The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-15 00:00:00

7HE EXPEDITION UP 7HE G-TSE
KIANG.

We have been favoured with the following
account of the expedition into the interior of
China

" COLTER, AT KEWKIANG, MARCH 8.
"We stayed a week in Nankin, called by the
present occupants Tienking, or Heavenly Capital.
We occupied the Palace that is being got up for
Chungwang, who commanded the forces at Soochow
last summer. The rebel chiefs put themselves to
a great deal of trouble to make us as com-
fortable as they could, and showed great anxiety to
cultivate our friendship. Fortunately for us,
Muirhead, hearing a steamer had arrived, returned,
and remained with us,—an arrangement which
tended greatly to our comfort with the rebels, and
enabled us to obtain much more information than
we could have done as strangers. He had inter-
views with several of the Wangs. We spent a
week in Nankin before the Admiral returned with
the ships; and I will now give you as short as I
can my general conclusions respecting the Taiping
rebellicn, leaving details to another opportunity.
"They don't in any way encourage trade, except-
ing in fire-arms and gunpowder. These, as well
as steamers, they are anxious to buy. They pre •
tended a 'willingness to facilitate trade, and even
transit from Imperial territory through their own, ,
but I am persuaded these soft speeches were merely
to gain our goodwill. I tried to prove to them the
folly of burning and destroying towns and villages,
and stopping trade at its fountain-head, as
without trade they never could prosper.
They assented, but said it was difficult, and
that their whole attention was now devoted to
subduing the " hills and rivers," as they call it.
After peace was established they would then look
after trade, as well as schools and other peaceful
institutions. The fact is they live on loot, and so
long as they can loot they will neither work nor
trade.
"I found the interiful condition of the rebels
much better than I expected. They are extremely
well dressed and well fed. The population of Nan-
kin, entirely official, no shops or anything uncon-
nected with the army or administration being ad-
mitted within the gates, I estimate at under 20,000.
Of this number very few are soldiers; the greater
part are captives and slaves from all parts of the
country. These are the hewers of wood and
drawers of water, and able-bodied men are looked
to as valuable prizes. They are either pressed into
the army or kept as Coolies in Nankin. They get
no pay at all ; only their food. There is a wonder-
ful number of good-looking young women in the
place, all exceedingly well-dressed in Soochow
silks. These are also captives of war from Soo-
chow and other places ; and amusing advertise-
ments are met with on the subject of stray
women. The city of Nankin, as well as the suburbs,
the fine old tombs of tho Ming Emperors, and the
famous porcelain Pagoda are utterly destroyed.
The walls are very high, 21 miles in circuit, bat the
once wide and well-paved streets are now merely
roads leading through heaps of bricks. The palaces
of the Wangs stand conspicuous among the ruins ;
these are new, the old yamuns and temples and the
whole Tartar city having been destroyed. A few
houses line the roads here and there, but not in my
opinion supplying accommodation for more than
20,000 people.
" The Tienwang has a large palace. His atten-
dants are females, 300 in number, besides 68 wives
allowed to his rank. He never is seen by any but
the Kings, and his person is held sacred. He is by
no means, however, a puppet, for it is he alone who
keeps the movement together. There are 10 or 11
Kings in all, but only two or three in Nankin.
Kanwang and Sewang are leading troops into
Anwhuy. Chungwang is about Soochow, and there
is one, they say, in Sechuen. The discipline is as
good as that of the Imperialists, perhaps better, and
the juniors have a dashing, rollicking manner that
is rather taking. The Wangs that I have seen, on
the contrary, have a drowsy, dissipated appearance,
while their mountebank yellow dresses and tinsel
crowns, with their theatrical efforts at dignity of de-
portment, render them quite ridiculous. Not one of
these Kings can speak the Mandarin dialect, and
none of them have bad education above that of a
Coolie, excepting Tienwang, who was two months
with old Roberts, and Kanwang, who was under
Dr. Legge, in Hongkong, for a time. They have
linguists attached to them, who read and write for
them.
"Their armament is of the most contemptible
kind, and the fact of their dominating over the Im-
perial troops merely demonstrates the utter and
hopeless prostration of the Government. The rebels
hold all the country round Nankin, It is scoured
by their foraging parties. No Imperialist force
comes above Kwachow. Nankin could be taken as
easily as possible if the Imperialists had an atom of
pluck. Nganking is also held by the rebels ; but
they are so beleaguered by the besiegers that they
are in great straits for food. We passed close under
the walls of Nganking. The outer defences and
the wall itself are in first-rate order. Fortunately
they did not molest us. The wall was crowded with
people as we passed. It must be more populous
than Nankin ; and no women were to be seen. In
fighting men it must be far stronger. The Impe-
rialists are also in great force. They arc strongly
intrenched in a semicircle round-the city at an ave-
rage distance of at least two miles. The rebels
have no fleet, while a well-armed Imperial fleet
blockades the river about three miles below the city
and another the same distance above it. The im-
perialists also hold two fortified positions on the
opposite side of the river. The rebels are therefore
completely invested, and must either be starved out
soon or make a sally as they did at Nankin last
year. Meantime a large rebel army is advancing
for the relief of the garrison, and the Imperialists
are also advancing reinforcements to 'Anwhuy. A
pitched battle is expected soon, the result of which
will be interesting.
" I have no hope of any good ever coming of this
rebel movement. No decent Chinaman will have
anything to do with it. They do nothing but burn,
murder, and destroy; they hardly profess anything
beyond that. They are detested by all the
country people, and even those in the city
who , are not of " the brethren," hate them.
They have held Nankin eight years, and there is
not a symptom of rebuilding it. Trado and industry
are prohibited; their land taxes arc three times
heavier than those of the Imperialists ; they adopt
no measures to soothe and conciliate the people, nor
do they act in any way as if they had a permanent
interest in the soil. They don't care about the ordi-
nary slow and sure sources of revenue. They look
to plunder, and plunder alone, for a subsistence ;
and I must say I cannot sec any elements of stabi-
lity about them, nor anything which can claim our
sympathy.
"The Admiral arrived with the fleet at Nankin
on the 28th. Parkes made an arrangement with the
rebels that our ships should pass up and down, also
that native boats with foreigners on board, duly
authorised, should pass. This was suggested to
Parkes, as it seemed likely that trade would be done
in this way at first. It was also suggested to him
that one Europe an might suffice for a whole convoy,
if provided with a proper port clearance, specifying
the number of boats, &e. I have not spoken to
Parkes on this subject since, as I don't know
exactly how he has arranged this, but the principle
has been adopted.
" Hukau is beautifully situated at the entrance to
the Poyang lake. It is nothing but a military posi-
tion, however; there is no trade. The wall is quite
new, and encloses a vacant space. An Imperial fleet
is stationed here, and seems in very geed order. A
few trading boats pass out and into the lake, but
most of them are in Government employ.
" Kewkiang, city and suburbs, is a mass of ruins.
The rebels left it three years ago, but confidence
has never been sufficiently restored to induce them
to rebuild. There are, however, a number of good
shops in the suburb, all quite new. One or two
new yamuns have also been built. If the port is
opened to foreigners trade will soon return. Ibe-
Hey° green tea would be certain to come, notwith-
standing the influence of the rebels in I, yeliew. It
will, however, take time to develope the resources
of :the port trade, traders having been entirely
driven away by the troubles of the last eight years.
A market will be found hero for all our manufac-

