The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-01 00:00:00

arc quiet ai7-ka well-disposed, there is no lack of dis•
uriat agents and disrobed Braves in
guised Go-ver.7
ii,a_ges. A party of us lately accom-
the adjacent vi
the Chinese Secretary to the
rsion to a neighbouring hamlet.
Pl:l•lnisiseidonA, ar. lnVeteC
We were as usual sui: rounded by all the men, and
barked at by all the dog,q, the fair sex peering
through their lattices at the beardel barbarians. Mr.
Wade remarked that one or two of the men with whom
he talked spoke a perfectly different dialect from
that of Shantung which prevails here, and he was
satisfied they were Government spies. " How is
trade ?" he asked one of them. " Oh, trade is alto-
gether suspended since your majesties
our hands
" What are you ?" " A fisherman." "
are not browned, your face is not tanned.
You are
the use of lying? I know what you are.
.
arrilve.a
in the pay of the Government." And
so he What
teiss-
tionably was, for the villagers enjoyed hviasindllyscpormo:
fiture as he threw up his hands
rd a despatch to Pekin, at
to-morrow
tested against Mr. Wade's inferences. He will pro-
babyforwa
the rate of 6001 i a-day, announcing the departure of
the barbarian expedition.
A sad accident occurred on the 11th inst., which
resulted in the death of Lieut. Gordon, Madras En-
gineers. The day was wild and squally, the wind
from the north-west, and coming down in sudden
and violent gusts over Sampson Peak. Lieut. Lums-
den, Deputy-Assistant-Quarter-Master-General to
the Second Division, encamped at Hard Bay, having
business to transact at Victoria Bay, crossed over in
a boat belonging to the steam transport Imperatrice.
The boat was commanded by Mr. Graham, third
officer of the ship, with two seamen to manage the
sails, and Mr. Lumsden was accompanied byclAieut.
Gordon. They were returning in the afternoon,
when, about 5 p.m., a sudden squall struck the boat,
when about half-way across, and three or four miles
from the shore. She turned bottom upwards, with
her stern completely under water, and her bows
just above. The whole party clung to the boat, and
made signals of distress by holding a coat at the
end of an oar. They hoped to attract the attention
of those on board the signal gunboat, stationed at
no great distance from them. After an hour spent
in anxious watching, Mr. Lumsden volunteered to
swim for the shore, and Mr, Graham for the gun-
boat, as night was rant coming on, and they
ati
felt they could not hold on until morning. They
both returned after a few minutes, Mr. Graham
Unable to make way against the strong tide,
Mr. Lumsden despairing of !reaching the shore.
Half an hour afterwards Mr. Graham pushed off on
an oar with one of the sailors, and Mr. Lumsden
again swam for the land, leaving Mr. Gordon and
the remaining sailor hanging to the boat. This
man was picked up by a ship's boat about 8, and
states that soon after Mr. Lumsden's departure Mr.
Gordon struck out for the land. He was a bad
swimmer, and returned immediately, caught him
by the trousers, and after holding on two or three
minutes threw up his arms, and sank ! Mr. Graham
and the sailor were picked up by the same boat.
Mr. Lumsden, after remaining in the water six
hours, sometimes floating sometimes swimming,
reached the shore shortly before midnight, com-
pletely exhausted. Every search has been made for
Mr. Gordon's body, unfortunately without success,
though boats are still daily employed for the pur-
pose. At 1 o'clock on the 13th, John Dallinger,
the marine who shot at Lieut. Hudson and the se-
cond master of the Leven, paid the penalty of his
crimes. Punctually at that hour a boat from every
vessel in the fleet assembled about the flagship, the
Leven being moored just astern. A large open
space was kept, and at a signal from the admiral
the boats approached the Leven in two equal divi-
sions. A rope was extended on either side, to
which the boats were strung after all the bowmen
had gone on board. The rigging of every ship was
then manned by all hands to witness the execution.
Punctually :at half-past one the prisoner was
brought out, stripped of his uniform. He was
deadly pale, but his step was firm, and he walked
without support. A. rope was passed round his
neck, the signal given, and in two seconds the
bowmen had run him up to the foreyardarm.
There a loop was loosed and the body fell with a
tremendous jerk, at least six feet, A couple of
