The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-27 00:00:00

CHINA.

The Overhand China Mail (Hong Kong, Dee. 15)
*aliments upon the dismissal from the Chinese
service of Mr. H. N. Lay, who, for several years
back, has filled the post of Inspector-General of
Customs :

The muse of this dinnimal (says the Mina Mail)
L understood to be that Mr. Lay's demands upon tM
Chinese government were not only preposterous themselves,
bat somewhat arropatly urged. Ou this head, however, we
have no particulars, but must refer inquirers to the des-
patches sent to her Majesty's government by Oeptain Osborn
a fortnight ago. Mr. Lay's &mimed is not regretted,
either by the customs employes, or by the foreign
mercaatale community of China. His StICONNOT, Mr. R.
esters adios with t►e general good wishes and
of the whole aseresetile body. We shall not
kimoeforth hear of say gourds between the merchant'
and the customs. The germ of this affair has been the
paadron which arrived in Chins some time age under the
command of Captain Shined (Moro. The come which
Captain Osborn should probably have pursued, was to bees
reported himself, as his arrival at the Tweeze river, to
the Ooveraor•Osawal of the Two Kiang, and to have given

him delivery of the fleet. Mr. Lay, however is reported
to have demanded the' direct recognition by Prises
Kong of Captais Osborn, and to have declined
delivering over the vessels to any local provincial officer.
Teen liwo.fan, to whom the Chinese government desired
the vessels to be given, is ► man of great note, and rules
over not less than 20,000,000 of people, besides penman(
most extensive influence in the Chinese empire. Yr. Ley,
of all men, was to have been expected to bare avoided the
mistake of ignoring this mandarin ; and people here are
surprised that he should have persevered throughout in the
name course of action. We have nothing to add to what we
stated a fortnight ago. The Rest is 'till reported as being
about to sail for England ; and the whole affair premiss. to
he one of the most disgraceful matters with which the
British name has ever been mixed up.

Hang-Chow, it was thought, would moon fall,
and, failing other means, " the imperialists will be
able to starve the rebels out of Nanking. Between
surrender and death, the Soochow army will, no
doubt, cease to exist."
With regard to Major Gordon and the rebels, we
have to report that Soochow has fallen. Gordon
attacked the city, at 8 a.m., on the sth of Decem-
ber, and entered the place on the same morning.
Dissension had broken out amongst the rebels, and
a party of them, desirous of surrendering the city,
cut the Mo Wang's head of." Rumour says that
30,000 wanted to surrender, and that 2,000 had
remained true to the cause ; and, moreover, that
of the latter number some still hold out in the
different parts of the city.

The beheading al the Mo Wa og (mays the China Neil)
has not only facilitated the capture of Somhow, but mat
go a great way to demoralise the rebels generally.
Haag-Chow and Kukla cased keep up commusiestice ;
Led as the rebels have Dot sow (ea they had la 1860, rhea
they burst through the besiegers ef liaalria) army here
army to help them from Khasi's. or anywhere elm. they