tures, as well as sugar and other Southern produce,
and Japanese articles.. I saw samples of a good
many things in the shops. I could give you a lot
of quotations—so many cash per foot, but they
would be useless, and more likely to mislead you
than anything else. I saw American drills, gray
and white shirtings, Turkey reds, white and co-
loured brocades, handkerchiefs, camlets, Spanish
stripes, and long ells, and Japan seaweed. These
things come by way of Shanghai through canals.
There is only one local demand, and that of the
most limited description. Rice is produced in this
part of the country, as also very fine cotton. Coal
is to be had at 8 dols. per ton. The mines are fur-
ther up the river, and we shall hear more about
them hereafter. Wretched as this place is, it is the
best we have yet seen on the river, and the only
place where we have seen even a petty retail trade.
i
It is not decided which port sto be opened. I
have just been talking to Parkes about it. Hukan
is, no doubt, in a good position, but there is no level J
ground about it, not so much as at Foochow, and
it has never been a place of importance for trade.
Kewkiang will have to be resuscitated before it is
of any use, and it would perhaps be as easy to
establish ourselves at Huhau as at Kewkiang.
But, still there must be something about Kew-
Haw, not apparent to us that makes it a more
desirable part, otherwise the native trade would
not have centered there as it did. Parkes sug.

Bested a third, filter—ri-4-tiye-, which I met ccaeiti