The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-07 00:00:00

CANTON NEWS.

Captain Nias having become aware that the Chinese
had rendered impassable the channel for large ships above
Whampoa, by planting stakes in the river, proceeded to
the spot with his squadron, when the obstructions were
removed, the villages on the banks burnt, and several
Chinese killed. On his return he determined, if pos-
sible, to garrison Wang Tung, and applied to the briga-
dier for troops, but none were available for the purpose.
In conformity, therefore, with the instructions of Admiral
Parker, the fortifications were totally destroyed. He then
issued the following
" PROCLAMATION OF CAPTAIN NIAS, OF HER MAJESTY'S

SHIP HERALD, TO THE CHINESE SOLDIERS AND PEOPLE.

" The arrangements made by the Mandarins to settle
the differences between the two nations have not been
satisfactory. The Plenipotentiary Pottinger, on his ar•
rival in these waters, received communications which
tended to re-establish the ancient harmony; but, not-
withstanding this, it appears that stakes and stones have
been placed in different parts of the river to obstruct the
passage, and that thus faith has been broken. This is
the reason that my soldiers have attacked the fort of
Wang Tung, and have inspired terror. In future all
similar breaches of faith will be immediately punished
by renewed hostilities.—Dated Bth September, 1841."
Judginc, from the accounts we have of commercial
Oaks, the above circular has not yet had the effect of
restoring very greatly the equanimity of the Chinese.
Perhaps it is nut too much to say that but little trade
can now in reason be looked for until the actual settle-
ment of affairs sets at rest all apprehensions of a recur-
rence of hostilities. The Chinese merchants are equally
well aware with the British of the bad faith of their Go-
vernment, and place not much more value on its promises
than we do ourselves.

It is reported that Keshen has been received again into
Royal favour, having had the principal order of the
fourth degree of rank conferred on him, and half his
confiscated property 'restored.
A Canton paper says—" We are informed by a native
that Yih-shan and the Governor are again recruiting for
stout and valiant troops, and are arming with muskets."
If this be true, the Cantonese must be fools indeed.
In the Pekin Gazette of the 20th of July there is an ex-
cellent illustration (if any were wanting), either of the
facility with which the Emperor can be imposed in by his
Mandarins, or the barefaced manner in which that
august Monarch endeavours to impose on his people.
The names of the officers who distinguished themselves
in " beating back the rebellious barbarians who desired
to enter the river of the provincial city (Canton)" are
mentioned with high honour, and rewards are ordered to
be conferred on them for their deeds of resplendent
valour !
LOSS OF THE MADAGASCAR.
This steamer, which arrived in China from Calcutta
on the 13th September, and sailed thence for Amoy on
the 17th, was destroyed at sea two days after her de-
parture. All on board took to the boats ; one of which,
containing Captain Dicey and forty-one persons, was
stranded, and seized by the Chinese. Of the others,
nothing is at present known. Intimation of the disaster
was received from -Captain Dicey himself, in a letter
written while on the road to Canton, with his fellow-
prisoners. This communication contained only a few
lines, scrawled with a brush on China paper, and was
addressed to Messrs. Jardine. Matheson, and Co.,
Messrs. Dent and Co., or the Senior Naval Officer at
Hong Kong. It is conjectured that Captain Dicey re-
frained from entering into an account of his loss, in
order that the particulars might be concealed from the
Chinese, who, he anticipated would make themselves
masters of the contents of his letter before they for-
warded it to its destination. A list of the prisoners was
enclosed, of which the following is a copy :—Captain
Dicey, Captain Grattan, I,Bth Royal Irish ; Mr. Bern-
bark ; Mr. Edmunds, engineer ; Mr. Wilson, third mate;
Dr. Maxton; Mr. Oliver, chief mate ; Mr. Private; Mr.
M'Clellan ; Mr. Little ; Mr. J. Boothers, 18th Royal
Irish ; Mr. J. Swayn ; and thirty Lascars.

INDIA,

BURMAH.

