The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-29 00:00:00

CHINA.

We have news ti•om Hong Kong to Juue 12 ;
Shanghai, June v. The following is from the sum-
mary of the Ciina

Tilt() state of affairs in Japan for some time back liar
been such that the absence of news implies a maintenance
of those friendly relations with the powers of this almost
newly-opened country which were resumed upon the recall
of Mr. Alcock from Yokohama, assuming those to have
been suspended at the time of that gentleman's flight from
Yedo. We have no information regarding Japanese matters
at I resent, beyond the facts that a newspaper has long been
on the eve of establishment at Nagasaki, and that a work
entitled " The Elements of Japanese Grammar" has been
published at the London Mission, Shanghae, with the name
of Mr. Rutherford Alcock as author. We do not attach
much importance to the rumour that the Japanese will
send embassies to the treaty powers for the purpose of beg-
ging off that article in the various treaties which opens Yedo
from Jan. Ist, 1862. The matter is of some importance,
and until the facts are correctly ascertained it is unneces-
sary to comment upon them,
We are informed that all is tranquil at Pekin, and again

it must be admitted that no better news could be desired.
The totally new circumstances of our ambassador's presence
in that city are apt to produce a little anxiety, not less for
his safety than for his behaviour; and it is something t 9
know that affairs in Pekin have in no way been disturbed
since the date of our last intelligence. From Tientsin we
learn that everything goes on smoothly, that trade is mov-
ing, and that our friends, military and civilian, are happy
and comfortable. The heat has been considerable there,
about noon reaching 89 deg. on the thermometer, but this
high temperature has much less of what is unhealthy about
it than the heat of the tropics has. 'We reported some weeks
tiff° that the insurgents were approaching in the direction
of Tientsin; it now seems that they have disappeared from
the Che-li and Shan-tang provinces, and arc supposed to be
in Honam. Their movements, and the reasons for those
movements, are a subject of very vague speculation at the
best.

The following account, which we find in the
North China herald of Ist June, is the first shadow
of a misunderstanding between ourselves and the

rebels :
On the 24th ult. Captain R. Dew and one or two other
naval and military officers went up the river in her Majesty's
gunboat Flamer, to deliver a letter to the commander-in-
chief of the rebel force in this neighbourhood, intimat-
ing that any interference on their part with boats'engaged
in conveying silk for foreigners irom the producing districts
to Shanghae would be treated as a hostile step, and warn-
ing them that if they approached within two days' march
of Ningo they would come into collision with the British
forces. They proceeded about forty miles up the river in
the steamer, and then in ship's boats, by creeks, to Tsingpo,
when a small party, consisting of Captain Dew, Mr. Ala-
baster, and a boy carrying a white flag on a boat hook, left
the boat and advanced towards the gate. On their ap-
ptclaehonrtenedtyateircgnh,duuitdnetohdsae.
after
eNa
ra indicatel walls
opss k
loeawtpchetit
hner ereug
pmcotobha
uujneeprneso etend o,
letter
of
and
them.t dhi
in
rtflhvr
eei
Theys rct l
toe from
exhibitedtutot hf
teah geb i namg abt
firinglhol seo
and sticking it in the ground. This occurred at the same
place where the Imperialists were lately repulsed and
twenty-two of the Chinese Foreign Legion killed or
wounded. They then returned to the Flamer, and arrived
here late on last Saturday night. The French steamer
Contest, with a small iron steamer having on board the
French
admiral and other officers, accompanied the British
party up the river, but returned without proceeding to
Tsingpo.

We believe a party will go up again next week to demand
an apology, on which occasion the gunboatwill be taken
within range of the city wall.

COMMERCI4L INTELLIGENCE.

HONG Korm.—lt would be faiss to say things had not
improved in this colony, and yet the improvement is of a
very dubious character, and does not proceed from this
market, but rather from those of the recently opened ports.
Stocks of all piece goods are considerably reduced, and are
now by no means so excessive as they were a month sin.ce•
Still the local demand fails entirely, settlements being °en-
titled exclusively to those of damaged goods at auction.
SHANGHAI.—There was rather less actual business doing
at Shanghai in piece goods, which seems as if it were to
become more of a distributing port than it has hitherto been,
v
in consequence of the establishment of branch European
houses up the river and in the Gulf.
TEA.—The settlements of tea since the departure of last
mail were inconsiderable, with small stocks ; the latter were,hows
inferior flowery Pekoe, at Tls. 20, leaving 6,000 chests 43on-
gou, and 700 chests flowery Pekoe in stock. Greens, :is far
as Shanghae was concerned, were inactive. A good bus iness
e however,
e Nr ,i
nvgecr h Y o
w firmly
at
Tls . held.
2t025 ; and 200 chests of ery
The former comprise 4000
chests
had been done at Nina°, however, where stocks were held
for higher rates.
SiLx.— The demand noticed in our last had somewhat
subsided, in consequence of the recent advance in exchaiage,
and discouraging political news from home, and, the risks of
conveying the means of purchase into the country, which
has been so forcibly exhibited, as above alluded. to.
Exchange has advanced ; closing rates being, on London
Bank six months' sight, 6s 4d to Gs sd; credits, 6s 5d to
6s sd. Ou India three .
days' sight, 309 rs. tq 310 rs. per
100 taels.

