The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-24 00:00:00

had previously precluded other nations from !
penetrating beyond the boundaries of China, were
broken down by broadsides from British men-of-
war. Hitherto, up to that memorable period, the
rest of the world had never been able to collect
anything like authentic information in reference
to the habits, the social condition, or the political
organisation prevailing among the masses of the
Chinese multitude. Surmises, and not facts, con-
stituted the bulk of our knowledge in regard to
the state of things among that vast and cultivated
population. Surmises, founded upon the revela-
tions of travelling adventurers, and upon the hints
of Jesuit missionaries. Since the settlement of
the famous Opium-difficulty, however—thanks to
Sir HENRY POTTINGER, and to those who Were asso-
ciated with him in carrying on, in company with
a group of Mandarins, the labours of that curious
and complicated negotiation—the internal condi-
tion of China has been laid tolerably bare to the
gaze of the " barbarians." During the interval
we have had a Chinese family domesticated on the
borders of Hyde-park—we have had a Chines?,
Junk moored off the Temple-stairs up the
river Thames—we have had a Chinese Museum
to be examined for a shilling, and a
Feast of Lanterns in Piccadilly. Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum
has no longer remained the cry of a giant cannibal
in a nursery story, but has grown familiar to
English ears as the title of a hero described
by a Chinese romancer. The pig-faced lady has
been eclipsed by the pig-footed maidens, imported
from the land of tea. The fragrant herb has been
vended over sordid counters in Whitechapel and
Horsleydown by worshippers of the Holy Ape,
believers in BHUDDA, and disciples of CONFUCIUS.
Men with shaven scalps and pig tails have rubbed
elbows with her MAJESTY'S lieges in the Strand
and Cheapside. The marvels of the willow-pat-
terned plate have been degraded into the homeliest
realities. In our conduct towards China, instead
of implicitly following the course suggested by
the epigrammatic phrase of CIESAR, we went
we conquered, and we saw. similar destiny
appears at this; orisis to be awaiting the
Japanese. The secrets of Japan are about to
be at last disclosed to the eyes of the world through
the instrumentality of the naval armaments sent
into the Eastern seas for that purpose by the
United States' Government. Howbeit, the present
juncture appears to threaten China with something
more than additional revelations.

A rebellion, which has now lasted upwards of
two years consecutively, seems at this moment to
be breaking down the whole framework of the
Chinese Constitution. Fully one-half of China has
already fallen into the hands of the victorious in-
surgents. Excepting a narrow strip of sea-board,
the whole surface of the country south of the great
river the Yang-tse-Kiang has yielded to the tri-
umphant progress of the revolutionists. Ac-
cording to the last accounts, fears were rife
at Canton that Nankin had fallen before
the resolute assaults of the rebels by whom
it was known to be besieged. Advancing
from the marshy province of Kwangsee, within
the frontiers of which the rebel soldiers had for
nearly twenty months restricted their marauding
enterprises, the foes of the EMPEROR and of the
other constituted authorities have rapidly ad-
vanced against their antagonists until obstructed,
as we have already remarked, by the waters of the
Yang- tse-Kiang. Everywhere as yet the Imperial
troops have been routed with a terrible slaughter.
SETT, the Commander-in-Chief of the main body of
the EMPEROR'S army, was ignominiously defeated,
for example, before the walls of Yo-Tchow,
a city of considerable dimensions, situated
on the borders of the lake Tung-ting-Hou.
After the capture of Yo-Tchow, and the
seizure of Han-yang, another city one hundred
and fifty miles further down the Yang-tse-Kiang,
the rebels seem to have hastily pressed for ward to
the capital of the province Hoopah, the great city of
Woochung. Here, again, their success appears to
have been as usual extraordinary. Woochung
was taken, and that too with a massacre so terri-
ble, that some time afterwards the intolerable
stench from the dead bodies lying about in the
neighbourhood threatened, seemingly, the
outbreak of a violent pestilence. Added to
the shameful defeat of his forces, the EM-
PEROR has suffered of late deplorably from
the pusillanimity of those who, both from their
rank and their profession, ought to have proved
his most resolute defenders under such an emer-
gency. It has proved necessary, in fact, for one
of the Generals of his army, and one of the
Admirals of his fleet, to be publicly degraded for
their cowardice. His Chinese MAJESTY, indeed,
seems to have been driven to the old woman's
advice tirer le diable par la queue—and is now, of
course, enjoying the delectable consequences. He
appeals in his despair to the Princes of Christen-
dom for assistance. Applications have in this
manner been addressed to Sir GEORGE BONHAM,
her Britannic MAJESTY'S Plenipotentiary. The
Viceroy of Soochau has besought aid from the
English Consul at Shanghai. And, doubtless, long
before this time, further entreaties of a like kind
have been transmitted from the Imperial head-quar-
ters, requesting instant help from barbarian vessels
like the Hermes, the Rattler, and the Salamander.
Little time will now be required to demonstrate
whether the tempus edax rerum is to swallow up
sooner or later the present Chinese Dynasty, or
whether the Celestial EMPEROR, Brother of the
Moon, and Cousin of the Stars, and Nephew of
the Comets, or whatever else he may be, will come
at last victoriously out of the horrors of a pro-
tracted and ferocious Revolution.

