The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-04 00:00:00

NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL.
A full average business was transacted to-day, and
prices had an upward tendency.

Per 81bs by the carcase.
s. d. s. d.
Beef, inferior 2 2 2 6
Do., middling 2 8 3 2
Do., prime large 3 4 3 6
Do., do. small 3 8 3 10
Pork, large 3 4 4 0

BOROUGH HOP.

Private letters, received by the Overland mail,
via Marseilles, place us in possession of further par-
ticulars respecting the progress of the rebellion in
China. From Shanghai there were dates to the
29th August. The rebel army was said to have
reached Tien-tsiu, the seaport town of Pekin, situ-
ate on the Peiho, and news of the taking of the
capital was daily expected. At Shanghai the Triad
Society men were beginning to be troublesome.
There were said to be 8,000 of them in the city,
and they contemplated a rise very shortly.
At Amoy there had been much bloodshed, Mit
letters from that place, dated August 30, state that
an early termination of the struggle between the
rebels and the Imperialists was looked forward to.
The approach of the Mandarins there had been
repeatedly announced, but so much delay had
occurred that it was for some time believed they
had abandoned altogether the idea of recapturing
the city. At daylight, however, on the 25th of
August, a fleet, consisting of 20 Canton and 14
Amoy junks, hove in sight, and shortly after noon
arrived off the 200-gun battery. An ineffective
cannonade was kept up until evening.
"Amoy, August 30.
" However, at daylight of the 25th a fleet, consisting
of 20 Canton and 14 Amoy junks, appeared.. Shortly
after noon they arrived off the 200-gun battery, and till
evening an ineffective cannonade was kept up between
them and the rebel batteries at Emung-hang and Ko-
lan-soo, after which the Mandarins retired a few miles
and anchored for the night. The same afternoon an-
other fleet, consisting of 40 or 50 junks and large boats,
came round the west side of the island, where the passage
is very narrow, and destroyed several villages on the main
and, known, as rebel villages, and among them that of
Boon-coon, the second chief, whose relations, it is said,were
all captured. On the 25th, with the exception of some
firing by the junks on the western side, matters remained
quiet till the afternoon, the rebels in the town evincing.
little or no concern at the near approach of their ene-
mies. It seemed very generally believed by the rebels,
that the Canton junks were manned by members of the
Tien-ti society and that they would not fire in earnest
against them. This belief was assiduously spread by
the rebel chiefs, and while the statement was probably
made without any definite information on the point, with
the view of inspiring the rebel soldiers with confidence,
it was tolerably evident that some of the Canton junks
fired too wide of the mark to intend any damage. About
3 p.m. the fleet, which was at anchor off the 200-gun
battery, and which had been augmented during the night,
came round the south side of Ko-lan-soo, exchanging
shots with the batteries on that island and on the main.
It was supposed they would have come into the inner
harbour and engaged the rebel junks, which all got
under way ; but, after a good deal of firing between the
two fleets the Mandarins anchored near to the foreign
shipping, about a mile from the town, and close to where
their fleet, which came round the west side, bad arrived.
The rebels again took up their anchorage immediately in
front of the foreign bongs. During the 27th nothing
was done, save the approach, to within four or five miles
of the city, of the troops, estimated at 5,000 or 6,000,
whose landing at the back of the island had been effected
during the previous two days. On the morning of the
28th some fighting took place near the Mandarin en-
campment, in which the rebels were said to have been
driven off. In the afternoon the fleet weighed, and
stood in to the upper end of the harbour, which it was
again supposed they would enter and occupy, but their
object appeared to have been the destruction of the west-
end of the suburbs, where the rebels had two batteries.
Between these and the junks a heavy and constant fire
was kept up for about 2 hours, but, as usual, without
any damage of consequence to the combatants. A great
many of the shot from the Canton junks on this occa-
sion, as well as on the 26th, appeared directed at and
over the houses, breaking a great many tiles, and fright-
ening the people from the roofs, where, at the com-
mencement, the inhabitants had placed themselves to
witness the fight. The firing ceased about 6 p.m., the
Mandarin junks retiring to their anchorage. The rebel
junks did not weigh, and altogether it was not supposed
that 20 men were killed on shore. The great noise
made by the guns of the Mandarin junks, added to their
evident superiority of force, appeared to have somewhat
disheartened the rebels, and several left the place on the
28th, while, during the night, the rebel chief's son, a lad
of 19 or 20 years of age, poisoned himself with opium.
He had been sick for some days, and is reported to have
at different, times of late expressed himself despondingly
of the success of the rebels, and to have said, shortly
before his death, that, as he could not be attended to or
carried off, in case of the rebels having to take to flight,
it were better he should die. He was an only son.
On the morning of the 29th the Mandarin troops
gained considerable advantage over the rebel- army. It
would appear that before daylight they surprised
