The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-20 00:00:00

STATE OF CHINA.

The Univers publishesa letter of Sept. 20, from a
person belonging to the Virginie frigate at Wo
Sung, not far from Shanghae, which contains some
particulars that are interesting :

Whilst you in France have suffered from inundations,
the heavens have, as it were to balance masters, refused
to shed upon China a single drop of water. This ha,,
caused a dreadful famine, and great numbers of the inha-
bitants of Fo-King are dying of hunger. There is another
scourge upon the land this year ? I do not mean the re-
bels, for we are used to them, but the locusts which
ravage the fields. Even on board ship we are overrun
by them, but here, as they find nothing to devour, they
cannot do much harm. There are scarcely any fruits or
green vegetables to be bad, nevertheless our men who
were suffering from scurvy, are beginning to do better.
You are doubtless aware that the Chinese rebellion is
becoming stronger and stronger, and that we shall be
obliged very soon to court the alliance of our former ene-
mies. They are now in the permanent occupation of
Nankin, having repaired the damage done by themselves
when the city was sacked. All the right bank of the
river is in their possession, to the distance of 60 miles
up from thi.. place where we now are. Since the events
which took pace at Shanghae, we have had no occasion
to complain of the conduct of the rebels, who pay due
respect to the French residents in the country, and
whilst they beat the soldiers of the Son of the Moon
wherever they can meet them, take care strictly to ob-
serve the treaties which exist between the Chinese go-
vernment and our own. We cannot, however, say as
much for the imperialist party. The French admiral, on
board the Virginie, has just received, through M. de
Cuurcy, our charge d'affaires, a complaint of the conduct
of a mandarin in the province of Than Ton, and of the
cruel death which had been inflicted upon a French mis-
sionary there.
The details of his martyrdom are, indeed, most hor-
rible. The Chinese, even after their victim was dead,
persecuted his remains with a savage and unrelenting
hatred. His head was stuck upon the point of a
and the children were enoouraged to throw stones at it
for sdveral days. What is still more frightful, and will
hardly be believed as a tact, is that his heart was cut in
pieces, then cooked along with some pigs tripe, and
eaten by the soldiers of the mandarin—tigers rather than
men.
The missionary who has thus been put to death was
named Chapelaine. We, upon arriving at Macao, shall
demand satisfaction from the Viceroy at Canton.
erea.,
The
discussions with the Chinese government, Which
will
ensue upon this affsir. are likely to be very protracted
and they will result, I have no doubt, in theex
executing
of some criminal or other, dressed up as amandarin,
pass for the guilty offieial. That is what we to
Chinese justice . may call

CASUALTIES AT SEA.—The following have put into
Plymouth in consequence of the late gales :—The bark
Perpetua, Captain Owen, from Sunderland, out three
weeks, for Madeira, with loss of fore and main topmasts,
jibboom, &c., the cutter-yacht Sverge, Captain Collis,
of and from Liverpool, Nov. 29, bound to the south
coast of Africa, rudder carried away by a heavy sea on
the 6th Dec., isi lat. 48.20 S., long 12.8 W. ; and
brig Marian, Captain Leister, from London, for
satte
.
tander, with pumps choked. •
two o'clock
A ROBBER SHOT BY A WomAN.—
yesterday (Friday) morning,
named Elizabeth
Braithwaite, who keeps a small shop -
a widowAbnat Elizabeth
Barnsley, Yorkshire, was awakened
persons talking in front of her houtsoe. b y_j_
Ina
ae a rs ihnogr t sometibi time
which a bell is
some one tried the front door,
attached, and Mrs. Braithwaite, on hearing the bell ring,
7
leaped out of bed, opened the %_
She asked them what theyine ow, and saw four men
standing close to the door.
wanted, and one of the roan said, "Two of you go round
this Mrs. Braithwaite
tn
to the back door."
On
hearing
pistol inagt the men, when one of
them fell on the gro
imediatalY fired
otiffnda,
and,by his associates. An alarm
was raised, but the police as the courageous woman
states, was carried Away
did not succeed in apprehend.
ing any of the men.
piece of rag, supposed to have
been torn off one of the villains' shirts, was found close
to Mrs. Braithowae ite's house-dotr, saturated with blood,
which seems to show that one of the men was wounded.

