The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-16 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The Journal de l'Aisne publishes a letter from a
soldier belonging tothe expedition in China, giving
an account of the severe punishments inflicted on
Chinese thieves :—" Lately, when on guard, I wit-
nessed the execution of a judicial sentence. Two
Chinese, who had stolen a little wood, were caught
by one of our night patrols, and taken to the guard-
house. The next day the Mandarin was apprised
of their arrest, and soon arrived in a palanquin
carried by six men. Our interpreter having stated
the case, the thieves were brought into the func-
tionary's presence. They immediately prostrated
themselves before him, and he began to harangue
them apparently on the enormity of their offence
At every sentence he uttered the culprits struck
their heads against the ground. After speaking
for some time the judge uttered several loud shouts,
accompanied by violent gesticulations. In answer
to this summons, two of the porters entered, and,
seizing one of the thieves, stripped him quite naked;
then one taking him by the long tail of hair grow-
ing from the top of his head, and the other by the
feet, they laid him face downwards on the floor. Two
other porters knelt on each side of the culprit, each
holding a stout bamboo. At a sign from the Manda-
rin, the first executioner administered 60 sharp
strokes, every one of which fetched blood ; the other
executioner then gave him the same number. The
second thief also received the same punishment.
Bleeding as they were, both then put on their
clothes, kissed the ground three times, and were
set at liberty."
BOURSE, Oct. 15.—The market has been very
dull, and prices have rather followed the downward
movement of English Consols, which have arrived,
with a decline on the quotations of Saturday.
Threes, for the Account, which opened at 68f 90e.,
are now at 68f 80c; Mobilier, 696 f 25c; Orleans,
1,365 f; Northern, 974 f; Mediterranean, 946 f 25c;
Austrian and Lombard, 584 f 25c. The following
are the last quotations :

41 per per Cents ... 95 50 Credit Foncier 897 50
Do end month.... 95 801 Belgian 4t.. — --
3 per Cents
Do. end month 6B 95' Roman
Bank Shares 2840 Austrian
Credit Mobilier.... 702 501 Spanish Threes 4B 75
Do. Account .. 705 j Homo Debt

THE 0

By the arrival of the Overland Mail we have
received our private correspondence and files of
papers from Calcutta to the Bth of September ;
Hongkong, to the 26th of August ; Melbourne, to
the 25th of August ; and Sydney, to the 22d of
August.

We take the following from the Calcutta English-

man of the Bth of September :

" At last we have something better to report in
the way of commerce. Import trade exhibits a very
decided improvement, and sellers are now holding
on, with improving prospects, at rates they would
have gladly closed with but a very short time since,
and there is good room for hope that they will be
justified in their determination by the event. The
export trade remains very gat, but even there the
clouds seem lightening a little. Jute, silk, and oil
seeds are in better demand, though still at prices
too high for the home rates. Money continues
abundant, and the demand for Government Secu-
rities is limited by the continued distrust in the
Governmental course and intentions, though they
have certainly strengthened their position by their
unwavering resolutions to carry out Mr. Wilson's
plans, the preparations for carrying which into
operation have, however, been but slow. There
has just now arisen a fresh difficulty with regard
to stamps, in consequence of the impossibility either
of executing them here, or of procuring them from
home within the time appointed for the opera-
tion of the act. The License Bill, in the modified
form in which Mr. Wilson had determined to leave
it, is this day under adjourned discussion, only one
thing havingbeen decidedly arrived at, namely,that
it shall not apply to any such persons as are liable
to Income-tax. The Council are hesitating as to
such a mode of collection as shall secure a fair re-
venue without absorbing in it costs of levying, and
at the same time obviate, so far as possible, the in-
evitable oppression which any mode of taxation
worked by native agency must always give rise to.
" The Indigo Commission has not yet published
its report, owing, we believe, to some hitch in that
obstructive department, the Government printing-
office.

" The rains have ceased during the last fortnight
throughout the whole of the North-West Provinces,
and the approaching harvest is again in jeopardy.
The present price of grain, more especially wheat,
continues high. The restoration of territory recently
made by the British Government to the Nizam of
Hyderabad has been attended with beneficial re-
sults. From Oude we learn that jewels to a large
amount, the property of the rebel Queen's mother,
have been seized and appropriated by the British
Government. Several of the witnesses who gave
evidence in the recent libel case at Lucknow have
been indicted for perjury, by order of the presidin g
judge at the trial. Some excavations recently made
by Lieut. Johnston, in the vicinity of Peshawur,
have led to the discovery of a pottery, evidently of
Greek origin, and dating some 1,800 years ago.
Some important results aro anticipated."

CHINA.
The following is a letter of our Hong Kong ear.
respondent, dated, August 20 :

HONG KONG, AUG. 26.

