The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-09 00:00:00

CHINA.

The Moniteur de l'4rmee furnishes the following
details relative to this country:—" The invention
of gunpowder and artillery is generally attributed
to the Chinese. According to the accounts which
have been given of the naval engagement of Soum-
Lin in 1161, between them and the Tartars, it is
certain that the former had cannon on board their
vessels, and nevertheless since that period they have
learned nothing as regards the service of heavy
artillery. A general named Ou-Sanguel, an ambi-
tious man, and much beloved by the troops, hoisted
the standard of rebellion, and caused much alarm
to the Court of Pekin. The Emperor felt convinced
that nothing could be done against the rebels in the
strong positions which they had taken up unless
they could be attacked with artillery. His large
guns were so heavy that they could not be moved,
and in his embarrassment 'cnt for Father Verbiest,

thinking he might be able to suggest some plan
The Jesuit replied that he knew nothing of the art
of war, and that all he could do would be to pray
to God to favour the arms of the Emperor. Some
enemies of the Jesuit hoped to avail themselves of
this circumstance to accomplish his ruin, and they
insinuated to the Emperor that Father Verbiest
was in league with the rebels. The Emperor pre-
tended to give credence to this tale, and told him
that unless he could cast light cannon for him all the
Christians should be condemned to death. The
father replied that he was quite ignorant of founding
cannon, but that he would consult some books on
the subject, and superintend the operations of the
workmen. The cannon were cast successfully, and
the Emperor, who was present, was so pleased that
he took his cloak off his shoulders, and placed it on
those of the Jesuit. The guns cast were small and
light, but in order to enable them to withstand the
fort^ of the powder, he had thick pieces of oak put on
the outside and secured by iron hoops. The result
was satisfactory, as the rebels were driven from
their positions, and the revolt put down. The learned
Visdelou, bishop of Claudiopolis, fixes the period
when cannon were first used at 907 of the Christian
era. Under the reign of the Emperor Tcoum Tehim,
a rebellion broke out, and the rebels gained posses-
sion of some of the richest provinces of the empire.
The Emperor, becoming alarmed, summoned to him
all the principal dignitaries of the State to consult
them as to what measures should be adopted.
One mandarin recommended that the Jesuit Adam
Schalt should be sent for, as he was well acquainted
with everything connected with artillery, but this
was opposed by another mandarin, who observed to
the Emperor that, before the reign of the dynasty
of Tham and of that of Soum, firearms had never
been heard of, and that since their use the people
trusted to them, and had become men without
energy. The remark of this last mandarin did not
please the Emperor, who drily replied, " Retire,
and know that the use of firearms is one of the pre-
rogatives which places the Chinese above all other
nations." It appears from the above facts that the
invention dates back to the dynasty of the Thams
in 907 of the Christian era, and that the Chinese
are ignorant of the name of the inventor. In the
History of Soum a chapter is devoted to different
weapons, and lances of fire are spoken of. This
lance, says the author, was a hollow bamboo, at the
bottom of which was some gunpowder and a ball,
which went to a distance of 50 feet. It also appears
that the guns which were used in the naval battle
of 1161, above alluded to, were a kind of howitzer,
which threw red-hot shot. Travellers of modern
days have been able to add but little to what was
before known. One of the persons who accompanied
the expedition of Lord Macartney states the force
of the Chinese army to be 1,800,000 men, of whom
1,000,000 are infantry. The foot soldier receives
about 65c. a day and a measure of rice ; the cavalry
are paid double, and has his horse found him. The
army is paid regularly every three months.

