The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-28 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL:

Despatches and papers from India and China
by the overland mail via Marseilles have been re-
ceived. The dates are those already given in our

telegraphic deApatch :—Bombay, April 2; Calcuita,
March 21 Hong Kong, March 15 ; Singapore,
March 23; and Sarawak (Borneo), March 19.

CHINA.
We have received our despatches from Hong
Kong to March 15. The particulars of many im-
porta'it occurrence 3 are given at length below. The

fullowing extract from the China Mail of the above
mentioned date reprdsents the general state of af-
fairs at Hong Kong when the mail left :
. .

" Affairs in the Canton river have been very quiet
for some time past.. The imperialist junks are in
great force. In the entrance to Fatahan Creek an
attempt was made to dislodge them by the En-
counter, 'small steamers, and boats of the squadron,
on Fen. 28, which failed, the Encounter not being
able to get within 2,700 yards of the nearest junks,
her bow pivot gun alone being able to reach them.
The steamers Hong Kong ani Forbes were a few

hundred yards in advance, and kept up a hot fire.
with admirable precision, by which 3 of the junks
were silenced.. Had the boats advanced and at-
tacked them at close quarters, confusion and.panic
would haVe ensued on the part of the ' braves,' and
the destruction'of the junks would have been in
evitable. No doubt there would have been much
loss of life in the boats from the first volley, as all
the broadside guns were depressed. The firing was
kept up on both sides for upwards of two hours,
when, as if by mutual consent, there was a cessa-,
tirdi. of hostilities.' The shots from thejunk reached
the Encounter and cut away some of her rigging
dropping-islentifully around the boats, but fortu-
natel; without inflicting any damage on the crews.
The Chinese are no-iv fortifying the approaches w
Fatshan and sinking barriers.
"The Cantonese have not as yet conamencei re-
building the suburbs or forts. They have contented
themselves by digging in salt into the soil of the,
Factory gardens, and making a few-Si:nail batteries
ou the left bank of the river below the ruins of the
French Folly. Not a boat is to be seen in Elliot
Passage, being exposed to the guns of Encounter,
Comus, Acorn, Elk, and Barracouta. Whampoa is

still in a deserted state. H.M.S. Sybille, Sampson,
and Hong Kong are at Second Bar, Nankin still at
anchor off Wantung Forts. The Nankin's crew have
been busily employed in destroying the South Fort,
and this, the main branch of the river to Canton, is
in the possession of Sir M. Seymour. The passage
boats now ply the Broadway Passage, Macao river,
and Hyacinth Creek ; turning to the right if for
Can on by bat passage, or to the left if ‘for Fat-
shan, which is now a place of considerable import-
ance. _

"An attack, and the burning of some Chinese
men-of-warjunks at Toong Choong, by the.steamers
Auckland and Eaglet, with- the loss of only one
man belonging to the Auckland, after a few hour&
engagement, has giveri us considerable satisfaction,
the more so, as being a set-off against the successful
capture of the Queen steamer ; and we trust that
due rewards will be allotted to Mr. Ellis, com-
manding the Eaglet, and Lieutenants Davis and De
Benin, of the Auckland, for their gallant conduct

in that affair.
" Our brave old Admiral Sir Michael, as usual, is
always on the qui vise ; coustautly on the river be-
tween this place and Canton, inspecting, instruct-
ing, and occasionally attacking ; while our notable
Governor, Sir John Bowring, quietly takes his daily
siesta, resting upon the laurels he has acquired from
his first active debut in London as managing com-
mittee-man of the , Greek loan, down to the time
of his Kowloon deportation here, some short time
sinec.
"It is a most absurd thing to imagine, and a great
error committed by the home government to sup-
pose, that a literary man of Sir John's stamp and
calibre can ever be the proper ruler of a military
colony, and we think we express the sentiments of
the largest portion of Hong Kong, when we say
that the authorities at home would be conferrint an
hie:fineable boon upon us by ordering his recall.
Talent he has to a certain extent, and of a certain
order ; but alas I for the application."
In the same paper we read :
Sir M. Seymour arrived at the Stake Barrier in
the Barracouta on Saturday, the 7th ult., and shifted
his flag to the Niger, which, with the Acorn and
Coromandel, was at anchor belew the barrier. A
few days previous the " Braves" made another at-
temvt to annihilate the Comas, by means of a mon•
ster gun, which they had placed on board Dr.
Ryder's chop which they had taken from Wham-
poa. Thsy towed her by the Elliot passage to
within 200 Yards of the Comas, and fired the gun,
which was over-charged, and recoiling with much
force fell from its carriage right through the chop
the boats of the Comus took her in tow in a sinking
state. She soon after filled and went down, form-
ing a considerable obstacle to the progress of junks
through the creek.
The Hornet hed a sharp encounter with a large
body of war junks in the Cambridge Reach on the
evening of Tuesday the 10th ult. They were drawn
up in two creeks on the left bank of the river, and
well prepared to give battle, but they changed their
intention. After a few broadsides from the Hornet
—which caused them to " while" as fast as oars,,
sails, and poles could make them, with the additional
stimulus of shot and shell—Capt. Forsyth captured.
one large junk and sunk two others. The one
seized contains upwards of a dozen guns varying in
calibre from 6 to 24 pounders.
The Hornet returned to the admiral with the
Barracouta on the 11th, the latter ship having been
sent down to render assistance to the Hornet. The
Macao Fort is now very strong, having a large ar-
mament and being well garrisoned.
On the 14th ult. it was agreed to send the char-
tered steamer Eaglet and the Hon. Company's
steamer Auckland to Toong-chung, where it was
known that several heavily armed mandarin junks
were lying. The place is a maval station, and the
junk, under command of an admiral,. had been
lying there some time, their pTesencenat that spot
being well known to the Hong Kong authorities for
some time past. About two p.m. of Sunday the
Auckland and Eaglet steamed straight for Toong-