The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-24 00:00:00

AN ADVENTURE IN CHINA.

We have been favoured with the following
extract of a letter from a British officer serving
with the English expedition in China to a relative
in Liverpool, which will be read with interest.
It also contains some new facts as to the plunder
of the Imperial Palace, and the abominable
character of Chinese idolatry :
The quantity of loot taken in the Emperor's summer
palace is something surprising. I heard a remark made
by an officer of some rank that if you had been in there
half an hour you might have made your fortune, and
that something was to be picked up in five minutes ;
but the officers' loot had all to be given up again, and
sold by auction for the good of those who were actually
present at the capture. I have seen some very valuable
things in the hands of officers—old enamelled bronze,
watches set in jewels, richly worked silk and crape
dresses ; even the men who were there have a good
stock of rich dresses, and which they sell pretty cheap,
being quite unable to take them away with them. I
bought some small pieces of rich embroidery for about
4d, and Gd. each, in England they would be worth
from i,3 to £4 a-piece. I packed up also a couple of
josses (idols) to add to my collection, which now consist
of five.

From the descriptions I have heard there must have
been in some of the temples some (and not a few) of the
most obscene idols, &c., that could well be imagined.
I heard many of the private soldiers say that what-they
saw was too bad even to make a joke of among them-
selves ; in fact it was a shame even to speak of such
things.
I think I must now give you an account of a little
adventure I had the other day, which was as follows :
We were to start for this place in the afternoon. One
day, when wanting some things for the passage, I
walked ahead into the town proper and made some
purchases, agreeing to meet my boat at a certain point
when they passed. I was, however, longer than I
expected in my purchases, and missed the boats' but
gave chase till I came to a critical position. Well, it
was just dark when I arrived at this awkward place,
the work at the ferry had stopped for the night, so there
was nothing for it but to go back, or to go through the
town to the bridge, and so continue the chase, which
latter course I took; but I did not reckon on the diffi-
culties, for as soon as I got into the town it was quite
dark, and after wandering about for some time over a
varied number of bridges, I found that I was in the
pleasant position of knowing neither the way there or
back again, and among folk that sometimes when they
catch you alone and unarmed (as I was) take a fancy to
your head. However, as few people were about, I got
on without being seen much. At last I met a China-
man alone, and explained to him as well as I could
where I wanted to go to, and Jae undertook to show me
for the parcel of sugar that I carried; but after leading
me a long way he left me laughing, and I not liking
my. position
thought it best to find a place to lie down
in for the night, where I should be out of sight, so
having come upon a field that had just got rid of its
crop of turnips I Walked into the middle of it, and lay
down, thoroughly tired, and, after sleeping with the
parcel of sugar for my pillow for about two hours,
woke up with a decided sensation of cold all over and
stiff as a post ; so thinking a walk the best cure, I set
off in hopes of finding some place that I knew, and
after various and sundry tumbles down banks, &c., I
came upon another Chinaman, who looked respectable,
so tried where ho would lead me to, and after about an
hour's walk he left me with a French sentry, so thinking
that I could not get a safer place, I managed to gain
over the assistance of the sentry in making a little
kennel out of bundles of millet stalks, where I lay till
morning, and got up very cold and very stiff. How-
ever, as walking is the best cure for the latter complaint,
I started on the chase again at once, and finding the
people at the ferry at work, had no difficulty in crossing
to the right bank (only I had to pay my passage with a
handful of sugar as I had not a single coin about me).
I walked on till about seven a.m., when I came up
with a boat carrying stores for sale in the army : of the
owner of this boat I begged some breakfast and a good
rest, after which I started again, and in about two
hours overtook my own boat, much to my satisfaction;
and not without a feeling that I ought to be thankful
to Him who preserved me, not only from all actual
danger, but also kept me so that I did not suffer from
the unusual exposure to the cold.
P.S.—I did not mention that on waking in the
morning, after looking round a little, I found I had
come by an unknown road to nearly the place from
which I first started the chase.

