The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-23 00:00:00

LATE

An amateur performance of a somewhat extraordi-
nary character is announced to take place at this
theatre:on Wednesday, the ith of March, for the
benefit of the widows and families of two literary
gentlemen lately deceased. At the head of the en-
terprise is a body of amateurs calling themselves
by the ferocious title of the " Savage Club," and
the list of performers comprises the names of
Messrs. J. R. Planche, F. Talfourd, G. A. Sala, R.
B. and W. Brough, H. J. Byron, J. Hollingshead,
Albert Smith, and several other celebrities. The
entertainments will consist of the " School for
Scandal," in which Miss Amy Sedgwick will sus-
tain the character of Lady Teazle, and of a new
burlesque, based upon the story of the " Forty
Thieves," and written by Messrs. J. It. Planche, F.
Talfourd, H. J. Byron, L. Buckingham, Draper,
Halliday, Lawrence, and the Brothers Brough--
that is to say, by nearly all the burlcsquers in
London. That room may be afforded for even the
most modest display of professional talent, every
one of the marauding forty will be represented by
an amateur.

nity.

At a period when the public are on the qui vive
to all things relating to China and the China ques-
tion, it may not be out of place to state a few par-
ticulars as to the treatment of Chinamen in Austra-
lia. There are at present a great number scattered
over the three colonies. However, New South
Wales and Victoria present the greatest attractions ;
in the latter alone there were considerably more
than :50,000 at a late estimate taken of their num-
bers, whom have betaken themselves to
m
storekeeping, a n
both wholesale and retail, for John
Chinaman is a " cute boy," and as he knows that
his brethren must be fed, he has justly calculated
that they would rather patronise a countryman
than a stranger, with whom there can be no reci-
procity—each party endeavouring to steal a march
on the other ; besides, there is more nationality in
being done by a countryman. The greater part of
them are engaged at the " diggings," where they
work with great perseverance, and there is no
doubt they greatly increase the gold escorts, and
bring gold to market from ground which a Euro-
pean could not afford to work on account of its
poverty. The Chinese hold together and assist
each other in distress, the want of which kindly
feeling is a great drawback to the English miners
the Cornishmen being the only ones who hang
together. Again, if one Chinaman hits upon a lead
the next morning before any European has a notion
of it, the ground is marked out to an indefinite ex-
tent, precluding the possibility of any one else hav-
ing a chance. But the Europeans, aye, and the
Assiatics and Africans, take an equivalent for this,
for if rich ground is struck no Chinaman is per-
mitted to share it although the rights of the Ethio-
pians and the Hindoos are not questioned. The
Celestials are detested and with good reason for,
with few exceptions, such as Chinamen's Flat on
Ararat, no new ground has been opened by them,
cautious John preferring to follow his bolder neigh-
bour and carefully remove his leavings, and by his
care for self-preservation and want of engineering
skill he guts the ground, and although he can ob-
tain only a certain portion of the gold by this
means, he effectually by his timidity prevents others
from obtaining any. Thus the old workings which
have always been looked upon as something for the
broken and unfortunate miner to fall back upon to get
a few ounces for a fresh start, which, but for these
Mongolian robbers, would have lasted fora consider-
able time, are now completely destroyed, and we have
not even the satisfaction of knowing that the colony
has been benefitted by them—at least by fair means.
It is true that they devour provisions, but this
only raises the price and is detrimental to the
English miner. 'Very few of the gentlemen of the
tail remain in Australia, for when any of them has
amassed sufficient gold to satisfy them off they start
back to the land of the opium smoker and make way
for others ; thus droves are continually arriving and
departing and the only chance of their riches ever
being of any service to this country will be in the
shape of compensation money to pay the expenses
of the war. The continual excess of their ingress
over their egress, and a natural dread lest the reply
of a Chinaman when asked how many more of his
countrymen were coming over, namely, the
astounding fact, " Oh, they are all coming !" and the
great dislike entertained for them by all classes
even down to the aboriginal blacks who will not go
near a Chinaman, and consider him altogether as
an inferior animal, something of the monkey breed,
believing firmly that he eats grass like a bullock,
caused the government of Victoria to endea-
vour to mitigate the evil by stringent enact-
ments. They found that owing to the con-
tinual trouble poor John was getting into from the
angry onslaughts of his rough neighbours, that it
was necessary to give him some further protection
than could be obtained from the warden of the
