing what those expenses have been ; probably General O'Donnell himself does not exactly know them. I hear them, however, roughly estimated at five millions sterling, and although the sum is large considering the numbers of troops employed and the proximity of the scene of war to the Spanish ports, yet, from what I have seen of the lavish manner in which everything has been done, of the haste, waste, improvidence, and, there can be no doubt, exorbitant charges and extensive pecula tion that have attended the supplying of this army, it would not surprise me to learn that even a greater amount had been paid by, or was due from, the Spanish exchequer. In asserting that there have been mismanagement, mal-administration, and mal practices, I may very possibly meet with contra diction from some of the Madrid papers, which will admit nothing short of perfection in every thing relating to the army of Africa and to all connected with it, and whose exaggerated and fulsome laudation of their army, their generals, their Government, their countrymen, and them selves, as well as their calumnies and unfounded statements respecting England, can but injure their cause and excite the laughter of im partial observers. But from persons on the spot, although as Spaniards they may not choose loudly to proclaim their concurrence with what I state, no contradiction is to be anticipated. This army has been well supplied, but this has been done at an ex orbitant cost. The expedition was undertaken, as you know, on a sudden, and with scarcely any pre vious preparation. The consequence was the long delay within the lines of Ceuta, where cholera and profitless ccsnb.its cost so many lives. That the de lay and loss might not be greater it was necessary to lavish money and to east economical considera tions to the winds. Things were done, said an acute Spanish officer to me the other day, a la t—that is to say, regardless of expense. A most defective Administration aggravated the evil. This was to be expected at the commencement of a war begun in haste by a nation unaccustomed for nearly half a century t o other than civil contests. A largo demand for speedy supplies naturally entailed high prices and heavy charges. Rations and forage of the best quality had to besought in foreign countries because there was no time to prepare them at home. Beef, biscuit, and compressed hay have come in large quan tities from England, — some compensation for the injury which the Gibraltar merchants assert t o h are been done to the trade of that place by the pres en t war. A large number pf stegmera, foreign as well as Spanish ; weep talon up, generally at pr i ces ex tremelv 4134unerative to the owners. Nothing law 'le • spared in short, and, if the war was to be carried through successfully in spite of the disadvantage of its premature commencement, it was necessary that nothlng should be spared. But when the question of indemnity, to be paid by the humbled foe, is brought forward, it may be questioned whether that enemy can fairly be made to bear expenses which were enormously increased by the uncalled for hurry in which the struggle was commenced. instead of opening the campaign on the Queen's birthday, its commencement had been postponed, as it perfectly well might have been, to a later date and a fitter season, the Spaniards might have done their fighting, if not for half price, at least for a vast deal less than it has cost them. And it will be only just that the Spanish Government should take this into consideration when drawing its bill on the Emperor of Morocco. We have heard great things of the resources of the Moorish treasury, of accumu lated treasures, reminding one of the " Arabian Nights ;" of heaps of gold and jewels, the guards of which once posted, are relieved only by death, lest they should reveal the tempting amount of the wealth they watch over. One is apt to suspect exaggera tion in such tales, and, moreover, the cost of this war, whatever it may prove when all is added up, will unquestionably have been such as might well stagger even a wealthier potentate than the Sove reign of Morocco can reasonably be supposed to be. I am not inclined to think, however, that the Spanish Government will show itself grasping on this occasion, or will insist on the very last ounce of its pound of flesh. Various reasons render a contrary course politic and probable. Spain has no wish to continue a war th e ma i n o bj ec t s of which have already been fully attained. She has raised herself in her own esteem by showing that, when the necessity arises or when she chooses to believe that it has arisen, she is able to put in the field a well equipped and efficient army. She has shown that slue possesses soldiers who will fight, officers to lead them, and generals who can command—well enough, at any rate, to baffle the slender strategy of the Moors. My conviction is that the Spaniards, had they to bear the whole cost of the war, would think it a cheap price to pay for the amount of self satisfaction they have obtained, and which I am per suaded was its chief object. 