The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

CHINA

The Overland Friend of China of Feb. 15th pub-
lishes in a supplement two communications regarding
the repulse of the French from the city of Shanghai.
In one of them the loss is said to be 1,000 Imperial-
ists in killed and wounded, and the French between 40
and 50 men, including two officers killed and four
wounded. Among the former was the let lieutenant of
the frigate Jeanne d'Acre, who was shot dead while
leading a storming party in an endeavour to scale the
walls. One of the letters concludes in the following
terms :—" The French admiral bas driven every native
off the French settlement, pulled down their houses,
and cleared a space for 6,000 Imperialists to come and
encamp ; but whether the French will succeed in pre-
vailing on their brave Allies to accompany them on a se-
cond trip into the city, I am somewhat doubtful ;
from the fact that the Canton and Fo-kien men in
the service of the Imperialists refuse to go into
the city again on any account, and the Ningpo
men are much disgusted and disheartened at losing
so many of their countrymen' in addition to
their leader. The reports you may hear of the
determination of the insurgents to resist all French ag-
gression, to the last, may be relied on ; for never was a
body of men more earnest in a cause than the present
holders of the city of Shanghai. Their feelings towards
the French may be judged, by the chiefs having sent
letters to the English and American authorities offering
to surrender the city to them, but never to the French
—sooner will they die to a man, and this, I firmly be-
lieve, to be no empty boast.
The whole country round Canton is in the hands of
the rebels. But for the presence of foreign men-of-war
the city would probably stand but for a very short time
before the blockading fleet of insurgent junks.
The rebels have been endeavouring to create some
trade at Wharnpon, but beyond small sales of teas and
plundered silks we learn no particulars. The feeling at
present is that the rebels are rather losing ground.
Enclosed is a copy of a proclamation issued by the
rebel chief to the representatives of the three Treaty
Powers, which protests against the transport of rice, &c.,
by the river steamers and craft, and goes on to notify
that all foreigners must quit the city of Canton, and
trade must be stopped till the place is in possession of
his party. We cannot say what notice will be taken of
the document, but it calls for immediate interference, or
the little trade that exists may be annihilated

(Translation.)
" NOTICE.
"All the Generalissimos commanding sea and land
forces, troops, and cavalry, send this letf er to their Excel-
lencies the Commissioners of each of the great nations for
their information :

" When on a former occasion the IManchoo nation en-
tered and plundered China they agreed at the expiration
of 200 years to deliver back the rivers and hills, i.e., the
empire, to our Ming Sovereign. Now two centuries have
passed and they are unwilling to deliver back the empire.
Therefore we have raised troops to exterminate and blot
out the Maachoo nation, and restore the country to the
sovereign of the Ming Dynasty.
" Hoo Nan, Hoo Pik, Keangso, Gan Hwny, Nan King,
and Kwangse have all returned, and Show Hingfoo in
Kuang Tung, Hea Hun, different departments and dis-
tricts, ail have heard the report, and have reverted to the
Ming Dynasty, and only the provincial city, Canton, has
not yet submitted. Just now we are entering it with our
troops to fight and exterminate it, but the merchants of
the great nations have again employed lorchas and other
vessels to bring rice to cover up powder being conveyed to
the provincial city; and their cannons they pretend are to
guard against pirates, in truth are sold to the traitorous
officers, which is most unreasonable.
" We wish each of the great nations from this time for-
ward to prohibit the use of lorchas and ether vessels trans-
porting cannon, powder, grain, &c., to sell for the use of
the traitorous officers, and not to allow steamers to trans-
port traitorous troops to Canton.
" Wait till we have obtained the city, and afterwards it:
will be proper to carry on trade.

" We'no;w limit the time to the end of the year, when
all goods belonging to the three countries, America, Great
Britain, and France, at Canton must be entirely removed;
after the new year no vessels can come and go carrying
freight.

"As requisite we give this notice. The newly-estab-
lished regulations are as above. The three nations, Ame-
rica, Great Britain, and France, are limited to the end of
the year to remove all their goods from Canton. The other
different nations are restricted to three days, within which
they are required to make a clear sweep of their goods.
" Kan Ying Year, 12th Month, 24th Day."