The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-11 00:00:00

was seen flying in our ranks, soon opened our eyes to
expect another tale ; the advanced guard now formed
into line, and our guns were drawn up in position to re-
ceive the enemy, but they passed in front of us at too
great a distance even for our guns to touch. After some
delay the General ordered two companies of the 37th
and the cavalry to move round to the right and serrch
for the missing officers,', and directed two of Abbott's
guns, under Lieut. Dawes, and the three companies
under Lieut. Rind, to move to the left, and attack the
enemy, who were accumulating on a rocky bill on the
fl ink. Both detachments moved off. Lieut. Dawes opened
fire on the enemy with most admirable precision. The
high red standard of the enemy was now carried up and
planted on the top of the bill ; this the General thought
rather too much of a good thing, and sent orders to Lieut.
Rind to move up with his detachment, and take the hill
from the enemy. The companies moved off, covered by the
guns. The ascent was near to being impracticable,and they
were exposed to a heavy fire, but fortunately most of the
shot passed over their heads, and in a short time the com-
panies were up and in possession of one of the ugliest look-
ing places I ever saw in my life. A Grenadier of the
37th• was saved by his breastplate. A Havildar and
three men were wounded. After driving off the enemy
and holding the hill for half an hour, the companie.;
were withdrawn. Lieutenant-Colonel Salter returned
with the bodies of his late Adjutant and Dr. Lord, the
former without its head ; both bodies were naked and
much cut. Lieutenant Broadfoot's was not found till
night, when it was brought in also without a head.
"' The troops were now withdrawn, camp pitched,
and we retired to rest all fully accoutred, with the full
prospect of having a precious warm night's work.
Daybreak came without a shot being fired from
our side. The enemy had decamped, and were said to
have gone in the direction of Charikar.

" The bugle sounded to arms, and orders were given
to strike camp and march. We reached this by half-
p .st one P.M.. well tired and fatigued.

" Dost Mahomed was only scen in the early part
of the morning ; he wore a large white turban and light-
coloured dress, and was always attended by a sky-blue
banner.

" The Affghans, though exceedingly fine men, were
badly mounted ; had our cavalry charged, without any
exertion on the men's pat t, they must have overthrown
them. The two wounded officers testify to having left
their mark on several sirdars, all the enemy who came
down were well dressed and appeared to carry with
them the air of chieftains. The loss sustained by the
enemy is not known, ours is pretty consi lerable."'
From Ferozepore we learn that hostilities have already
commenced ma the part of the Sikhs, their Chief at Nli-
thunkote having fired upon a British officer passing in
a boat, detained several of our grain bolts, and sent
Sikh troops to take possession, by orders, as he says,
front the Lahore Court, of some 15,000 mounds of
grain belonging to us at one of the ghauts on the river !
_ •

• On the 3i of November.

CHIN,t.

--4 c.

We lay before our readers the following extracts from
a private letter which has just reached us from Macao,
dated October 13 and 17. This letter ivill be found to
contain several details which have not yet appeared in
print, and which will, therefore, be interesting to the
public :
" MAcAo, OCT. 13.—Admiral Elliott, in the Wel-

les'ey, reached the Gulf of Petchelce in the middle of
August, and anchored at the mouth of the Peilio, hav-
ing a line of communication with the shore by means of
the smaller vessels attached to the expedition. The de-
spatch from Lord Palmerston which had been treated
with such disrespect at Amoy and Ning-po was received
by the Mandarins at the place, and was forwarded to the
Court. After some delay and negotiation, Keshin, Vice-
roy of Pekin, and third member of the Imperial Council,
was deputed by his Imperial Majesty to communicate
with the Admiral, and this eventually led to an interview
between the Imperial Envoy and Captain Elliot, the
Admiral having declined to attend on account of the