2HE NAVY. The Lords of the Admiralty, having had under their consideration a general return of the rifle practice of the Royal Marines, between the Ist of January and the 31st of December, 1859, and the position in order of merit that each division would have occupied if classified with the army, have been pleased to signify, in a general order, dated the 24th inst., and addressed to the respective colonels-com mandant, " their great satisfaction at the profi ciency attained by the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men in this important branch of their duty, which affords a proof of thezeal and attention paid in carrying out the system of musketry in struction at the several head-quarters." The Dee, paddlestore-vessel, Master Commander Pullen, sail e d from Portsmonth on Saturday, after discharging in the steam basis boilers and machi• nery for ships at that port. The Flying Fish, screw despatch vessel, Com mander Charles W. Hope, will steam out of Ports mouth Harbour this morning to Spithead, where she will take in her powder and shell preparatory to further service. The Castor, 36, sailing frigate, one of the vessels selected by the Admiralty to be fitted as a training ship for the Naval Coast Volunteers, is to be commenced to-day at Chatham, directions having been given that she shall be completed with all despatch. She is to be supplied with the follow ing armament, which will he disposed on her main deck, viz. 32-pounders, each of 56 cwt., and 9 feet 6 inches long. As soon as the Cast er h as been fitted for the service for which she is intended, she will be navigated round to the Thames, and be sta tioned off Greenhithe. A notice has been posted at the dockyard that seamen and marine pensioners are required for service on board. The gunboats Pigeon and Linnet, which are to be fitted at Chatham Dockyard as soon as they are finished, are to be furnished with the following armament each—viz., one 68-pounder, of 95 cwt., and 10 feet in length; one 32-pounder, of 56 cwt., and 9 feet 6 inches long; and two 24-pounder howitzers. The Channel squadron, consisting of eight ships under all sail, was observed from Plymouth Citadel at 3 p.m. on Friday, standing down Channel with a moderate breeze from the south, and steering for Lisbon. The screw steamship Conqueror, 101, Captain Sotheby, shipped her moorings in Hamoaze on Friday, and went outside the breakwater to try her machinery. On returning to Plymouth Sound she saluted the flag of Port Admiral Sir Barrington Reynolds, K.C.B. The screw steamship Sanspareil, 70, Capt. Wil . mot, C. 8., at Plymouth, was swung on Saturday , for the purpose of adjusting her compasses. The screw steam frigate iiiaaem, az Capt. J. 11. Cockburn, put i n t o Pl ymout h Sound on Friday, having been run into by the screw steamship ' Queen, 86, Capt. C. F. Hillyar, by which she lost her bowsprit, figure-head, and part of her cutwater ; the bowsprit is gone close home to the gammoning. The collision took place four or five miles south-east of Portland, on Thursday evening, shortly after seven o'clock. All the ships in the Channel Fleet were then tacking in succession. Wind light, S.S.W. The Queen was on the lee line, on the port tack, under all plain sails, except royals, with a single reef in the topsails, steering E.N.E. The Diadem was on the weather line, starboard tack, under single-reefed topsails, top gallant sails, foresails, spanker, and jib, steering about N.W.I. W., buton the approach of the ship was put hard down and brought up in the wind. It is stated that, according to ordinary rule, instead of attempting to cross the frigate's bows she should have gone under her stern. The Queen lost her quarter-boat, but has gone pn with the fleet to Lisbon. On Saturday the Diadem went into Ha moan to have defects made good at Devonport Dockyard, where she will be detained more than a fortnight. The Nugget has been chartered by the Govern- ment for the conveyance of the surveying expe dition of the Royal Engineers about to be de spatched from Chatham to New Zealand. The detachment, on its arrival at New Zealand, will relieve the 6th Company of the Royal Engineers, which has been serving in that island 11 years, the company having left England in April, 