The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-28 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

INDIA.

By the overland mail which arrived yesterday we
have received Calcutta papers to Oct. 22, Madras
papers to October 29, and Hong Kong papers to
October 15.
The news from Calcutta is not very important.
The dullness of the annual holiday in India had,
however, been broken by the publication of Lord
Canning's resolutions for the sale of waste lands
and the redemption of the land tax, which have
already appeared in our columns.
Mr. James Ritchie had been appointed legal
member of the Council of the Governor-General.
He had been installed, and took the oaths and his
seat under a salute from the ramparts of Fort Wil-
liam. He had long held the office of Advocate-
General, and had been more than once offered a
Paine Judgeship with the reversion of the Chief
Justiceahip.
The Governor-General left Calcutta on the 15th
October for Allahabad, where the investiture of the
Knights of the Star of India with the insignia of the
order was to take place. The feudatories expected
to be present were the Maharajahs of Gwalior and
Puttialla, the Rajah of Rampore, and the Begum of
Bhopal. Those unable to attend would be invested
by the residents at their respective courts, or by the
highest officer of Government in the neighbour-
hood. The Viceroy would probably visit Lucknow,
and then return to Calcutta to embark for Pegu.
He might possibly visit Singapore and Port Blair,
and look in at the Godavery on his way back.
Owing to the unusually heavy rain of the past
season the rivers were all above their normal height,
and the greater part of Lower Bengal was under
water. The indigo districts where the disturbances
had been most serious suffered the most. In many
places people had fled from their houses and fields
to take refuge in higher ground. The crops were
injured, and in some cases destroyed. The Chunar
invalids did not feel inclined to leave their present
home and go to the hills, but in a political point of
view there could be no doubt of the advisability of
such a change. The subscriptions for their relief
were flowing in fast. The readiness with which
Anglo-Indians contribute money for charitable or
public purposes is most praiseworthy, particularly
when we consider the more equable distribution of
wealth that exists now as compared with fifty years
ago.

CHINA.
The general news from China and Japan is of a
favourable complexion, but some little time would,
it was thought, be required to determine whether
the present aspect of affairs indicates permanent
and solid relations of friendship between those two
countries and England.
The Overland China Mail says We are en-
tirely without means of ascertaining the footing on
which the foreign embassies are at present, in
Japan. All we know is, that our minister has se-
lected Yokuhama as a place of occasional' residence,
in order, evidently, to give an official colour to
his absence from Yedo. The foreign policy of the
new Chinese Government is not yet known, but
there are not wanting indications of its friendliness
to foreign nations. The strong feeling that recently
existed in regard to the conduct of the Chinese
custom-house authorities, and the unwarrantable
imposts they were latterly exacting, has been ap-
peased by an intimation from our minister at Pekin,
to the effect that all the grievances complained of
would be redressed, and all illegal exactions—of
which there were not a few—would be made good
to every claimant on application to the Government
banker. We are not as yet able to report that any
such claims have been made, either successfully or
otherwise, but there is every evidence that the
Chinese are acting in good faith. We are of course
aware that many notifications in regard to
foreigners are liable to be disregarded in particular
quarters, and in anticipation of something of this
kind, Mr. W. H. Medhnrst, the consul at Shanghae,
has the following clause in a notification, dated Oct.
4 ;—' In spite of the pledge now given in Rule VI.
that a certificate, taken out on goods as provided by
Tariff Rule, will protect them from all charges other
than the proper transit duty, cases will no doubt still
occur of illegal exactions on certificated goods at the
place of produce as well as en route; but the Super-
intendent of Customs of Shanghae being unable to
put a stop to such abuses, save within the limits of
his own authority, there is no alternative but to re-
port all cases of the kind at once to the undersigned,
and he will not fail to bring them to the notice of
her Majesty's Minister, who, no doubt, will in time
succeed in coming.to some arrangement with the Su-
preme government on the subject." This compara-
tively prompt redress of grievances is doubtless
attributable to the strong sense of their unfairness
that has been felt and expressed by the Shanghae
Chamber of Commerce, the general foreign public,
and the English press in China.
" The rebel movement is beginning to assume a
new appearance. It is impossible for foreigners to
avoid feeling a certain sympathy with the imperial
cause, and various considerations combine to stimu-
late such a sympathy. Leaving out of view the
general disreputable character that usually belongs
to mere rebellion, and the particularly bad fame
that the rebels in question have acquired by their
doings, the interests of commerce are immensely
damaged by the existence and character of this re-
volution.
From the northern ports there is no news of
consequence to record except the departure of
troops from Tientsin. The Simoon takes the 60th
Rifles, and the Urgent the Land Transport ; Fane's
Horse will leave in the Vulcan. The settlement of
Chefoo (Ycntai) has bees taken under the protec-
tion of French troops, the inhabitants having be-
come alarmed at the proximity of some rebel bands.
The Chinese tradesmen living on the Yang-kin g-
ping had petitioned the Municipal Council to erect
defences and maintain a guard round their quarter,
as the loose marauders who had left the rebel ranks
were becoming a dangerous nuisance. The expense
of such protection, if granted, would, it was said,
be paid gladly by the petitioners.
The troops were rapidly evacuating Canton, and
the last of them would most probably have left be-
fore the end of October.

TIIE WEST INDIA MAIL.

SOUTHAMPTON, Nov. 27.

