The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-04 00:00:00

INDIA AND CHINA.

The French Government received on Saturday even-
ing an express from their Consul at Malta, announcing
the arrival there, on the night of the 25th ult., of the
Great Liverpool, with important intelligence from India
and China. Her dates are to the Ist of March, from
Bombay, the 18th of February from Candahar, the 21st
of the same month, from Jellalabad, and the 14th of
February, from China.
To begin with the news from India: Lord ELLEN-
soßotrou landed at Calcutta on the 28th of February,
and was immediately proclaimed Governor-General of
India. It is not stated when Lord AUCKLAND intended
to sail for England. Affairs seem to have remained
stationary in Affghanistan. The British continued to
hold their ground at Ghuznee, and Khelat-i-Ghilzee.
It is not stated whether fresh attempts were made to
dislodge them, but if so the Affghans had the worst of it,
as the English maintained their ground. A strong
Affghan force was collecting near Candahar, where
General NOTT was at the head of 10,000 British troops
in readiness to repulse them. General POLLOCK had
given up the idea of forcing the Kyber Pass without
re-inforcements, provided no imminent danger threat-
ened General'S.u.E. , This we are happy to announce
did not then seem probable, as the Affghans seemed
afraid to attack SALE. As the danger is not urgent,
we feel convinced that General POLLOCK will not at-
tempt the Pass at all, as, by making a short detour,
he can reach Jellalabad by another, and quite
a safe route. Sir ALEXANDER BURNES, in 1832, ex-
plored a route by which the dangers of the Kyber Pass
on the one side, and the Caroppa Pass on the other, are
avoided. General PoLLocx, no doubt, intends to send
boats from Attock to Mucknee, and thus leave the
Kyber Pass in the rear. This route is now practicable,
as the Sikh General will provide General PoLLocK with
sufficient boats for erossing the river with his heavy
artillery and baggage.
From China the news is important. Sir HENRY
PorrnicEn arrived at Hong-Kong on the Ist of
February. He had abandoned the design of attack-
ing Canton, and was preparing an expedition against
Pekin. The EMPEROR sent Commissioners to
treat with him about the settlement of the dispute be-
tween Great Britain and the Celestial Empire, but his
Excellency refused to enter into any negotiation with
them, well knowing that all the EMPEROR wanted was to
gain time. This is precisely the proper course. To
intimidate China we must convince the EMPEROR that we
can reach him even in his capital. Sir HENRY POT-
TINGLE, has wisely resolved to negotiate with no person
except the EMPEROR in person. No reliance can be
placed upon the pledges of Ministers, who are ready,
when asked, to be made the scape-goats of Imperial
perfidy. Of all the commissioners who treated of peace
with the luckless ELLIOT, there was not one who did not
iustify the perfidy of the EMPEROR, by pleading the
having exceeded his instructions.

Three other towns had been added to the capture of
ingpo by our brave troops in China. Their names are
Ya-poo, Tai-Kee, And Zung-ho-Va. They are all situ-
ated within a distance of 40 miles from Ningpo.
Such is the news received, by express, by the French
Government. The Bombay and Canton papers, with
the details, are not likely to arrive for a couple of days
The recent verdict of a Court of Law in France against
private expresses, will cause a delay in their delivery,
which cannot but prove injurious to many interests in
this country. Besides, there is something at once un-
friendly and unfeeling in keeping the British public one
h our longer than can be avoided on the tenter-hooks of
ewectation.

The .second reading of the Scotch Church Patronage
Bill comes on to-night in the House of Commons,
s
when we confidently trust this long agitated ques:
don, as far as regards Parliament, will be set
at rest. Neither the present Bill, nor any Bill
at all resembling it, can ever pass the Legis.
lature :while the Members of both Houses have
so many good reasons for rejecting it. They enjoy
nearly patronage of the country, worth
more the Creehh millions sterling a year, and it is rather
to expect that they will risk this to gratify the
thallan th
rleaders muchers of the Non-Intrusionists, and make a State
Church totally independent of the law from which it
The plan proposed, if carried
derived its very existence'
into effect, would establish an anomaly in Church go-
vernment, unknown in ancient or modern times, and ine

