The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

CHINA.

TM Overland 17140nd of Chino of Feb. 15th, pub-
lishes in a supplement two comanusioations regarding
therein's* of the French from the City of Shanghae.
Ia see of them the toes is said to be 1,000 Imperial-
'''. in Wiled and wounded, and the French between 40
W ell sass, including two officers killed aid four
inslanded. Among . the former wanthe lit
livelessot of the frigate Jeanne d'Arc, who wan
abet dead while leading a storming party in an
endeavour to scale the walls. One of the letters
concludes in the following terms:—"The French
admiral has driven every native off the French
settlement, pulled down their houses, and cleared
a space for 6,000 Imperialists to come and encamp;
bet whether the French will swotted in prevailing
ea their brave allies to accompany them on a
sena trip into the city, I am somewhat doubtful ;
ken the fact that the Canon and •Fo-kien men in
the service of the Imperialists refuse to go
into the city again on any account, and the Niogpo
men are much dintu.ted and disheartened at
losing so many of their countrymen in addition to
their leader. The reports you may bear of the
determination of the insurgents to resist all French
aggression, to the last, may be relied on ; for
never was a body of men more earnest in a cause
than the present holders of the city of Shanghae.
Their feelings towards the French may be judged,
by the chiefs having sent letters to the English and
American authorities offering to surrender the city
to them, but never to the French—sooner will they

die to a man, and this, I firmly believe, to be lk
empty boast.
The whole .oeutry round Canton is in the hands
of the rebels. But for the presenoe of foreign men-
of-war the city would probably stand but for a very
'short time before the blocka&ag fleet of insurgent
kinks.

=MANOR AND BULLION.
CANTON, lith Feb.,—Oa Landon 4 7} .—On Bombay,
224 Its.-0a Calcutta, Rs.
13th Feb.—Carols. Defers'

/7 per amt. premium.
Eirmscem s, Sird Jas.—On Lemke 6.6.—0 n
L—Drato ea Castes 27 diresorkt.
OM*. _ _

CANTON, 1341 Feb.—Pates, WI dols.—Bessres.
440dols.—larkey, 280 dole.
SusaoaAs, 23rd Jaa.—atalwa, 346 &IL—Patio, 270
Sok.

71210111 AND TONSAOI.
CANTON...-TO Load°, *MOW 64. 6a. for tea.
MUMMA& —To Load°. 61. to 61. 10e. fur too.

AUSTRALIA.

(ram ova °lnc

SYDNEY, Jett. 27.
In even ordinary times I should say that an anti-
podean correspondent hat difficult task before him,
so to write of colonial matters, that mere local events
should not be protruded upon the English public as of
national importance; nor that affairs which have a
world-wide influence, should be overlooked. In the
dear old country warlike news now engross all atten-
doe, and it is a query with me, if two or three
columns of Australian intelligence would motive that
notice, the writer thereof might desire. Our Legis-
lative 'Amami is prorogued—the &puttee members

are busy up country tending their shearing—the phi-
losophical members are pondering upon the Reports of
Commmittees on Education, Intemperance, and the
Condition of the Working Classes—the practical mem-
hers are paging the water question, the sewerage, the
paving, and the lighting of this neglected city ;
whilst the Government sit with folded arms waiting
the advent of a new order of things when Sir
William Denison arrives. Thus, nothing is stirring
of any great interest ; rumours are heard about the
candidates offering for Sydney (a seat being vacant
by the retirement of Mr. Thurlow, who goes to
England). There is a slight expression of feeling
aboat a testimonial to Sir Charles Fitzroy, which is
adverse to him ; and as far as the public are con-
cerned, they seem prostrated by the overwhelming
hot weather—thermometer at 90 demo; in the shade.

This 'summer has bftu rather a ilissetrons one, so
crest a draught not having occurred sines 1839,
bush fires extending for miles around have been
numerous, and much property has been destroyed.
TLe town of Parramatta with 7,000 inhabitants

was exposed to imminent danger for some days,
and es the spiritless people there have no fire-
engine, and no authorities of any kind, they
may thank Heaven for their escape from total ,
destruction. The palings surrounding the church-
yard were burnt, and as the church Lin the
entre of the town, Parramatta narrowly escaped
a frightful cooflagratioo. Owing to the want of
eshe the various teamsters who conduct the interior
traffic, have lost many cattle. The cost of carriage
lies increased very much, and everybody has
suffered. We of the city feel the drought
is the gradually amending price of vegetables and
meat. Cabbages of moderate solidity nail fetch
is. Bd. each ; and carrots that may properly be
termed “ hippy," 2d. and 3d. each. Meat is not
very dear yet, but as the stock have no water
sad ao food. the butchers predicate increased
With all that, wages are also coming
rZi, but rents maintain high rates; building
is going on yeti vigorou.ly, but landlords are as stiff-
est:lied as ever they were. The results will be that
numbers who cannot afford high rents will go into
the rural districts—houses will become tenantless,
and then the household Pharaohs have their choice—
empty tenement, or moderate rents. The return of
the revenue for the concluding quarter of 1854, has
just been published, and in the words of the Zolpire,
"it has a very decided tendency to confirm public
confidence in the stability of our commercial and'
induarrial interest', and we cannot help congratulat-
ing the colony upon it.' The revenue meads
that of the corresponding quarter of the emending
year by 175,8246 The land sales exceed those
of the same quarter of the former year by
107,8711.
In the gold revenue there is a decrease of not less
than 25,3984., the actual receipts for licences, dn.
being 244024 The expenses of the spasm, and
' the collection bring balanced, no profit seems to
arias from Gold Commissioners, camps, troopers,
and men-hunters—the gold fields should be thrown
epee to all comers, when probably some new diggings
might be found, sod the revenue mold benefit by
the consumption of goods subject to the tariff. There
is a likelihood Victoria will abolish the hateful and
lionise fee before es.
:141meat Nugget Vein Gold Mining Company
MN their halt-yearly meeting lan. 16—a dividend
M 2, par seat. for the half year was declared, bet
direatisfeedon was expressed at the manner in which
week wasearried on. It Insane resolved "That the
Hagfish ieseses-tax canon be allowed to the
shareheiders el the United Kingdom, but that the
iaterenseereleg on the amount of the unpaid divi-,
donder which have been invested by the London
spate, should be paid them. There was also some
hagtby diapasons about the manner in which the
Asian a the Company were at present worked by
Colonial Gold Company. It appears that,
where the claims yield only a small proportion
%rip the ton, the gold company are allowed by
attract to take four-fifths of the receipts, al-
lowing the! Great Nugget Company the remaining

