The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-12 00:00:00

CHINA.

We take the following summary from the Over-
land Friend of China of the Ist March :
" The past fortnight is somewhat barren in news
of interest both as regards China and Japan,
" From Pekin there is no political intelligence ;
everything appears to be going on smoothly at the
capital, and the Prince of Kung is the man of the
day. It is very satisfactory to see the Chinese
Government for the first time in the hands of a ruler
who is friendly to foreigners, but it is much to be
regretted that, notwithstanding the lapse of many
months since the new Government was settled, no
steps have been taken to prosecute the civil war with
more vigour, and to restore prosperity to many a
distracted and ruined province. It is true that
nothing has been heard of the Northern rebellion
for some time, but the likelihood is that it eats its
way still in quarters beyond our means of commu-
nication. One thing is certain, that if any victory
had been gained over the formidable bands that were
last heard of at Che-foo, it would have been duly
reported at Pekin ; instead of which, the Imperial
army has scarcely been heard of since the capture
of Nanking. The only exception to this has been
in the case of a force of Imperialists under Colonel
Ward, an American, who have lately been active in
driving away a large body of rebels from a village
in the neighbourhood of Woosung, where the latter
had barricaded themselves.

" The northern ports being still closed by ice, we
have no reports regarding them. Her Majesty's
gunboat Manilla (formerly Attalante) will shortly
commence running between Tien-tsin and the south,
with mails and despatches. Her Majesty's gunboat
Hesper will complete the communication to Japan.
" From Nanking reports have reached Shanghai
that the inhabitants are in great straits for want of
food, and are eating human flesh. This requires
authentication.

" Shanghai is still the centre of some alarm from
the rebel forces, who are in possession of the entire
province round about. The city continues under
foreign protection ; the Imperial forces are nearly
useless, and their employment seems to have been
abandoned ; the foreign settlement is getting into
a thorough state of defence, fortifications being
erected, and a volunteer corps of horse and foot
having been organised and got into a tolerable state
of discipline."

AUSTRALIA.
THE COLONY OF VICTORIA.

We take the following from the " Summary for
Europe " of the Iffelboterne ,_:rgus of the 22d of
February ;
" The history of the month centres in the Land
Bill, now progressing through the Legislative As-
sembly. On the 4th inst. the second reading was
affirmed, after a keen debate of four nights, by a
majority of 38 to 26 in favour of the Government.
"It is impossible to predict what may be the
ultimate fate of the New Land Bill, but we may
venture to believe that it will not be much altered
in its progress through the two houses. And, for
the first time in our history, there is at length
something like a definite, assurance that the land
question will be settled in a legal, constitutional,
and equitable manner. The passage of the bill
will afford every possible encouragement to the im-
migrant, by placing at his choice the best lands of
the colony, at a moderate price, without competi-
tion ; and it is confidently expected that the next
year will witness another great influx of population
to our shores.

The All-Eleven of England had beaten the
Twenty-two of New South Wales by 49 runs.

FRANCE.

BOURSE, April 11.--The market continues in the
same quiet but firm state, and prices are maintained
at about the closing rates of yesterday. The Rail-
way Share Market remains firm, and quotations
well supported. The following were the last quo-
tations :-
1/ per per Cents 98
Do end month
3 per Cents
Do. end month_ 70 10
New 3 per Cents
Do. end month 69 20
Credit Whiner B2l 25
Do. end month 822 50

Bank Shares —
Credit 14oncier 1525
Belgian 4f,
Piedmontese FivQs,
Italian Loan 67 55
Austrian
Spanish Threes,
Home Debt

RAILWAYS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans ....... 1270 1265
Northern • 1047 50 .. 1041 25
New ditto ............ — _
Lyons and Aledito-ranean 1133 75
.. 1132 50
Geneva 390 390
Southern BO2 50 800
Western .....•
Eastern .....•... •• •
Sardinian......
Austrian
LOW bard 573 75 .. 570

illlSS GL y N'S REAPING.-EUSTON

STATION INSTITUTION.

