The Express.
London, England, 1858-11-29 00:00:00

CHINA.

Oar advices from Hong Kong are to October 13.
The Chinese Commissioner, made their appearance
at Shanghae on Sunday, the 3rd of October, in the
evening. The next morning, at seven o'clock, they
landed at the Soochow bridge, where the Taontai of
Shanghae and his assistant mandarins had bees
waiting for them in state for two days. Bweilang
and Hwuhana were at once carried into the city,
and broke out in expressions of astonishment on be-
holding the immense fleet in the harbour. On the
day of their arrival there were no fewer than 141
sail in the port, about one-third of them being of
considerable tonnage.
Up to the 4th of October nothing bad beea done,
nor had even the preliminary official visits been
arrested, sa the Commiesionen required rest after
their loamy, and in addition were waiting for the
arrival of Poontinqua from Canton, before prooeed-
ing to the revision of the tariff. With :nerd to this
latter point it is supposed that the duties on tea and
silk will remain unchanged, in spite of a strong
feeling in favour of a reduction on the former article.
The duty on imports will, however, be probably
reduced as nearly as possible to • live per cent. ad
valorem rate.

Lord Elgin is said to be " hand and glove" with
the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, and is acquir-
ing great personal popularity in the north.
Nothing has been done at Shanghai for England
in teas, but in silk there have been liberal purchases.
For America there have been large investments in
green teas at extravagant prime. The NartA Chum
Herald points out the unhealthy state of specula-
tion in this article for the American market, and
the causes that lead to it. Prices are subject to an
unreal variation, from the sudden diminition of the
stocks of tea in the aes-board towns, owing to large
purchases for inland dealers whenever the prices
fall. These purchases, often amounting to two or
three years' consumption, produce fluctuations in the
market which do not at all correspond with the
changes in the effectual demand.

If the China Mail is correctly informed, Lord
Elgin received instructions from home to propose a
clause in the treaty with China surrendering the
Cowloong Peninsula to the colony of Hoag Kong;
but he either did not receive these instructions until
after the treaty was concluded, or determined to
leave the matter to be settled in the supplementary
treaty. There is great probability, however, that
this cession will be made. Such an acquisition will
tend to prevent house rout in Hong Kong rising
to an enormous height, and theoz:ite shore
mos
t agreeable place of residence during
the south-west monsoon.

HONG KONG, Ocr. 13.
A fearful typhoon peeled over Swatow, com-
mencing at 11 p.m. on the 21st Sept. The barometer
was then 29.85. At 2 a.m. on the following morning,
when the gale was at its heightaber. 28.41), a storm
wave, 25 feet perpendicular, came in from onwards,
sweeping everything before it, and driving the ships
from their anchorage over a long mud-flat, two
miles across, with not more than 2 to 3 feet water
cm it. The tide rose from 18 to 20 fest. It is said
that upwards of two handled junks are wrecked,
and the loss of life amongst them is very great. The
houses on Double Island are in ruins, and the
strength of the wind may be gathered from the fact
that godowna on the water-front with walls two
feet and a half thick were actually carried away.
The bungalows have disappeared.
The hurricane seems to have been local ; or, if it
travelled, it has done so inland. At Amoy, there
was only a sharp.north-easter.
Those who have since visited the port say the
scene is utterly beyond description. The giant
storm-wave, advancing in its might, swept the fleet
before it, and scattered the ships bee chaff before the
wind, stranding them in the most extraordinary
and unlikely spots. The destruction was complete.
Of a floe fleet of 21 vessels, only one, the most use-
less of the lot, held to her anchors, the rest being
driven ashore. Nor did the hurricane confine its ravages
to the water ; it was equally felt on shore. What
the tempest-driven waters could not accomplish was
completed by the fury of the gale, and the strongest
houses were levelled with the ground. The loss of
life among foreigners is miraculously small, the chief
officer and greater portion of the crew of the Gazelle
and one European seseonny of the Anonyms being
the only fatal accidents, although three men of the
Hepsoott were severely injured by the falling of the
mast. Amoco. the Chinese the number of killed
and drowned w not over-estimated (aooording to the
Chine Mail) at 3,000. The town of Swatow, we
are glad to learn, has not suffered so much as was
expected, but all the junks—upwards of 200—were
completely smashed and piled on the top of each
other.

The following are the casualties as reported to us :

British brig Anonytaa, total wreck; Danish brig Agonies
Mrisoa, wreck, tan by Chinese; British ship Alfred
the Gent, as shore, min damaged ; BMA barque
Beverley, on shore, slightly damaged; British drip Donis
14111, on shore, mach damaged; British a/alp Gissoloor, as
share, tilged ; British sabooaer Geed* kiatallorai; Bardlaisa
brig Cial/ISDRI, as etas, mach dmmisda DAbdd hulas
Bervest Home, as shoes, aliglidy damaged; &OM barque
Hoeg tong, @treaded ; lispaarat, wreak;
British ship /Middle, work ; Brithe brims Louisa Bans,
stranded; Oldisabarg Brig Lean, mice ; DAM bugs@
Loehr, stranded; BAWL barque Nweliaa, wee& ; Bremen
barque Ohio, ea shoe; HAM brig Paabdore, wreck, takes
by Chinese; Danish bonus Tbanolda. IT* taken by
Chinese; British beam William NAM* us abate, mush
damaged. The &Mowing WSW' have in be= gab at:—
Beverley, slightly damegol; Wm. Prorlatlrk and Dwain
Hill, much damaged; Oioomial:mmolt damaged; Harvest
Home, slightly damaged; OWN amok damaged.
The knowing vends ban bona amid by pulite auction
Agestits Adrimo, ISO won lon Ham 940 ; *bridle,
794 ; Liar% dOO ; Tbooksido, OD.
The Ins of His boo boos is, mall =owl foreigners,
being ocadasd to the non sat nom of ibo wow al the
Gazelle, and one lkstapasa la Uis4Lassoess ; bat mamma
the Chinese it Is setientsd et &boat SAO. 1121.21112. at the
height of the gale 29.41.
_

The British &fp Notre Star, °Wok AHeike, with a
cargo of rice, Ina totally foot oa Oa Paola am& ea the etk
inst. Her Matesty's Amor Comma lb, ergo lova to
I mew sadotoaos. TL likoagtos, brad *Oil 710111/100,

Ohm,

experienced heavy 'Feather on the let mt., and, after loidog
sundry spars and mails, put back to thin harbour.
P.B.—The Francis P. Sage reports, was
amie
Ishmael reef, lat. 7.40 N., long. 166.80 B,a vessel sem
on shore, abandoned, which was found to be the Belgto
ship Constant, Captain ihttanhoeven, of about 700 tem,
belonging to Antwerp. She had apparently Neu olgy
short time on the shoal.