1949. The paddlewheel steamvessel Firefly, under orders to relieve the Tartarus in the Mediterranean, has been removed from th e fitti ng b as i n at Woolwich and hauled into the river on completion of repairs. The screw steamer Hero, 91, Commander Fred. H. Stirling (Capt. G. H. Seymour being absent on leave) has arrived at Spithead from Portland. The screw steamship Aboukir, 93, Capt. Douglas Curry, left Plymouth Sound under canvas, on Thursday evening, probably for Lisbon. The present chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-Admiral Fanshawe, C. 8., will, according to a report at Plymouth, succeed to the naval command there on the retirement of Vice-Admiral Sir Bar rington Reynolds, K.C.8., whose term of service expires on the 4th of May. The following appointments have been made at the Admiralty :.—Charles H. Houghton, Chief En_ gineer to the Asia, for service in the Nelson ; Joseph J. Greathead, Chief Engineer to the Cumberland, for service in the Waterloo ; John Lanksbury, con firmed second-class assistant-engineer in the Cen turion ; John R. Harvey and Joseph Tapp, acting third-class assistant-engineers, to the Wellington, as supernumeraries. Commander W. J. Pollard, to the Hawke, additional, for service in the Coast guard ' • Lieut. W. Strickland, to th e R oya l Albert ; Lieut. J. H. Cexon, to the Hero; Lieut. Henry G. Hale to the Greyhound ; Jesse Bridgeman, con firmed to the rank of Chief Engineer ; George L. Thomson, promoted to second-class assistant engi neer, and appointed to the Styx ; Silas W. Parker, ' paymaster additional to the Majestic. 7'HE A largo number of invalid soldiers from India, Colchester, Shorncliffe, Chatham, and other mili tary depots have been received during the past year into the military hospital on Yarmouth denes. The hospital is situate in a most salubrious situa tion, and but few deaths have occurred among the patients. It is announced that the re -erection of a fort at the mouth of the harbour of Great Yarmouth is to be proceeded with. A number of beautifully executed maps, plates, and Plans of the various incidents connected with the Crimean campaign: have been presented to the non-eemmissioned officers' library at the Royal En gineer establishment, Chatham, by the Government, the sieges and the whole of the operations in which the British forces were engaged being faithfully depicted. The library is also enriched by o ther presents which have been made by the W a r•offico authorities. —_- [ADVER TISE3IENT.]—IIOIIoway'S OintMent and Pills.— Diseases of \Tomei:l.—Many and various hav e been the pre scriptions for removing certain irregularities which frequently rob youths of its happiness, and middle age of its health. No remedies regulate and restore irregular or suspended func tions with the certainty and safety with which Holloway's remedies work. For all constitutions, at all ages, in any titillate, they are equally well adapted, and suit the feeblest frame or strongest woman. This Ointment and these Pills are applicable in every disease peculiar to females, whether in youth or at the critical period. They operate by purifying the blood and expelling all noxious substances likely to pro dliCe disease. They give tone to the stomach, liver, and kid. neys, and regulate tlio functions of every organ. • COUIV TRY MARKETS. YORK—FEn. 25. A plentiful quantity of wheat on offer, which made last week's quotations. A tolerable supply of barley, and fine samples quite as dear. Oats and beans steady. Wheat, red.. .42s to 45s Oats.... 23s to 213 s White do .46s to 50s Beans 42s to 48s Barley ..36s to 40s Peas ....344 to 37s Malt, 68s to 70s per qr.; rye, 32s per qr.; flour, 33s to 35s per sack. GLOUCESTER-FEB. 25. At our market there was rather a fair attendance, with a firm business doing. English white wheat, 45s to 47s , red, 43s to 46s per qr. Foreign, 46s to 50s per qr. In barley, oats, and beans no alteration. DERBY- -FEB. 25. At our market yesterday wheat held at no advance on the prices of last week, with a limited show. Barley was a ready sale. Oats and beans quite as dear. White wheat, new, 46s to 535 Barley, grinding.. 25s to 308 Red do. 435 to 49s Oats, old, .. 24• to 275 Old white 46s to 535 Now do 23s to 285 Red do 43s to 498 Beans. 