struggles and all was over. There is no doubt
he was astonished at his sentence, for as neither
of his intended victims had died he expected
to escape with seven years' transportation. He
fully deserved his fate, for his crime was attended
with most aggravating circumstances. He joined
the Leven about five months ago from the Marine
Battalion with a bad character, the corner of his
certificate being cut off. Lieut. Hudson, in the hope
of enabling him to re-establish his character, took
him as his own servant. On the Bth inst. Lieut.
Hudson missed some brandy and wine from his
cabin, charged Dalliger with the theft, and told
him he should be,punished. Next morning, as he
lay en the safa after breakfast, Dalliger stole round
and shot him in the back of his neck, after which
he shot the second master. Before being executed
he made a statement confessing his crime, for which
he was heartily sorry, regarding his death as only
too little punishment, and " begging pardon of those
two whom he had so nearly destroyed in his anger."
Lieut. Hudson is going on satisfactorily, and leaves
by this mail en route for England; and the second
master is nearly cured. He had a narrow escape.
The ball cut off the tip of his ear, and passed into
his shoulder, whence it was extracted without great
difficulty.
I paid a visit to Che-fow last week, and remained
four days. On the morning of the 16th Lord Elgin
started in the Feroze, and anchored under the stern
of the Duchayla, about 4in the afternoon. Che-fow
stands on the north side of the promontory of Shan-
tung, about 60 miles from its point. The harbour
is formed by a long neck of land running parallel to
the main, to which it is united by a low slip of sand,
some three miles long. The entrance lies between
this point and a group of islands which shelter
the harbour towards the east. It is about a
mile and a quarter in width. The harbour itself
is
three miles end a half wide, and running E.S.E.
six miles long. The average depth of water in six
fathoms, the bottom mud and shingle, and the
anchorage good. The province of Shantung con-
tains 30,000,000 inhabitants and 65,000 square
miles. It is famous as the birthplace of Confucius
and of his disciple, Mencius. The tomb of the
former, who died B. C. 497, at Kiuh-fan, no great
distance hence, is a gigantic monument surrounded
by a forest of oaks, beneath whose shade the body
of the great Chinese philosopher reposes. Che-fuw
is the only good,' port in this district, and was in-
tended to be opened to trade by the treaty of Tien-
tsin. Tangchau, however, is the port named in the
treaty, as its harbour was known, having been
visited by Lord Macartney in 1793 and by Captain
Elliott in 1840. It is, however, inferior to Che-fow
in every respect, and can only be entered at high
tide, while at Che-fow there is at all times abun-
dance of water for large ships. This will be set
right in the new treaty. We count 39 French ships
in port, some of them transports of the largest
size. The Dryade, the Entreprenants, and cne or
two others, were originally intended for large
frigates, and then cut and lengthened. They
brought 900 and 1,000 solchers each, and lost very
few men on the voyage. The Rhone, Loire, Rhin,
&c., are steamers of another class, built expressly
for the service, and not excelled by any transports
afloat. The Rhone carried 950 men, with provisions
for six months. She is upwards of seven feet high
between decks,and admirably fitted in every particu-
lar. But the transport service is not popular with
the officers of the French navy, who naturally de-
sire to take a part in the more active service of
their profession. They are but six despatch gun •
boats in the bay, and they are the only French
shore vessels t
the
ehast caeeneniacbruossys thean
d thebbnasrtloinfg. le'
Large iho
B. h e On
a rs
have been set up close to the water, and the crews
of the different men-of-war are busily engaged in
landing
and putting together the three iron gun-
boats which came out in the Weser. Fifteen of these
gunboats have been sent from France in different
ships,qunnti bnuwt tl rtehe
roenflnyrhaves
eat rt
lrehed T
d-
()n.
way he
oerh
other
ne
e s
before the missing boats reach their destination.
These gunboats are made of iron, and sent out in
15 pieces. The bow and stern pieces form two
compartments, the remainder of the vessel a third.
They are 78 feet long, a4d, 18 feet beam, with two

