The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-13 00:00:00

TH' TIIIRD CHLVA Jj AR.

(From a Correspondent of the London and China Telegraph )
TAMEN-WAN BAY, July 12 —The mail closes to-
morrow. Lord Elgin arrived on tl2e 9th per Feroze.
With Lord Eig;n came his staff and the 1 inzes'
eon e ,poudent. Of course you must know fang
are this that both Eagiish and French ambae_-
sadors were on board the Malabar mail steamer
when she was lost at Galle and lest every thing.
Many of the mail bsgs have been recovered, but
most of the letters in a sad unseasonable state, en-
velopes off, &c., so that there were very many
letters came to people they were never intended
for. I believe all the official despatches were
recovered. On the Bth a French gunboat came
in here to announce that the French force would
be ready to move on the 23d (they are all at Chefoo
on the opposite side of the Gulf), and though not
officially announced, it is understood that we are to
start from here on the 23d for the Peiho, and opera-
tions to commence immediately. We have only
been waiting for them. The weather has been
beautiful until to-day--nice cool, dry weather, only
rather hot in the sun for a few hours in the middle
of theday, but there is every indication of a change
by the barometer falling and a sudden change of
wind to N.E. and thick weather, The troops are
all in good health, notwithstanding their salt ra-
tions, occasionally varied with a little tough com-
missariat beef; for I am sorry to say that the mur-
rain got amongst the bullocks that have been bought
up for the use of the troops, and great quantities
of them died before they could be landed These
e
last few days fresh bread made 'in the divisional
ambulating ovens has been served out, and very
is encamped over in Vie-
it is. w
tgooroida TSihrejl.sll,tlinchieilsins
command, and Brigadiers'
Sutton and Staveley under him, the
Ist brigade
consisting of the 60th Rifles, 2d Queen's,
and 16th
Punjaub Regiment; the 2d brigade, of the Ist
"
Royals, 31st Regiment, and Major Fisher's
E rigs.
nears, with, of course, a large Coolie Corps. The
2d Division is under General Sir Robert Naples.,
with Brigadiers Japhson and Reeves, commanding
brigades of infantry ; Crofton, artillery; and
Pattie, the cavalry. They are all over on tho
opposite side of the bay, in several different small
bays, where water is to be had. Fresh provisions
are to be had in small quantities, pigs, fowls, and
vegetables, on that side, Lord John Hay having
established 'a market in Odin Bay, where the 2d
Division are, but nothing is to be got on the other
side. The country people keep aloof from us as
much as possible ; they are not uncivil, but that
is, I fancy, only because they stand in awe of
us. Parties have been sent out to look at
the country around, it is full of villages, and every-
where grain is growing, which in a couple of weeks
will be fit for cutting; plenty of bullocks and
ponies have been seen from the hills in the country
beyond, but they are driven off directly any one
approaches. There is a small Tartar camp reported
a few miles from here, but nothing has been seen
of any of them. Our whole force has been living
in hill tents, generals and all, with the exception
of Sir H. Grant, who lives on board his steam
vessel the Granada with all his staff. The camps
have not much improved the corn-fields in which
they are pitched or have their field days either.
On the 14th the Ist Division are to have races
and all kinds of games, &c., for the troops, under
the auspices of Sir J. Michel, who is as good a
sportsman as he is a soldier, and beloved by
every one. Now for the fleet. They have all been
scattered about in the different small bays with
so many transports under each vessel's care, with
the exception of the Centaur, which is at Shang-
hai loading with bullocks, &c. ; the Furious is
there also with Mr. Bruce. The Snake is at
Chusan, Nimrod at Shanghai and remains there,
Acorn at Amoy, Camilla at Japan, and Roebuck
on the way up here with the expected mails ;
Actmon, with gunboats Dove, Algerine, and
Leven away surveying a little to the northward.
A sad thing has happened on board the latter
vessel, commanded by Lieutenant Hudson. On
the morning of the 9th it appears he sent for a
marine, who had been acting as his steward, to
come down to the cabin—the man hatmade away
with a great deal of wine and spirits, and was
still under the influence of his debauch—whilst
Hudson was speaking he snatched down a small
French breech-loading revolver that was
hanging over head and shot Hudson
through the back (it was supposed at first killed
him) ;, the report was so slight it was not heard on
deck, so the marine went up the ladder and called
down the Second-Master Ashton into the cabin,
saying the commander wanted him, and on his en-
tering, shot him also ; by that time an alarm was
given, and the marine seized. Captain Ward placed
au officer on board, and sent the Leven in here.
Lieutenant Hudson and Mr. Ashton were both sent
on board the Simoom hospital ship, and I am happy
to say accounts to-day from there say that there
are hopes of the former, and that the latter officer
is much better. A court-martial is sitting to-day
on board the Imperieuse, with Rear-Admiral Jones
as president, to try the marine.
.s.

