The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-27 00:00:00

CHINA.

(From tile Overland Friend of Cana of Tune 6.)

The hiatus caused by the possible total loss of the
'ail by the Douro, with our summary for the fortnight
ending the 23d ult., entails a recapitulation of the prin-
cipal events in China during the whole of the past
pion th.

The Peninsular and Oriental screw steamer Douro,
the second day out from Hong-Kong, experienced a
typhoon, in which, her funnel being washed overboard
and other damage sustained, Captain Hederstedt re-
solved on bearing up for the port he had left. The
fourth day out, the vessel struck on one of the Paracels,
where she hung when the boat left, which brought here
two of the passengers and an• officer, who, with a crew of
five, in eight days travelled some 350 miles. The Malta,
which was to have taken the present mail, started for the
Wreck within five hours after the receipt of the news ;
We are told by one of the passengers, that when they
left, if the weather continued as it was, the vessel might
hold together for a month ; and that he did not think
the hull had sustained any material damage. Captain
liederstedt had nearly completed two rafts, sufficient to
Carry all on board if the vessel broke up. The I)ouro's
cargo consisted of some 1,600 bales of silk.
• The principal items of news by the lost mail were as
follows :--Further proofs of the mendacity of the man-
agers of the Peking Gazette, and the great success, in-
F.tead of defeat, of the patriot army, now known to be
operating in three grand divisions. Continued insur-
rfeetion in the green tea districts, and approach of relief
:1(1),iro Nanking to the holders of Shanghai,
7.11 s conduct of the French Marine, Serious omen
and n iste-
at
Ina "IgPo ; the crews of the Imperialist letters o.
surtret"
fighting with the Portuguese Lorcha men. In
htection at Taichow, about 60 wiles from Ningpo. Hard
_ g ng under the:banner of Teen teh Wang, in the Fokiei,
province. Death of the Mr. Brine who was shot in the
atftack on the Imperialist camp at Shanghai on the 4ti:
of April Arrival of crew and passengers of the wrecke,'
str.n,e.rican barque Sarah Moore. Arrival of Admiral
g, and movements of our ships of war in these
Seas, Atc.
• To the foregoing we have now to add the news of tilt:
fortnight ending this date. And here we have to re•
terse the usual order of our report, and, as u-)lnutedly
Most interesting at home, give, before our Chinese ro-
vincial-intelligence, a detail of the progr, dltTi:Othsliptit'ohn
of British arms in these seas. The- M'asltaan
declaration of war by combined France and with
• de
Russia, arrived on the 25th of May. Withn
an hour the blue peter was flying on board the Wit
Chester, 50 guns ; Spartan, 28 guns ; an,i p
steamer Barraeouta, 6 guns ; sunclo-vri atl
vessels left, the harbour, bound, it was generally.'°bBe-
lieved, in search of the Russian frigate Pallas, and cur-
'Pettey
.04VOLItZaa DWin. as 8414 A.uroreei,"all PreEllrad

/be hovering on the coast of China, waiting for the
announcement of war, to commence offensive operations.
• Admiral Stirling. with commendable foresight, took due
precaution in preventing the Russian admiral from ob-
taining the despa,tithes which bad been kindly forwarded
to him (by his agents here) in the British ship Akbar.
It is said that before the Akbar -reached Shanghai her
mails were taken out of her by H.M. steam-ship Rattler,
and that they now lie at the British consulate, Shanghai,
under seal ; applications for letters by the several Rus-
sian officers there having been rejected until the declara-
tion of war or otherwise became known.
The Russian steam-tender Vostock has been busy
boarding vessels to inquire for news, and on one occa-
son was within a mile of H.M. steam-ship Styx, her
vicinity having been hid by a thick fog. The Styx tried
the Vostock's rate of going for an hour or two, and found
that with two boilers on the lowest grade of expansion, it
was quite possible to keep way with her. The Vostock
ran away to the south-east, and has not since been seen, al-
though one report runs that she passed through Hong-
Kong harbour only a few nights ago. and that boat-loads
of provisions have been despatched hence to be put on
board the squadron directly they arrive. Reports, how-
ever, were still, up to a week ago, being taken to Shang-
hai by Chinese fishing boats, of six Russian vessels as
not far from that port, and, with a head wind to contend
against, they can hardly be in Hong Kong under a fort-
night at the least. Indeed, the more we think on the
matter, the more we feel certified that Hong Kong is not
the place where Russians will make any demonstration,
bard knocks and little pelf being all the substantiality
they can at all anticipate. Apparently struck, however,
with the want of defence, against Chinese pirates, of
which there are large numbers close to us, his Excellency
the Admiral has directed the Spartan to return here.
The day after a grand ball at Government-house, given
on the anniversary of her most gracious Majesty's birth-
day, his Excellency Sir John Riwring took his departure
for Shanghai, in H.M. steamship Barracouta, with the
intention, it is said, of proceeding to Nanking so soon as
the exigencies of the service permit the admiral to
place a steam-vessel at his Excellency's disposal.
During his absence the Government of the colony has
devolved on the Honourable the Lieutenant-Governor.