r>f
(From the Belfast News Lelia.' of pee:
The long exoected concert took . A1y.2447
hall, Belfast, last evening, nnd was atte,nlid by ene;;WPS,
the most numerous and respectable audienctls.whi '
have seen assembled for a lengthened Nod
similar occasion. The great att.raction was our gifted
'nuntrywoman, Catherine Hayes ; ner was the feeling in
hir favour confined to those congregated within the hall .
barge crow,,s were assembled outside, who cheered lustily
as the carriage in wLi.-.th she .was seated drove up to the
entrance in Music-hail-lane; a regularfeirore, in fact, was
excited. Miss Hayes was accompanied by Madile. Co.
relli, a young lady of great promise, and Mr. Charles
Brabam, as vocalists ; the instrumental corps consisted
of Mr. G. A. Osborne, composer and pianist, Herr
Ernst, violinist, and Signor Piatti, the well known and
much esteemed violoncellist. Such a carte could not
bat. produce a numerous attendance, and although the
prices were high the demand for seats could not. be met.
In this ernergepcy the orchestra was appropriated to the
accommodation of the applicants, and many paid their
half-guinea each for a place there. In the body of the
hall there wait not roam for one more; the gallery was
equally crowded.
The concert commenced with an adagio aria 'rondo from
Beethoven, in which Herr Ernst, SignorPfatti, and Mr.
Osbirne took part. It is needless to say that it passed
off wi h effect, bin it was felt that the pleasure of the
hearers was a little diminished by an accident which
heel Herr Ernst, the string of whose violin snapped.
Mane. Corelli and Mt. Charles Brabato sang the duetto,
" Si Ia Stancbezzt," from Verdi's "II Trovatore" with
much applause. Mdlle. Corelli may not be ranked as a
superior singer, but she ie a very pleasing one ; her
range of voice is extensive, and she is puwerful in the
'ow notes ; but occasionally a little huskiness is percep-
tible, marring the effect of what would else have been
unexceptionably agreeable. The appearance, of Miss
Hayes on the stage of the orchestra was the signal for
loud and long continued applause. The ladies waved
their kerchiefs in unison with the 'cheers from the gen-
tlemen, and the house might be described as in an up-
roar for some minutes. Ultimately the prelude was
sounded on the piano to the fine air "Alt mon file,"
from Meyerbeer'e "Pruphete," and the uproar began to
aubside. The first word came thrilling from the lips of
the Cantatrice, and a stillness profound was established.
The rendering of the air was as it should be—the touch-
eig tenderness of the mother blessing her son was told
intone as eloquently as if the language in which the idea
14 concealed were intelligibie to every ear. A general
encore followed, but Miss Hayes came on the stage
useirely,,t4kw her thanks and retired. Mr.. G. A.
master Os-
borne's piano solo was a piece of instrumenta-
tion. The the Ia morte," from Verdi's "II Tro-
vatore," formed the first, and t " Moreeau de Concert,"
Mr. Osborne'e own composition, the second part of the
eiece. It was warmly applauded. Madge. Cor,lii sang
the "II segreto," from "Lucrezia Burgia," in excellent
style, and Sznor Piatti followed with a violoncello solo,
from " Sonnambule," which also elicited much applause.
Miss Hayes again appeared to sing "Auld Robin
Gray." She was greeted with a storm of applause, and
repeatedly bowed her thanks.. This flue melody was
given by the gifted singer with as much feeling as
though she were herself a native of the
" Land of brown heath and shaggy wood,
Land of the mountain and the flood."

If anything detracted from the cbarrn which her singing
produced it was, perhaps, that there was more of the
orna'.ure of vocalisation than was thought necessary in a
-imple ballad which we are accustomed to hear simply
sung at our fireside in the North. But, however over
,classical, and beyond the reach of imitation, the song
was sung, it had a wondrous effect. The wailing way in
which the gifted singer sang the ♦erse—
" I had na been a wife but weeks only four,
When sitting sae mournfully at my ain door,
I saw my Jamie's wraith, for I could na think it he,
Till he said, Love, I'm come back for to marry thee,'"
evoked a responsive throb in every bosom. The audience
with difficulty restrained their applause ; but the same
dulcet notes were still issuing, and though they were
thrilled they were silent till the ballad came to a close,
and then the pent-up torrent burst forth in its fullness.
The applause was deafening. Miss Hayes, wearied though
she has been, on this occasion honoured the encore, sing-
' ing "Oh, Steer my Barque." The song was very app:im.
ble to herself, who has only recently returned from
" many foreign lands," but the attachment to country
which the words breathe struck the audience with magi-
cal effect. Some shouted, others stamped their applause,
more clapped ; and there were many who were pre-
vented from making any manifestation of the effect pro-
duced on them by the tears which they tried to conceal.
With this triumph ended the first part.
A slow aria, and a pretty rondo, bath the composi•
tion of Mr. Osborne, were played by Messrs. Osborne,
Ernst, and Piatti as the commencement of the second
part. The piece was applauded. Balfe's "The Sailor
Sighs " was exquisitely rendered by Madlle. Corelli
and Mr. C. Brabam. The melody is quain', but though
elegant and rather classic, we do not suppose that it
will ever be popular.

The "Com'e per me sereno" from "La Sonnambula,"
brought out Miss Hayes, who was again gree.ed with
rapturous applause. Her perfect vocalisation was here
'nest strongly displayed ; the volume of 'sound issuing
from her ►magnificent organ filled and reverberated
through the hall ; and gave the best answer that could
be returned to those atrabilious or hypercritical person-
ages who recently attempted, from motives to us un-
known, to depreciate a lady who is rt fleeting lustre on
her country. The audience of last night comprised more
discriminating auditors than perhaps could be found in
any other assemblage of the same numbers elsewhere in
Ireland ; and their appreciation of Miss Hayeslextra-
ordinary powers was attested with a fervour which we
have never seen approached. The applause was
deafening.