THE SCOTCH MOORS AND FORESTS.—SO far as
we learn, gentlemen in the moors and forests continue to
enjoy fair sport. In the forest of Blackwater, Prince Ed-
ward of Saxe-Weimar killed a stag on Tuesday last, and
another on Friday. Lord Coventry, in the same forest,
killed two stags on Thursday. In the adjoining moors,
Prince Edward killed 23 brace of grouse and three brace
of black cock on Wednesday, and on Tuesday Lord Coventry
killed 23 brace of grouse. In two hours, on Friday, the
Earl of March killed 13 brace. In Glenaven Forest, on
the 30th ult., Mr. Walker killed a stag, and on the 31st a
hind. Capital sport has been had on the Lagganauld
moors. On the 31st the Rev. G. King bagged 51- brace of
grouse, and 71 brace of black game, and on the Ist inst.
111 brace of grouse. On the Lagganauld moors the fol-
loing numbers have been killed during the season :—Mr.
Fred. Walker, in 11 days, bagged 514 brace ; Mr. G.
Hall, in 13 days, 425 and the Rev. G. King, in 10 days,
331 brace ; in all, 1,270 brace of grouse, without re-
ference to mid
szipQ6.
Ibis extra-
ordinary mu-liter fully mantains the high character which
these moors have held for the lot seven years as among the
first in Scotland, and also testifies to the ability of the three
sportsmen who have for seven years taken a firsosition
en the list as marksmen.—.Banishire Journal, of Tuesday.

NEWS eApF, R
THE INDIA 217 CO UN Cg
Yesterday, at one o'clock, the Co >nil -t- 4A:
10-1 their second meeting, at the In 4- -- -v‘s,
Leadenhall-street. Lord Stanley, the
State, was again present in his capacity ofrr re
e S
dent of the Council. The members in attendance
were Sir Frederick Currie, Sir James Weir Hogg,
Captain Eastwick, Mr. Arbuthnot, Mr. Willoughby,
Major-General Sir Robert Vivian, Sir Henry Raw-
linson, Mr. Prinsep, Mr. Macnaughten, Sir Henry
Montgomery, Sir Proby, Cautley, and Mr. Charles
Mills. The absentees (from indisposition, We be_
lieye) were Caytain Shepherd and Mr. Mangles •
••.;,tld not, of course lib
till, the distingushed
neat. or the depai ndian correspondence ;
Mr. J. A. F. Hawkins and Mr. F. W. Prideaux,
assistant examiners, were in attendance on the
council, as were also Mr. Juland Danvers, and
other officers of the secretariat. In the course of
the sitting, which lasted upwards of two hours, the
council appointed Mr. James C. Melvin to the office
of Assistant Under Secretary of State. That gen-
tleman has up to this time filled the office of deputy
secretary to the Court of Directors, under Mr. J.
D. Dickinson, the secretary to the Court, and his
new appointment is regarded as an indication of
the retirement of Mr. Dickenson from the respon-
sible position he has so long occupied in the home
establishment.

THE RAILWAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN'
HA WICK AND CARLISLE

