The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-30 00:00:00

CHINA.

Shanghae papers give us the following particu-
lars respecting the northern treaty ports :
At Newchwang trade has not been very p
During the early months the Mongolian deal ere refrained
from paying their usual visit. They were deterred by the
cruelty of the robber hands, which had been rendered
desperate by the campaign of Wen•seassg. Local astir.
merchants were thus tempted, in the absence of the usual
and legitimate trade,to indulge in over-speculation of ',eery
kind, and the usual results ensued, bankruptcy, distrust,
and stagnation. Improvement is already peroeptible, and
this port will, moreover, in future, enjoy the advantages
arising from a perfect security existing along the
channels which drain and supply the market. The
United States consul has recently been to Pekin and his
succeeded in obtaining a garrison of disciplined troops, for
the eimerial purpose of repressing the sweedwracks, who
have proved so constant a source of annoyance. The crew
of a small American schooner, wrecked off the Comm
coast, have recently arrived at Newchwang, and speak in
the highest terms of the kindness shown them by the
natives. It is to be hoped that, if the French expedition
be carried out, the frequent kindness shown to shipwrecked
sailors will not be forgotten ; and that the sins of the
government will not be visited on the heads of the people.
Tientsin letters speak hopefully of the prospect
of the Trans- Mongolian Te'egraph. Females have
been substituted for male clerks along the line.
Tho river at Hankow has fallen 2 feet 9 inches
up to the 24th of August, and the higher parts of
tho bond were again visible.
At Chtnkiang native reports have been received
that the Yellow River has burst through its em-
bankment in two places in the Shinghwa district,
on the confines of this province and Shantung,
destroying all the rice crops in the surrounding
country.
Sunstroke is stated by the Recorder to have been
very provaleutin the villages surrounding Shanghai.
Robberies from cargo boats were becoming very
frequent.
A native employi at the Consulate of Shanghai
has been convicted of taking a bribe of 10 dollars in
connection with a case recently tried before the
court, and sentenced to he exposed for ten days in
handcuffs, with a statement of his offence hung
round his neck, outside the court doors, and, at
the expiration o that period, to receive a hundred
blows and to be discharged from the Consulate
service.
According to latest advises from Foochow, the
heat this summer has been very intense at that
port, the thermometer frequently reaching 100 in
the shade.
Hong Kong has been agitated by a proposed
stamp act, which is referred to in the following
terms by the Overland China Mail :
The simple issue before the public was, whether an in-
creasing deficiency in our revenue, equal next year to
120,000 dollars, should be met by the imposition of mode-
rate stamp duties, on the plan that has worked so success-
fully and satisfactorily at the Straits settlements, or whether
the extra revenue should he raised by an increase of the
assessed taxes on house property, which is already burdened
to the extent of 12 per cent. per annum. His excellency was
of opinion that the imposition of light stamp duties, such as
are passed, was the fairest mole of taxation, as by
that means the burden of maintaining the colony would be
partly borne by those who made great and profitable use
of it, but who had hitherto escaped paying the smallest
contribution ; while the householders and renters, among
whom the less wealthy portions of the community are to
be found, would not have to complain of the injustice of
making them solely responsible for the financial integrity
of the colony. The arguments on both sides are fully set
out in the memorial and in the Governor's speech, and
tFe real impression, underlying the apparent enthusiasm
of the opposition, is, that the Governor has made a wise
and equitable decides.

SINGULAR DEATH.—An inquest, tinder peculiar
circumstances, was held on Wednesday, the 24th instant,
by Mr. Robert Buchanan, coroner, Fintona, on the body of
John Norris, who died at Cannowen, near Omagh, on the
13th inst. The body of the deceased gentleman was ex-
humed for the purpose, after having been nine days in.
terred. Mr. Charles Scott, J.l'., and Mr. Win. 0. Orr,
coroner, Omagh, cousin of the deceased, were pro.
sent at the inquest. Mr. T. C. Vickie and Mr.
A. Elliott, solicitors, Omagh, and Mr. W. Cald-
well, solicitor, Clogher, attended to watch the proceed-
ings on the part of the relatives. Drs. Thompson, Flem-
ing, and Love gave evidence as to the cause of death,
after having examined the body. After hearing evidence
the jury returned the following verdict:—" That the de-
, °eased John Norris died on the 13th day of October,
from an anthrax occupying the entire of the back of the
left side of the chest, and we find that he was a person
of eccentric habits, and that his death was accelerated
from want of proper medical advice and care." It is under-
stood that the deceased has left his entire property,
amounting, it is said, to 30,000!. or upwards, to Mr.
Robert Harvey, of Lisahoppin, less a bequest of 100 i. to
the manager of the Ulster Bank, Omagh, and the validity
of the will is likely to be disputed by numerous relatives
of the docessed.—Derre
ENGLISH AND SCOTCH AGRICULTURMITS FOR
TEXAS.—In a few days there will sail from the Mersey, for
Galveston, a ship with 300 emigrants. About 240 of this
number will be Scotch agricultural labourers, and the re-
mainder will come from Devonshire. On the arrival of
the vessel at Galveston, the emigrants, after a delay of a
few days, will be forwarded into the interior of Texas,
where they will be employed as agriculturists. The ship
in which these emigrants sail takes out a large quantity of
agricultural implements made purposely for the work they
are intended for. In a few weeks another batch of English
and Scotch labourers will sail from the Massy for she
same destination.