The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-01 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, FRIDAY EVENING.
By a decree in the Moniteur, M. de Parieu,
Vice-President of the Council of State and member
of the Superior Commission of the Dotation of the
Army, is named Vice-President of that commission.
The Moniteur contains a decree confirming the
grant of 28 military medals made provisionally by
Marshal Pelissior.

An Imperial decree nominates Rear-Admiral
Febvre to the post of head of the staff of the squad-
ron of the Mediterranean, of which Vice-Admiral
Trehonart holds the chief command.

An Imperial decree, dated the 28th, officially
declares the Universal Exhibition of Industry and
of the Fine Arts to be closed tomorrow, Nov. 30.
About 2,000,000 f. of the subscriptions raised for
the army of the East have already been employed,
and the following purchases have been made with
the money so collected :-5,000 hectolitres of wino,
940 hectolitres of brandy, 186,880 kilogrammes of
juliennes (for soup), 312,500 kilos. of different sorts
of vegetables, 2,200 kilos. of onions, 8,000 kilos.
ham, 2,620 kilos. hogs-grease, 13,445 kilos. Dutch.
cheese, 26,000 kilos. chocolate, 43,000 kilos. to-
bacco, 200,000 pipes, and 16,000 mats. A sum of
50,000 f. has besides been set apart for the French
prisoners in Russia, and 100,000 f. for the families
of the victims in the wreck of the Semillante. The
purchases being now terminated, the Minister of
War has decided that the portion of the subscrip-
tions not disposed of shall be paid into the fund for
the relief of the families of the soldiers and sailors
who may have died in the course of the war against
Russia.

BOURSE, Nov. 30.—The following are the las
quotations :

Cash. fr. e. End of Month.
4. per Cents 9O 75 —f. --c.
3 Cents
per
66 10
..._ 66 10

New Loan
Bank Shares...

67 _
.. 3r,0 Roman

Credit Mobilier 1335 Austrian

Belgian Fives 931 Spanish Threes
Piedmontose — Home Debt 311

RAILWAYS-POR CASH.

fr. c. 0.
Or!lana ...
Northern
Lyons . ....... 1157 50 New Ditto 755
Mediterranean 1280 Grand Central 590
Lyons Genova 672 50 Teste
Cette

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

CHINA.

We (Times) have received our private correspon-
dence and papers from Calcutta of the 22d Oct. ;
Bombay, 2d Nov. ; and Hong Kong, 15th Oct.
The following is our Calcutta correspondent's
letter :

" CALCUTTA, OCITOBUR 22.
"We are in the midst of the Doorgah Poojah
holydays, when every one in Bengal considers
himself entitled to do nothing. The merchants
go up the river, the Custom-house is prac-
tically closed, the Treasury is shut, the
banks suspend business, and even the shops
of Calcutta are left with scarcely an attendant.
Everybody is out of town, and the newspapers are
even more newsless than usual. Of course the
suspension of business, which lasts nominally for
10 but really for 16 days, is a heavy tax upon the
port. It must shortly be abandoned. This year,
for instance, the Mint has been compelled to sus-
pend operations, though the Chamber of. Commerce
offered double wages to the native employes if they
would surrender their privilege. Add to the loss
thus created the cost of 16 days' unnecessary de-
tention to some 200 ships, and your readers will
have an idea of the direct pecuniary loss inflicted
by the holydays. The indirect loss cannot be esti-
mated, but it is serious, and even the merchants
of Calcutta, schoolboys as they are, are beginning
to contemplate the possibility of a reform. The
movement, however, should come from the Eng-
lish shipowners. It is from their pockets that the
expenses ultimately come.
" Nothing new has transpired of the progress of
the Sonthal rebellion. Every day a mass of details
are published in Calcutta, but they are unintel-
ligible even to us, and to readers in England
would present only a list of barbarous names and
incomprehensible military movements. It is cer-
tain, however, that the insurgents are not defeated,
that Beerbhoom is still in their hands, that the pea-
santry are still harried by an enemy worse than
the Mahrattas, and that martial law has not yet
been declared. Every officer, civil and military, is
loud in remonstrance, but the Council will not act.
It would, I verily believe, see Calcutta burned to
the ground sooner than depart one inch from the
path of routine. Meanwhile, I have seen a paper
which explains to a considerable extent the
origin of the movement. It is the confession of
Seedoo Manjee, the leader of the insurrection,
through whom the Deity is supposed to utter his
decrees. This man is not a bad specimen of his
race ; a bold, clear-spoken savage, with no con-
science and no remorse for the crimes ho has com-
mitted. Ho says the Sonthals were ground down
by the Bengalee money lenders. The savages are
always in want. They are fond of hunting, drink,
and dancing, and always anticipate the harvest.
The money lenders supplied their wants, and
demanded interest at the rate of 500 per cent.
The Sonthals were willing to pay only 25, or, as
they phrase it, 4 annas for every rupee. The Mu-
hajuns beat them, abused them, pulled their ears,
and seized their crops. The Sonthals petitioned, but
of course Englishmen, with their fixed ideas of
free trade, refused to annul their agreements, or
indeed to interfere. They resolved therefore to
right themselves. Seedoo summoned all the Man-
jees, or village headmen, and while talking to them
saw the Deity descend in the form of a cart-wheel.
Two pieces of paper also fell on his head, in which
he was ordered to exterminate the money-lenders
and the Zemindars. A branch of the Saaltree was
sent out to all the villages, and with the murder
of an insolent darogah the revolt began. There
was no hostility to Government whatever, and no
wish at first to injure any one but Muhajuns

