The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-01 00:00:00

CHINA.

We have received the following communication,
from a correspondent at Hong Kong :

" HONG KONG-, Meer 6.
" Peh-Kwei, our Viceroy of Canton, the Tarter
General, the Hoppo, aecl another high official of
our setting up, were taken into custody this week,
by order of Mr. Parkes and the other Commis-
sioners. The charge against them was probably
not undeserved—that of intriguing with the China-
men outside the city, and meditating an escape. In-
deed, Mr. Parkes says that at the very moment when
Gen. Van Straubenzee was securing them the pre-
parations for an immediate flight were so far ad-
vanced that in another half-hour they would have
been out of the city.
" The cause of the present stagnation of trade at
Canton is the insecurity of the position there under
these altered circumstances. Nobody knows who
is in power, or what is power, whether Chinese or
European, where begotten, where nourished. For
example, Pet:-Kwei and his brother officers, after
being kept some days in durance, are now released,
' yet under a guard.' They were not, for an hour,
even while under arrest, superseded in theirreepec-
five- offices. On the contrary, it being-thought that
the unwillingness of the `Linguists' to execute the
orders of the foreign merchants at that juncture
might be owing to their dread of the consequences
to themselves of trading while Canton was without
a Custom-house, the imprisoned Hoppo was applied
to by Mr. Parkes, and the result was an order'
issued by him in that capacity directing his coun-
trymen to trade with the English. The Chinamen
are puzzled to account for these anomalies. Teey
say, Suppose Englishman come Hoppo housey,
how can housey belong Hoppo ?'
"The Euglesh General contiues to be full of
anxieties and alatms for the safety of the garrison.
It is observable, however., that the worst rumours
on this head invariaMy reach him on his return to
Canton after each of his many trips to this colony ;
and the general impression here and there is, that
his simplicity is played upon by the people about
him. Unhappily, an estrangement between him-
self and the body of officers under him deprives
him of the means of setting himself right by their
information and advice.
" There have been reported an outrage or two
committed by the Cantonese rabble upon our
military police,' in retaliation for ill-treatment
alleged to have been committed by our own rabble
of police and camp-followers ; but I see nothing in
all this. _ _ _

"More alarming, doubtless, the secession of
numbers of Chinese shopkeepers and merchants
from Canton seemed to be, bat on inquiry this
alarm vanishes away. It turns out that some
new anxieiylrad led the General, most injudiciously
to close every landward gate of the city and all the
river gates but one. On their side the Cantonese,
not less prone to panic than
,the General himself,
at once interpreted this measure into au indication
of intended hostilities ; so they took to removing
themselves and their goods to a place of shelter.
"Our merchants continue iu the Honan pack-
houses, almost without guards, drive a fair busi-
ness, all things considered, and do not share iu any
of these apprehensions.
"As for the North, we have no tidings yet of
the Elgin mission.
"In the colony there is nothing new, except the
now ascertained fact that the new opium farm has.
gone far to extinguish the teriving business in pre-
pared opium hitherto carried on by Chinese ship-
pers to California. The boilers of opium are going
away—some to Macao and the neiOrbourhootr,
where conveniences for everything exi-t; and some
talk of going to the Five Ports. On the other
hand, the opium farmer has got into a row with
his partner, and the thing will probably break
down with its own weight."

THE KING OF DELHI'S PRISON.--It Ar.,g stated in the
la letter if our Bombay cm respondent, that the King
of Thhi is to be transporta,l to British Kaifraria. On
the 10th M +rub the Governor of the Cape, Sir George
Grey, in the coursa cf his address to the Parliaineor,
said :—"A correspondence will be laid before you, de-
tailing the reasons for which it is intended to d:-..taio
King of Delhi in confinement in British Kaffraria, You
will find from these papers that this is an isolated case,
and that no intention exists of transporting prisoners
from India to ha. Majesty's South African possessions.'l
SINGULAR ACCIDENT FROM FIRE.—Ou Monday after-
noon, a 3 a party in a pleasure van was journeying across
Clapham-common on its return from Hampton-court, the
loose straw at the bottom cf the vehicle burst out in a
blaze, it is supposed from some of the smokers having
dropped lighted tobacco amongst it. The women's
dresses and the curtains took fire, and two of the females
—Mrs. Aldous, of Union•street, Borough, and Mrs,
Keatch, living in Kent-street---were so dreadfully
burned that it was found necessary to take them to the •
hospital.