The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-15 00:00:00

HONG BONO.

DEC. 28.—This moniliege;;ii;e old contrast un-
der which news to and from England was carried,
direct,
_once a month. In future the mails go
twice—mid monthly to Bombay—at the close to
Calcutta. The arrangement dom not give f me-
tal satisfaction in this part of the world ; it is
only, however, in accordance with the spirit of
this " feat " age, and there is no use in grumbling.
In future, we suppese, we must have a semi-
monthly, ea well as a semi-weekly issue, of the
/Woad of China, a plan which, while it will
leave lees to do at the last, will necessarily
yield our readers abroad a smaller amount of in
formation at one time. At present we have but
little to tell of more than will be found among our
regular supply of extracts. The garrison still. ren-
ders • fair sanatory report. Last month the total
number of sick was 76—this there is a decrease to
38 (against 88 at the same period last year, and 167
at similar period in 1860). Of deaths since last
report there have been three—one of the 511th Regi-
ment from bowel complaint, and two of the Ceylon
Rifle Corps from fever. The hospital list yesterday
morning stood as follows :—Her Majesty's 69th
Regiment, 23; Ordnance Department, 3; Ceylon
Rib Regiment, 17; Gan Lamm It. Total, 68.
The Samarang takes home the invalids.

INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO.
JAVA.

BATAVIA, Dec. 29, 1862.—We have this month a
series of disasters which will make the month of
December, 1852, to be long remembered, by European
merchants especially. For some years past we have
enjoyed unexampled prosperity, but in a moment of
comparative security a commercial storm has broke
out, involving many in a common ruin. During the
current month no less than nine failures have occurred
lamong the Chinese merchants, and it is feared that
some others will sink beneath the weight of existing
difficulties. Two of the recent failures were con-
sidered the wealthiest and most substantial of the
Chinese camp. The known liabilities are three
mil-
lions of guilders, or about one million Spanish dollars,
whilst their assets are not expected to realize one half
the amount of their debts. The Maateithappy, or trad-
ing company, are large creditors, and next to them the
English houses are the principal sufferers, averaging
from 10,0001. to 23,0001. each firm. Such terror

have these failures inspired that the Bank will not
discount a bill which has a Chinese name on it, and
the merchants have withdrawn ad credit from the
Chinese trader, except three, who are supported to
save a general crash amongst the European houses
themselves. It is feared that we have not reached
the worst, and that others will be drawn into this
tradal vortex, notwithstanding all their efforts to
avoid it. Bulimia is now at a stand. In the midst
of all this commercial hubbub, the elements have
been threatening the total destruction of the city
itself and all its inhabitants. On the 21st instant,
at 17 minutes to 1 in the morning, we were awoke
from our slumbers by a load shock of an earth-
quake, which continued about one minute, in
the direction from S.E. to N.W., preceded by a
heavy rambling noise. The shocks were re
but with lam noksce. The walls of several
were rent, bat no serious damage ensued. At Bui-
tensorg, the place of residence of the Governor-
General and many of the Indies inhabitants, the
shocks were more severely felt in a direction from
south to north. Several houses were cracked, and

some outbuildings were thrown down. The shooks
lasted about musty seconds. The palace of the Go-
vernor.-Cieneral and other buildings were injured, but
not seriously, and happily no lives were lost. At
Batavia our fears of instant destruction by terrine
convulsion were scarcely quieted when. at four o'clock
the same morning, a fire broke out, which threatened
• general conflagration, but happily this calamity
was timely arrested, and the fury of the flames con-
fined to about 20 houses. To wind up the local
events of the month, a new Dutch Indianian, which
arrived here on the 27th inst., with a full cargo of
merchandise, was totally destroyed by fire at anchor
in the Roads. The cargo of the ship De Wena was
valued at a half a million of florins, of which the
only pert saved consisted of 160,000 florins in specie
belonging to the government.
Mr. Gibson, the American gentleman, who, in his
yacht, the Flirt, it will be remembered, was arrested
by the Dutch authorities at Palembang, on a charge
of high treason, in exciting the Rajah of Djambi to
wage war with the Dutch, and imprisoned at Batavia
now nearly twelve months, still remains incar-
cerated. The Court of Justice has on three enure
occasions pronounced an acquittal, and erased the
schooner to be delivered up to Mr. Gibeeta, but the
Procureur-General, on various pretexts, untried; to
keep the accused in gaol, without any Ibrinal trial.
Mr. Gibson is about to make another attempt, and
on the 3rd proximo his case will, for a fourth time,
be brought before the court, to see whether its
authority can any longer be set at naught
through the manceuvres of the Procureur-General.
On a representation of the commander of an American
frigate here some some months ago the authorities
promised a speedy determination of the protracted
suit; but this promise has been treated with much
indifference. _

From some of the provinces, reports hare been re-
ceived of the great ravages of the cholera, and the
utmost exertions are being made by the government
to arrest the progress of this fatal disease.

MTITERIOUS MURDER OF A FARMER NEAR
BILUITOL.—The neighbourhood of Bishop Sutton and adja-
cent places have been greatly exalted during the past two
or three days by the mysterious death of a farmer named
George Elms, who was found dead by the side of the road,
near the village, en Tuesday morning, by some colliers
going to work. On examining the body, there were two
wounds on the head, and one on the hoe; a quantity of
blood was found in the middle of the road, and the body
was lying in a singular positlbn, on the knees, with the face
in the mud, and the hands on the front of the head, a' if to
protect it. Elms had been drinking. An inquest was com-
menced on Friday, before Mr. Barges Fry, and afterwards
adjourned. A post ',torten§ examination in to take place,
when the met cause of death will probably be dis-
covered.

THE LATE ACCIDENT AT WOXERALET. —On
Wednesday last, Captain Calton, the Government Inspec-
tor of Railways, accompanied by Mr. Sturrock, the inspeo-
tor of the locomotive department of the great Northern
Railway, visitei the scene of the accident which occurred
at Womenley on the 24th uit., when, it will be remem-
bered, an engine gut off the rails front the breaking of the
tire of one of the lading-wheels, and fell down an embank-
ment 20 feet high, carrying along with it a horse•boz and
guard's van. Captain Galion examined the broken tire,
which had evidently been imperfectly welded, and also
inspected the locality where the accident occurred; and
his opinion, we are informed, substantially corroborated
that of the Akers of the company, viz., that this accident
was a pen casualty.