His Imperial Majesty's ship Weser came in
yesterday from the Gulf of Pecbelee, having left
Pehtang on the morning of the 13th inst. Few or
no letters have been received by her; but she
brings intelligence of the entrenched Tartar Camp,
between Pehtang and the Taku Forts, having been
carried by the allied forces on the 12th, and that
the attack on the forts themselves had commenced.
The full details of the previous movements of the
allies, their successful disembarkation and occupa-
tion of the abandoned forts at Pehtang, go forward
by the present mail.
Contrary to general expectation—for it was
believed that they would hesitate to come into
actual collision with foreigners—the Taeping rebels
appeared on the afternoon of the 18th instant (just
after the departure of the mail steamer) before the
city of Shanghai, and attacked the south gate. A
party of French stationed there played on them
with artillery, and drove them back with some
loss. During the night they remained quiet ;
but on the following morning were quietly assem-
bling in and about a joss-house on the border of the
foreign settlement, when they were discovered and
again dispersed by the French with further loss.
As a measure of precaution and defence the
adjoining suburb was then fired and completely
destroyed. The intelligence was brought by a private
steamer, which left Woosung on the morning of the
20th, and accounts of the ulterior proceedings of the
attacking force are anxiously looked for. Business
was, of course, completely stopped, and immense
damage had been inflicted on the surrounding
country by the rebels, who butchered the inhabi-
tants and burned every house and village all round
the city.
The capture and destruction of the city of Nan -
thin, in the centre of the silk districts, are confirmed,
but previous to the advance of the Taepings on
Shanghai a large quantity of silk had found its way
down to the coast. The transit will now be at-
tended with much greater risk, and the supply will
in all probability be seriously diminished.
It is generally considered that Messrs. Bruce and
Bourboulon have erred in judgment in their bearing
to the rebel chiefs ; and it is to be hoped that they
may be able to belie the common belief, and satisfy
their respective Governments that they did all that
in them lay to avert the disastrous attack on
Shanghai. The policy of the Western Powers in
respect of the rebellion must now, however, be
declared, and will be more successful the more it is
straightforward, and free from the anomalous com-
promises that have latterly been so much in fashion
in our dealings with the Chinese.
Ningpo is quiet, though there is said to be an
uneasy feeling among the Chinese. Foochow con-
tinues busy and tranquil. There is a calm at Swa-

tow, but troubles may arise at any moment. The
Lak Cheong Pass, near Canton, is still shut, either
by the rebels or by the Imperialist troops under the
Lieutenant-Governor of Canton, who is supposed to
be watching the course of events in the north, and
to be prepared equally for our success or failure—
but, however held, its stoppage affects trade most
injuriously.
The Englishmen in the service of the Foreign
Custom-house are stated to be withdrawing tempo-
rarily from the service, on account of the comm
ment of hostilities.
int a
• ere st from
There is no recent intelligence of
s to the
Japan, nor is anything further known ence-
position of the French at Sargon.
The latest dates received are from
July 21 ;Sin ga-
-10 ; Bombay, July 30 ; Calcutta, England, July
pore, August 13 ; Sydney, Junesl2 Melbourne,
English mails of
tihnest., and will be de-
June 16.
juln'ehevs,teaarmrievredGoanngtehse,
with the outward mails.
spatched to-day, at 9 a.m.,
The steamer Emu appeared unexpectedly on the wnitthh
19th, bringing the English mails of the 10th of
on to Shanghai.
July, and has proceeded

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
SnIPS or WAR.

_ Grasshopper, Hardy, Haughty,
gh.th
Kong—The British steamers Esk and Zenobia;
tstitaeArgttlulinnr:bno,gaticsa_C:v7e.krthe French steamers Japan, l'Eu-
trice, Eugenie, and Rose; the Spanish
ropean,
ninfra Antonio Escano.
steamer —ca-0-...-The Portuguese loreha Araazona.
AAtt I%Canton River—The British steamer Highflyer ; the
gunboats Clown and Staunch ; the French steamer Mor-
seau•
At Amoy—The British sloop Acorn.
At Foochirv—The American frigate John Adams.
At Ningpo—The British gunboat Algerine.
At Shanghai—The British sloop Camilla; the steamers
Reaper, Nimrod, Pioneer, and Snake ; the gunboat Kestrel;
the French steamers Forte and Hong Kong; the Russian
gunboat Naizelip ; the American gunboat Saginaw.
In the Gulf of Pechelee.—The British frigates Acuson
and Cambrian; the steamers Adventure, Armenian, Arme-
cin, Atalanta,Beagle, Centaur, Cheaspeake, Cruiser,CooPero
Cororn aide', Encounter, Furious, Fury, Feroze, Imperieusc,
Inflexible, Magicienne, Odin, Prince Arthur Pearl, Ring'
dove, Sampson, Scout, Simoom, Sphynx, Sydney, Urgent,
Vulcan, and Waterman ; the gunboats Banterer, Bouncer,
Bustard, Dove, Drake, Firm, Flamer, Forester, Havoc, In-
, selenti thilalls, TAM) OPpO§BIWI, Doyll4rd, Shines, Soup,

Sparrowhawk,Watchful,and Woodcock; the French frigates
Capricieuse and Nemesis ; the steamers Alarme, Andre-
maque, Duchayla, Calvanos, Dordogne, Driade, Entrepre-
nante, Forbin, Gironde, Garonne, Jura, Loire, Marne,
Mcurthe, Niev-re, Preguet, Perscvcrante, Renommee,
Rhone, Rhin, Saone, Vengeance, and Weser ; the gun-
boats Avalanche, Alen Prah, Dragume, and Alitraille ; the
Russian steamer Boyarine ; the gunboat Razbeynik.
At Japan.—Tho Russian steamer Sveltano ; the Ameri-
can steamer llartford ; , the Portuguese corvette Don Jose.
In the Amoor River.—The Russian steamers America,
Bigarin, Griden, Japanese, Marigoor, Opritchniek, Plas
toon, Passandic, Rinda, Strelvet, and Voyerada ; the
gunboats Djuguite and Novick.