The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-19 00:00:00

CHINA.

The Bombay Gazette, August 22, says:—
" The extraordinary successes gained this year by
the rebels over the Imperialists in China have revived
the latterly decaying interest in one of the most
singular movements of modern times. Twenty years
ago, at the time of the first Chinese war, no one
dreamed that the revolutionary spirit, which has
since 1789 changed the whole surface of Europe,
would ever communicate itself to a people appa-
rently so immovable in their hatred of novelty as
the Chinese, or create throughout the length and
breadth of the vast and thickly-Celestial populated
Empire an agitation which has already broken up
the most firmly established system of government
—social, political, and religious—which the world
has known. Naturally, therefore, the first news
that a formidable insurrection was raging in the
heart of China provoked the eager curiosity of the
Western nations, which was not lessened by the
mysterious reports that the rebel leaders were
Christians, and tha4 they professed their object to
be the destruction of idolatry and idolators. The
sanguine hopes which were built on these shadowy
foundations soon gave way to a feeling of disgust,
when fuller but still not strictly accurate informa-
tion was receiN ed that, although the rebels had
adopted some of the doctrines of the Chris-
trian religion, they had so changed and
disfigured these with idolatrous and bias-
phemous superstitions as to have degraded their
faith almost to a level with that of the heathen;
and that, moreover, the frightfully cruel and rapa-
cious acts of these new crusaders should make any
Christian people ashamed to own them as brethren.
But, when the eclat of their first appearance was
dispelled by reverses, the rebels sank into insignifi-
cance, and for the last two or three years European

nations have been perfectly indifferent to their fate
believing, indeed, from such accounts as were pub-
lished by the few travellers who from time to time
caught hasty glimpses of the interior of China, that
the insurrection, having wasted the country as far
northwards as Nankin, had been at last checked,
and was slowly dying out.
" Suddenly, however, we now find the rebel army
in full force, as confident and enthusiastic as ever and
with chiefs who know how to lead it to victory.
Already they have taken the important and wealthy
city of Soochow, which gives them command of the
Imperial Canal from Shanghai to Pekin, and the
Imperial authorities of the former city, frightened
out of their wits by the knowledge that the rebels
will next attempt to capture Shanghai, have tried
to encourage the people to resistance by proclama-
tions in which the T'ai p'ings are said to be ' roam-
ing about in all directions, burning, robbing, and
violating; nothing is too atrocious for them, and
Heaven and man are alike exasperated. The
Taoutae of Shanghai has further the audacity to
declare that the French and English troops will
assist the soldiers of the .Emperor to destroy the
thies.' Certainly no long time can elapse before it
will be necessary for France and England, if not to
interfere, at least to give their support to eithe r
the Imperialists or the rebels. The present Go -
vernment of China, assailed so vigorously by
domestic foes, and engaged at the same time in a
foreign war, which cannot fail to prove disastrous
to the Emperor, will in all probability be over-
thrown."

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, TUESDAY ETENINO.
THE POPE'S IRISH BRIGADE.

The Morning News publishes a letter from its
correspondent at Spoleto, dated September the 7th,
on which day the Irish Brigade was said to be " in
sight of the enemy." Being about to take the field,
the writer thinks he can do no better than furnish
the home readers with the names of the staff of
the brigade, as they then stood according to the
War-office lists. Here they are :
" Major Myles W. O'Reilly ; chaplains, Rev. F.
M'Loughlin, 0.5. F., D.D., Rev. J. M‘Devitt ; Sur-
geon Nicholas G. Whyte, M.D. ; Assistant-Surgeon
P. O'Flynn, M.D. ; Captains O'Mahony, Blakeney,
Russell, Guttenberg (attached), O'Carrell, Coppin-
ger, Kirwan, Boshan (attached) ; Lieutenants Carey,
Kiley, Howley ; Sotto-Tenenti (Full), Luther M.
Kirwan, Butler, O'Connell, Doyle;Sotto-7enenti
(Provisional), Crean, Stafford, Delahoy de, W. Kir-
wan, Greene, Cronin, Ternan, M'Swiney, Lynch,
O'Keeffe, Keogh, Barey, D'Arcy, Walsh, and
Heany."

