The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-15 00:00:00

population are drinking tea, smoking, eating almond
hardbake or pomegranates, playing -dominoes, or
arranging bargains. There are interstices also
of vacant land, and these are occupied by jugglers
and peepshow-men. From the upper room of one
of these teahouse& we shall have a view of the Whole
scene, and A'Lin will order us a cup of tea and some
cakes for lunch. The jugglers and gymnasts below
are doing much the same kind of tricks which their •
brethren of England and France perform. M.
Houdin and Mr. Anderson would find their equals
among these less pretending wizards. lam ,told
that those peep-shows which old. men are looking
into, and laughing, and which young boys are not
prevented from seeing, contain representations of
the grossest obscenity. Here is a ventriloquist who,
attracted by our European
.costumes at the case-
ment, has come up to perform. " Give him a dollar,
A'Lin, and tell him to begin." That dirty, half-
clad wanderer would make another fortune for
Barnum. He unfolds his pack, and constructs.out
of some curtains a small closed room. Into this
he retires, and immedia4ely a little vaudeville is
heard in progress insi•le. Half-a-dozen voices
in rapid dialogue, o:qids, and movements, and
cries of animals, and the clatter of falling articles,
tell the action of the plot. The company from the
tea-tables, who had gathered round, wag their tails
with laughter, especially at the broadest sallies of
humour, and at the most indecorous denotcements.
In truth, there is no difficulty, even to us, in com-
prehending what is supposed to be going on in
that little room. The incidents are, indeed, some-
what of the broadest—not so bad as the scenes in
our orthodox old English comedies, such as " The
Custom of the Country," for instance, or "The
Conscious Lovers ;" but still they are very minutely
descriptive of fact not proper to be described. The
man's talent, however, would gain him full audi-
ences in Europe without the aid of grossness.
"Ho lai"--" fire, there." Shall we light a cheroot
and stroll about ? Don't make too sure, Mr.-Bull, that
the gentleman in the mandarin cap, who is holding you
by the button and grinning in you face, is saying any-
thing complimentary about you. In a journey" up the
country a fat Frenchman, who bad equipped himself in
an old mandarin coat, a huge pair of China boots, and a
black wide-a-wake, was leaning upon a bamboo spear,
while his boat was being drawn over one of those mud
embankments, which serve the purpose of our locks. .
Ho also was very much flattered at the politenes of an
old man who prostrate •1 laimsJit three times before him,
and chin-chin-ad him. Unluckily an interpreter was
present, who explained that this old man took our
French friend foe the Devil, and was worshipping him
in that capacity according to Chinese rites. It fact, the
Frenchman in his antique disguise rather resembled a
Chinese idol. But ask the French Consul at Shanghai
about this ; he can tell the story better than I can.
..

Some of the beat shops of Shanghai city open upon
the tea-gardens ; some resound with the buzz of impri-
soned insects and the song of caged birds ; there are
" curio " shops, where are to be seen antrquities of
dynasties long anterior to the Christian era, carefully'
wroiight by living bands ; there are caricatures of the
English barbarians, one of which I cannot refrain from
buying ; there are carvings ing bamboo, very inferior to
Canton ; there are shops for fans, and embroideries, rind
silks, decidedly inferior to Niegpo. There is also the
studio of a portrait painter, not probably a dangerous
rival to Lamqua, of Macao. There is loud talking in
that studio. AYankee captain is inspecting a portrait
of himself, which has been painted at a contract price of
come 20 dols. Vie Yankee is a man about 40, with
streaks of gray in his bushy Lair and beard, with a slight
defect in one eye, a large 111080, and a pock-marked face.
Yet, withal, thanks to his affluence of hair and an ex-
presdon of jaunty determination and devil-may-care
go--aheadnese, he is a manly-boking fellow. He is
looking ruefully, however, at this counterfeit present-
ment of himself which is to go to the girl of his heart at
New York. It is a most laughter-moving caricature of
all the salient points of his physiognomy. The Yankee
swears that it is no more like him than hickory nuts are
like thunder. The artist has produced a small looking-
glass, which he places beside the portrait, and, pointing
to the gray hair, and the squinting eye, and. the pock-
marks of the portrait, and then to the present original'
from which they were copied, says triumphantly at each
verification, " Hab got ? Hale got ? Hab gat How
can make handsome man %pose n a got handsome face / "
tah
el irk
cheroote ihoe, likelihood
as
aL
de ti
supau Itee£:Vasa td,
easrsaipiaargti es,
rfsoe rl
vtehse
with
tshe eama
ss
a defence against bad smelt, retrace our steps through
the city, and out at the east gate.
We are again upon the Bund. The sun is down and
the European population are taking exercise in the
short twilight. The merchants and their wives are re-
turning in carriages or on horseback from their ride
round the racecourse, or aro walking ; the missionaries
and their wives are riding up and down on their panies.
The shadows grow deeper, and you can scarce recognise
your acqnaintances as they pass.
And now, Mr. Bull, it is time to go in and dress for
dinner. I hope during our day's stroll I have given
you some notion of the city and settlement of Shang-
ha;, which, if you are a wise man, and open up the
Yang-tee-Kiang, will lie a most important place both to
you and to your descendants for many a long genera-
tion.