rudders, one at the stem, another at the stern.
Each boat is 75 tons burden, carries one rifled 30-
pounder, and draws five feet water. The boiler
weighs six tons and a half. For eight days past
the French blue jackets have been busy landing
these boats, and yet two are lying disjointed as
they came out of the ship, while the third has
seven pieces joined together. The officers who com-
-1 mand them have done all that energy and skill
could devise, and the men have worked with a will.
But it is one thing to make experiments in a dock-
yard with everything at hand, another to work in a
deserted bay on the coast of China. At Toulon the
boats are put together in 36 hours. Not one of
them will be completed here under a fortnight, if
then. It was not without considerable cost that Great
Britain discovered ordinary iron vessels to be un-

suited for war, and I do not believe these gunboats

will prove an exception to the rule. A single sho
might sink them, and as the fifteen pieces are only
fastened together with screws and rivets, they
would be in great danger of breaking their backs
either in a sea or in taking the ground.
On the 17th two batteries of Artillery were
paraded. Lord Elgin accompanied General Mont-
auban and:Staff. Twelve rifled guns, with waggons
and equipage complete, were on the ground, horsed
by four Japanese ponies to a gun. This was the
tenth day these ponies had been at work, and the
way they did their work reflected great credit on the
officers who had trained them. There was no firing.
The guns were canons rayes, brass four-pounders
bored up to eight, and had made the Italian cam-
paign. Most of the officers had shared the triumphs
of that eventful summer, and wore the medal. The
carriages are oak and wonderfully light, as four
small ponies drag the gun without extraordinary
exertion. After parade we visited the market.
Here were several hundreds of Chinamen with a
plentiful supply of sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, eggs,
vegetables, and fruit brought in from the neigh-
bouring villages. Perfect order prevailed and the
almighty dollar was readily taken. From the rela-
tions existing between the natives and the French,
; it is clear that the Chinese have been as well treated
; at Che-fow as at Tah-lien-hwan.
In every direction is abundant evidence of the
wealth and comfort of the inhabitants of this dis-
trict. to itTral montaunan's head-quarters are in a
large building just finished, intended for a sort
of hotel de vale, with offices and dwelling rooms at-
tached. It is built round two hollow squares, about
30 or 40 yards in extent. The town-hall itself is
about 50 feet long and 20 wide. The roof is sup-
ported on large substantial beams, each fitted into
the other, not a nail having been used in its con-
struction. The floor is of excellent asphalte, and
the windews of oiled paper do not exclude the
light. The rooms surrounding this room are airy
and lofty, and the whole is built of good bricks and
the best blue mortar. The roof is of tiles made in
the neatest moulds, and the whole place is in every
respect most creditable both to architect and builder.
The French have made a garden in the inner court-
yard, which contains large magnolias, besides a
banana and a fair palm tree. In the afternoon we
rode through the town and suburbs into the adja-
cent country. Outside the town are villas with
large gardens, in which we saw vines and pome-
granates, a clear proof that the winter here cannot
be very severe. The soil is richer than in our
Manchurian camp, and the cultivation equally
good. Not an inch of ground that is not enriched
in a way to satisfy Mr. Mechi.
" Time was, 'tis said, ere England's griefs began,
When every rood of ground maintained its man;
But things are changed indeed, for now 'tis found
That every man maintains his rood of ground."
This is literally true here. There are no fences
few wide roads. A footpath leads from the villages
to the harbour, so that no space is lost. We see
small ditches for irrigation, and the crops are most
abundant. We ascend a height and look over a
plain some 30 miles in extent, with the sea on one
side, and a fine range of hills on the other. Beyond
these hills is plain after plain, the inhabitants of
which desire nothing better than to barter their
produce for English manufactures. The junks we
took for our commissariat were full of Manchester
goods, brought up from the South, and an enormous
trade with North of China awaits the re-establish-
ment of pacific relations. Descending through
large orchards of apple, pear, and plum trees we
ride along a lane with high green banks on either
side. The apples are " hanging fine on the trees,"
wild flowers scent the air, the cuckoo is heard in
distance, bees, butterflies, and dragon flies are hum-
ming and circling round our heads, and transport
us back to the lanes and orchards of Devonshire or
Gloucestershire. But the sun is hot, and we are not
sorry to return on board ship and get back to this
cooler climate,
It seems quite clear that the Chinese will resist
to the utmost at the Peiho. The French took four
prisoners during their late reconnoissance. These
Were fishermen from the Peiho—one from Pehtang.
They state that large camps are formed on either
side the river, and that the numerous cavalry has
been turned loose on the adjacent crops. They fired
on French when reconnoitring last week, and no
doubt Sang-ho-lin-sin will do his best. He and
Hang-fuh, Governor-General of Chih-li, lately
moved the Empero'r to superannuate the acting
Tsung-ping, or general commanding that division
of the Chinese army of Chih-li, distinguished as
the Tung-yung.
"That high officer the Tsung-ping (say they), as the
leader in chief of all the battalions in a division, responsible
as he is for the discipline and drill thereof, is the incumbent
of an important and fully occupied office, requiring more
strength and vigour than ever when the defence of the coast
is a pressing consideration. Li-Chih-ho, the present in-
cumbent, has seen a great deal of service, has been wounded
13 times, but is past 70 years of age, and has of late been
seriously indisposed. The present is a critical moment.
The defence of the coast makes it no ordinary routine duty.
It doubles the importance of the Tsung-ping's position,
which it is inexpedient should be longer filled by an ailing
body clinging fondly to its place of abode, and loth to be
turned out."
They, therefore, recommend that the old man
should be allowed to retire with full rank, and that
the vacancy should be filled by Hai-Shan, who is
"very vigilant, equal to fatigue, ana of consider-
able experience."
The good health of the troops continues. Less
than four and a half per cent. are on the sick list,
including therein all the men who have cut their
feet with oyster shells while bathing. There are
not more than one per cent. of serious cases. One
regiment, the 99th. is 598 strong, and has but two
men absent from duty.' The hospital ships are
models of comfort, and even luxury. No want of
" medical comforts" here. Whatever the patient
requires is at hand, from champagne and sherry
to sago and arrowroot. The consequence is
mt h
ea
nt fSo
ri
asr s
eHtr
though
oipcue Grant
eg
hat
theythe h
Peiho,waes embarkedf
or
00
dalll, l
con-
dition 9the4
healthiest rural district at home. The horses were
shipped on the 23d, and I went over to the bay to
witness the sight. The
bi
toi
xot rna. n
boats,sTp ho er
rafts,t
best
wereest dae
and
chehcooarrmsed
e;
inbo
at
thsewbearye,
aalnl dinpardecidulei-s
from the Magicienne. Two of her paddle-box boats
were boarded over and carried 32 horses at a time.
There was no crowding, no confusion, no orders
and counter-orders. The arrangements tuld been
carefully made, were properly carried out, and re•
fleeted the greatest credit on Colonel Mackenzie,
Colonel Walker, and the Quartermaster-General's
Staff, as well as on Lord John Hay and the naval
officers. 2,000 cavalry and artillery horses and
nearly 3,000 ponies and baggage horses were em-
barked without a single accident. As each trans-
port was filled, a saucy little gunboat walked up
to her—a pigmy beside a giant—hooked her on and
carried her whither she listed. There is nothing
afloat like these English gunboats. They turn
within their own length, poke their noses into
every creek along the coast, and are the school in
which some of the best men in our navy have been
trained. Sherard Osborn, Commerell, Bythesea,
Corbet, Dew, and many like them received their
(raining in a forty or an eighty, and the whole
fleet of pigmies may be brought round the Cape
without one single mishap.
The infantry embarked on the 24th, and in the
afternoon I walked over the ground occupied for a
mfifoornbthotbuyesiheolFairb:totD;vision. The trenches and
had
ad
been,
ovens marked- the spot where each regiment
and the Chinamen were hunting about
bones, firewood, and what-

