The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-30 00:00:00

LATEST NEWS.

BERNE, DEC. 29

Dr. Furrer, Federal Councillor, has left this
day for Frankfort, charged with a secret mi -

sion. -

Councillor Frey has left for Bale.
The missions with which they are charged pro-

bably contain a common proposition.
M. Barmann, the swiss Envoy at th© Court o

the Tuileries, has arrived here.

Hopes are entertained of peace.

The Paris correspondent of the Times (second
edition), in a letter dated yesterday, says :
"Col. Barmann, Charge d'Affaires of the Swiss
Confederation in Paris, left on Slturday for Berne,
with the object of conferring personally with the
Federal Council on the great question of the day.
M. Barmann had an audience of the Emperor the
day of his departure. His Majesty is said to have
expressed his earnest desire that an arrangement
should be effected between the Confederation and
Prussia. I believe that the English and French
Governments are agreed on this head, and are
willing to co-operate together towards a pacific
solution. The Emperor wishes to be made ac-
quainted with the exact state of the question, and
the precise nature of the demands of the Confede-
ration, as he evidently is well aware of the preten-
sionsof Prussia. A telegraphic despatch from Berne
of this day's date announces the arrival of M. Bar-
mann, who, in all probability, has before this con-
ferred with the Council. The concessions which
Switzerland has agreed to make are these :

Liberation of the Neuchatel prisoners in exchange
for the formal renunciations of the King's autho-
rity in that canton ; the preservation to the King
of his title of Prince of Neuchatel, without, of
course, any real authority annexed thereto ; pre-
servation of the property belonging to charitable
establishments of Prussian origin, and restitution
of property belonging to the Prussian Govern-
ment.

" A despatch from Berne, of yesterday's date,
says that the proposition of the Emperor relative
to the mediation has not yet been received.'
I do not think that matters have gone so far yet
as the offer of a mediation. The Emperor will no
doubt be exactly informed of the state of the case
—the utmost which Switzerland can grant, and
the least which Prussia will accept—before a formal
offer of mediation is made. As I have already
said, the Emperor is anxious that the question
should be settled by France and England.
"It is said that the answer of the Cabinet of
St. Petersburg, with reference to the Paris Con-
ferences, has been received, and that the Emperor
of Russia assents to all that has been proposed.
If this be the case, the Conference will, after all,
be a mere formality."

THE BOMBARDMENT OF CANTON.
Advices from Alexandria beyond those pub-
lished yesterday from Trieste render it possible to
obtain a tolerably complete and connected view of
the recent occurrences at Canton.
It has more than once been mentioned by our
correspondent at Hong Kong that the intercourse
between the British authorities and the Governor
of Canton has for some time been embarrassed with
growing difficulties the result of the unredressed
grievances of British merchants. On the Bth of
October the Chinese authorities consummated their
career of arbitrary violence by seizing a lorctia
under British colours, and making prisoners of the
crew. It is stated on good authority that they
cut off the heads of four of the crew. The Consul,
Mr. Parkes, the British agent on the spot, pro-
ceeded first on board the lorcha, and afterwards
endeavoured to obtain an interview with the man.
darins. Ou board the lorcha he was menaced, and
the mandarins refused to give any kind of expla-
nation of the proceeding.
The Consul immediately despatched intelligence
of these events to Sir John Bowring, at Hong Kong,
and also to Sir Michael Seymour, who was an the
spot, and reprisals were commenced in a mild form
by the seizure of a mandarin junk, which Commo-
dore the Hon. C. G. J. B. Elliot, of the Sybille,
took and sent into Hong Kong. Meanwhile the
Consul sent in a strong remonstrance to Yeh, the
governor of the city, to which no answer was re-
turned. Finding all his efforts vain, Consul
_Parkes renounced further attempts at conciliation,
and a naval force soon appeared on the scene.
On the 18th of October Sir Michael Seymour des-
patched from Hong Kong the screw corvette En-
counter, 14 guns, and the steam sloop Sampson, 6,
for Whampoa in the first instance, with a large
force of marines and blue jackets ; and the steam
sloop Barracouta followed with further detach-
ments. Admiral Seymour himself then proceeded
to Canton, and undertook the direction of the
operations. The British and other traders were
officially warned of the posture of affairs, and com-
mercial transactions, which for a week before had
been little more than nominal, were suspended.
The river in front of Canton is rather broader
than the Thames at London-bridge, but the depth
of water does not exceed two fathom; while the
narrow passages by which access is gained to it on
the eastern side of the island of Whampoa have a
depth not exceeding a fathom and a half. The city
is externally guarded by five forts, of which two
are on the land side and two on Pearl river. These
were attacked and taken by our countrymen on the
24th of October. An attempt was then made by
Admiral Seymour to terminate the difficulty with-
out further hostilities, but the Chinese Governor
would neither give satisfaction nor grant an inter-
view to the British commander.
Admiral Seymour then determined to attack the
city itself. A wall, composed partly of sandstone
and partly of brick, surrounds Canton ; it is about
30 feet high and 25 feet thick, and is mounted with
cannon. Against this wall a fire was opened on
Oct. 27, and by the 29th a practicable breach had
been opened through which the troops entered.
The Governor's palace, situate in the south-western
part
haovfe provedthe ne a
new city,
po wassition worth holding, for the
gained, but appears not
to
troops were withdrawn in the evening with a loss
of only three killed and 12 wounded.

A. further attempt which was now made to nego-
tiate proved vain, and it was then resolved to at-
tack the old, inner, or Matchou portion of the city,
divided from the southern by a high massive stone
wall, and containing the garrison of Canton. This
part of the city was bombarded on the 3d and 4th
of Nov., and on the 6th the Barracouta destroyed
twenty-three war junks. Another interval of re-
flection was then granted to the Chinese Governor,
but at the date of the last accounts from Canton
which had reached Hong Kong no signs of an ac-
commodation were discernible.
The Imperialist garrison of Canton was in a very
weakened state. The governor had raised the pay
of common soldiers from six to eight dollars a
month. Kaweilin-foo, the capital of the adjoining
province of Kwangsi, was closely invested by the
insurgents, who, it was thought, would probably
attack the Matchou governor, as soon as his new
embarrassments became known.
Our fleet of war ships in the Chinese Seas is at
this particular time large, as will be seen by the
following list

AT SONG KONG.
H.M.S. Calcutta
Winchester 5O Captain Wilson.
Coromandel 3 Lieutenant Nares.
Hercules ......
Minden......... Hospital ollips.

AT WHAMPOA.
H.M.S. Sybille ...... 40 Commodore Elliot.
Encounter ... 14 Capt. O'Callaghan.
Bittern ...... 12 Captain Bate.
Sampson__ 6 Captain Eland.
Comus ......... 14 Captain Jenkins.

AT CANTON.
Barracouta ... G Capt. Fortescue.

AT WOO SUNG.
H.M.S. Pique ......... 3( Capt. Sir F. Nicolson.
Hornet ...... 17 Captain Forsyth.
The sloop Comus has lost eight of her guns,
which her commander was compelled to throw
overboard in a tempest in the Formosa Channel.
Admiral Seymour only arrived at Hong Kong
from m his northern cruise ten days before the
com-
mission of the outrage which he is engaged in
avenging.

PARIS, MOIWDAY*
The explanations required from Russia, which
Were looked for in order to the comraencemernt of
the Conferences, have not yet arrived.
If they should reach Paris during the lift they