Iftb. Where the yield is more prolific a larger pro-
portion is
_give• to the company, in order to equalise
pelts. Bat It wee 'attended that by this
anaageessat the learnt. of the Colonial Gold Com-
pany wesid banes them to work the poor soils only
beeattsefrom them they would get the largest pro-
portion of profit. Ultimately a resolution was
adopted that the sliding male should be changed to
a fixed one. The Australian Joint Stock Bank bays
also held their usual meeting, and declared a divi-
dend of 10 per cent. per annum. The net profits of
the el: months ending December 31 were 12,8411.
Mr. T. W. Smart, the inspecting director, goes hese
in the Madras. The Bank gave him 5001. ass tee&
menial : gifts to the wealthy—the old plan !
Great dissatisfaction has been felt here at the an-
nouncement that the General Screw Steam Shipping
Company would send no ship with the mails of De-
cember 4. We are tending to the old course of
things, and seem likely to have to trust to such mail
packets as the Stratford, the Violent, and the Ma-
tilda Wattenbach. D:spite this, however, them is
not the remotest probability that the various colonies
will units and subsidise a mail company them-
selves--Melbourne is jealous of Sydney, Sydney
of Melbourne, Adelaide of both, and New Zealand
swishes to be the first port of arrival. Amidst all the
conflicting claims for priority, action is lost sight
of, and at the most exciting period of the century,
we are dependent upon mere sailing ships. The
route via Panama would give ns the quickest sews,
I but the Golden Age(s) lost by her tripe, and is now sold
for the passenger traffic between Panama and
Crlitor-
nit. We are the slow coaches of the South Pacific.
The Sydney railway company have acquiesced in
the views of the Government respecting the transfer
lof their property. On January 22nd the shareholders
met, and amongst others pared the following me
lutton :—" That the directors of the company be
authorised to make and complete such sale, and to
'transfer the whole of the said property to the Govern-
meet, for such price (not being less than the full
amount of *spitel actually paid up, with the addition
if 7 per cent. thereon), as shall be agreed upon
between the Government and the Directors,
with the guaranteed interest up to the day of
pay ment." Thus the affair is settled, and the
railway of the colony will be in Government
hands. The Australian Steam Navigation Company
met Jan. 24, and declared a dividend of 3S per cent.
for the halt-year ending Dec. 31, 1834. Their last
was at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum, but the
new steamers they have lately purchased account for
the smaller sum. The Australian General Amman
Company have declared a dividend of 7i per cent.
for the past half-yeer • the balance remaining at the
Credit of Profit and Liss Accounts is £10,462. The
affairs of the company are in a satisfactory state.
The following is a review of the prospects of the
harvest of 1854 .
Ths harvest season in the Asstralies colonies is sew
appessaing, and prices at this period vary erandieg to the
reggaes respecting the crops. Prom Van Diernen's Lead
the amonate are decidedly favourable, and there is
the sups of a fair crop in New linth Wales and in
Ibis Miles": Li Booth Australia there is a failure ea
tie Mande plains, where a large proportion of the grain
of tabus sissatry is grown. As, however, the roam of
eat eablay, even in bad seawall, has for the last tea
gaga bees greatly a emus of the requirements of tbe
and u a great additional breadth use
arseeae sews, we still look for a considerably apply
them AMalde Then the wheat crop Ia Europe is ter
Wyatt ea average, and there is a fair crop is the limited
Buts*. Panay, Catalina la sow. it Is said, @applied by
bee ewe Kalahari.", and the whole of the large Chilies
swam is available for the Australian saleable. Os the
we lied that those beet acqealated with the trade
treeliPlo not expect any material edam» this year, sad
I they anticipate a lower average prise of don, possibly to
the 'neat of 101. per toe, donag Use year 1846.

Trade is slightly revivies, and the country has been fa-
voured by plentiful raid. There is some improvement is
the broody market, but it does not realise home prises.
Several panels have been reshipped per Maid of Judah
for Laudon. Is soft goods the market is fully stocked for the
nest two pen. The wool of the penult slip is not sr well
pt up as that of last year. 4.000 bales ass to be exported
direct to Frame, by which 20 per cent is saved to the
French market.

The Ellshborough, which sails Jaw. 28, has 1874 bales of
wool for Loudon, 139 of which were shipped at Newcastle.
1 on sorry to may that the Dry Dock is siot rat open, owing
to On...inking a she mimeos when its. first vale) wee pro-
paring to eater. Dunne done, about £lOO, sod delay a
month. The sails of Nur. 9, by Madras (.t.), were cm
days over due.

AMOUNT Or GOLD DUST AND Srscii AIIIPPID.—
Gammons, 195 on. 12 dyes —30401. Ilsosab, 1,800 0r..-
1,8001. Argo, (0.) 4,103 no. 4 dais. Oliver Lag, 280 ow.
IChiaa, 259 op.-3,6001 Vtainin, 178 oa.. 13 dwta.-6001.