and the Superintendent of the district, Mr. Pon-
tet. Of course, a race of savages once let loose
soon ceases to discriminate in its wrath, but
revolt was no part of the original design. The in-
surrection began and continues from the same cause,
the ultra-civilisation of the Government. It would
not believe that the grand English laisser faire
does not suit all races, that savages require to
be governed, guided, and protected, political
economy notwithstanding. At present it will
not see that savages once let loose must be
brought into subjection by the sabre. Your
readers will scarcely believe that one official, who
had caught a number of Sonthals, took from them
security bonds' for good behaviour. The Sonthals
cannot read, and they carried the bonds through
the villages as the Company's order to murder the
Muhajuns.' Meanwhile the continuance of the re-
volt is most seriously weakening .the prestige of
Government—every race in India begins to fancy
that an armed struggle has a chance of success.
Everywhere Government is reminded that it has
been beaten by tl-0 beasts of the jungle. Ido not
say tee feellug will soon develops itself in actiou.
The prestige of a century of victory is not so easily
overcome, but that it has received a most serious
wound is admitted by Government itself. Such
wounds in a country like India are apt to ulcerate.
" The East Indian Railway has at last published
an account of its resources and expenditure. The
receipts amount to four per cent. per annum on the
gross cost of construction. The expenditure is 68
per cent. upon the gross receipts. The net profit
therefore is only 1 per cent, per annum. Much
of this expenditure is only temporary, and the re-
ceipts are no fair test of the prospects of the share-
holders. The coal line, which cost as much as the
trunk, is in fact a branch not yet worked. The
means of carrying the coal are scarcely sufficient,
and the district is very thinly inhabited. The line
must be extended to Benares before we begin to
absorb the traffic of the north-west ; and this sec-
tion is perhaps the most difficult, and will certainly
be the longest in construction. The Sonthal insur-
rection alone has caused a loss of two years' time."

CHINA.
HONG KONG, OCT. 15.

The London mail of the 10th of August arrived
on the 24th of Sept., per steamer Ganges, which
leaves to-day with the outward mails.
Her Majesty's ship Nankin arrived hero on the
11th inst., from Japan having on board 103 Rus-
sian prisoners, part of the crow of the wrecked
frigate Diana, captured to the number of 280 by
her Majesty's steamer Barracouta while making for
the Russian settlements, in the north, on board the
Bremen brig Greta, whioh vessel is now here as a
prize. Among those captured are the surgeon, mas-
ter, chaplain, four midshipmen (one of them Prince
Michaeloff), and two interpreters. The officers are
on their parole.
The Allied fleets have done nothing to the north-
ward, and we understand Sir James Stirling has
been employed in the negotiation of a treaty with
Japan, which Commander H. Stirling is expected
to proceed with to England next mail.
The British fleet is expected to return hero
shortly, while the French, we understand, pro-
ceeds to Manilla.

Her !Majesty's steamer Rattler returned from
Cochin China on the 16th inst. Sir John Bowring's
messenger was politely received, but little encou-
ragement given to diplomatic proposals.
Shanghai advices are to the 7th instant, and we
learn that Captain Vansittart, of her Majesty's brio
Bittern, has again rendered important service Co
commercial interests, by destroying, to the south-
ward of Ningpo, a most formidable piratical fleet of
22 vessels. A bold resistance was shown, and the
brig was struck in many places, and we regret to
say that the master (Mr. Turner) and a marine
were killed, and 18 men wounded, several severely.
The whole fleet, however, was destroyed.
The measure proclaimed by the Taoutae for the
reform of the currency has met with considerable
opposition from the mercantile body as being too
sudden and circumscribed. It is, therefore, very
doubtful if the matter will be pressed, the more
especially as we understand the Taoutae has been
recalled. Of the rebels in the north we have no
intelligence. Her Majesty's steamers Styx and
Barracouta were at Shanghai, but were to leave
again shortly.
At Canton some excitement has been caused by
intelligence of the Imperial forces having been de-
feated by the rebels on the borders of the province.
Further accounts are anxiously looked for, the
more so as a demand for money is likely to be made
by Government. This would fall very heavily on
the people. Rice is abundant and cheap.
Exchange on England—At Canton, 4s. 91d. per
dol. ; at Shangai, 6s. Nd. per dol.