The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-30 00:00:00

CHINA.

HONG KONG, OCT. 11.-Our correspondent writes :
The news carried by the mail leaving to-day is not
of much interest as far as incidents and occur•
rences are concerned, since we are no better in-
formed of the progress of the rebellion than at the
departure of the previous mail. But that the re-
bellion more than holds its own is a great fact,
and the negative news conveyed by the present
outgoing steamer is a great fact demonstrative of
the advance of free opinions. From Shanghai we
learn that the place is still in the hands of the
Triad gentry, who were bartering with the impe-
rialists for evacuating the place, upon the latter
paying them a large sum of money. The insur-
gents or patriots at Nanking have discountenanced
the proceedings of the Shanghai triadists, and ac-
cording to the North China Herald, the latter con-
sist of a regular set of ragamuffins, who are disap-.
pointed in their expected plunder of the city. If
the imperial forces make any bold attempt they
will carry the city, and put the rebels to flight, but
such is the apathy and indifference of the imperial
authorities, that no faith is placed in their vaunted
attacks. At Amoy matters were much the same.
Several fights had taken place, but the firing from
the imperial junks was so ill managed that no suc-
cess appears
,to be hoped for. In the meantime
trade is altogether at a stand, with no present pros
pect of matters taking a favourable turn.

At Canton all was quiet, but expectations were
general that this quiescent state will not long con-
tinue, there being general: apprehensions that the
ill-disposed will seize an early opportunity to plun-
der and rapine. Business continues but on a
limited scale, and very sluggish for all kinds of
goods. Sir George Bonham has been to Canton,
with the view (it is said) of personally acquainting
himself of the state of affairs, but nothing has tran
spired respecting his visit,

The Overland Friend of China says :
At Shanghai the aspect of affairs is very bad.
Since we were informed that on the eighth day af-
ter the capture of the place the rebel leader hoisted
the flag of the Nanking dynasty, and it was sup-
posed that " the leader had been waiting for per-
mission from Nanking" before so hoisting it, it has
become known that the Nanking rulers will not
promise to accord to the party in possession of
Shanghai any kind of support, and have intimated
that, as they have acted hitherto on their own re
sponsibility, so must they continue to Jo so, and be
prepared to give up possession (if able to keep it)
directly the Tae-ping Wang resolves on its occupa-
tion by his officers. This having become known to
the general commanding the large body of impe-
rialist troops encamped between Chinkeang-foo and
Nanking, he has valiantly resolved on doing his
best to get Shanghai again under the control of his
royal master. If money can be raised, it is not im-
probable that he will attempt to buy such posses-
sion; but money is a scarce commodity with the
imperialists, and it is more than likely that there
will be some fighting, and, in the prospect of an
evacuation, a ransack before Shanghai's custom-
house is again superintended by the Taoutae Woo.
From Ningpo, the next consular port south of
Shanghai, the news is very threatening, the coun-
try all around, by advices to the 20th ult., being in
a disturbed state, and a rising daily expected.
Anioy is still in possession of the rebels, and
likely to remain so, although their ill-equipped
fleet, it is probable, will be destroyed in detail by
their opponents. The possession of the water
frontage, hoWever, is not possession of the town,
and there are but few prospects of an early re-
sumption of the usual trade of the place.
The island of Formosa is also the theatre of an
insurrection.

Between Canton and Hong Kong there is still
continued fighting.

A gentleman, who a few days ago received some
reliable intelligence from the disturbed districts,
informed us that the rebellious feeling was increas-
ing rapidly—that the people of That-sing, a place
near the Bogue, with 10,000 inhabitants, had sur
prised a large village, and had killed and wounded
a good many people.
A story is told of a rebel who, having killed an
imperialist soldier, dressed himself in his coat, to
which he had added some buttons that were want-
ing, and went into the imperialist camp to ask for
some ammunition. But the wretch having sewn
on one more button than the regulation allowance,
was found out and decapitated instantly.
In Canton all is at present quiet. The period
for northerly winds and incendiary fires, however,
had commenced—that period which the peaceably-
disposed inhabitants have so much reason to
dread.