Commissioner being his inferior in rank. The confer-
ence took place on shore, where tents were pitched for
the reception of the embassy, and, according to previous
arrangements, was conducted with as little ceremony as
possible on either side. Captain Elliot, his interpreter,
and a few officers and gentlemen from the squadron,
ware received with marked civility and distinction, and
the former explained the object of our visit, and the
nature of our demands, pointing out the harsh, unjust,
and arbitrary nature of Lin's proceedings, whose con-
duct was admitted to be deserving of severe censure and
punishment, if what we stated were true ; but they con-
tended it would be unjust to condemn him on an ex
parte statement, or before he had been found guilty
by his own Government. Payment of the confis-
cated opium was distinctly refused, but an offer was
made to restore our trade at Canton to its former
footing. Keshin spoke strongly against the opium
traffic, and warmly urged the necessity of our suppress-
ing it. Captain Elliot replied that this was out of our
power, as the drug was extensively cultivated in coun-
tries over which the British Government could exercise
no control. Our occupation of an island or any terri-
torial aggrandisement was strongly objected to, and our
abandonment of Tehu-san was demanded. In short,
all the demands made by Captain Elliot on the part of
the British Government have, one after another, been
adroitly set aside, and not a concession has been made
or a promise granted, and the only conclusion we can
come to is, that the sagacious and wily Keshin has suc-
ceeded in transferring our negotiations from the mouth
of the Peiho to the Canton river, without our having
advanced one step. He has been appointed Ambas-
sador Extraordinary to proceed to Canton and inquire
into the state of affairs, and a conference is ap-
pointed to be held between him and the British
Plenipotentiaries at the B que about the middle of
November for the adjustment of our differences, and
the question now for consideration is, whether the con.
ference is likely to lead to an amicable arrangement and
the re-establishment of trade. We think not. The
demands of the British Government having been once
made cannot be departed from with safety or honour ;
and the more we see of the Chinese character, their
great political sagacity, and utter want of principle,
the more we are convinced that by negotiations al one
we shall gain nothing, and that the Emperor and his
Minister, having already succeeded in gaining time, will
strenuously endeavour to avoid the settlement of our
claims, and put us off by fair promises until we find
ourselves, after the loss of much valuable time, as far
as ever from the accomplishment of the objects for
which the expedition was undertaken.

" We regret to state that the Kite transport, block-
ading the Yang-Isze-Ke mg, has fallen into the hands of
the Chinese, and her people, including a lieutenant and
man-of-war boat's crew, were made prisoners. The
formal demand for their release, as well as that of Cap-
tain Anstruther, of the Engineers, who was taken from
Tchu san, being made by the Admiral, was met by a
firm refusal from the mandarins at Ning-po, but propo-
sals have been made to effect an exchange between
them and some Chinese junk masters, our prisoners;
but the result of this negotiation is not yet known.
" The Indian Oak transport got ashore at Loo Choo,
on her way to Singapore, but the people were treated
with the utmost kindness by the natives of these
islands, and were sent on to Tchu-san in a vessel
built from the materials of the wreck. It wus
expected that the Admiral wou:d leave Tchu-
san, with a considerable naval force, towards the end of
this month. The troops will probably not be moved,
as they are in a dreadful state from disease, owing to
the injudicious manner in which the ground has been
laid out for their encampments. 'The town of Ting-
'lac remained totally deserted by the inhabitants.
" We have nothing of importance to communicate
from this place. The stringent measures of Captain
Smith at the barrier, on the 19th of August, have had
a most salutary effect. Tile Bogue remains strongly
blockaded. 'The usual Macao and Canton cargo-
boats have been interrupted Mt many months, and bu-
siness both here and at Canton is perfectly stagnant."

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

PROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
LroemrintgheitMimornp
imperative
gtivOte ro )
In a law r(e that all future build-
ing, or rebuilding, should be preceded by an
efficient
pro-
vision for permanent drainage,
and should allow space for
a free circulation of ai •r, immense good would be accom-
plished for the public without any wrong done to the pro-
prietors of the ground. prospective restriction merely
destroys that contingent va tie in their property which de-
pends upon the infliction of a wrong on others. This
would be no subject of reasonable
no property in slavery or blasphemy,complaint. If there I.
assuredly there ought
not to be a property in pestilence,
of its production. tnders uch cael
law,
in the probable causes
profitable to run up the miserable sheds,,it might cease to be
in swampy ground,
which aro now found to answer the purpose of the
proprietor. The expense of draining the ground would
induce the erection of more decent dwellings. And
although the immediate gains might be diminished,
the
property would be permanently improved by the loss
its sordid and noxious character. Prevention,
in th
of
case, is as easy as it is just and wise. With
existing
streets, courts, lanes, and alleys, the question becomes
more complicated. In many cases we may almost fear
that a wholesome system of drainage has been rendered
impracticable; and that little more can be done than to
enforce such alleviating expedients as may mitigate a
nui,ance not wholly removable. In other cases, where
drainage is less difficult, it may yet be very expensive.
Landlords will sometimes abandon their property altoge-
ther rather than rebuild and improve. In Mr. Symons'
work on " Art and Artisans," he dcscr b:s his visit, in com-
pany with the Superintendent of Police, to a nest of buildings
v. hich had been condemned as dilapidated. The owners would
not be at the cost of taking them clown, though by the
condemnation any rent from their tenants ceased to be
recoverable. As a natural result, such places become the
haunts of thieves and prostitutes of the lowest description,
sinks of the deepest wretchedness and loathsome profligacy.
la London, the owners of private houses have often shown
a strong indisposition to avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity of drainage aff.riled them by the corporation im-
provement-, onlaceount of the comparatively small outlay
it
woull impose upon themselves. Dr. Southwood
Smith
mentions, in his evidence, that " after the
City .endon made that great sewer in Aldgate
High-stye, the City had tho greatest difficulty in
getting the butchers to drain into it." They could