HONG KONG, OCT. 30.
After a rapid and most comfortable passage of four
days I ate back " home" in Hong Kong, jnst in time to
keep you informed of the only matters having the least
importance which have occurred since my departure for
the North.

You will havo heard last mail by the sews from Singe•
pore that the Audacious° and the French Plenip ) had
at last arrived. Tno day after the departure of the mail
Baron Gros steamed into harbour, and with polite or
kindly haste immediately proceeded unaccompanied to
tha Ava, without even sending notice of his coming. The
meeting of the two Pleuip)s had the cordiality of the
uoi,offici:d and unceremonious meeting of two private
gentlemen, one of whom had been accidentally kept
and the other anxious to expre3s by his manner

and empressemeni that he regretted the delay. Next
day the harbour resounded with salutes, and the two
Minister met at dinner at Government House. The

Audacieuse returned to her anchorage off Lintin, and
diplomatic communications have since then been fre-
%trent and, as it is said, most amicable.
The gunboats are arriving daily, but Captain Sherard
Osborne, who bas to keep his chicken together, is not
yet come in. It is necessary to tow these craft up against
the north-east monsoon, but it is scarcely worth while
enumerating the actual arrivals for they will probably
be all repotted a short distance off by the steamer which
takes this-letter.

It 19 a pleasure to be able to congratulate our Admi-
ralty. They may be honestly proud of the achievement
of the Imperador. the morning of the 28th that fine
ship steamed into harbour in admirable time after a
passage almost unrivalled of 61 days (at sea) from
England to Singapore. She brings 500 marines, and she
brings them out in the first-rate condition. Only 15
men in all were on the sick list. Yesterday she pro-
ceeded np the Canton river to the Wantung, where
barracks have been provided, and where, it is to be
hoped, the men will retain their present health and
efficiency.
We are now in eager expectation of the arrival of the
sister ship the Inaperatrix, supposed to be about three
days behind her. This mail will probably bring you
more certain tidings of her.
It is no secret that something is now about to be un-
dertaken, We shall probably wait the arrival of the
whole of the slender farce allotted to us. 3,080 redcoats
are not a too numerous army to bring to reason an
empire of 300,000,000 of people ; but so soon as we have
all we are to expect we hope to be able to tell you that
Canton is in our hands.

Al our superfluous doctors and Commissariat officers
are cif for India. It is understood that General Ash.
burnham and staff, and Colonels Wetherell and Paken-
haru go by the next mail. General Straubenzse remains
with us, mud I hear but one sentiment with respect to

this oficer. He has impressed all here with full confi-
dence in him as a leader of energy and conduct.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

TATTERSALL'S—McamAT.
The following were the only bete laid :

TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES.
6to 1 agst Clydesdale
100 to 15 agst Brother to Marchioness
9 to 1 agst Lord of Lorn
10 to 1 agst Happy Land
SAUNTERER.-Mr. Jackson has sold this horse to Mr
J. Merry, for 2,100 guineas.

READING STEEPLECHASES.
The Calcot Steeplechase Plate. (Handicap) of 40 Boys.

Two miles and a-half.
Age st lb
Tom Gurney ...... a 12 0
Lilford
a 11. 6
Theodine
Morgan Rattler
Shylook (late Break-
o'-day Boy) a 1.1 3
Warwick 5 11 3
Cotton Lord
Scrimmage (late
Lord John)
Longford 6 11 2
Erington Lass a 11 2
Columbine
Banjo ......... 5 10 13
Nicholas
Comet

Age et lb
Goldhill
Weston 5 10 11

Kettleby

Vestige-

6 10 11 '

Tana lO 11
Sunset
Noctis
Earthstopper
The Don
Sussex
Pillaton a.......,, ... 6 10 5
Glautins ............ 4 10 5
Perseverance
The Cripple 4 10 3
The Scamp

BERKSHIRE OPEN STEEPLECHASE.—The following
horses have declared forfeit, and ply 2 sous each :
Ecape, Lilford, Humboldt, Theodine,
Forest gaup, ani Dayton. Evington Lase,

IMPORTATION OF CollN.—Ye;terday a return was issued
811',Aing that In the year ended last March the duty on
corn inputted was 483,8021.
[ADVIMTISEMENT.]-110iloway's Ointment and Pills
have cored a wound in the leg of eleven years standing.
Mr. Welch, chemist, of Brighton, states, in a letter. to
Professor Holloway, dated September 6, 1855, that
sire. Catherine Hudson, of Cavendish-place, in that
town, had been suffering for eleven years front an uke,
roes wound in the leg, for which she had been under
medical treatment in the London and Brighton Dispen-
strice, but received no benefit therefrom ; the applica-
tion however, of EC,lloway's Ointment, and the use of
Holloway's Pills, Lave effected a perfect cure.—Sold by
all medicine vendors throughout the world ; at Pro-
fessor Holloway's establishments, 244, Strand, London,
acd 86, Maiden-lane, New Yolk; by A. Stampa, coo-
etantinople ; A. Guidicy, Smyrna ; and E, Muir, MAlta.