The Sun.
London, England, 1840-02-12 00:00:00

WAR \V ITU CHINA.

By extraordinary Express from Paris the following
important news from India and China. The news from
China was brought to Bombay by the Good Success,
Captain Fraser, which arrived there on the 23rd of
December. It was announced by the Good Success
that all negociations between the Superintendent and
the Chinese Government were broken off, and al o the
particulars of an engagement between her Maj ey's
ship Volage and Hyacinth, with 30 Chinese war junks,
in which the latter is sea to have lose 900 man.
(From the Bombay Courier of Dec. 24.)
The Good Success, Captain Fraser, arrived yesterday from
China. By her we have received Singapore Papers to the
2lst November, from which we present tear readers with the
following summary of the latest China news :
CHlN.A.—Every successive event in this .uarter seems to
deepen- th ecrisia at which affairs have arrlved, and' to compli-
cate our relations with the empire. We had scarcely issued an
extra oa Thursday evening, announcing
.ko our readers that the
Imperial Commissioner had beeken off the convention which he
had concluded with the supersntendent for carrying on a
trade outside the Bogue, had renewed hie demand for Ihe sur-
render of the murderer of Lin-wet-be, and threatened al the
shippinf at Hong-Kong wish destruction, unless th,y
either- entered the port, or took their departure from
the exist within three days, when intelligence was
brought by the Cornwallis, teat her Majesty's ships of war
Volage and Hyacinth had an engagement with a fleet of war
junks off Chumpee !—ending, as might be expected, in the en-
tire discomfiture of the latter, who, it appears, were the first
to assume the offensive. The facts, as stated in private cor-
respondence, are as follows :—Captain Elliot had proceeded
on board of th 7! Volage, with the Hyacinth in eampany, to
Chumpee, to deliver a chop to the Commissioner, when a fleet
of twenty-nine war junks sailed out with the manifest inten-
tion of surrounding the two ships of war, and continued
to close round them, regardless of repeated and urgent
warning as to consequences, until it became necessary to open
fire upon them ; this was promptly returned by the junks,
when a regular engagement ensued, and in less than half an
hour five of the junks were sunk, another was blown, and
the remainder, many of them in a disabled state, crowded
all sail to escape. This they were permitted to do ; the
example that had been made of them having been deem
sufficient--o•• rather, as it is said, Captain Smith, of the
Volage, having yielded to to the entreaties of Captain Elliot,
to discontinne the destructive tire from the ships, and permit
the escape of the fugitives. It is allowed that the Chinese
foughtliretty well ; but the only damage sustained on our side
is stated to be a 12lb shot in the wizen-matt of the Hyacinth.

Letters state that new fo; tifications were in course of con-
struction fat Hong-Long—::ad the few English who had gone
back to Macao were again warned away by Cap'.ain Elliot after
the engagement. How that event wilt operate with respect to
those onboar.l of the Thomas Cutts, cehiclt is entirely in the
power of the Commissioner, is a serious consideration, and
seems destined tc put to the test the sincerity of his pro-
fession 3 of moderation and favour, towards vesiels entering the
es made against him of acting
Port, cc the justic?. of the charg
with undistinguishing violence."
A recent edvesture on the coast will in all probabi;ity
tend to heighten the general difficulties with which our
affairs are surrounded in China. The Cant .n Press of
the 2d instant, reports that accounts have been received
from the west coast of an affair between opium
glera and the Mandarin boats, in which one of the
latter was sunk, several men killed, and seven of the survivors
sent back with their tails cut off! This fact, it appears, had
come to the commissioner's knowledge ; and, "sworn'. as he
still proclaims himself to be, "on behalf of the celestial empire
to remove utterly this root of misery, and not to let the foreign

leis I

,tr-about left for the evil f itita r.,.

s riot likc.ly t,o husline

Stli*CS &Wile has heretofore reseneed to.
(From Bumbao Courier, of Dee. `"). )
" Hong Kong Bay, 7th of November, 1839.
Orr last respects of the 29th ult., communicated the violation
on the part of the imperial commissioner of the convention be-
tween him and Capt. Elliot to in conduct the trade outside the
Bogus. The two vessels of war atpresent here went to the Bogue
with Captain Elliot, to deliver a chop, which after little
discussion was taken by the Chinese Admiral on the 3rd
inst., and immediately after it &Tears he ordered twenty-nine
of his war junks out, with the evident object of surrounding the
men of war, which was represented by the Captain of the Volage,
he ordering them at the same time to move away ; they, how-
ever persevering in their object, Captain Smith was compelled in
self defence to open his fire upon them, and an engagement
of short duration was the result between the " Velage,"
the " Hyacinth," and the war junks, fn which the latter
suffered severely; five or six were sunk or blown up, and
the rest were spared as they were preparing to retire whe-
ther this forbearance has been judicious or not remain
to be seen. Captain Elliott returned to Macao most un-
expectedly, and in the night all the English were earned
to leave immediately, and only a few now remain. Pre-
parations are making here by the Chinese. Con-
structing fortifications and encampments, no doubt to
operate against the fleet, and they have already attempted
to carry off some gentlemen walking peaceably on shore. We
have not had aoy communication from Captain Elliot yet, or
the vessels of wet' which are now here, but we trust some
more energetic measures will be adopted than have hitherto
characterised his proceedings to bring the Chinease to reason-
able terms.
With respect to trade it appears that a serious decline hail
taken place in the price of all imports, but that tea and silk had
advanced. There was nothing doing, in Exchanges. We learn
that the Goof Success has brought on about 10,000/. o f
Captain Elliott's Bills on her Majesty's Treasury.
IMPORTANT FROM INDIA.
(From the Bombay Times Eztra, December 4.)
Captain Outram has brought despatches from General Will-
shire, whose camp before Khelat he left on the night of the;
15th ult., announcing the capture of that place on the 13th
dir'o, and the death in the conflict of Mehrab Khan. the chief,
all of whose principal Sirdars :were killed or taken, and hun-
dreds of other prisoners.
This was accomplish:ll by a weak brigade of infantry (her
11Thjesty's 17th and 2.1 foot, and Bengal 31st regiment), and
six light guns, et mid-day, by storming the place in the
teeth of 2,000 Beloochees, the elite of the nation, after
a previous march and assault of some heights commanding
the approach, on which the enemy had six guns in position.
Our loss was severe, 110 killed. and wounded—about one-
fifth of the number actually engagel, one officer, Lieutenant
Green, of the Biteen's, among the former; and six or seven
officers among the latter, bat none severely.
Captain Otitram made his way through Beloochistan in dis-
guise, from Khelat to Somneana, by a different route to that
travelled by Pottinger in 1809—a distance of upwards of 350
miles, which he accomplished in 7i days, but has since had an
unfortunately tedious passage by ;sea.