about 400 rebels who were in advance of the main
body, capturing and beheading the greater portion of
them ; the few who escaped, and the main body of rebels
hastened back to the city, followed a considerable part of
thee way by the Imperialists, who might have success-
fully invested the place, so panic-stricken were the
rebels. However, they contented themselves with de-
stroying the villages inhabited by the rebels, through
which they passed, four.of which they burnt, killing, in
some instances, all the men and male children they
found. It being high-water at the time, some of the
Mandarin junks and boats prOceeded up the creek,
which runs half-way across the island from the west end
of the town, and kept up a fire on the retreating rebels.
They also landed some men, who killed several strag-
glers. The Imperialist troops, after destroying and set- I
tine' on fire four villages, were returning to their camp
to breakfast, when the rebel army was, after much per-
suasion, induced to pursue them, and, though the Man-
darins do not appear to have retreated beyond their
camp, some 32 were captured at least that number of
heads was exposed in the city. During the rest of the :
day all remained quiet, many of the rebel outposts with-
drawing into the city. From the number of headless
bodies lying in and about the villages which were burnt, SERIOUS ACCIDNNT AT ASTLEY'S THEATRE. —On
a very large number of people must have been killed on Wednesday evening an accident, which terminated
the 29th, and, for the sake of the head-money (the with loss of life, occurred to one of the supernume-
rebels get 21. for each head they bring in) many field , raries at Astley's, named George Palmer, land what
labourers, quite innocent of aiding either party, were sup- ! is the more to be regretted is that he was entirely the
posed to have been slain. Towards evening the rebel cause of it himself, through his owe folly and foolhardi-
troops retired into the city, many of them laden with ness. It appears that he was intrusted with a loaded,
plunder from the destroyed villages, while the inhabi- gun to fire off in some part of the performance, and
tants of the villages not yet destroyed by the Mandarins whilst behind the scenes he had, on former occasions,
poured into the town with such articles of furniture as amused the other supernumeraries by applying the muzzle
they could carry with them. On the morning of the iof the gun to his mouth, and, placing the nipple near
30th at daylight the junks commenced a heavy cannon- , the gas-light, extinguished the gas by suddenly
blowing
ade on the western suburbs, which they kept up till 9 { the finer parts of the loose charge through the touch-
o'clock, but, beyond some injury to the houses, no ad- hole. This was considered quite a feat in its way, 3:1
vantage had been gained by them when the last account on the night in question he proceeded to do it aeraT-
left. The rebel soldiers appeared to be all withdrawn He was urgently requested to desist, and cautioned as to
i
into the city, nor had the Mandarin troops moved again. the dangerous nature of the " trick." He, however, would
It was supposed, however, that another body of troops ! not be interfered with by those around him, and on apply-
had been landed to the eastward, and that a simultaneous , ing the touch-hole to the gaslight he unfortunately intT e
attack would be made on both sides, and- some parts of his breath, which drew the flame down to the priniieng.i.
the town, supposed. to be occupied by rebels, destroyed. and the charge instantly exploded, with the muzzle
The rebel fleet, which might have been easily destroyed, ' the piece in his mouth, injuring and mutilating him
was apparently spared in order to encourage the flight o f frightful manner ; in fact, lie was violently forced seis.riefreali
the rebels. A good deal of anxiety was felt by the fo- yards across the place where he was stsinding,
reign residents as to the manner in which this struggle bleeding and insensible on the floor of the room. e to
might end. The rebels said that, if defeated, they would sistance being at hand, he was immediately conveyed to
set tire to the city, while the Mandarins, it was under- the Weitminster Hoipital, and attended by Mr. -"*that
stood, intended to burn the western suburbs and Emung- the house surgeon, who found, upon examination, a
kang. the roof of the mouth had been completely
e of the
"On the night of the 29th a report was made by the and the whole face horribly lacerated, som
and in-
merchants to Sir William Hoste to delay his departure der having forced away a portion of the muscles
_wood
to Shanghai for a day or two,:but he declined acceding teguments the.back of the neck. The
taffairuec_i_t the
thereto, because her Majesty'S Vice-Consul did not deem considerable alarm among the corps drama iq as
the Spartan's presence indispensable." 1 theatre, as it happened during the performances.
blown
par?,

s. d. s. d.
Mutton, Inferior 2 8 3 ti
Do., middling 3 4 4
Do., prime 4 2 4
Veal 3 4 4 6
Pork, small 4 2 410

A portion of the duty has been declared at 91,710/.7s 9d•
The show of fine coloury uops•is limited, and the demand
for them is steady, at vary full prices. Inferior qualities
command less attention, and are somewhat in favour of
buyers. This week's imports are 56 bales from Ghent, 183
from Ostend,l4B from Hambnrgh, 484 from Antwerp,
and 7 from Rotterdam. The following are the quotations
Now Mid and East Kent pockets, 151. Os to 201. Os ;
new Weald of Kent ditto, 11/. Os to 131. 13s ; and Ile°
Sussex ditto, 101. ss. to 131. per cwt.