The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-30 00:00:00

LOCAL BANDITTI-AGAINST IDOLATERS.

Yang-seu-ts'hing, especially appointed general of the
grand army, engaged in sweeping away the Tartars and
establishing the new dynasty, issues this second procla-
mation :

I, the general, in obedience to the Royal commands,
have put in motion the troops for the punishment
of the oppressor, and in every place to which I have
come, the enemy at the first report have dispersed
like scattered rubbish ; as soon as a city has been
captured I have put to death the rapacious man-
darins and corrupt magistrates therein, but have
not injured a single individual of the people,
so that all of you may take care of your fa-
milies, and attend to your business, without alarm
and trepidation. I have already issued proclamations
to this effect, with which I presume you are acquainted.
I have heard, however, that throughout the villages
there are numbers of lawless vagabonds, who, previous
to the arrival of our troops, take advantage of the dis-
turbed state of the country to defile men's wives and
daughters, and plunder or burn the property of honest
people. I, the general, have already apprehended some
of these, and decapitated about a score of them. Now,
because their localities are somewhat removed from the
provincial capital (Ngan-hwuy), t these persons flatter
themselves that I, the general, am not aware of their
proceedings, which is very much to be detested ; I have,
therefore, sent a great officer named Yuen, as a special
messenger, with some hundreds of soldiers, to go through
the villages, and as soon as he finds any of these vaga-
bonds, he is commissioned forthwith to decapitate them ;
while the honest inhabitants have nothing more to do
than to stick up the word " shun " (obedient) over their
doors, and then they have nothing to fear.
I would wish to ask those of you who have given of
your money, and aided with your provisions (the former
Government) in order to purchase titles and official dig-
nities, what is the glory of such distinctions ? And even
those literary honours which the Manchow robbers have
conferred at the literary examinations, of what use are
they ? I and my followers are all subjects of the Great
Chinese Empire, and students of the books handed down
by the great sages of antiquity, how then could we stoop
to receive rank and emolument from these Mwan-e
Manchow barbarians..l: Do you, therefore, each one
throw away the diplomas which you have received, and
deceive yourselves no longer with them. As soon as I
have taken Nankin, I will consult about arrangements
for the literary examinations, and after having weighed
the merits of the respective candidates, I will select the
most worthy scholars, and settle the degrees of literary
rank to which they are entitled. With regard to the
temples and monasteries which belong to the priests
of Buddha and Taou, together with the property pos-
sessed by the brothels and gambling-houses ; it is
much better that it should be distributed among the
poor people of the villages. At present we are seizing
the priests of Buddha and Taou throughout the country
and putting them to death, and we are inquiring into
those who have been foremost in the building and repair
of the Buddhist temples, that we may have them appre-
hended likewise. When I, the general, have led forward
my troops to the destruction of the Manchows, I will
deliberate further about the examinations, in which
everything shall be re-arranged according to the original
customs of the Chinese. Should any disobey our in-

junctions, as soon as our grand army arrives we will not
leave them a dog or a fowl remaining. A special
proclamation.
Copied at Ning-kwo•foo (lat. 31 deg. 2 min. N,
118 deg. 40 min. E), about 180 miles of Shanghai, and
100 miles south of Nankin.
BY THE IMPERIALISTS.
MEANS OF DEFENCE.--GOSSIPS.

Woo, provincial judge, intendant of circuit, &c., issues
this proclamation for the purpose of conveying clear
information.

I received, on a previous occasion, an official commu-
nication from the high officers, stating that " the rebels
had disturbed the province of Hoonau ; having been
driven from which, they fled into Hoo-pih, and in conse-

[PRICE SD.

quence of due precaution not having been taken, the
capital city of that province (Woo-chang) was lost : but
subsequently an attack had been made on the rebels,
when they gave up possession of the city, seized some
boats, and escaped. It is now to be feared that, pro-
ceeding in the direction of the stream, they will move
eastward, down the Yang-tsz-keang. It is necessary,
therefore, that for several miles along the northern and
southern banks of that river, measures should be taken
to stop their progress ; also that the lorchas and guns,
with the military force sent from Shanghai, should go
forward to meet and exterminate the rebels."
I have also received another official communication
from the high officers, stating their apprehension lest
local banditti, hearing this news, should create disturb.
ances, and commanding that the village braves should
be collected and trained, in order to assist in the defence
of their various localities. I, the Taoutae, have at-
tended to this, and have directed the superintendent of
the maritime defences, together with the district magis-
trate of Shanghai, to issue proclamations to that effect
as is on record. But it must be observed, that this
sending up of the lorchas, with this calling out and train-
ing. of the village braves, are merely measures of pre-
caution, taken before the evil is really upon us ; and do
not show that the rebels have really arrived at the bor-
ders of Ketng-nan. On the 28th day of the first moon
(March 7, 1853), I received a document from the Im-
perial commissioner and great minister, Luli, governor
of Keang-nan, stating that he had already led forth
a large army to attack and exterminate the rebels, in
conjunction with the troops from the various provinces
of Kean-se, Hoo-nan Hoo-pih, Ho-nan, Shan-tung, and
Szechuen, to surround and attack the foe, swearing that
Yang-tsz-keang are on the alert in every direction ;
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force, so that we need not be under any apprehension
lhCaehnildvn-oaKunleang and Kwa-chow are also guarded by a large

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left ; but the colonists were expecting her hourly
from Australia.
Departures from the Cape for Australia—For
Melbourne—The Hotspur, Jack, Gem, West Wind,
and Ceres. For Port Philip—The Cherusker, Bal-
timore, and Hellespont. For Sydney—The Royal
Alice. For Adelaide—The Adelaide screw-steamer
and the Alert.
The Alfred, Captain Voss, arrived at St. Helena
on the 30th of April, and was to leave the same day
for London.
• At Ascension, on the 3d of May, were her Ma-
jesty's ship Penelope, flag of Admiral Bruce ; Brito-
mart, Commander lazeltine ; and the steamer
Alecto, Commander Crofton.
Her Majesty's brig Ferret was daily expected.
The Admiral was from Loando, and intended to
return there, whence he would go to St. Helena.
The Britomart left Cape Coast Castle on the 20th
of April, and arrived at Ascension on the 30th, the
Aslantee invasion having been quelled. She was
vefitting, and intended leaving for St. Helena on
the 9th of May.
The Alecto was repairing her boilers, her desti-
nation uncertain.
The sick from the late expedition to the coast
had recovered.
nTita,
,h. e
from
5m General
England,
50Screw n
The Cape Verdes were healthy ; the Vocalish and
lo o. coaled,te
four other coal ships were in harbour. At Porto
Grande, the American steam-tug Confucius, for
Hong Kong.
mail ship Indiana, Captain Lambert, left St. Vin-
Ships spoken.—April 9th, the barque Herald,
from the Mauritius, bound to London, out six days,
Steam
5015 Shipping
nE . teni p
April Company's
l7thours.h,
ex-
changedin
signals with the American ship Siam,
under jury foremast, not requiring assistance, offered
by the Bosphorus, lat. 34 38 S. long. 28 47 E.
April 18th, spoke the Prince of Wales East India-
man, off Cape Agulhas, from Calcutta, bound to
the Cape and London.
On Sunday, the 22d inst., the Bosphorus was only
700 miles from Plymouth, expecting to report on
the afternoon of the 25th. It was then blowing a
strong gale from N.N.W. to N N Ewhich
. . con-
tinued until Thursday D-- • -
mornin