ever they could lay hands on. As soon as the sol-
diers were embarked, Sir Rope Grant requested the
" notables" of the nearest village to assess the
damage which had been done to their property by
the six regiments which had just left the ground.
They made a careful survey, and presented a claim
for 180 dollars, about £4O of our money. This mo-
dest demand bears unquestionable testimony to the
good conduct of the men and to the honesty of the
country people. In fact, looting up here has been
all but unknown. The bay presents a magnificent
sight, with nearly 200 vessels moored between the
two flagships. They start early to-morrow morn-
ing, and every ship will be towed out to sea. The
Admiral has issued most precise instructions, and
directed that all vessels are to pass north of the
Miatan islands, and on no pretence whatever take
the passages between them. A vessel will be an-
chored off Shalutien Island, carrying a red ensign
at the main, and a white ensign at the fore with
lights at night, and no vessel is to pass between
her and the island. The Cruiser is stationed at the
point of rendezvous, about 20 miles from the Peiho,
and the English fleet will be anchored to the north
of her, leaving the south side clear for the French.
The vessels are to move at single anchor in seven
lines, a mile and a half in width, and they will
probably reach their destination by the 28th inst.
In a few days we may hope to see the landing
effected, and I trust that my next letter will an-
nounce the destruction of the Taku forts and the
occupation of Tien-tsin.

IRE NAVY.

A letter from Valletta, dated Sept. 24, says

"Her Majesty's ship St. Jean d'Acre returned into
port on the afternoon of the 22d inst., from a cruise
off the island, and her Majesty's corvette Argus ar-
rived on the following day from Messina, Catania,
and Syracuse, bringing 37 officers and men (inva-
lids, &c.) from the squadron. At the last date the

citadel of Messina was still in the hands of the

Royal troops. The Argus also brought down a
seaman of her Majesty's corvette Scylla, who has
been condemned to death by court-martial at Naples
for knocking down a Marine officer. On Saturday
arxivea the Turkish steamer Meu.ludia, from Tri-

