The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-30 00:00:00

CHINA.

The following is from the Overland China Mail
of February 15

The London mail of the 25th of December arrived
here on the 11th inst., confirming the intelligence
that the Hon. Mr. Bruce has been appointed
ambassador at Pekin, and Mr. Horace Rumbold his
secretary. It also brought intelligence of various
important changes in the consular service. Mr.
Alcock, the present consul at Canton, is, we under-
stand to be consul-general at Japan, and to be sta-
tioned at Yedo ; Mr. G. S. Morrison is to be consul
at Nagasaki ;Mr. Robertson, the consul at Shang-
hai, is to get the Canton consulship;. Mr. Harry
Parkes, now one of the Canton commissioners, is to
be consul at Shanghai, a very important post, where
his well known ability and zeal will have scope ;
Mr. M. C. Morrison, consul at Fuhchau ; Mr. Med-
hurst, consul at Tangchow ; Mr. Sinclair, consul at
Chin-keong-fu ; Mr. Harvey, consul at Ningpo ;
Mr. Gingell, consul at Amoy ; Mr. George Caine,
consul at Swatow. Mr. Thomas Taylor Mea-
dows is to take charge of the consulship at
Neiuchwong, the port to be opened in Man-
churia, and a post, the importance of which
seems so disproportioned to his ability and
knowledge of China, that we are glad
to hear he has been appointed to it at his

The expedition to Fayuen has proved the longest
and most interesting of those which have started
from Canton of late, It wits composed of about 150
French and 1,000 English ; the latter consisting of
a large portion of the Ist Battalion of Royal
Marines, and of drafts from the Royal and Marine
Artillery, the Sappers, and 05th Bengal Native In-
fantry. Starting on the Bth inst., its first march
was about 10 miles to Kong-sun, to which place it
was accompanied by Lord Elgin, who from thence
returned to Canton. At Kong-sun, the expedition
was encamped, and the public hall was made the
head-quarters, being occupied by Gen. Straubenzee,
Commandant d'Aboville, and Mr. Parkes.
On the 9th an advance of 12 miles was made to Pin 0,-
shan, where the expedition again encamped ; ande'
on the 10th inst. it went over the remaining five
miles to Fayuen. Along the whole line of route,
which was under 30 miles, the people were most
friendly ; they readily furnished supplies, and were
willing to hire themselves as coolies when called on
to do so. The magistrates or their deputies all
appeared, in order to pay their respects or to render
assistance. At Ping- shan the head-quarters were
again in a comfortable temple, while the men were
placed under canvas.
At Fayuen the allied commanders occupied the
Collegiate Hall, which had formerly been the resi-
dence of the celebrated Fayuen commissioners, who
directed the hostile movements of the past summer.
About 300 of the troops were accommodated in
temples within the city, and the others were en-
camped on the high ground outside the North
Gate.

To
Fayuen the road lay almost due north, across
a rich, but monotonous plain, with little variation
of scenery. Further on, however, it came on a
fine range of hills, which may often be seen from
the head-quarters hill at Canton. The little city
of Fayuen itself is prettily situated at the entrance
of an amphitheatre formed by these hills, the
highest of which reaches an elevation of 1,500 feet.
Its walls were built after it was taken by the rebels
in 1854, and so also were its public buildings, the
old erections having been destroyed. Hence the
city looks new and clean, though it is very small,
the walls being not more than three-quarters of a
mile in circumference. Few people of any conse-
quence now reside in it. It is evidently regarded as
the defence of the great plain, through which the
troops passed, against rebels and other foes who
might be in possession of the hills beyond. Though
itself a small place, the district is rich and of im-
portance, having no less than 360 villages, besides
about 20 large market towns. If the hills were
occupied by rebels, the inhabitants of the plains
would be to some extent at their mercy, but the
existence of a fortified town like Fayuen at the head
of the valley acts as a check and protection.
Nothing was seen of the braves. There were
about 100 regular Chinese troops forming the garri-
son. It was stated that all the braves remaining,
and also the three commissioners who formed the
Sunkum, left Fayuen immediately after intelligence
was received by the allies of the attack upon Shek-
tsing, and the rumour was spread that a similar
attack was about to be made on Fayuen.
The troops entered the city with the band of the
Bengal regiment at their head playing lively airs ;
and the people who turned out to gaze at the un-
usual spectacle, showed no symptoms either of fear
or displeasure. On the 11th, the expedition re-
turned to Kong-tsun, and on the 12th it reached
Canton.— China Mail, Feb. 15,

COMMERCIAL.
HONG-KONG, WEB. 14.
EXPORTS.
TEA.—The undoubted fact of the supply of black
teas being very far short of an aggregate, has ex-
cited such a speculative feeling on the part of
foreigners generally as to induce them to anticipate
the probable enhanced value which the article will
attain upon the fact being known in London. This
has caused the Chinese dealers to hurry every
package to market theycould lay their hands upon,
without regard to quality or description. The scar-
city certainly runs upon congou principally.
Tonnage is again on the increase. It generally
happens at this time of the year that there is a good
demand for tonnage for rice and emigration pur-
poses. This year it seems this channel of employ-
ment is likely to fail, in which case most of the
ships now here must either go away seeking or
wait until next winter. The following are the rates
current at the northern ports :—At Shanghai to
London, £1 10s. to £2 for tea and £3 10s. for silk ;
to New York, 5 dols. to 6 dols. per ton for tea. At
Foochow to London, £2 to £2 10s., to New York
9 dols. nominal. The amount of tonnage in the
Canton waters is 102,000 tons, of which two-thirds
are disengaged.:

MADAME CLARA NOV ELLO.--11) reply to en-
t
quiries made, we learn
"itsing at the Crysfr is
Palace Commemoration POsT:ole Madame Clara
Novelle will not
of Handel next Jllll:3t.' --ilikywal Times.