425 to 43. Barley, malting 38s to 44e I Beans, new 41e to 44s OXFORD--FEB. 25. An average quantity of wheat at market to-day, for which the trade was ♦ery good for fine samples ; and other grain active. White ruled at 438 to 545, red 41s to 484 per qr. Barley, 26s to 33s ; oats, 18s to 348 ; beans, 384 to 50s ; hog peas, 39s to 428 ; boilers, 40s to 45s per qr. Flour, 33s to —s per sack. Hay, from £3 Os to £4 Os per ton. NORWICH-FRB. 25. At to-day's market the supply of wheat was fair, sad the condition of most of the samples being rather improved there was a little better demand, and prices advanced ls. The supply of barley has now much decreased, and as the demand for seed has commenced, prices have an upward tendency. White wheat 46s to 49s I Red wheat 40s to 44e Malting barley....42s to 46s Chevalier barley 34s to 40s Distilling do.. ....25s io 27. I Oats.. Flour, 29. 6d to 30s per sack from the miller. CAMBRIDGE-FEB. 25. There was a fair supply of wheat, and, with a rather steady demand in the trade, white moved off at 44s to 49s ; red, 43s to 47s per 36 stone. There was a small show of barley to-day; malting, 36s to 40s; grinding, 28s to 31s per 30 stone. Oats at 21s to 28s for new ; old oats, —s t• —s. Beans in limited supply, and a steady sale —new, 40. to 43. ; old, —s to —s per 38 stone ; peas, 40s to —s peg 36 stone. DUBLIN-FE]. 25. At our market to-day there was little doing, buyer. of every description of grain seeking a reduction ii price, which holders were unwilling to concede. s. d. s. d. Wheat, white 28 6 to SO 6 Do., red 27 0 to 28 6 Do., new - 0 1 Barley Oats Do., black ll 6 to 12 6 s. d. s. d. Do., new — 0 to • Bere Rapeseed Oatmeal IS 6 to 14 • Bakers' flour Indian corn FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIST. In the following table E signifies that letters are despatched by evening mails from London, and M by morning mails. Next DESTINATIONS. Despatch Port of Mail of Mails. Despatch. due. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton Mar. 12, E Southamp. Mar. 11 Ditto, via Marseilles Mar.l9 , B March 5 Bahamas and Havana via New York ►Tar. 5, E Liverpool.. Mar. 11 Canada, &c. (by Canadn. pckt ) Feb. —. E Liverpool.. Feb. 22 Cape of Good Hope, Ascen sion, and St. Helena Mar. 5, E Devenport March 3 China, Penang, and Singa pore, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseilles Gibraltar, via Southampton .. Feb. 27 .M Southamp. overdue Honduras and Blewfields .... Mar. 17,11 Southamp. Mar. 16 India (Calcutta) and Ceylon, via Southampton Feb. 27 , M Southamp. overdue Ditto, via Marseilles India (Bombay), via South ampton Feb. 27, M Southamp. Feb. 25 Ditto, via Marseilles Lisbon, Brazils,Buenos Ayres, and F. Islands Mar. 9, M outhamp. Mar. 5 Lisbon, Vigo, and. Oporto Feb. 27, M Southamp. overdue Malta, Egypt, and Adea, via Southampton Feb. 20, M Southamp. overdue Ditto, via Marseilles Mexico and Havana Newfoundland Mar. 24E Liverpool.. United States and British N America (by British paeket) Feb. 25, E Liverpool.. Mar. 3 Ditto (by U. S. packet) West Coast of Africa, Ma deira, and Teneriffe Feb. 23 B Liverpool.. Mar. 10 West India, California, Vene zuela, Chili, Peru, Grey town, New Granada, &c Mar. 2, It Southamp. Mar. 1 ALLEGED SINKING AND ABANDONING OF A SHIP. —On Saturday a long inquiry, instituted by the Board of Trade, was concluded before Mr. Traill, at Greenwich Police Court, into the circumstances attending the sinking of the barque John Sugars, which, as alleged, was scuttled and wilfully abandoned at sea on the 6th of January, about 30 miles from Cape St. Vincent. Mr. Seymour, who appeared fur the captain (Capt. H ew itt), contended that there was no wilful act on his part, and justified his abandonment of the ship by the circumstances. Mr. Traill said that the con sideration of the evidence would occupy much time, and that he should not give any opinion upon the matter at iturrTerr F.vPoBTS TO AusTR present, but he should make his report to the Board of Trade. returns from the Board of Trade we find that the declared value of th e exports o f British and Irish produce to our Australasian posses s i ons f or th e 1 2 months ending the 31 s t By the recent of December, 1859, amounted in the aggregate to £11,225,616 —viz., enumerated articles, £7,230,727 ; and unenumerated articles, £3,994,889 ; whereas during the year 1858 the total declared value was £10,463,032, showing, consequently, an increase of exports for the past year to the value of £762,584. Articles connected with the mining interest furnish a total of £1,508,565, under the head of " Metals," that is, machinery, iron, lead, and ti n . App are l an d s l ops give a total of £1,246,503; leather goods, £1,007,409; beer, ale, and spirits, £758,615; haberdashery, £731,061; cot tons, £691,262 ; woollens, £486,145 ; stationery, £303,564 ; silks, £182,250, linens, £134,344; earthenware, £84,088; oil seeds, £62,239; and soap, £30,642. The respective value of the exports to the several colonies was as follows : —For Victoria, £6,467,889 ; New South Wales, £2,876,342; South Australia, £649,912; Tasmania, £479,843; West Australia, £118,054 ; an d New Zea land, £633,576.