gold-field or the local authorativcs. So a Chinese
protector was appointed and a tax of one
pound sterling per annum was imposed
on each Chinaman besides his usual mining
license ; and next, to check the influx, a
landing-tax.,of £lO. But Jahn was not to be done
in this way—to pay money down for no value re-
ceived—it was enough to break his heart and
make his pigtail curl. No, no, he landed in New
South Wales, and footed it over; the Sydney Go-
vernment by no means relished this plan, having
quite enough stock of that kind on hand already, so
they followed the example of their neighbour.
Thus poor John was driven to South Australia,
and the aborigines were thunderstrrck when they
beheld one of the river steamers landing some 300
curious-looking animals on the banks of the river
Nlurray ; for the Chinese had chartered the steamer
to carry them up to a certain point near to one of the
gold.-fields at so much per head, and provide them
with wood and water, which condition was not very
difficult for the skipper to perform, seeing that he
was navigating a river of clear, fresh water, run-
ning through a thickly wooded country. The
immigration being still on the increase, the Vic-
torian Government lately imposed a capitation tax
of £4 per annum. This was strongly protested
against. The Chinese held meetings, made
speeches, and got up a petition a l'Anglaise, and a
good many Europeans sympathised with them,
when an untoward event took place. The China-
men in Bendigo held several puddling machines,
many of which were mortgaged to a cer-
tain English usurer, who foreclosed on the failure
of the mortgagees to pay his small interest of about
100 per cent. The Chinese did not like this, so cer-
tain.individuals amongst them undertook to murder
him, which they accordingly did. Had the mur-
derers been Englishmen and the transaction been
among Europeans, the public would have taken
little or no interest in the matter, or had John
been contented to have killed one of his country-
men it had not mattered; but for a Chinaman to
murder a European, why it was almost worse than
for a nigger to kill a Yankee. , We beg the slave
dealer's
came pardon,
oe
r a " Southern gentleman." A
change
the aspect of affairs, nothing was
too bad for the cutthroat devils, and when it was
found impossible to capture or identify the cul-
prits, more than ono gravely advised that the best
plan would be to hang a Chinaman every Monday
morning until the right ones were given up.
However convenient it may be for the Colonial
Government to charge landing dues, and impose
capitation taxes on one particular race, we do not
think that it is altogether constitutional. Australia
is still a British colony, and likely long to remain
such ; but while we are demanding free access to
all parts of China, one of our principal dependen-
cies is imposing all sorts of taxes and particular
exactions on the people of that nation. The Chi-
nese of Australia fear and hate the English, and
the numbers who have returned to China may
have not improved the opinion entertained of the
"barbarians" by the Chinese. Of course no sensible
Englishman could for a moment desire any compro-
mise for the dastardly and murderous attack made
upon our ships in the Peiho, but that a complete
and decisive retaliation should be taken, and that
the Brother to the Sun and Sister to the Moon,
learn to'his cost both in a political and pecuniary
sense that he may not break faith with England's
ambassador, or insult the British flag with impa-

China.

proposal

THE PRINCE OF ORANGE IN SOUTH WALES.—
His Royal Higbness the Prince of Orange arrived at
Raglan Castle on Friday last from Troy, near Monmouth,
one of the seats of the Duke of Beaufort. The prince was
met at the castle by Lord Llanover and Mr. Herbert of
Llanarth ; and, after inspecting the ruins, his royal high-
ness accompanied Lord Llanover to Llauarth, and thence
proceeded to Llanover, where the prince passed the night.
On Saturday the prince, accompanied by Lord Llanover,
paid a visit to Merthyr Tydvil, and inspected the iron
works for which that place is celebrated. Returning to
Llanover in the evening, his royal highness was present at a
banquet and ball given in his honour. On Sunday the
prince attended Divine service at Llanover Church, and on
Monday his royal highness took b is leave of Lord and Lady
Llanuver, and proceeded with the members of his suite to
Hereford, and thence to Chester and Bangor.
The Count and Countess Nicholas Laschevsky
have left the Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn-street, for Pal is.
Sir E. Grogan, M.P., and Mr. Ayshford Wise,
M.P., have arrived at the Burlington Hotel.
Colonel and Mrs. Long have arrived at the
Burlington Hotel, Cork-street, fsom Bromley Hall, Kent.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ricketts and Mrs. Ricketts
have arrived at the Queen's Hotel, Upper Norwood, from
Loughborough,

France and England are on the point of signing
a convention relative to the prizes which may re-
sult from the approaching expedition against

This contradicts the rumour that the two Powers
would postpone the expedition.—Morning Post.