poli (Barbary). By her we learn of the death o
the Austrian Consul, Mr. A. G. Francovich. An
Austrian steam corvette, the Lucia, Lieut. Eberan
de Eberhorest, arrived here on the 23d inst. from
Gaeta, which place she left on the 20th inst., bound
for Trieste, all the Austrian vessels of war in the
Mediterranean, including those on the coast of
Syria, having been recalled to that port, owing to
the state of affairs in Italy. The Dutch transport
barque Heldin left Malta on the 22d inst., with
stores and provisions for the Dutch squadron in the
Levant. She proceeds first to Alexandria, and
thence to Beyrout. The Russian steam frigate
Gromoboi left on the 23d inst. also for the coast of
Syria, and two other Russian vessels of war are
expected shortly for the same destination. The
Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Massi-
lia with the overland portion of the outward Bombay
mail, arrived 4.45 p.m. on the 22d inst. from Mar-
seilles, and left the same day at 11 for Alexandria.
She brought as passengers for Malta LieutaCol.Bul-
wer and Capt. Arkwright. The Euxine and
Ceylon, also of the same company, having on board
the China and Calcutta mails, have just arrived
from Alexandria. The former leaves at 10 o'clock
to-night for Marseilles, the latter a few hours
afterwards for Southampton."
The Ariel, 9, screw corvette, Commander Alex.
ander, fitting for foreign service at Portsmouth, has
been again placed in dock, and opened up on her
port side amidships for examination, it having
been suspected, from a circumstance that occurred
in repairing one of her midship ports, that some of
her timbers must be in adefective state. The pluck-
ing has been stripped off from her port gangway
to her fore rigging to below her water line, and
eight of her timbers are found to have been de-
stroyed from the effects of dry rot. Workmen are
employed in removing them, and new timbers are
being prepared for her. She is expected to be out
of dock again and complete in her repairs in about
eight days' time.
The Excellent (late Queen Charlotte) fitting in
the steam basin at Portsmouth, as the gunnery ship
at the port, is nearly complete in her fittings, and
has been berthed at the north wall of the steam
basin in readiness to receive the armament and
store from the old Excellent, which will be
placed alongside the dock for that purpose.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steam sloop Spiteful,
recently commissioned by Commander Wilson,
sailed on Saturday from Woolwich for Greenhithe,
to be adjusted for sea. Commander Hawker, doing
duty in the absence of Commodore Drummond,
superintendent of the yard, proceeded down the
river on board the Spiteful to witness the tri)l of
her machinery, and as soon as the ship was under
way, he mustered and inspected the crew, and giv-
ing them the advantage of existing regulations in
reference to an advance of wages, but which have
merged from the present date, Oct. 1, into the new
system, he directed two months' pay to be given to
the crew, and issued similar instructions for the pay-
ment of the Landrail gun vessel, about to sail from
Greenhithe.
Several of the crew of the screw sloop Mars, 80,
Capt. J. Strange, at Plymouth, are still absent with-
out leave. She is ordered to prepare for sea, and has
embarked men for passage to the Mediterranean.
The gunboat Hind, tender to the Russell, 60, at
Falmouth, arrived at Plymouth on Saturday to
collect coastguard volunteers for conveyance to Fal-
mouth to attend drill.
His Netherland Majesty's paddle steamer Cycloop,
Capt. Toewater, having been supplied with 200 tons
of coal and with water, sailed from Falmouth on
Friday for Gibraltar and Malta, en route to join the
Dutch squadron in the upper part of the Mediter-
ranean.
The Enterprise, 4, one of the exploring ships of
the Arctic expedition, now laid up in ordinary at
Chatham, has been selected by the Admiralty to
proceed to the coast of Scotland, where she is to be
used as a coal depot for the lighthouse at Oban.
As soon as she has undergone the necessary fitments
and alterations at Chatham, she will be towed to
her destination.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :---Lieut. Thomas W. Oliver,
to thn enrn wal lig ; Adolphus Andrews, acting third
class assist.. engineer, to the Caradoc ; George W.
Hancock, acting third class assist.-engineer, to the
Blenheim, for service in the Violet ; John B. Palmer,
George S. Brodie, Thomas H. Smith, R. 11. M.
Maxwell and George Alexander Broad, masters'
assistants, additional to the Marlborough ; Miles S.
S. Bree, master's assistant, to the Aboukir ; Her-
bert G. T. Packer, master's-assistant, to the Diadem ;
Nathaniel Child, master's•assistant, to the Cen-
turion ; Edgar C. Baker, master's-assistant addi-
tional, to the Victory for the Rolla; George G.
WE wen, master's-assistant, to the Tartar ; John A.
Jones, master's-assistant additional, to the Britannia
for the Sealark ; H. J. Nash, clerk, to thelllustrious;
and G. R. Johnson, assist.-clerk, supernumerary, to
the Victory.