Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-16 00:00:00

honour of being the first captive made by the Chinese ex-
pedition, or rather, perhaps, by the civilians who are the
fellow-pa3sengers thereof, but by a Masterly retreat he
managed to save himself in some mysterious Cavity of the
rocks.

There we passed four of our six hours ashore. Return-
ng to Penang we filled our stomachs and our pockets, and
some filled baskets, with pines and mangoes. Great wes
the fruit debauch that night on board the Aden:
I try to give some notion of Penang because it is very
probable that it may soon become a spot of interest to
English sympathies. There is at present a strong incline-
Hen in high places to make Penang the sanitarium of this
expedition. The proper authorities have been making
inquiries as to its salubrity and its position with respect
to supplies, and I am told that, so far as these inquiries
have gone, the results have been favourable. Of course,
I can individually have no opinion upon the subject. I
can only say that upon a six-hour view the island is very
delightful to look upon, that its acclivities enable you to
choose your own climate, and that we who sat in a cold
stream under a hot sun and then ate immoderately of
fruit did so wide entire impunity.
On the other Rand, Penang is only 5 degrees north of
the Vile, and is nearly 2,000 miles from Hong Kong.
Under the most favourable circumstances a steamer will
take 10 days, and during the south-west monsoon, which
will blow from June to October, a steam transport will
take 12 days to pass from Hong Kong to Penang. The
island is 15 miles long by eight broad.
We steamed away from Penang, and on the morning of
the 13th came in sight of the Bay of Islands. We run in
among the seventy islets, and amone a crowd of shipping
lying secure under their shelter. At the bottom of the
bay lies Singapore. A town of low houses crowded
together on the left hand side of a small creek, a long line
of smart bungalows stretching along the margin or the
shore on the other side of the creek, and with an
" esplanade' in front of them; undulating hills in the
back ground, covered with foliage, arnorg them and
dominating the town the Governor's Hill, Whereon stands
the governor's bungalow,—such is Singapore from the sea.
To the extreme left is the new harbour, a costly and
magnificent series of works, erected, I an, told, by the
Peninsular and Oriental Company. We cannot see from
the harbour how the creek pierces in a winding course
far up into the country ; how it winds through mango
groves and peddy fields : how it occasionally expands into
a shallow lake, which at low water becomes a swamp;
nor can we see that throughout its course it has wretched
Chinese habitations rising from its surface, and resting
upon piles driven into its oozy bottom.
There is no special reason thy I should expend time
and space upon a description of S import?, which, with
my very imperfect opportunities of observation, must
necessarily be very feeble, unless, indeed, it should happen
to become a naval and military depot and a basis for
future operations in this expedition. Every one knows
that it is a pia?, s of great commerce. Every one, howeve
does not know that it contains a population of 70,000
Chinamen and not above 300 Chinawomen, or that a hor-
rible demoralisation exis s among these wretches of the
male sex, consequent, perhaps, upon this great disparity
—a demoralisation which migrit call down fire from
heaven. T o weak regiments or sepuys with scarcely any
European officers on duty with them, a few guns on the
Governor's Hill, with not even au earthwork to protect
the gunners, are not very satisfactory defences against a
migratory and frequeutuy insurgent population of 70,000,
who for the most part have no interest in the place, but
who come there for four or five years to accumulate gains.
and go back to China carrying English silver, hatred of
the English name, and their own horrible vices with them,
and to be succeeded by others as evil as themselves. But
the Singapore people eay, " What is to be done? The
Malays will not work, and the Chinamen will. We must
have our cargoes cleared, and we must get our repairs
done." Others think that it is quite time this place was
made a Crown colony and properly garrisoned. I talked
much with the Malays, who do not love the Chinamen,
but who ail declared that in case of a contest they would
feel no confidence, notwithstanding the sepoys—" China-
men too many."
During our stay on shore a party of Englishmen,
properly introduced, paid a visit to one Ching Taing, the
chief China merchant in the town, and the owner of a
very prominently situate house just outside the Chinese
quarter. The party was received by the Chinaman and
his mother with great courtesy. His house was simple
in its furniture, hut adorned with knicknacks that would
fill mauy an Eageish fine lady with envy. Sweet-
meats and fruit were produced, and Ching Taing was so
obliging as to say to one of the military that he wished
us all success, for wa were going to defend his
property. In the middle of the visit a silken package,
with a sort of thatch over it, was brought in by two
bearers and put down on the fl nrr—it loeked like an
exaggerated handkerchief gathered up at the corners
and, covered at the knotted corners by a wicker
dist.). cover. The guests thought it was probably a dish
of meat or a new course of pre erves, where the thatch
was removed, and at the bottom of the bundle was seen a
small human figure squatted upon its haunches. The little
thing gradually picked itself up, came out of its bundle,
and fell upon its knees before the master of the house,
putting up its hands in the posture of a suppliant. The
Chinaman rose from his seat, waved his hand with dignity,
and the little lady arose. As she did so he said to his
European guests, "My wife." "My wife" made a slight
salutation around, and often, retiring into her handker-
chief again, was covered up, and was borne from the room
as she entered.