The Royal Mail Company's steamship La Plata,
Captain Weller, with the above mails, arrived this
morning. She brings 102 passengers, including
Mrs. Slidell and. family, Mrs. Enstace, and Colonel
Bouret, of the French Marine.

The La Plata brings specie value 2,251,209 dols.;
also 125 serons 28
12 serous jalap, 111 cases
cigars, 415 bales tobacco,
sarsaparilla, 267 ba,leasnain,242iBarouktkbeg::, 2csoBff coffee,
bags
s 0
cocoa, bales
47 pkgs. silver ore
Dates by this arrival are—fromPgs. sundries.
en Vera Cruz, Nov.
2d ; Havannab, 7th ; Ce.rtha
, 10th a;
Pa,e2ta ; Colon, 7th ;
Jamaica, Bth ; Jaemel
Demerara, Bth ; Tobago, 7th ; Trinidad, 12th ;
Bar-
badoes, 10th ; Grenada, Bth ; St. Vincent, 9th ;
Lucia, 10th ; Martinique, 11th ; Guadalou'pethllBt.
Dominique, 11th; Antigua, llth ; St.Kitt's, 12thh ;
and St. Thomas, 13th. ,
Her Majesty's ships Cadmus and Barossa were
at Barbadoes.
At Jamaica the importations from America had
fallen off considerably, which had caused a much
more healthy appearance in trade; the produce
market also showed some improvement. The de-
mand for all articles for exportation has also in-
creased. The weather was changeable, but fine
for planting purposes. Butter; American in de-
mand at 9d. ; an inquiry for Cork. Coffee : the
demand for this article was excited, and 44'. real-
ised for ordinary. Codfish : 14s. for tierces, and
17s. for boxes, paid. Cheese : American, 7-Id.
Hams abundant and no sales; indifferent lots fetch
41d. Logwood scarce, 445. free on board—none
offering. Lard : Full stocks ; 7d. Pimento, 13s.
for
small lots. Plantation is held 1
at
3
.7,,- d. per lb.
Ram, 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. for proof, 18 in bond.
Sugar -. Little at
at au • market ; good quality realises 19s.
awn, in
1001bs. Freight:some cases 20s. Tobacco, 21s. per
English ports;
n ()Tonnage was in demand for
vessels offering. Gold—Sales

of 1,500 dollars American, at 20s. loa. Exchange
—Colonial and Jamaica Banks, 90 days, .1 per cent.
prem. ; 60 days, 1 per cent. prem. ; 30 days, 11 per
cent. do. The barque Maria Needham, 56 days
from Liverpool, arrived at Jamaica Nov. 6.
From Barbadoes there is no news et interest.
The crops were everywhere improvin '4, the young
canes especially, and with fine weather a fair ave-
rage would be reaped. The produce shipped to
date amounted to—Sugar, 46,341. hhds., 3,342
tierces, 9,679 brls. ; molasses, 17,108 puns., 582
hdds., 1,259 brls.; rum, 129 puns., 616 hhds. ; cot-
ton, 80 bales. In the market a slight improvement
was noticeable. Flour was held at advanced rates.
American butter and lard heavy and dull. Irish
butter was looking up ; none remained in first
hands. Exchange on London—Bank bills at 30
days, 4921 ; 60 days, 490 ; 90 days, 4871 ; private
bills at 90 days, 4821; bank bills on New York at
10 days, 5 per cent. ; 30 days, 4 per cent. prem. ;
American g01d,3 per cent. prem.
At Demerara the events since the last mail pre-
sent no features of interest. A fire had taken place
on Plantation Zuschen de Vrienden ; the estate was
in the midst of its manufacturing operations, which
will be interrupted for a time. The weather had
been showery and hot—an unusual occurrence at
this time of the year. Trade continued exceedingly
dull in the import market. Breadstuffs had slightly
advanced—higher rates demanded for flour. Stock
of rice heavy. Exports were more plentiful, and
the advices from England and America being en-
couraging, prices of sugar advanced, and were likely
to rule higher for some time. Rum not plentiful,
but little demand. Molasses scarce and wanted.
Tonnage 'Abundant. The exports of colonial pro-
duce during the fortnight were—Sugar, 2,117 hhds.
100 tierces 753 brls. 308 bags. Rum, 803 puns. 41
hhds. 45 brls. Molasses, 164 casks. Exchange on
London, per £lOO, drawing 90 days, 480 dole. ; 60
days, ditto, 483 dole. ; 30 days, ditto, 486 doll. ; 3
days, ditto, 489 dole. ; sight, 500 dole. ; purchasing
at 90 days, 472 dole.
Date from Valparaiso are to the 16th ; and
Callao the 29th ult.
The news from Chili is favourable. The new
administration was progressing very satisfactorily,
and the country remained tranquil.
A free pardon had been granted to all political
offenders engaged in the rebellion of 1851, which
had given general satisfaction. Dr. Linares, ex-
president of Bolivia, died at Valparaiso on the sth
ultimo.
In Bolivia the revolution intended against Belzu
was on quite an extensive scale, and many impor-
tant arrests had been made.
The Government had moved to Potosi, where it
has declared La Paz in a state of siege.
The elections in Peru had been concluded. The
result was not known. In Tacna, Don Juan de la
Mar had a large majority.
San Ramon was in Arequipa, and it was believed
some difficulty existed between him and President
Castilla.
The elections in Lima were all carried on accord-
ing to the will of the Dictator.
The contemplated expedition to Ecuador is still
being organised, and the invasion of Bolivia also
spoken of.