The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

E RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT IN CHINA.

The following letter from a naval officer, dated
"Amoy, October 25th," will be read with much
interest by all concerned in the great change
which appears to be impending in the religious as
well as the political condition of China
" Being relieved at Shanghai, I left there a
month since for this place, calling at the island of
Japan-san, a dependency of Loochoo, to pick up
the survivors of the Lady Eveline, which was
wrecked there. Of 270, 240 were drowned ; the
remainder we found had been treated with every
kindness by the poor people of the island, who, out
of their 'deep poverty', bestowed largely of every-
thing they had, clothes as well as food.
" Of all the people I ever saw, the condition of
this island is the most deplorable. They live, for
the most part, upon sweet potatoes, are absolutely
naked, and, practically, slaves to the higher class,
who are numerous, and said to come from Loochoo.
The island is capable of producing sugar, cotton,
and very much more food than it does, but the
excessive jealousy of Loochoo prevents any inter-
course or amelioration of their condition. Seeing
no prospect of a ship returning there, I made them
a present, on Government account, for their kind-
ness to our countrymen.
" When I left Shanghai it was in the hands of a
set of insurgents who belong to the Triad Society,
but had declared for Tae-ping-wang, and I think
they will be able to hold it against the Imperialists,
the more certainly that so many places are rebel-
ling. For a month we have been doomed to watch
the abortive attempts of the cowardly Imperialists
to take this place, to see day after day a further
destruction of the property of the unoffending and
non-combatant inhabitants of the more distant vil-
lages or suburbs, and to speculate on the amount
of misery these people will submit to before they
rise en masse and drive the mandarins away. Three
long months of this siege have dragged. its weary
length along, and still no prospect of their taking
even the nearer suburbs, though unwalled, and
sometimes defended only by 500 or 1,000 men
against 20,000 Imperialists. Whenever they come
too near the walls of the. citadel the rebels turn out
and drive them away with ease.
" I can well believe that there is treason in the
Imperial camp, and that they only make a show of
fighting while the money lasts, and the mandarins
only to save their heads, which they are quite cer-
tain of losing if they give up, but which they can
hold for the present by reporting successes which
have no existence but on paper ; and I can well
believe that there is a deeper feeling than that of
the desire to enrich themselves actuating the rebels,
as for some time they have received only 20 cash a
day to find themselves, equal to about id., and yet
I am credibly informed there are fewer cases of theft
since they have been in possessionof the town than
there were during the mandarin rule. So badly
off are they that many have been predicting that
they must give in, but I feel quite assured that
there is no chance of this. Indeed, I have observed
since I came here that the numbers of the rebels
have been increased very considerably, and we saw
that they brought provisionswith them. On asking
the cause of this influx, I was informed by a disin-
terested person that the mandarins were burning
the villages around, and had promised three days'
plunder to their Canton soldiers, of whom they had
many, so the Amoy people were hastening ix to the
defence of their houses.
" Within a few days they have received rice from
Formosa, which place is also in the hands of mem-
bers of their society, and as the mandarins cannot
procure money, I think they will abandon all at-
tempts to take the place. Indeed, the Imperial
admiral told me yesterday that he did not think
they would be able to retake it. To my mind this
alone would be conclusive against their doing so.
" The movements here, at Shanghai, and Formosa
are quite independent of that which passed through
China, and have originated with the Triad, or Hea-
ven and Earth Society, organised many years ago
for the purp,se of overthrowing the Mantchoo
dy-
nasty. Among the papers brought byus from Nan-
kin was an address to members of this society from
the eastern Prince of the Tae-ping dynasty, exhort-
ing them to come forth and drive out the Mant-
choos. The existence and objects of this society
have been long known to the mandarins, and it has
been proscribed by them, and those discovered or
suspected treated from time to time with frightful
barbarity; and this is now producing its natural
fruits.
" The focus of this society is Singapore, but its
members are to be found in all parts of the south-
ern hemisphere, still loving China and bound to it
by many ties, angry at being expatriated, coming
back from time to time to see their friends, wives,
and sisters, whom they are not allowed to take with
them, and each time more hostile to the Mantchoos
for the degradation they subject their people and,
indeed, themselves to. The only women who leave
China are a very few that pass through Hong Kong,
and these of the lowest. There are 40,000 China-
men at Singapore and only a few hundred women,
(and they mostly half-caste) ; no doubt a man
iniOtt smuggle his wife away, but they would de-
stroy her family or sell them into slavery, for there
are a large number of female slaves in China.
" There is a marked difference between the peo-
ple here and at Shanghai and those at Nankin ; the
former make no profession of changing their reli-
gion, though they state that they are willing to
take their law even on that point from the peo-
ple of Nankin, and their liberal views seem to he
the result of intercourse with Europeans rather
than from understanding the true principles of
civilisation ; but they all have this characteristic
difference from the mandarins and their party—
that they have ceased to be exclusive, and treat
all Europeans with marked civility, while the man-
darins are, if possible, more distrustful and exclu-
sive than ever. No high official will acknowledge
any service, no matter how great, if performed by
a European ; nor will they ask a favour in a
straightforward way, however much they may need
it. A short time since they were very ill off for
money, so the Commissioner sent a mere coolie to
ine to say that they would pay me whatever I
wanted if I would go to Foochow for some, and,
though their continuing the siege depended upon
their having it, yet they would not ask for it in a
proper manner—not that in this case they would
have obtained it, as we are strictly neutral. On
this occasion I asked them why they did not send
some of their fleet of junks ? They said there were
too many pirates outside—which I believe to be
the case. They are a frightful incubus on the coma
try.