The guests were a little surprised to hear afterwards
that this magnificent husband was the chief of the recent
Chinese insurrections, and that one of the guns upon the
Governor's Hill had been laid down to command this
particular house•

MAY 22.

After long looking out for the " Asses' Ears," our first
promised landmark, the rock appears, at the very point
where it had been reckoned upon. We steam on and on
into a❑ archipelago of islet rocks, with a sort of green
mildew upon them, but no mark of habitation or of animals.
Oh ! where is the beautiful vegetation of Ceylon and
Penang. Then an officer points out not far a-head the
island of Hong Kong, with Victoria Peak. It appears to
us a low, irregular line of broken, barren highlands.
almost mixed up with the higher mountains of the main
land, which have clouds skimming under their summits
and a large pale sun setting behind them. A thin mist
hangs around. An enthusiastic Seotehman says it is
something like the western islands of Scotland, but not so
fertile as the main land. Every one else, as the short
twillight was vaniting and the mist deepened, asked his
peighoour, " Is this what we have come 10,000 miles to
see?" And then it bec.tme dark, and the ship steamed on,
and changed her course, and wa became conscious of the
lights of many ships and distant shore lights, such as we
see from the train as we pass through Bath at night; and
then, " Stand by to let go the anchor," and we were
arrived at Hong Kong.

MAY 24.
Twenty four hours in British China have not enabled
me to do much towards examining and correcting the
ideas I have obtained from diligent perusal of Pastier,
Bazin, Staunton, BEis, flue, Fortune, Davis, Montgomery
Martin, 'Abbe Grosier, Stanislas Julien, and a host of
others. Bear with me, therefore, if in the intervals of
the study of the great problems before me I send you only
a few scraps of news anlia few vague first impressions.
My earliest impression undoubtedly is that our facetious
European friends who advise us to " go to Hong Kong,"
have not an accurate knowledge of the spot. A gentleman
who should "go to Hong Kong" in the present state of
affairs, although ha may have his pocket full of dollars,
is not unlikely to be obliged to sleep upon the pave-
ment of Queen-street, and will be indebted to the pro-
tection of the Malay Guard if his throat is not cut
before the morning. I. is a town of beautiful houses, but
its powers of accommodation are not capable of indefi-
nite expansion. The flight from Canton and other causes
have filled it. General Garrett and his staff, who might
reasonably have anticipated some preparations for their
reception, found it convenient to sleep on board tho steam-
er, and were glad to shelter themselves where they might.
The General, on the day after his arrival, with great
difficulty, got a room at an inn, and his suite were happy
to avail themselves of the hospitality of the Hongkong
Club—an establishment to which we cannot be too grate-
ful ; and if 1 here is any gratitude in Pall. mall the military
clubs should be open to every member when he visits Lon-
don, in requital of good offices rendered in utmost need.
These soldiers, are old campaigners, who have reminiscen-
ces of the winter before Sebastopol, and wilt soon reduce
matters here to their 'proper bearing. Their measures
have already been taken with great promptitude, but
unless the aspect of affairs is very rapidly changel
General Ashburnham will have to take up his quarters
in a half-built storehouse, and Lord Elgin will certainly
be obliged to sleep in the harbour. For myself, I think
I ought publicly to return my thanks to Mr. Walker,
the agent of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, for
it was by no common expenditure of time and interest
that he obtained for me a single room at a price
not much above what a lodging in Regent-street would
cost in the London season. In other respects Hong
Kong is a place where a turkey and a ham costs .t 5,
and where a dollar, whose par value is 4s 21, costs
5s in English bills or gold. It has some other pecu-
liarities which strike a new corner. If you dine with
a merchant here you notice that when your host takes
leave of you at his outer door he has a Malay soldier
studding sentinel in his hall with a loaded musket. He
explainsito you, also, that the house is so arranged that
all those long-tailed domestics who waited at dinner are
or can be shut off from that part of the house in which the
Europeans sleep. If your host should accompany you a
few steps towards your own domicile he is careful to
buckle Iris revolver round his waist, and—say it is nine
o'clock—he is uncomfortable if he goes ten paces without
being challenged by an armed patrol. _

ErAo NON COMMITTEKS.—The general committee of
elections yesterday nominated the following committee for
Queen's County :—Mr. James Wentworth Butler, Mr. J.
Hope Johnstone, Mr. J. C. Leigh, and Sir John Ogiiby.
Chairman, Lord Robert GrosveTior.
A LUCKY Ct OK —ThQ prize of 100,000 f. at the last
drawing of the obligations of the city of Paris has been
gained by a cookmaid in the service of M. de Orouz is,
tormerly principal cashier in the Bank of France. She
leaves her place, to enjoy her good fortune as her own
mistress ;
she Nnkii 1` servants must be very troublesgole to masters;
bat she says she will have no servant, because