--- Alining Journal of Feb. 25. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—Notice.—In consequence of Messrs. Lawes and Morton having just commenced 1860 with opposi tion similar to that which they previously advanced, and wish ing to do those gentlemen every justice, Mr. Thorley is induced to enlarge his coming pamphlet, making it 64 pages instead of 32- showing beyond doubt that their observations on the so-called "Concentrated Cattle Food," and so-called "feeding statistics," are without foundation ; that the ltothamsted experiment was not made with his food, and consequently that this complete failure must either be through mismanage ment or from buying the Condiment at the wrong shop. The first Impression of One Hundred Thousand Copies will be ready about the first day of March, and may be had post free t o h n e rec ln e v ip en t o to f r Th a r n e d e S so ta le mp r s r , o o p n r a ie p t p o li r c o a f tio s n , T to ho J t o le s y,s eph Food Cattle," 77, Newgate-street, London ; 21, Broadw a y, N ew York, United States; Mr. J. W. Thorley, Melbourne; Vic toria; Mr. Alfred Burt, Sydney, New South Wales ; and of all his agents throughout the United Kingdom.—Feb. 2,1860. [An - vEnTisEmENT.]—Du Barry's delicious Revalenta Arabica Food saves 50 times its cost in other remedies, and cures indigestion (dyspepsia), habitual constipation, ner vousness, biliousness, and liver complaints, flatulency, dis tension, acidity, heartburn, palpitation, nervous headaches, hysteria, neuralgia, noises in the head and ears, pains in the pit of the stomach and between the shoulders, erysipe las, eruptions of the skin, impurities and poverty o f the blood, scrofula, cough, asthma, consumption, dropsy, /lieu matism, gout ; nausea and sickness during pregnancT, aftear eating, or at sea ; low spirits, s p asms , cramps, epi leptic fits, sple en, general debility, inquietude, sleeplessness, irritability, paralysis, tremors, dislike to society, unfitness for study, lots of memory, delusions, vertigo, blood to the head, exhaustion, melancholy, groundless fear, indecision, wretchedness. It is, moreover, the best food for infants and invalids generally, as it never turns acid on the weakest stomach, nor interferes with a good liberal diet, but imparts a healthy relish for lunch and dinner, and restores the faculty of digestion, and ner vous and muscular energy to the most enfeebled. In tins, at ls. 6d.. 11b., 3s. ; 21b., ss. 9d.; 51b., 12a.; 121 b., 265. The 10Ib. and 121 b. tins carriage free, on receipt of post office order. Du Barry and Co., 77, Regent-street, London Fortnum, Mason, and Co., 182, Piccadilly ; Abbis, 60, Gracechurch-street ; 4, Cheauside ; 63, and 150, Oxford street; 330 and 461, Strand; 49 and 60, Bishopsgate street ; 85, Tottenham-court-road. Also at Dublin. Bewley 'and Draper ; at Edinburgh, Raimes and Co. ; at Liverpool, Nixon and Thew; at Manchester, Sharp and Scott; at York, Raimes, Blanchard, and Co.; at South ampton. Randall and Son. BIRTHS. CORBETT.—On the 24th inst., at th;Hall, Wow, Salop, the wife of Henry Corbett, Esq., of a son. GLYN.—On the 23d inst., at Ewell, Surrey, the wife of the Bev. Sir George L. Glyn, Bart., of a daughter. MosEu.—On the 25th inst., at North Brixton, Mrs. John Moser, of a son. SANGSTER.—On the 24th inst., at 97, Glouce s t er -pl ace , Hyde-park, the wife of Alexader Sangster, Esq., of a son. MARRIAGES. JoNES L On the 21st inst., at Llaafihangle, Geneurglynne, John J. B. Jones, Esq., late Commander ILM 's gunboat Insolent, to Adah, eldest daughter of the late Richard Williams, Esq M.D., Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire. TR.tVERS—BicxNELL.--On the 23d inst., at St. Paul's, Herne-hill, James Travers, Esq., R.M. Light Infantry, to Lucy Sanford, elder daughter of Elkanah Bicknell, Esq., of South-place, Herne-hill, Surrey. DEATHS. BATEMAN.—On the 24th inst., at Bath, Hugh Willoughby Bateman, Esq., aged 36. CONSTABLE.—On the 17th inst., at Cowfold, Sussex, Mary, relict of the late Rev. Richard Constable, in her 102 d year. FLETCIIER.—On the 22d inst., at the Royal Naval School, New-cross, Archibald, the son of Commander Fletcher, R.N. HoLmEs.—On the 24th inst., at 21, Danvers-street, Paul ton. square, James Holmes, Esq., miniature painter to his Majesty George IV., aged 82. NAsu.—On the 24th inst., at Walcot-place, Lambeth, James R. N as h , E sq., agd 69. STRACRIN.—On the 22d inst., at Pen) , House, Bath, Jas. Strachan, E sq ., f ormer l y of Bristol, aged 83. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county of Bliddlesox, Monday, February. 27, 1860. ~.T ~ w r . _