A meeting of representatives from local commit-
mittees, and from the various towns and districts
interested in railway communication between
Hawick and Carlisle, was held on Tuesday fore-
noon, in the Royal Hotel, Edinburgh. Mr. Walter
Wilson, manufacturer, Hawick, was called to the
chair, and there were present besides, from Hawick
—Mr. James Turnbull, chief magistrate ; Mr. John
Pattison, junior, magistrate ; Messrs. G. 'Wilson,
J. Wilson, J. Laing, A. Laing, manufacturers ' • R.
Fraser, merchant, and T. Purdom, banker. From
Kelso—Dr. Murray. Kersknowe ; Mr. F. Roy,
Nenthorn ; Dr. W. Mackenzie, Mr. T. Henderson,
Shedlaw ; Mr. Wm. Thomson, Over-Roxburgh ;
and Mr. James Tait, W.S. As representative
of the provost and council of Portobello—Mr. Hugh
Paton. From Selkirk—Mr. J. N. Murray, Philip-
haugh ; Mr. Bathgate, C.E., and Mr. D. C. Alex-
ander, solicitor. From Galashiels—Mr. John
Cochrane, chief magistrate ; Mr. Henry Monteath,
manufacturer ; and Mr. James Hopkirk, Langlee.
From Dalkeith—Messrs. George Douglas, John
Chisholm, Win. Porteous, and Mr. Alex. Mitchell.
From Jedburgh—Mr. John Ord of Muirhouselaw,
Mr. Wm. Riddell, Hundalee ; Mr. Win. Scott,
Tympendean ; and Mr. Geo. Hilson, jun., solicitor.
Mr. John Jardine of Thorlieshope, Liddealale. Mr.
Wm. Hobkirk, corn-merchant ; and Mr. Robert
Brown, brassfounder, Edinburgh ; and Mr. Edward
Glynn, Newcastle, who intimated that he attended
for Mr. Charlton of Hesleyside, chairman of the
Border Counties Railway Company.
After reviewing the past efforts for railway corn-
mmlication between Hawick and Carlisle, the
chairman explained that this meeting was entirely
independent of the North British Railway Com-
pany, and that it consisted of a body of local com-
mittees associated for the purpose of considering the
best way of avoiding another contest in Parliament.
In his view the proper course was to apply for a
royal commission to settle the matter. In reply. to
Dr. Mackenzie, he stated that sometimes the Ox-
pense of such a commission was defrayed by the
nation, and sometimes by the parties on whose ap-
plication it was granted. This was a matter of more
than mere local importance, for the line between
Hawick and Carlisle was the last link to secure the
independent working of the railway traffic of
Scotland. The Caledonian, Edinburgh and Glasgow,
and Glasgow and South-Western lines, were
all working together ; indeed the railway system
of Scotland had been swallowed up by the great
influence and power of the Caledonian Company,
and the only way of obtaining an independent
system of through traffic from the north of Scot-
land—lnverness, Aberdeen, Forfar, Arbroath, and
Dundee—was through Fife, being the nearest route
to Liverpool and-Manchester. The Caledonian Com-
pany had no interest in developing the traffic of
the district, and it was stated by Sergeant Wrang-
ham, in 1857, before a committee of Parliament,
that they only came forward with a scheme for a
line in order to protect their main line. It was
exceedingly likely that the Railway Department
of the Board of Trade would conduct the proposed
inquiry, and the expense, he understood, would be
from 11,000 to £1,500.

The first resolution, moved. by Dr. MURRAY,
and seconded by Mr. Roy, approved of the con-
duct of the deputation to London last session in not
pressing them for the appointment of a royal com-
mission. _ .

---
The second, moved by Mr. TtiltBULL, chief
magistrate of Hawick, and seconded by Mr.
COCHRANE, chief magistrate of Galashiels, ex-
pressed the opinion that the objections which pre-
viously existed to the appointment of such a com-
mission are now removed

The third, moved by Mr. PATON, and seconded
by Mr. MITCHELL, Dalkeith, declared that the
construction of a railway from Scotland to Eng-
land is a matter of national importance, and proper
for inquiry under the authority of the Crown.
In moving this resolution, Air. PATON remarked
that in this matter the meeting ought not to take
the side of the North British Railway Company or
the Caledonian ; he believed both companies were
anxious that the object of the meeting should be
carried into effect.
The next resolution, moved by Mr. E. GLYNN,
Newcastle, and seconded by Mr. ORD, of Muir-
houselaw, was as follows :—" That this meeting
having understood that all attempts have failed to
effect a reconciliation of the conflicting interests of
the parties promoting the respective lines of rail-
way from Hawick, by way of Langholm, and by
way of Liddesdale to Carlisle, and being unani-
mously of opinion that it will only be through the
intervention of a royal commission that the con-
flicting interests and opinions that exist on the
subject can be speedily settled, resolve to apply to
all the railway companies, landowners, and others
interested, requesting them to unite in obtaining
the appointment of a royal commission to exiunine
into the best lineof railway communication between
the central parts of Scotland and the north-west
and north-east parts of England."
All these resolutions were unanimously adopted,
and a committee was appointed to carry them out
. and to report to a future meeting.