TIIE POTATO DISEASE.—In several, of the gar-
dens round Bristol the potato disease has ir tanifested itself
with considerable virulence during the la' A few days. At
Stapleton a whole crop went in one day,, and, though the
owner had them dug up ir. the hope of F xving the tubers,
the latter were found te, be affected, so rapid was the spread
of the disease. In. potato fields the ravages of the blight
have not been so lv.d, and it is generally noticed that gar-
den crops arc the first affected.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—Holloway's Pills and Ointment.—
Weakness —Wasting.—When the weather it; warm the de-
licate in. constitution lose their appetite, their sleep is dis-
turbed, and their spirits depressed : when the 'weather is
hot, the robust and vigorous constantly requires lame cooling
medicine to preserve their health. The stomach t, in both is
the erring organ, which Holloway's Pills at o rice correet
and invigorate. In weakly woman and young children it
is better treatment to trust to his Ointment, wb ti ch should
be diligently rubbed over the stomach and ricr.h t side till
considerable absorption ensues. It penetrates anid ‘. speedily
produces a specific change for the better in the, digestive
functions, by mainting their improved action fb r a time,
. digestion becomes perfect, and health and strength return.

THE SUN.

LONDON, MONDAY, JULY 29, 1861.

General M'CLELLAN'S splendid successes in
three consecutive days have quite changed the
military aspect of things in favour of the Federalists.
The moral effect, on which even the first NAPOLEON
relied so much, will probably be even greater than
the military gain, which is considerable. Oar
readers will remember the position of the Federalist
and the rebel forces. The former having their
easternmost post at Fort Monroe, at the entrance
of the Bay of Chesapeake; but having nothing
further, except three steamers on the Potomac, till
we come to the main central army at Washington
on both sides of the river. Thence westward we
left General PATTERSON on the Virginian side of
the river at Martinsburg, from which he had driven
General JOHNSTONE. From thence we find Western
Virginia, as far as the State extends southward,
hilly, mountainous indeed, and the inhabitants
favourable to the Union. Into this Western and
loyal part, however, a large number of rebel troops
had entered, and it was against them that we left
General M'CLELLAN advancing, and anticipating,
what he has found, some hot work. He was quite
equal to it, however, and has probably cleared the
loyal western part of Virginia of the rebel soldiers.
Whether, however, the ex-Governor WISE would
venture to remain there is not quite certain, from
the accounts received. They speak of Western
Virginia as quite freed ; yet of General WISE as
still to be drawn out of the Kanawha Valley.
Whether the Great or the Little Kanawha is not
mentioned ; probably the latter, as it is near the
scene of M'CLELLAN's operations, while the other
is considerably south of them. If it be, as we sus-
pect, WISE must, we should think, have decamped,
113 he would hardly like the neighbourhood of such
a solther as M'CLELLAN.

M'etzeLaia's despatches are dated the 12th,
I%tit, and. 14th of the present month. The first
announces the complete rout of the enemy's forces
near Beverley, which is situated in the very midst
of the mountain ranges in Western Virginia. A
large number of prisoners being taken, also guns,
waggons, and camp equipne, its loss was but
small, anti chiefly confined to a. column under Gene-
ral ROSENCRANTZ, which was employed to turn
the position of the enemy.. But this active officer,
in the spirit of his chief, boldly .pushedon
p2l ~
11142-
di ately towards Beverly. Next day 14,etzLIAN
announces fresh successes—" all be could desire"—
six brass cannon, all the camp equipage, and trans-
port materiel, " even to his cups ;" 200 tents, a
large addition to the prisoners, and 150 of the
enemy killed and wounded, were the immediate
fruits of the meeting. The enemy had, it seems,
attempted to return to Beverly, but disconcerted
by finding the troops of their pursuers advanced so
far, retreated with all haste ; General MORRIS WaS
following him up closely. -11PCLELLAN estimated
that he had driven out of Western Virginia some
10,000 troops. The same day he received an offer
to surrender with the remnant of his troops, about
600 men, from General POGRAM. They seemed to
be " extremely penitent," and determined never to
be guilty again of the wickedness of taking up arms
against the Government. The last dispatch tells
us of a third victory, in which General GARNETT,
the commander-in-chief of the body to which
114CLELLAN was opposed, was killed. It is this
despatch which says that the " enemy is completely
annihilated in Western Virginia," and that "he
firmly believes that secession is killed in this sec-
tion of the country.' Indeed, it ought to be
M'CLELLAN had a thousand prisoners on hand and
seven captured guns, and though a portion of GAT:-
N ETT'S troops had retreated. General HILL was in
hot pursuit of them, expecting before long to capture
then.

The effect of such a cornmencoment of the cam-
paign, for it must be viewed as the real commence-
ment, will be very great. It shows that the North
has at least one young, active,
s
and skilful General
who understands something better than routine,
while he is yet known to be thoroughly versed in
hit, own spirit into both officers
military science ; a man, too, who has evidently the
power of infusing