Herr Ernst then gave a violin fantasia from Bellini's
"Il Pirata," in which be displayed singular brilliancy,
beauty, and power. The effects produced astonished
not mere by their power 'than by their singularity,
They were weird-like ; and the illusion would have been
kept up better if the player bad not descended to the
trick of imitating a piccolo. We do not wish to convey
that the imitation was not good. It was excellent. If
it were possible to keep one's eyes off that attenuated
face, encircled with its long black hair, the belief would
be that a piccolo watt being played. So, also, when he
simulated the guitar and the vit loncello accompaniments.
Tuese feats showed his power over his violin, aptly
called the Queen of instruments, but they seemed
t us at least, as a like case to that of the illegitimate
drama trenching on the ground of the legitimate. The
applause, at the conclusion, was, of course, general, but
Herr Ernst only bowed his thanks.

Mr. Charles Braham was set down in the programme
for "II Pescatore." By request he altered it, much to
the delight of the audience, to one of his father's songs,
"The Death of Nelson." Never did we hear this gen-
tleman's voice to greater ad vat,tage. The thundering
bass of his father, as we have heard it described, was
absent; hut the cry of the famous watchword was, per-
haps, given better than it could have been by any other
vocalist now alive. To the encore which followed Mr.
Braham responded readily—a complaisance which the
audience applauded warmly. They even counted upon
Mr. Braham's good nature so far as to call for " The
Bay of. Biscay," and the score having been procured,
Mr. Braham gave this fine sea song with even more
effect than the former. He left the stage amid general
cheers.
Miss Hayes again appeared. The excitement of the
audience was rsnewed. She sang, as only she can,
which ses threw into Moore's
we;xAunisatnwaolTirtdhyes.
"The Harp that once through Tara's Halls.,,
pathos
evidently
videwnitil fromnolysptrufonrgget, as lo
ahneg as artswreelrulinegmbrance
lasts,
the
dejection of tone with which she sang, or rather '' caoinee
out, the lines
"And hearts that once beat high for praise
Now feel its pulse no more ;"
heonr.warecollection of her
hopeful, altnoYt defiant expression, when singing—
and
equally
now s o seldom
I s Thewhe onnsloymt
some
rhoebmshe i
indignant sthhoewptoheattrystiwll:lB.l el
caught
eelasv'aenst„breaks, •
The spirit
and the wordeArere rendered
poet's fire. It was
of keeping the af
chef
itettypeninintohreettrhusenvethine,
the evening's t I
d'oeuvre, and on the. principle
best or the last, it appropria e ycon-
cluded
la-t verse was
given. Cheer followed cheer at its termi-
nation. Rather performance. In the encore the
we should sa roar resounded after roar.
The audience stood u to honour the gifted woman who
literally
had 8° 1134g'eally entranced them
bowing for Miss Hayes was kept
some minutes, and she only retired when
overwhelmed which applause.

THE METROPOLIT.AN BOARD OF WORKS AND
THE LONDON SEWAGE SCHEMES.

The Metropolitan Board of Works seems emulous to
acquire a character like that once attributed to the Bour-
bons-- that they learn nothing, and forget nothing.
Plans and propositions approved of by practical men
have been "damned with faint praise, or slighted with
hardly a show of earnest discussion. They have taken
no practical means to ascertain the feasibility of deodo-
risation. They still adhere to their old scheme of empty-
ing the sewage of London (concerning whose amount
the report of their engneet has varied twice or thrice
already) into the Thames. Having broken down in
pool player, to a "stagy" as the only
chance. And Plan B* is the title of the new scheme
re-
sort, Plan
likeß a bad
(which provided the outlet at Eritb), they
whereby they purpose to discharge into the Thames at
whose
Reach an unascertained amount of sewage, 00.-
value they have taken no pains to discover, and
into
whose effects on the fish-supply of London, and
health of crews, the opinions of those most
wasted time, m e
judging have not been sought. Instead of calling in the
aid anodardenhgainveeerws
atnedd t
medicaldurrninegnihreethe
members
of eh
eotef ittshes B
sittings, by talking and disputing in a
manner moat un-
fitting to a discussion that involves th
of millions of people. We fear that e lives and health
is an evil which can only be checked this cacoethes loquendi
by summarity treeing
ourselves from those afflicted with it—even as Faithful
got rid of Talkative in the f
"Pilgrim's Progress."
We have reason to hope that ' Government will shortly
appoint a Commis.ion to col R
i ider the whole matter of the
seweroge, with the aid of the highest and most reliable
autbori;ies on different parts of the subject. Such an
undertaking wiouid weL believe, elicit general approval.
A corporate body , that mistakesobstinacy for datum'
i•
nation, and petulance for dignity--that meddles and
muddles
with half-a dozen subjects, and
accomplishes
nothing—_exactly tl
c y illustrates the famous lines of Dry.
den—

" Stiff in opinion—always in the wrong—
Is everything by starts, and nothing long "
and can hardly expect to find much favour in the sight
of practical folks like the inhabitants of busy London.—
The Lancet.