The Income Tax Bill is making rapid progress
through the Committee. Now that the stability
of the Government is no longer dependent on
a division, Honourable Gentlemen are exhibiting
a contemptuous disregard of the rights of the in-
dustrious classes—of the sufferers under the un-
fair assessment, which regards precarious and
permanent income in the same point of view, and
charges the fluctuating wages of intellectual or
physical labour as highly as the certain produce
of accumulated and realised property. Her MA-
JESTY'S Opposition carefully avoided the trouble
even of appearing in their places. Her MAJESTY'S
Ministers, and their supporters (with the excep-
tion of the ontniloquent Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, who, as usual, exhibited a forty-magpie
power of talking, until his impetuosity was
curbed by his more phlegmatic Leader), were as
chary of their arguments as their opponents were
of their presence. The excitement of the ap-
proaching Derby was much greater than that of
the debate. There was much greater interest
evinced in Lord DERBY'S race-horse winning the
racing prize, than in Lord DERBY'S party winning
their way back to place and power.

As a preliminary, we suppose, to the Royal
birthday there was a fair display of sham battles,
which seemed to amuse the junior Members.
There was a discussion brought on by the Hon.
and Gallant Colonel the Member for Portarling-
ton, who certainly exerted himself zealously and
efficiently on behalf of Ireland. The Hon. Gen-
tleman, on the House going into Committee on
the Income Tax, moved for the appointment of a
Select Committee " to inquire into and consider
the fiscal relations and relative taxation of Great
Britain and Ireland, and to report whether the
latter kingdom does not bear her fair share of
imperial taxation," contending at the same time
that the proposed extension of the Income Tax
to Ireland was quite contrary to the Act of
Union, which was financially injurious to the sister
kingdom, and also that the remission of the Conso-
lidated Annuities was not an adequate equivalent for
the imposition of the income tax. In these views
he was ably supported by several Irish members
(more especially by the Hon. Gentleman the Member
for Dungarvon—whose speech •was a very credit-
able display) ; but nothing could excite the house
from the contemptuous indifference and apathy
into which it had fallen, and which it so fre-
quently exhibits on Irish questions. No aigu-
ment was offered except the will of the majority
—who by 194 to 63 negatived the amendment,
and fastened the tax firmly on Ireland—a result
mainly attributable to those who, like the Hon.
Gentleman the Member for Clonmel (who, by the
way, did not show last night), first opposed the
amendment for the modification of the tax, and
then voted for the exemption of Ireland, Another