" Each day it becomes less possible that the Mant
choos can govern this country again ; their success
against the many movements now in progress
has not been even probable for some time past.
The affections of the masses are extensively, and,
I think, long alienated, and the exactions which
they havehad recourse to to keep up this war arefast
establishing a hostile feeling. I cannot but think
that the literati and rich people are only waiting a
fair prospect of a turn of tide to turn with it, then
the Tae-ping dynasty would have no difficulty in
establishing their government solidly and quickly.
While each day's trial of strength shows the people
their power, it makes, if possible, more evident the
weakness, the imbecility, and venality of the man-
darins. Opium is openly sold in the camps and
fleets of the Imperialists, • and they commonly, or
some of them, go out to fight drunk with it. No
doubt some of the rebels do the same, but this does
not appear to be common among them. Opium
was and is a luxury, and therefore never common
among the poorer classes. The greater part of their
fleet are pirates, hired to the captains, of which
vessels they have given Buttons,' which proves
their weakness and recklessness of character. There
is no reasonable ground for believing that they
could govern the country (if they again obtained
possession of it) upon their exclusive principles,
it is impossible they can change. They Wight as
at
as
well hope to turn the Yang-tse-kiang and cause it
to run up to its source as turn the tide of opinion
which is flowing in over China. They will have
China for the Chinese when they have known bet-
ter things than China affords ; they long to throw
off the badge of slavery, and this feeling is extend-
ing. A Singapore Chinaman said to me, beating
his breast with vehemence, Our hearts are angry
against tho mandarins.'
" Many people say, or affect that, the country
would be long settling down under new rule. I
think very differently. The greater part of the
Europeans in China are influenced by their wishes.
I fancy it would suit the views of some of those
engaged in trade that the Imperialists should suc-
ceed, and as they do not stop out long, their turn
would be served during the short reign they could
continue. About what would follow they do not
care much to inquire.
" As might be expected, there are large numbers
of Chinese indifferent ; they have nothing to lose,
and they are too ignorant to know that they might
have anything to gain ; but there are numbers
whose hearts are with the movement, and these
would be multiplied indefinitely by the fall of Pekin.
Their respect for old age, arising out of their an-
cestral worship, would continue after a change of
governors ; this resolves itself into a kind of local
government, which is strengthened by their respect
for literature. Then they have a rudimentary
teaching in self-government in their many societies,
the office-bearers of which are all elective ; and
they have an evident sense of the necessity for re-
*Wing the rights of property, u shown at all ,