The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-27 00:00:00

CHINA AND JAPAN.

The Ov6rland Nail of Sept. 11 contains an
account of the movements of the rebels, and some
other matters of interest; among other things we
find the following :

"As regards the rebels, we have to record the reappear-
ance in the immediate neighbourhood of Shanghae, of those
plundering bands which usually precede the main body
when the Taepings meditate attacking a large city. The
strategic purpose fulfilled by the approach of the irregular
companies thus sent on is, to spread alarm previous to the
arrival of the general force, and it has rarely been found
unsuccessful where a city has been held only by Imperial
troops. On the 22d ultimo the smoke of burning hamlets
'showed to the residents of Shanghae the now well-known
signs of an advance into the district by rebels. On the
29th ultimo the same indications were most marked, and a
reconnoitring force was dispatched from the settlement to
check the further approach of the marauders. Refugees,
as before, continued to pour into the city and settlement in
large numbers, and the destitute among them had their
immediate wants relieved by a charitable consmittee, which
has been doing the work of the good Samaritan for some
time back. Unfortunately the means at this committee's
disposal is not at all commensurate with the demand already
made upon it, but the best is being done that can be done;
doubtless all the provisions taken in future excursions
against the Taepings will be placed in the hands of proper
persons for due distribution among the sufferers, instead of
being appropriated as spoil by the troops who may happen
to find them. On Monday, the 25th, a reconnoitring party
proceeded into the country to inspect the state of affairs.
According to the .IVorth China Herald this party must
hava consisted of eleven individuals, ten of whom were
civilians, The party was composed of Captain Borlase,
R.N., Mr. Alabaster, of her Britannic Majesty's consulate,
Captain Panmure Gordon, and eight troopers of the
Shanghae Mounted Rangers. After passing some hun-
dreds of affrighted villagers on the way, they reached
the second hamlet beyond the bridge north of the Soochow
Creek, where they discovered some Taepings plundering the
houses. These fled on their approach , but the gallant
Rangers, it appears, not content with this proof of their
usefulness, pursued and sabred all they could come up with.
It is a pity that our attitude towards the rebels should be
fated to have a demoralising effect upon most of the agents
employed in maintaining it, for we cannot very cordially ap-
plaud the prowess of a few mounted and well-armed mer-
cantile gentlemen who merely pursued and cut down flying
wretches that were offering them no resistance. Doubtless
the miserable creatures deserved the death they got, but the
mode in which their doom overtook them does not shed
lustre upon the arms of the Shanghae Volunteers, whose
swords have thus been fleshed for the first time. It was re-
ported that these straggling skirmishers, or plunderers, had
been sent on in advance from the army of Chung Wang,
who is suspected to be reorganising an attack upon Shang-
hae against the time when the hot weather shall have
abated. Such a step on Chung Wang's part would consti-
tute the most desperate enterprise ever attempted by the
Taeping rebels; but the likelihood is that, notwithstanding
their numbers and the temptation afforded by a prize like
Shanghae, no such undertaking will ever be issued. The
issue of any such attempt would be a most sanguinary con-
flict, although it is scarcely to be doubted where success
would ultimately fall. The rebels must find that, slowly
but surely, opinion is setting in against them, and the
necessity of meeting the current of hostile opinion
by determined and decisive action may probably
have entered into their plans. Altogether the political
prospects for winter in regard to this Taeping question
are decidedly obscure. To what extent this people are
forced by mere want to extend their movements, we
cannot have any sure means of ascertaining; but if it
has come to be a matter of sheer necessity with them, the
most desperate measures on their part may be anticipated.
Admiral Hope is at present in the far north of China, the
last advices stating that he was at anchor in the harbour of
of
Chefoo. He has probably gone north for the benefit his
health. Our northern contemporary states that he sent a
ellency
gunboat to Tien-tsin for the conveyance of his B.ztcerview.
the Hon. Mr. Bruce, with whom he desired
an mu, places
This report, being unattended by any exPlana as the
the admiral's conduct in a most extraordinary
light'for b dint the
ne
relative positions of admiral and plenipotentiary
idea of the former summoning the latter to tte
There must
the manner reported, or in any casepotentiarya
whatever.ss i represented,
be some mistake in the way this affair hag :e"
ignorant of
for no man in the admiral's position is ever If the report
all rules as to commit a mistake of this sort.
be true something is seriously wrong' Hen. Mr. Malin-
" In Pekin everything is quiet.
The meat for a site
game lately applied to the Chinese nsulate, urging his
whereon to establish then Fco and England. He
claim to similar privileges
man-
was informed in reply that wihetheluglF come to Pekin in a
ner different from that of thbos two nations, and could not
ut that he should have every
have a site granted to 01, suitable for the American
assistance in renting ortugal and China was signed
a hbiuiuldring
legation. A treaty betivrze
By this treaty the Macao pen-
at Pekin on the 13t_h_urtuo. Some sort of promise was
insula is ceded to Pori"
made, we hear, by Gassnor Guimarans, who negotiated
the matter, about" introducing the Customs system into
n for this has been
o Provision made in the
Macao ; but n
treaty itself, which
will come into operation as soon as rati-
ficationsbeen exchanged. Cholera still
have its victims has prevails in
I and among been the Roman
the capital,
of
Shanghae, who had gone on a mission
Catholic Bishop
Court. Prince Kung had also
to the been attacked, but the
accounts recovering. The
latest report him to be
malady
is abating, after having committed considerable ravages,
The weather is hot, but relieved b • •
y copious rains. Some
jottings from Pekin will be found below.
"From Japan there is no additio h.I
news. At Nagasaki,
says the North China llerald,the Mexicann dollar had been
subject to further depreciation, two toonly being x
changed for a dollar, except to the consularos
authorities
and
naval naval officers, who continue to receive three itziboos and a
tenth. Cholera had extended to Nagasaki, and carried
away a great many of the native population.
" At Nankin the imperialists were in strong force, and
making great display on the water; but we have heard no
reports of any serious attack upon the city, now the only
place on the river held by the rebels.
" At Shanghae a meeting is about to be held to consider
proposals for the better government of the settlement. The
proposal to have Shanghae constituted a free city has dis-
appeared before the inquiry as to how the thing could be
done. The wants of the place have somewhat outgrown
the executive machinery, and an increase in the consular
staff will most probaby be the simplest solution of the diffi-
culty. It is to be hoped, for the sake of this thriving settle-
ment, that measures will be taken to meet the increasing

