The Press.
London, England, 1858-05-01 00:00:00

THE PRESS, MAY 1, 1858.

lurked in the huts. One sat by the side of a body covered
with clotted blood, and tenderly caressed the dreadful
form. Another was creeping along with a heap of rags on
her back—her journey very near its close. Inside one of
the inclosures one of the officers told me there lay dead a
pretty little boy of some seven or eight years of age, his
back torn open by a grapeshot, and beside him shrieked
and chattered his pet parroquet in a cage, just as it had
fallen from his hands as he was flying with it across the
cornfields. Some kind hand liberated the poor bird.
These are the accidental, but necessary, incidents of war.
Our soldiers are not unmoved by them; and the officer
who discovered the sad sight I have mentioned told me
that he was greatly pleased the day before by the kindness
of some soldiers of the 79th to a very ugly and dirty little
Hindoo, whom they had found in one of the villages.
With their rough hands they washed him, combed his
hair, patted him kindly on the head, and fed him, drying
up his tears, and telling him in their vernacular, " Not to
be afraid—that no one should hurt him."—lb.

Sir Colin Campbell will no doubt follow up his
success with all the vigour the hot weather will admit
of. The rebels had fled in the direction of Seetapore.
Nothing however can touch a runaway sepoy, and, as
the hot season is rapidly coming on, iti s possible the
fugitives may yet give us some trouble. Meantime,
Oude is to be pacified by a proclamation :

It will, I am informed, announce honours and rewards
for all the landholders who have stood faithful through all
vicissitudes, confirmations of their titles, and, in many
instances, considerable grants and gifts. It will also pro-
mise to all inhabitants who may submit before a certain
date a full and free pardon and amnesty, and to all land-
owners, with named exceptions, their lives, and anything
they may obtain from the clemency of Government. The
mutinous soldiery are, however, entirely excepted from the
benefit of the amnesty, which moreover is strictly confined
to Oude. The order is published at the right time, after
the fall of Lncknow, and must produce a tranquillizing
effect.—Times Calcutta cur.

With respect to the rest of India, the Calpee
rebels are again threatening Cawnpore

They will hardly, however, venture on an attack, and,
now that the chiefs attention is released, will find them-
selves surrounded. Large gangs of marauders incessantly
cross the river into the Delhi division, plunder a village
or two, and retire, the stream being fordable in a hundred
places.

Nana Sabib is said to be still at Shabjebanpore,
and the principal rebels are stated to he with him ;
the rebels are also reported to have again entered
the Futtyghur district and attacked Keuwall, and
driven off the police posted there.
Rewah is once more reported restless, and Bun-
delcund also :

It is a bad tract, disaffected to the backbone, as all the
districts are in which the hereditary aristocracy have re-
tained their power. If there is one point settled by the
mutinies, it is that we have under estimated the affection
borne to this class by the peasantry. It seems to Eng-
lishmen almost incomprehensible that men should like to
be oppressed, and that these men are oppressots it needs
no evidence at this time of day to prove.

The Punjaub was tranquil.
Gulab Singh, the brother of Shere Singh, to whom,
it will be remembered, the Government gave a mili-
tary appointment a short time ago, has, we learn,
"succeeded in raising eleven hundred Sikhs for the
public service, who are now on their way from the
Punjaub to Allahabad."

The Governor General remained at Allahabad.
At Calcutta confidence was greatly restored by in-
telligence of the fall of Lucknow. In Bombay and
Southern India generally the last remnants of insur-
rection were rapidly subsiding.

The trial of the King of Delhi was concluded, but
the verdict had not yet been delivered. It was
generally believed that the King would be sent to the
Andaman Islands. The defence of the King was that
he acted throughout under compulsion.
Yeh, the Chinese Commissioner, had arrived at
Calcutta, and was imprisoned in Fort William.

CHINA.

Up to the 15th March matters remained much in
statu quo at Canton, and trade had not revived, yet
an important imperial edict had come down from
Pekin on the oth. Yeh's conduct in exciting the ire
of " the barbarians" is emphatically condemned.
Peh-qui (governor), Muh Kitenar (commandant),
and the other principal officers, for their share in the
loss of the city, are handed over to the board of
punishment (equivalent to trial in our service by
court-martial). Though handed over to the punish-
ment board, Peh is still to exercise the office of
viceroy, vice Yeh, degraded until the nominated
successor arrives. Peh lost not a moment on receipt
of the edict to intimate a wish to enter on negotia-
tions at once ; but the Earl of Elgin had left for
the North on the 3rd, and the desire could not be
gratified.

The Spanish Government had joined the allied
powers in their share of the expedition, and had sent
over 500 soldiers of the Manila garrison. For the
present, says the Friend of China, these men will be

employed in the capacity of police at Canton, and it
is said the whole of the English marines, as well as
the Dative troops, will be brought to Hong Kong—
the 59th leaving this garrison for Canton, perma-
nently, until relieved by another Queen's regiment.