THE ATTEMPT TO MURDER THE EARL OF LEITRIM.
The Freeman's Journal gives the subjoined ver-
sion of the recent attempt upon the life of the
Earl of Leitrim. There can be no second opinion
with regard to the sanity (or insanity) of the
perpetrator of the outrage :
" Mohill, Sept. 15.—About 2 o'clock this after-
noon, as the Earl of Leitrim was proceeding from
the poorhouse, and just as he had entered Main-
street, a report as of a pistol discharged was heard,
and on looking round smoke was observed to issue
from a house hard by. Sub-constables Delany
and Haynes, who happened to be at the corner
of the street, sprang forward, and before the door
could be barred with a vigorous push burst it
open, pursued and arrested the unfortunate man
at the risk of their own lives. On his person
were found, in addition to the blunderbuss (gar-
nished with a spring bayonet), which had just
been discharged, a pocket pistol loaded with
powder and ball, and ready capped, together with
two clasp knives. The courage and promptitude of
these two meritorious officers gave no time to make
any further use of these formidable weapons, and
entitles them to the favourable consideration f the
authorities. The ball took effect on the house of
John Whelan, on the opposite side of the street,
but somewhat lower down. As nearly as I could
estimate the earl was at the moment of the discharge
about six yards in advance of the line of flight of
the bullet. Of this, however, his lordship could
not have been aware at the time, yet he walked on
with the same composure as if nothing unusual had
occurred. The unhappy man who attempted this
outrage is a publican named James Murphy. For
several years past he has been known to labour
under mental alienation, to the great peril of him
afflicted wife and family. No cause can be assigned
for his thus selecting the earl, for although Murphy
sent his lordship one or two threatening letters, in
consequence of some imaginary domestic wrongs,
yet this was some time since, and nothing of the
kind was exhibited in his wild freaks latterly. It
is really high time that the public should awaken
to the necessity of placing under restraint persons
known to labour under mental aberration as soon
as it assumes a dangerous character."

THE DEFENCES.
Extensive works are now in progress at different
parts of the old Castle of Carrickfergus, batteries
being constructed to mount 6 Lancaster guns. The
masonry of the fortress is of great strength, and
when the guns are in position the whole of Belfast
Lough will be effectually commanded. A local
paper remarks that Lancaster guns, properly
served, ought to be able to sink any ship of war
that might attempt to pass up the Lough.

THE COURT OF SEWERS.

The Commissioners of Sewers for the City of Lon-
don held their weekly court yesterday at the Sewers
Office, Guildhall.
_ _

Mr. Deputy Ch RISTIE presided.
The minutes of the last court were read and
confirmed.

Deputy LOTT said he perceived by the reading
of the minutes of the proceedings of the last court,
that an act of parliament that had just been passed
by the legislature had been referred to a committee
fur consideration. The act to which he referred
was the Adulteration of Food Act, and the provi-
sions of that act appeared to him to be of a very
important character, because if it was carried out
the effect would be to enable the poor to obtain
genuine food of every description, beer, milk, bread,
&c. The act, however, was only permissive, and
he was anxious to know whether the terms under
which the consideration of the subject was reformed
to a committee were such as would enable them to
recommend that the act should be adopted in the
City of London, if they thought proper to do so.
It appeared to him that this act of parliament was
a most beneficial one, and he hoped to see it carried
into effect.

The CHAIRMAN said that by the terms of the
reference the committee were invested with full
powers to act as they might think proper on the
matter.

An application was made by Mr. Bennett, the
watchmaker, for permission to have a reflector
outside a shop he had recently taken in Cornhill.
Mr. JAMES WATERLOW said that the large reflec-
tors that were put up in the great thoroughfares
were a very great nuisance to the public, and the
object in many instances was not so much to ob.
tain light as to advertise the patentee.
The application was referred to the proper oft-
cer, to report whether the reflector might be put
up without causing inconvenience to the public.
Mr. DAw, the clerk to the commissioners, laid
upon the table the Union of Benefices Act, which
was passed in the last session.
This act is only permissive, but with the consent
of the patron, parishioners, or incumbent of any
parish, powers are given to pull down churches no
longer required, erect fresh ones, and to sell the
sites of those churches that are pulled down, and
the money may be applied to the remuneration of
the incumbent of any new district, or to increase
the stipend of any insufficiently endowed benefice.
It is believed that the sites of some of the churches
in the City of London that are now not required
will produce on an average £20,000 each. None
of these alterations can, however, be made without
the consent of a commission of five persons ap-
pointed by the dean and the corporation.
Com-
mitftheee afoctr wcoanssirdeeferrarteiodn.to the Improvements
Dr. LETHEBY, the medical officer of the City of
London, made a report on the sanitary condition of
the City. The report referred to the state of 212
houses that had been inspected during the week,
and he submitted a list of 69 places that required
sanitary improvement. Fifty-eight births have been
registered during the week, and 49 deaths. The last
number is the average for the corresponding period
of the last four years. One-half of the deaths, or
22, were among children of less than five years of
age, and only five among old people. The chief
causes of death among adults were diseases of a
chronic character. There were 5 from phthisis, 2
from heart disease, and 3 from palsy. Among
children there were 8 from hydrocephalus and con-
vulsions, 3 from pneumonia, 3 from whooping-cough,
2 from diarrhwa, 2 from scarlet fever, and 2 from
r
measles and croup—in all 9 deaths from zymotic
affections.ihe
cout then adjourned.
,

Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith continn
in an extremely precarious state of health. Their Royal
Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princsss
Mary, and many military officers have called to inquire
after the health of the veteran general.