We have now news from Rangoon to the 29th of Oc-
tober, and from Moulmein to the 31st. Tharawaddie
has arrived at the former place with his retinue and
forces, but has not taken any hostile proceeding, and
indeed declares that his intentions are wholly pacific.
Differences, it appears, have long existed between
Great Britain and Burma:, chiefly in regard to the per-
formance of the treaty concluded at Yandaboe in 1824;
and the British armament—though doubtless despatched
with the immediate object of protecting Moulmein—will,
in all probability, ere it quits the Burman waters, pursue
measures for the settlement of these disputes. It may,
therefore, happen that Britain will be compelled to strike
the first blow in a second Burman war. •
The landing of the King at. Rangoon—which took
place on the 2d of October—is said to have been a
very imposing spectacle. The ex-King accompanied
him, in charge of the Prince of Prome. Both mo-
narchs passed the night in temporary residences
prepared for them, and in the morning went in grand
procession to the palace. " Their Majesties," says the
Moulmein Chronicle, " were conveyed in a splendid car,
having several carriages and gilt vehicles following,
filled with the ladies of the court, many of whom also
followed on foot. The road was lined on both sides with
troops, from the landing-place to within pistol-shot of the
palace, all of them fine-looking men, and extremely well
armed. Six elephants preceded the King, each being
accompanied by 100 musketeers, 50 spearmen, and 20
men, bearing banners, and gilt standards." It appears
the number of men brought down could not be computed
with any certainty ; but there were nearly 100 pieces of
field artillery, of which the greater part were well
mounted and, fit for service. The naval part of the
force consisted principally of gun-boats, from thirty to
seventy tons each, pulled with oars, but having neither
masts nor guns. Some of these vessels were sent back
again soon after their arrival.
On the 25th October the Hon. Company's steamer
Ganges, left Moulmein for Rangoon. The object, it is
understood, was to complain of the conduct of the au-
thorities at Martaban, in permitting robberies to be
committed so frequently in the river by persons residing
under their jurisdiction. The commander was not at
first allowed to land, but eventually did so, and remained
on ,sbore for a short time. A new fortified) town was
being built near the present city, and appearances on the
whole were warlike. The result of the mission has not
yet been made public.
The Hon. Company's steamer Proserpine has also paid
a visit to Tavoy and Mergui with the Commissioner on
board; but nothing of importance seems to have attended
this movement. The vessel steamed up the Tavoy river,
and her appearance excited much astonishment among
the natives.
At Martaban the stockading has been carried on vigor-
ously, and the houses outside the works have been pulled
down and re-erected in the interior. It is said they were
all removed in a single night, of course greatly to the
surprise of the people at Moulmein on the opposite bank.
No troops save as yet apparently been received into the
fortifications, but reports of the intended despatch, the
approach, and even the arrival, of large bodies of men,
have been rife enough at different times. The Prince of
Pakhau (the King's second son), and Shoay Ya, sou of
the. Governor of Bileng, or Martaban, have both been
spoken of as leaders of these imaginary forces. The
Governor himself is reported to have been summoned to
Rangoon by the King, either for praise or censure of his
official conduct, but which is not known. If he really
has gone, his journey is, no doubt, in some way con-
nected with the business on which the steamer Ganges
proceeded thither.
On the departure of the India, by which vessel we have
our latest advices, neither the Calliope, Roberts, nor The-
tis, had arrived at Moulmein. The transports from Ma-
dras, of course, could not have made their appearance.
The Orissa and Eagle schooners loft Calcutta for Maul-
main, on the 9th of November; and the Diana steamer,
which has lately been employed in rescuing the passen-
gers and crew of the Sultana from their perilous situa-
tion in Borneo, will also join the Burman armament.
Everything is in readiness at Bombay for the despatch
of other steamers, if necessary. This, however, is not
likely to be the case; as, judging from what has occurred
at Madras, the Supreme Government consider that in the'
present position of affairs no further augmentation will be
requisite. The 2d regiment Native Infantry had been
ordered to proceed to Moulmein, and two ships, the City
of London and Greenland, had been engaged for convey-
ance of detachments of it; but after the embarkation on
board the former vessel, and when everything was pre-
pared for that of the troops which were to proceed by
the latter, an express arrived from Bengal, stating that
regiment would not be required at all. The men who
had gone on board were therefore landed again.
The Forbes: steamer, which was sent to Calcutta to in-
tercept the iron steamers, Medusa and Ariadne, bound
from Bombay to China, has been unsuccessful in her
endeavour, both of these boats having left Singapore pre-
vious to her arrival there.

The Arracan force has arrived at its destination at
lihyouk Phyoo.

AFFGHANISTAN.