The Russian and American Ministers have left
Canton, but do not appear to have accompanied Lord
Elgin, or to be with Baron Gros, who remains at
Hong Kong.

➢ir. Oliphant and the Viscount de Contades have
proceeded on to Soochow, accompanied by the con•
suls at Shanghai for England and France, and the
consular agent for America, for the purpose of de-
livering a letter for the Emperor. The letter was
readily received by the Governor of Kiangsu, and
would be promptly forwarded.

The Imperial Edicts alluded to in the above sum•
wary are as follows :

IMPERIAL EDICT.

Mur•ki•tenar and Peh-kwei, in a joint memorial fir-
warded by express, have reported to as that the Barba-
rians have rushed into their provincial city, &c.
Holding the office of Imperial Commissioner for the
direction of the affairs of the Barbarians, Yeh Ming-ching
ought to have devised means to keep in check the said
Barbarians if their demands were indeed so unreasonable
and extravagant that they could not be granted, also he
ought to have conferred with the commandant, the
governor, and other officers of the city, so that measures
for soothing and controlling them might have been season-
ably adopted.
But while the said Barbarians did twice address com•
munications to the commandant (" Tartar General") the
governor ( Peh-kwei) and the major generals of Canton, the
said Governor-General Yeh Ming-ching never once asso-
ciated them with himself in council or in action—nay,
many things that were contained in the communications
(from the Barbarians) he kept secret, and would not
divulge. Thus, day after day, for a long time, he dallied
with and put off the Barbarians, till, excited to wrath, they
suddenly entered the provincial oity.

So very self-sufficient and obstinate was he, perverse and
reckless, utterly disregarding the duties of his high com-
mission.

Let Yeh Miog•chin, therefore, be immediately degraded
from office.

To the other provincial officers of Canton—Muhkitenar
the commandant, Pehkwei the governor, Chwangki and
Chwangliog major-generals, Hangki the commissioner of
customs, Kiang Kwohlin the commissioner of finance, and
Chan Kipin the commissioner of justice—though all or
more less guilty of a dereliction of their duties in affording
protection ( to the city), yet inasmuch as they were not in
the council of the said governor-general some indulgence
may be shown. Therefore to all these let our favour be
shown ; and, instead of dealing with them rigorously, ac-
cording •to the fall measure of their guilt, as they have
requested, let them be delivered over to the board of
punishment. This is from the Emperor.

IMPERIAL EDICT.

Let the governor-generalships of Kwangtnng and
Kwangsi be given to Kwang Tsunghan, and let him pro-
ceed immediately by express to perform the duties of that
station ; also let him receive and hold the seals of im-
perial commissioner, so that he may manage the affairs of
the Barbarians.

Until he shall have reached and entered on the duties
of that station, let whatever *pertains to the office of the
imperial commissioner and to that of the governor•general
of Kwangtung and Kwangsi be taken charge of by
Pelikwei ; and let the office of governor of Kwangtang be
temporarily filled by Kiang Kwohlin. This is from the
Emperor.
Dated lath moon,l4th day (Jan. 28, 1858).
The following proclamation has been posted at all
the open gates of the new and old cities, Canton,
and at other public thoroughfares :

Peh, Commissioner of the Tai Tsing (dynasty) and
Great Minister, exercising the Governor-Generalship over
the two Kwang, makes plain his commands concerning the
business referred to below.

Whereas the two great nations, England and France,
with our country were well at peace ; when Yeh, the
governor-general of the two Kwang, by misgoverning, pro-
duced disturbances On the 18th day of the 12th moon of
Heinfung's seventh year the imperial decree was received,
specially appointing Wang Chung-han as Imperial Com.
missioner, Great Minister, and Governor-General of the
two Kwang, to quietly consult in the regulating and settling
of the present disturbed state of affairs.
Wang Chung-han not having arrived to take office, the
present incumbent Peh-qni was put forward to occupy as
Governor-General, pro tem. ; and, with consultation, set
things in order. Fearing that the various classes of soldiers
and citizens may not be able to fully understand, there-
fore are these commands issued for your instruction, who
ought to look up with acquiescence to the holy design of
the Emperor, who purposes that natives and foreigners
shall be one family ; that those and these shall be cordial
friends, establishing a durable and firm peace for ever,
being mutually (inlet ; not, for certain, entertaining doubts
and fears in the heart, and confusedly moving away.
Rather give no opportunity to thievish scamps to take
advantage of your confusion to plunder, after which re-
pentance cannot be obtained. Each should tremblingly
obey, and not oppose this special proclamation.
Hien Fang, Bth year, lit month, 22nd day (March 7th).