The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-15 00:00:00

THE INSURRECTION IN CHINA.

We have received our journals and despatches in
anticipation of the overland maiL The dates are:—
Bombay, Sept. 12 ; Calcutta, August 27; and Hong
Kong, August 23. The letter of our Bombay corres-
pondent is as follows :

BOMBAY, SSP? 12.
The mail starts this morning at noon, five days
before the usual date, the vessel conveying it being
one of the Honourable Company's magnificent steam
frigates, which will tumble across to Aden perhaps
in a fortnight, or at the rate of four miles an hour !
The Auckland is the slowest of all the slow coaches
we have, and furnishes a capital proof of the truth of
the statements made at the public meeting which
took place on the 4th inst. in reference to the
wretchedness of our mail arrangements. 'l'he said
meeting was numerously attended. Mr. John Smith,
of the firm of W. Nicol and Co., was in the chair,
and delivered a masterly speech on the occasion, the
only fault of it being, as stated by another speaker,
that it left little or nothing for any one else to say !
Several gentlemen spoke at the meeting with the
happiest effect, and it was resolved to address a
memorial to the Lords Commissioners of her
Majesty's Treasury, praying for immediate
reform in mail arrangements, to prepare
which Messrs. B. Willis, J. Smith, J. Berkiev, and
H. Gilmour, were elected a committee. It is pro-
bable the memorial will go home by next mail, bear-
ing the signature of the entire community of the
presidency who have any correspondence at all with
the mother country. The state is believed to pay
upwards of 100,0001 for the conveyance of our mails,
whereas the work could be infinitely better done for
half the sum by private parties willing to undertake
it. Lord Falkland continues at Dapoorie, in the
enjoyment of good health, at any rate if not a quiet
mind. His lordship is every now and then favoured
by the press with a reminder of his sins both of
omission and commission, but seems to take things
very philosophically. Colonel Melvill, the military
secretary, goes homes shortly—and Mr. Luard
is said to have applied for a commission
to hear his evidence on sundry scatters
before he leaves—poor man, he probably
hopes his request may be complied with. Most
people here think Messrs. Grant and Le Geyt have
every chance of being restored to their position in
the Sudder Adawlut, and Mrs. Caroline Le Geyt's
letter to the Times in defence of her absenthusbaud,
bin been applauded throughout the community. Lord
Frederick Fitzclarence has been on a visit to
Seroor to inspect the Poona Irregular Horse there
stationed, as well as to select a site for the great mi-
litary encampment to be formed on the 25th Novem-
ber next, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Poona.
The troops to form the army of exercise I have
already named to you some few mouths back;
they are to remain in camp for one mouth
only. The activity of the chief seems to be
greatly disrelished by a few of the gentle-
man affected by it—but by the overwhelming
majority of the officers he is assisted with the utmost
cordiality and good will. Colonel 1). Davidson,
Commissary General, goes either to Egypt or Eng-
land immediately ; Major Pope, now at the Neilgher-
ries on sick leave, will of course regain his health the
moment he hears this, and return to his duty, and
act for Colonel Davidson during his absence, receiv-
ing half his staff salary. In my last I did not
mention the death of Lieutenant C. W. Barr (son of
General 1). Barr), superintendent of police at Surat,
which occurred on the 13th of August. Major
Ottley, of the invalids, has been fully acquitted by
the court before which he was tried at the Neilgher-
ries, and the members have all returned to their duty,
after an absence of six months. A pretty penny this
court-martial must have cost the government. Major
Legrand Jacob, political agent in Catch, has been
alarmingly ill, but has been pronounced out
of danger. Mr. George Hancock, attorney, be-
ing about to proceed home, has resigned his
offices as clerk to her Majesty's Justices of
the Peace and Board of Conservancy, and
been succeeded by Mr. C. F. Collier, also an attorney
of the Supreme Court. General Staveley's appoint-
ment to the command of the Madras army is said to
have been officially announced. During his com-
mand of the Poona division, and temporary com-
mand of the Bombay army, he has been universally
liked and esteemed, and a better commander-in-chief
the Madrassees need not wish for. The convert
Balaram Gun put, whose death from poison I men-
tioned in my last, was, it seems, buried in a Christian
cemetery, as the ceremony of circumcision had not
been performed on him, and he was not, therefore,
looked on as a Mahomedan. The poor man's mind
had been unsettled for some time before he left the
Mission-house, and took up his abode in the Maho•
medan mosque.
Colonel James Outram has by this time reached
Calcutta • the ltajpootana agency will, it is expected,
be conferred on him, unless, as some imagine, he
prefers being sent north to watch certain machina-
tions reported to be in operation not likely to prove
of benefit to our empire in India, if allowed to make
head uninterrupted by counter-influence. Wo have
had close on 70 inches of rain, and may have a few
more yet, but the monsoon may be said to have
closed. Trade has
.again opened, aid a tolerably
good amount of business has been done in imports.
Rates of freight have fallen to 21. 15s. to 21. 17s. 6d.
to Liverpool ; there aro no vessels on the berth for
London. Exchange is at 2s. 14d., 6 months for
credit bills. The money market continues easy. The
weather is warm when rain is not falling, and there
seems to be rather a large amount of sickness pre-
vailing amongst the inhabitants.