stead of producing harmony at the election of ministers,o
would lead to endless contention, and the most rancorous
animosity of one party against another. But a very
small proportion of the inhabitants, the male com-
municants in each parish, are to have the right
rto vote. These are selected by the clergyman for
their piety, or other qualities which he approves,
and all the rest, not unfrequently amounting to three
times the number, are refused the franchise, and at
the same time stigmatised as heathens for not conform-
ing in every respect to the law laid down by the
Church. It is well known that men who make
the strongest professions of religion, and who
have the words piety and faith constantly on their lips,
are rarely the best Christians—that there are many
thousands in the Scotch Church who in general lead
1 irreproachable lives, but who, nevertheless, are
not considered worthy, by a certain portion of the
clergy, to enjoy all the rights of parishioners ; and is
it to be expected that this class, excluded for no just
cause will quietly accept the minister chosen by a small
minority, for whom they had not the highest respect,
They will complain, and justly, that though they
form the majority, and are, in every respect, better
than the chosen few, they should have a mi-
nister forced upon them much more objectionable
than one selected by a judicious patron. They
will naturally be opposed to this junta, and either
resent in one way or another the unjust preference,
or join the Dissenters. This must necessarily
be the result of any scheme which does not vest
the appointment in the great body of the parishioners.
But there is another point which the Non-Intrusionists
should take into consideration. They have broken
the law, and cruelly oppressed many of their
brethren, in defiance of the civil power ; and
yet they apply to that very power to sanction their
proceedings. How can the Home Secretary, or the
Prime Minister, give countenance to a demand like
this ? We tell them candidly that their case is
utterly hopeless ; and if they will not believe us
perhaps they will believe the pious Bishop of LON-
DON, who thus writes to Sir GEORGE SINCLAIR :
" It is wholly impossible that the kind of veto which
the leaders of the Assembly contend for should be sanc-
tioned by Parliament. It would not obtain the con-
sent of the House of Commons, and in the House,
of Lords it would find favour only with an
insignificant minority. I hold the principle which it in-
volves to be inconsistent with good government, as well
as with the real interests of the Church. No threat of
separation—no danger of schism, would, I am persuaded,
induce the House of Lords to sanction it. If it should end
in the separation of a large body of pious and learned
men from the Established Church, that, no doubt, will
be a great evil to Scotland, and no inconsiderable one to
England ; but in my judgment it would be less injurious
to the cause of religious truth than the affirmation of
the principle for which they are contending."

The French Journals are occupied with the Royal
fete, the birth of Count D'Eu, and the Railway Bill.
In the midst of so many pleasant topics, the Nationa
contrives to have another fling at England about the
Right of Search question.
The following is the projet de loi, ceding the Rouen and
Havre Railroad to a Company, which is constituted nearly of
the same members as that which executed the Rouen and
Paris line.

Art. I states the offer of the new Company to be accepted.
Articles 2 and 3 authorise the loan of ten millions of francs
towards the completion of the line, to be paid by the Govern-
ment in tenths, after the Company shall have expended four
millions.

By Article 4 the interest of the loan is to be three per cent.,
the reimbursement to commence ten years after the comple-
tion of the line, and to be effected by one-fortieth each year.
Article 6. Independent of the loan of ten millions, the
French Government is to make a gratuitous grant of eight
millions to the Company, to be paid by one-fourths as the works
advance.

The length of the line from Rouen to Havre is 83,750
metres. Its cost is estimated at fifty millions of francs, ten of
which will be absorbed by the works for traversing Rouen and
its valley. Five of these must be furnished by the Paris and
Rouen Railway Company. The State gives eight millions as
a grant, and ten as a loan. There remains, therefore, but seven-
teen millions of francs, about 700,0001.. to be raised by shares.
We join with the Commerce in remarking that the coinci-
dence of the King's fete and the happy circumstance of the
birth of the Count d'Eu, seems to offer a favourable opportunity
to again solicit of the Ministry an act of amnesty. When we
compare in as many respects the usages of the ancient
monarchy, it will be recollected that formerly, on such an oc-
casion, it would have been a piece of monarchical etiquette, to
make the nation participate in the joy of the Prince and his
family, by a measure of conciliation and clemency.— Temps.
The Gazette of Metz says positively that the Abbe Arnoldi,
Bishop elect of Treves, wearied by the too long destitution of
that illustrious Church, and unwilling to be the innocent cause
of the prolongation of a state of things so prejudicial to the
welfare of that vast diocese, has offered his resignation,
and the Pope accepting it, has called on the Chapter to pro-
ceed to a new election., This news, which greatly diet' eases
the good and religious inhabitants of the city of the martyrs,
who are well acquainted with the merits of that learned and
pious ecclesiastic, has greatly discouraged the sound portion of
the clergy of Treves. Constitutionnel.

MR. HUME AND TELE MONTROSE DISTRICT OF BURGHS!
—At a general meeting of the Working Men's Associa-
tion, assembled at the King's Head, St. Sidwell's, Exeter,
on the 27th of April, 1842, it was unanimously resolved
to congratulate Mr. Hume, on his re-election to the House
of Commons; and a vote of cordial thanks to the electors of
the Montrose District of Burghs, for the independent
exercise of their suffrage in choosing Mr. Hume, alike
honourable to them and to Mr. Hume. Our readers may
not know that the five Royal Burghs of Arbroath,
Brechin, Bervie, Forfar, and Montrose, compose the dis-
trict which elected Mr. Hume.