The New York, Liverpool, and Philadelphia Com-
pany's steamer Vigo, which left the river yesterday, for
New York, took £59,000 in speCie on freight.
MA DAME SALIN' TON-DOLAY.--;WC have great pleasure
in announcing that this charming singer has just added
to her family circle a fine boy—mother and child doing
well. This happy event took place at eight o'clock
yesterday morning, and the news was telegraphed to:
Liverpool early in the afternoon.
VOLUNTEER COMMISSIONS signed by the Lord-Lieut.
of the County Palatine of Lancaster.-4th Lancashire
Artillery Volunteer Corps.—Second Lieut. George Sin-
clair Robinson to be First Lieut., vice Low, promoted;
Henry William Moon, gent., to be Second Lieut., vice
Robinson, promoted.—Memorandum : Her Majesty has
been graciously pleased' to accept the resignation of the
commission held by Lieut. Arthur Richard ?hind© in
the 10th Lancashire Rifle Yokuntper Corps. •

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' BALL.
The annual charity ball of the Licensed Victuallers'
Association was held last night, at the Town-hall. The
liberality and respectability of the licensed victuallers of
this town is undoubted; and the unexceptionable man-
net in which their annual gatherings have hitherto
been conducted, has won for them a popularity wkich is
not surpassed by those of any other of our local associa-
tions. We are glad to state that the pre,ttlge acquired
in former years was not diminished in the least by the
demonstration last night ; that the arrangements were
excellent, the attendance numerous and brilliant, and the
success unquestionable. Indeed, it could not tell have been
otherwise, when honoured by the patronage tind presence
of his Worship the Mayor. The ball was in aid of the
funds of the Benevolent Institution, and was in every Way
worthy of so charitable a purpose. Besides the leading
members of the trade, the attendance included a large
number of the general public, and a fair sprinkling of
volunteers and others of her Majesty's servants, who, it
is almost needless to say, attended in uniform. From
eight o'clock in the evening, until nearly midnight,
fresh relays of visitors continued to arrive, and the
festivities were prolonged with unflagging spirit until ". the
crowing cock bespoke the growing day." The follow-
ing gentlemen officiated as stewards :—Thomas Clarke,
Esq., Henry Danson, Esq., John Allinson, Esq., James
Sykes, Esq., James Thompson, Esq., John Atkinson,
Esq., and Richard Lumb, Esq., with the committee,
among whom Mr. Coward was especially conspicuous
for his attention. In the course of the evening the
committee and a few of their friends assembled in one
of the ante-rooms, when his Worship the Mayor. in a
bumper of champagne, proposed the health of the
chairman, the vice-cairman, and the members of the
committee. He congratulated them on the success of
the ball, and expressed the great gratification which he
felt in having been present. His Worship also paid
some well-merited compliments to the association for
the prudence and success with which its affairs were
administered, and spoke in very warm terms of—the
benevolent nature of the objects which the association
had succeeded in so largely promoting.—Mr. Condlett,
the secretary of the Manchester Association of
Licensed Victuallers, then proposed the health of
his Worship the Mayor and his lady, a toast
which was received with vociferous cheers. His Worship
replied, expressing the regret which Mrs. Graves had
experienced in not having it in her power to attend the
ball, owine, to sickness in the family ; the satisfaction
which he felt, as chief magistrate of Liverpool, in being
able so thoroughly to sympathise with the efforts of the
committee of the association in their laudable efforts to
relieve distress, and uphold the respectability of the
important body'which they represented. Several other
toasts were given and replied to with enthusiasm, when
the gentlemen again joined the dancers. Mr. Henry
Giddens officiated as master of the ceremonies, and per-
formed his duties to the satisfaction of everyone. The
dancers were kept actively engaged by two efficient
quadrille bands, under the able superintendence of Mr.
Squire Greenwood, which were engaged for the occasion.
The programme comprised selections from the most
popular modern polkas, quadrilles, mazurkas, and plops.
Refreshments of a superior quality were provided by the
committee, to whom great praise is due for the very
satisfactory manner in which they conducted the enter-
tainment.