The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-23 00:00:00

INDIA.

The late mail has been barren of news, as has been
usual lately.
Energetic efforts are to he made to establish the elec•
trio telegraph in Pegu. Major Durvernet, of the trigo.
nometrieal survey, has been appointed superintendent,
and it is expected that the posts will be erected by
February next. After being once established from
Rangoon to Prome, it will be carried across the
Arracan mountains, by Chittagong, to Calcutta. At
Rangoon there was great activity in the dockyard,
about twenty large gun-boats being in course of
building.
From Central Asia we have nothing of importance
to report. The Persians are said to be strengthen
ing themselves at Merw, and the Russians continue
to negotiate with the Herat chief, who has been
complaining to Dost Mahomed that the Candahar
chiefs continue to despoil him of portions of his terri-
tory.
CHINA.

The China news brought by the overland mail is
of high importance. Not only had an impor-
tant town in the neighbourhood of Canton been taken
by the insurgents, but Canton itself was senously
threatened. " The town of Canton (says the Over-
land Friend of China of July) is now the point at
all anxiety, and though not in the actual possession
of rebels, it is apparently the next thing to it. As we
write a letter had arrived, from which we learn that
firing and fighting had been going on on the hills in
the rear of the city for several hours, and every one
was anxious to see what the result would be. Busi-
ness at a complete stand still, and all Chinese pos-
sessing the means moving away as fast as possible.
The plans for capturing Canton appear to have been
laid with much foresight and skill. All the troops
that could be sent from the garrison were first at-
tracted to the Toong-koon district. That being
effected, Ho-Aluk, the rebel leader, then moved up
the river towards Fat-shan, passing with a body of
three thousand picked men, it has been ascertained,
within a couple of miles of the foreign factories.
Fat-Khan (a rich town some ten miles above Can-
ton) being occupied, and the residents laid under
tribute, Ho-Aluk's bands now assail the Tartar en-
campment at the northward of the city. Two nights
ago they made an attempt to enter the city at its
northern and eastern gates, and not until they bad
captured two mandarins, and killed and wounded
several others, did they desist from the attack. As
for the provinces, it is entirely at the mercy of the
Triad societies, who have taken up arms against the
governing authorities, and have made themselves
masters of some of the chief towns on the banks of
the Canton river, thus cutting off the whole of the
trade with the interior. A party of British, and one
also of Americans, had visited the rebels, but both
parties received insults, and were lucky in escaping
with their lives.

For the protection of British property at, Canton
the Comus, fourteen guns, is moored off the factories,
and the sloop Racehorse is to go up from this to join
her there in a day or two. The Americans have the
steamers Queen and John Hancock and schooner J.
F. Cooper, with a couple of chop-boat►, and some four
score men from the Vincennes, at Whampoa. This
force is strong enough to effect anything necessary.
The French corvette La Jeanne d'Arc remains at
Macao, where we trust she will stay until the Portu-
guese corvette Dom Joao returns from Ningpo.
French interests at Canton are not very great, and not
likely to suffer much by the forthcoming enseute.
Matters were highly unsatisfactory in the north.
From Shanghae we have news by the Rarracouta,
from which we gather that the affairs of the rebels
were gradually growing more desperate. They had
received some reinforcements in numbers, but want
and sickness were making sad havoc within the walls,
and dissensions were fast springing up amongst
them.
A return of British shipping at Shanghae, published
in the North China Herald by order of her Ma-