The Commander and Master of the Assistance
were tried (for losing that vessel at the back of
Hong Kong) last week, and got off very cheaply,
merely a slight reprimand : the court-martial only
occupied one day. Every one is kept pretty well
at work here afloat, what with loading and unload-
ing ship, embarking and disembarking stores—for
there is going to be a depot formed, and 2,000
men, under Brigadier Reeves, left behind, be-
cause the French don't like our having a larger
force than they have. The 99th, and a battery
of artillery, with our native regiments, are to be
left, it is said. Part of the 99th are left
at Chusan. All looting, or ill-treatment of the
peasantry, is strictly forbidden, and the Provost
Marshal punishes it at once. Many of the natives
are living close round, and in the camp. No oie
under the rank of a commissioned officer is allowed
outside the outposts, and there are regular landing
places at which only boats can land. The 20 junks
the Encounter took and brought in, by order of the
Admiral, are being loaded with commissariat stores
to go up the Peiho. They are manned with the
crew of the lost Assistance : they draw very little
water.

I have just heard of the death of Major Lums-
den, an officer on Sir Robert Napier's staff ; he was
drowned last night by the upsetting of a boat in
going from the Granada to the 2d division camp.
Another officer of engineers was drowned with him ;
his name, I believe, was Capt. Gordon. The boat
was picked up this morning, floating about the
harbour, bottom up, with two men on her. Hopes
are entertained that Lieut. Hudson will recover ;
Mr. Ashton was well enough to give his evidence
at the court-martial. It appears that it was ex-
pected that something of the kind would happen
to Lieut. Hudson, and that though the shot must
have been heard no one would acknowledge
it.
The court-martial is over, and the marine is sen-
tenced to be hung.

EMANCIPATION OF THE SERFS
RUSSIA.

IGtuhs
einrSept.at grand
—e
revisionolmV me li ettaeroenf
ST. PETERSBUR I
hiftrasos mvaotl au
lastre-
liablemi
onth: tthe emancipation of the serfs in
Da c c
volumi-
nous t oruou:ss brought
arhetpatonordt source
that the printing of that important
document will soon be finished.
The Emperor Alexander has already caused all
necessary measures to be tctken in the Imperial
Chancellerie and in the Ministerial Department
of the Domains and A panages of the Crown, to
ensure before the
•
end Pof this year, and probably
in a short ti
me after his return from his projected
journey to Poland, the proclamation of the serfs
throughout the whole of Russia. This solemn act,
which will have an immense bearing on the material
prosperity and the physical and moral wellbeing
of 15,000,000 of individuals attached to the soil and
owned as property by their masters,will immortalise
the reign of Alexander 11., and profoundly affect the
basis on which the empire has rested for so many
centuries. When such considerable changes aro
accomplished in a great country it almost always
happens that many private interests and individual
fortunes are compromised by them. This is what
will undoubtedly happen when the emancipation
will be decreed. As respects the lower nobility
possessing each a small number of serfs, and pro-
perties of little extent, they will find themselves
heavily aggrieved by charges and hypothecations,
often exceeding the real value of their lands and
that of the families of labourers attached thereto,
and on which these nobles have borrowed money
at so much per head. This class of poor nobles
will find themselves, by the emancipation of their
serfs, in a very painful position, from being..
farle
obliged to pay the interest of bond deb::
tracted by them, as they will no longer ts,
or
to dispose of the persons of theirPdei.assean
nor to sell their people like mer
new loan s
beasts of burden, nor yet be able to
.obtain
ture
upon the security of their personsinnevvs continues
pressure for money. Disagreeable cases of
, families goes on,
a tar
I to arrive from the Crimea to the
ment. The emigration OftTti;atibands are wanting
y persons possess-
perial Govern-
en masse, to such an extent
man
to cultivate the land,
ulation. The Crimea, which
es:Eripietely abandoned by the
-u e ruined by thewar of 1854.55,
ne
are
,r
eorns . Ile-
iwannagcsi eliannrtagegl a estatesr
be oa ut ri
ni s t z
ao.e
emit; m o
ration e d e
of
r farme a
ls
apbe
oc
ut
icountiw P or pre
stehnet 8.
cu'r.,__---__-.
.1 ________________

-.....___
The difficulties pl„ced in the 'way of the transfer-
of the Melbourne and
tGheeedloirneget
ence
odirectors
Railwayhave to n theow
bGeoeNn-errnelgvnet(i, a h
AIL' the PlirChMes `gill be forthwith
completed,