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

PARIS, THURSDAY.

Prince Metternich remitted yesterday to M.
Thouvenel an explanatory message containing the
answer of Austria to the four points of the English

. _
The Vienna Cabinet expresses its regret at not
being able to give her adhesion to the said pro-
posal as a basis for ulterior negotiations between the

great Powers;

VIENNA, THURSDAY.

The courier bearer of the definitive answer o
Austria to the English proposal left here on the
evening of the 17th inst. for Paris and London.
The reply of Austria explains the reasons why
the Court of Vienna could not accept the English
proposal as a basis for an arrangement to which the
concurrence of Austria would be given by her
signature. Count Rechberg explains that
the proposal does not only essentially alter
the basis of the European equilibrium
which was founded by the treaties of
1815, but it is also in open opposition to the funda-
mental principle upon which the legitimacy of
governments in general, and especially the Aus-
trian Monarchy, is founded. In the third instance,
the said proposals destroy the rights of the Italian
Princes, which were placed under the guarantee of
Europe, and which the Emperor Francis Joseph
has the sacred duty to protect in his quality of
chief of the house of Hapsburg.
If, induced by all these motives, Austria declines
the proposed negotiations, she declares, neverthe-
less, that, for the present, she will not endeavour
to undo, by force of arms, that which she cannot
prevent, although reserving to herself full and en-
tire liberty of action for the future.
The tone of Count Rechberg's answer is exceed-
ingly moderate and polite.

BERLIN, FEB. 22

Negotiations between the great Powers in re-
ference to the treatment of the Italian question are
being vigorously pursued. The basis upon which
a conference is to be held is not yet agreed upon.

PARIS, FEB. 22

The Russian Government has expressed a wish
to propose jointly with Prussia a Conference of the
five great Powers.
It is asserted that Prussia with certain reserves
has consented to join in this proposal.
The Patric declares itself authorised to state that
the rumour respecting the intention of the Govern-
ment to establish an income tax is without any
foundation whatever.

FLORENCE, FEB. 21.
The Electoral Committee recommends annexa-
tion to Piedmont as the only programme which the
candidates should profess.
Baron Ricasoli has forbidden the distribution of
Guerazzi's democratic protestation, the views con-
tained in which are refuted in an article in the
Government journal, La Nazione.
The journals publish accounts of anti-Pontifical
demonstrations in the Marches.

FRANCE.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY,

The decoration of the Annunciada, among the
most ancient in Europe, and much sought for, has
been conferred by King Victor Emmanuel on Mar-
shal Randon, Minister of War. A similar decora-
tion is to be conferred on Marshal M'Mahon, Duke
of Magenta, and on Marshal Niel, who so much
distinguished himself at the battle of Solferino.
TIIE BOURSE, Feb. 22.—The market has been
buoyant, and business active owing to a rise of ti
on the English Consols. Threes, after having been
done at 68f 15e, declined to 68f 5c., and again
rallied to 68f 30c. Mobilier varied from 750 f to
755f—Austrian, 502 f 50c to 507150c—Lombard,
550 f to 552 f 50c—Lyons, 892 f 50e to 895f—Orleans,
1,377 f 50c to I,3Bol—Southern, 5001 to 502 f 50c—
Northern, 917 f 50c 920 f.

... ,
The following are the last quotations :-
41 per Cents..... 98 ; Credit Fonder 740
Do. end month .. 97 90 I Belgian 4} —
3 per Cents. 6B 301Piedmontese (5)
Do. end month.... 68 25 I Roman BO
Bank Shares 2BlO —lAustrian . 77 50
Credit Mobilier .. 757 50 Spanish Threes ..
Do. Account 753 75 Home Debt 431