The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-01 00:00:00

CHINA.

The following is from the Overland China Mail
of June 4 :

After delaying, day by day, longer in Hong
Kong than they at first intended, the English
and French plenipotentiaries have at last proceeded
northwards with the ratified treaties, and it will
soon be seen whether the Chinese Government
is inclined to throw any obstacles in the way
relinquish twhT
po of
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prepareda dvance toto Pekin,reln ehet righter theof
embaesrtseyils*
sperma-
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o residencebelieve
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as to the propriety of relinquishings
wheatlast-men-
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es
wmillthbee
before anda la
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I forces privilege.
being
Gulf of Pecheleo, and both the minister
accompanied to Peking by strong body-guards.
A report came down here, via Canton, that the
members of the Russian embassy at Pekin had all
been murdered by the Chinese, but no credit is at-
tached to this report, it being evidently a mere
attempt at intimidation. The latest intelligence of
the movements of the Russians is of a less startling,
but more probable and important kind. They are
said to have made offers to the Imperial Govern-
ment at Pekin to assist in putting down the rebel-
lion, and have furnished some hundreds of cannon
in return for the territory which was ceded to them
on the banks of the Amour. There is a feeling in
certain quarters that the Imperial Government
should be assisted in putting down the rebels, be-
cause they devastate the country and apparently
interfere with trade; but even for the interests of
trade it would be a narrow and short-sighted policy
for the foreign Powers to interfere in suppressing
insurrection, which is the safeguard of a country,
and has been the preservation of China from imme-
morial times.
The rebels' have been making great progress of
late in the neighbourhood of Yang-tsze-kiang, and
two or three cities east' of the Grand Canal are now
in their possession. It is now ascertained that some
way up the river from Nankin the Imperialists have
been defeated with very heavy loss. Their com-
mander was compelled to raise the siege of Nankin
by the devastating excursions orrebels in its neigh-
bourhood ; at first the enemy retreated before him,
but after he had crossed the river, with bag and
baggage,
they fell upon his army and defeated it
with great slaughter.
with
great The
remains
rsrespect
eonft andYh e havewere
ebaereenf
;pei net du
pa
ft
rCantontrans_
moffii sesiiaolns
onorthwards,ftheproviniene,presenceof mdomstnoefhthe respecthih
and affection for the deceased. T
occasion has proved that the stubborn front which
still
showed
conductadmired
ob n y this
his
he showed to foreigners was in accordance with
compatriots. _ _

Alcock, the consul general of Japan, has
reached Shanghae, on his way to that country,
with the ratified treaty, and along with the mem-
bers of the consular staff; and has made a present
from her Majesty the Queen to Mr. Townshend
Harris, the American official to whose exertions
the opening up of Japan was chiefly attributable.
A quarter for foreigners has already been fixed
upon by the governor of Nagasaki, at which port
several of the principal foreign mercantile houses
in China have already got representatives.
The American ship Vancouver, from New York,
was totally wrecked on the 16th May within a
short distance from Shanghae, and only a small
portion of her cargo recovered, in a damaged state.
The captain and crew were saved.

The drought continues in the south of China,
and the prospects of the rice crops are very had.
Here, in Hong-Kong, there has hardly been any
rain for eight months, and for oeveril weeks the