r 4:
,

wants of the place. The harbour is ./ISrTi
crowded with shipping. f
"At Macao the cholera has made itt.4.itt.TM:
the pocrer portion of the populatii,i,t#poo,
suburbs, but no case is yet reported in tica.,ONsi
vernor Guimarens has returned from hikvikt,A4..Fs-7-
"In Hong-Kong matters go on-smoothlk.-- Tthe sy4t,L,
though warm is comparatively mild for the meth of sep•
tember, owing to heavy falls of rain, and the health. of the
community iS good.
" From Manilla we learn that a Spanish steamer and
gtinboat have had some smart brushes with pirates, and
succeeded first in sinking two proas with their crews; then
bombarding a piratical stronghold, from which they rescued
21 native Christian Indians, and 12 Japanese Malays ; and
lastly, having fallen in with 15 more proas, who showed a
determined front, they run them down, one after the other,
and sunk them with All their crews except four men, who
were found clinging to one of the proas. This gallant ser-
vice was not performed without loss on the part of the-Spa-
niards, who, however, had proceeded on their cruise in the
direction of Borneo.

►:i

" The order has at length been vublished re-agtablishing
the old prices.aucl sizes of cigars, at which all except some
recent speculators rejoice greatly."

Ll I E KAY UltE.

,11.

A Bad Beginning. 2 Vols. Smith, Eider, and Co.
This is a clever story of " A French Marriage,
showing considerable familiarity with different
phases of French life, whilst the characters are
powerfully drawn, and some of the scenes posesss
much dramatic vigour. The heroine, Celia Forgeot,
who is both beautiful and amiable, after being kept
in the background :by •her. vain and heartless,
mother, is at length sold by her for the sum of ten
thousand francs, to Monsieur de Molin, who, having
been appointed Prefect of Droumar, determines to
marry, and has been smitten with Celie's grace and
beauty. His sister, Victoire, however, who is both
unprincipled and extravagant, and who wishes to
estrange the husband and wife, succeeds in reviv-
ing his attachment for a married lady, and endea-
vours, at a French watering place, to entangle
Celle in an intrigue with a young Englishman
named Ward. In this she fails, though she con-
trives to make De Molin suspicious, and her
triumph for a time seems complete. Fearful, how-
ever, lest sbe should be forced to account for an
emerald necklace of Celie's, which she had bor-
rowed and sold, to pay her gambling debts, she
determines to poison her, and, but for the interfe-
rence of an old servant named Angelique, she would
have succeeded. This necklace hasfallen into the
hands of Celie's brother, a young roue, who uses it
as a means to extort money from Victoire, She
meets him by appointment on the bank of a river,
struggles to possess herself of it, they both fall in,
and Victoire emerges no more. Part of the story
is laid in England, and follows the fortunes of
Henry Ward, who has been smitten with Celie, but
is at length consoled by a handsome cousin, named
Ellen Byron. As a specimen of the author's style,
we give the following description of—

S PA PER
--(40 04;
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