This celebrated actress last night gave a reading
in the magnificent meeting room of the North-
Western Railway Station to the members of the
Library and Literary Institution of this railway.
The room was well attended, and the deepest atten-
tion was paid to the impressive and elaborate read-
ing of Miss Glyn. The play chosen was Shake-
speare's Macbeth, and all the varied grandeur and
stupendous power of the mighty drama were ably
intimated by the reader, trying and arduous as the
task is of keeping up the energetic utterance de-
manded from such a variety of impulsive characters
as the play comprises.
Of course so judicious an actress and reader as
Mit.s Glyn knows where to bestow her power, and
takes care to bring out into high relief the greatest
scenes. She was fine in all that related to Lady
Macbeth, that being one of her finest stage perso-
nations. In the murder scene she gave the horror
and remorse of Macbeth with great force, and sub-
dued her audience to the most intense admiration,
followed by applause of the most impulsive
kind. To sustain such a play is a very severe task,
but Miss Glyn completely mastered it, and carried
her hearers with her to the very end, when she
received from all the complimentary admiration
and applause she had so well earned.

WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

LIVERPOOL, APRIL 11.

The African Royal Mail steamer Athenian, Capt.
Lowry, arrived here this morning from the west
coast of Africa, Teneriffe, and Madeira. Her dates
are Benin, Feb. 24 ; Cameroons, March 1; Old
Calabar, 3 ; Fernando Po, 4 ; Brass River, Nun, and
Bonny, 7; Lagos, 10 ; Accra, 12; Cape Coast
Castle, 14 ; Cape Palmas, 16 ; Sierra Leone, 21 ;
Bathurst, 25 ; Teneriffe, April 1; and Madeira, 3.

Among the passengers by this vessel are President
Benson, of Liberia, and his son.
Advices fr )m Bonny are very unsatisfactory, and
the trade at that port was exceedingly dull, while
at nearly all the trading ports on the various rivers
there was a general depression in trade. At Bonny,
the dulness in commerce was caused principally by
the unsettled state of affairs between the people of
that place and the natives of EbJe. There was, up to
the time of the departure of the steamer from that
port, a good deal of fighting going on between the
two parties at a place called Umabager. This town
is so situated over a narrow pass in the river, that
all communications are cut off with the Eboe fairs.
The people of Bonny had been defeated at Umaba-
ger, and canoes were arriving daily at the former
place, filled with killed and wounded. King
Pepple, of Bonny, was in the enjoyment of good
health, but he had taken no active part in the strug
gle going on between his people and those of Eboe.
By this mail he has written home to appoint a
gentleman in London as his consul at a salary of
£5OO per annum. He has also applied to a lady
well known for her charity (understood to be Miss
Burdett Coutts) for a loan of £20,000, to be devoted
to the building of churches at Bonny. He states
that he is desirous that one of the missionary so-
cieties should send him out two clergymen to offi-
ciate as his chaplains. Our readers may possibly
remember that the previous news from this sable
monarch stated that his English attendants had
been so disgusted with the King and his Queen,
that they all left him (most of them withoat their
salaries), the habits of these two royal personages
being such as to sicken the most anti-fastidious of
their European officials.
The slave trade on the coast is described as being
as brisk as ever, and in many instances the number
of slaves shipped from Wydah and the adjacent
ports have far surpassed the shipments made in the
palmy days of the African slave trade.
The Spanish ship Manuel Orliz had been cap•
tured as a slaver, and taken into Cape Coast Castle.
At present there does not appear any prospect of
getting cotton from the windward districts of the
Gold Coast settlements. In the eastern districts,
however, a movement of much importance has been
made. The Basil Mission Society had caused gins
and a press to be fixed at Kooring, on the banks of
the Volta, and as cotton was already grown in some
quantities by the tribes on the opposite bank of the
river, hopes were entertained that there would soon
be the commencement of a cotton trade in that di-
rection which will ultimately lead to great results.
There had been an outbreak in Aquapim ; several
persons had been killed, among whom were the son
of the King, and Olutu, a chief next in rank to the
King.
A Cape Coast correspondent states that every
department of the local government except the re-
venue department was more or less disorganised,
and that the administration of justice was more
impure than it had ever been during 25 years.
Sometimes juries were kept waiting a whole day for
the judge, and on one occasion a jury was kept two
days, and he did not appear. Great anxiety was
felt for the arrival of a new Chief Justice or the
return of Chief Justice Corner. The Hon. Major
Cochrane, who commanded the troops on the Gold
Coast, went out in the Ethiope, and was to return
to England in the same vessel. The cause of this
was, that the major objected to the interference of
Governor Andrews in the details of military duty,
and the Governor in consequence took the extraor-
dinary step of removing Major Cochrane from the
command, and ordering Captain Brennen to take
his place.
The Gold Coast press has become so obnoxious
to the government that they have made a desperate
attempt to put it dowd.