FORCING THE PASS OF KHOORD CABOOL.—A most

disastrous affair has occurred •near Cabool, where, in
forcing a mountain pass, defended by bands of rebel
Ghilzies, our troops have sustained severe loss. The
object of the expedition was to clear the road between
Cabool and Jellelabad, but a series of obstinate and
bloody conflicts, in which three officers wero killed and
nine wounded, and 233 of the European and Sepoy
troops killed and wounded, ensued from the attempt to
accomplish it.
It appears that a sum of 40,000 rupees had been de-
ducted from the allowance paid to the tribes of Shah
Soojah's Government for keeping open the communica-
tion, and that this proceeding had been resented by the
seizure of a valuable kafila, and the stoppage of the
dawks. The 35th N. I. and two guns were in conse-
quence sent out, under the command of Gen. Sir IL Sale,
with orders to march down to Jellelabad.

" The regiment," says a correspondent of the Delhi
Gazette, writing from the camp, " made one short
march to Boodkhak, and there were stopped, the strong
pass before them being occupied in force by the Ghil-
zics. Next night they were furiously attacked in their
position, and lost thirty men killed and wounded. On
the 11th of October the 13th Light Infantry went out
from Cabul, and on the 12th, the two regiments with
their guns forced the pass. The 35th, with the nine-
pounders, took up a strong position at Khoord Cabul,
while the 13th went back to Boodkhak. The enemy
retained the pass until night, when they retired upon
Tezeen. The 35th native infantry remaining so long,
motionless at Koord Cabul, the enemy were embol-
dened again to attack them. At 9f p.m. of the 17th,
the Ghilzies came on in
_force, and owing to the

treachery of the Dooranee Horse, were enabled to do
much mischief, Lieutenant Jenkins, 35th. was mortally
wounded, and twelve Sepoys were killed and sixteen or
eighteen wounded. The enemy were repulsed, after a
long continued attack, and returned to their position
at Tezeen.

" On the 17th October, the troops which had been sent
to Zoormut returned, and on the 19th tke remaining four
guns of the battery, with five mortars and the whole
mountain train, went out to the force. On the 22d, the
whole advanced upon Tezeen. The march of fifteen miles
was made without any fighting ; but on entering the
valley, General Sale saw the heights around occupied by
riflemen, while a fort and orchard poured forth a host of
armed men, who formed on a steep hill immediately
above the fort which they evacuated. The advanced
guard moved on to the attack. The infantry, covered
by the guns, carried these heights in good style, and
some companies of the 13th advanced against the hills
on the left of the valley, driving the enemy before them.
These last skirmishers were however recalled at sunset,
and the force took up a position for the night ; our
picquets occupying the heights in our rear as well as
those immediately over the fort. During the night the
advanced picquets were called in, and the enemy at the
same time withdrew further up the valley towards the
principal fort of Tezeen."
The writer then states that forage for the cattle was
fortunately found in the fort evacuated by the enemy.
He strongly censures the neglect of the authorities in
making no arrangement for the provision of this neces
sary article, observing, that if the Ghilzies had burnt
their supply previous to quitting the fort, none could
have been obtained elsewhere. His letter proceeds
thus :

" On the 23d negotiations commenced, which ended in

the chiefs sending us hostages and supplying us with
forage for our half-starved cattle, and on the 26th Octo-
ber we proceeded on our march towards Jellelabad.
"On the first stage of ten miles (to Seh Baba) the
rear-guard was attacked by skirmishers on the heights,
and a strong body approached it in the valley, but
the cavalry and guns obliged the latter party to keep
at a great distance. The appearance of these people
was plausibly accounted for by saying that they
were parties returning to their villages on the disso-
lution of the Teezeen confederacy. On each subsequent
day, however, the attacks on the rear-guard, became
more serious, and on crossing the hills to Jugdulluck we
saw formidable bodies of men watching ,the Peri-durra
Pass, the usual route for an army having guns. These
parties crossed over to the Kothul road, and the engage-
ment with the rear-guard was serious, one soldier of the
13th being killed, and one officer and several men wound-
ed. The enemy were now seen going forward in great
numbers to occupy the pass beyond Jugdulluck, and it
was evident that they meditated an engagement ilvA„tilie
whole column. At half-past seven, A.M' .of the Ott of
October, the troops advanced and entered the pass,, the
skirmishers securing both flanks very successfully.for,twq
miles ; but within half a mile of the summit thero,yats a
check on either side; on the left, a mountain threwdown
three steep and rugged spurs into the pass, while the hill
above'the spurs woo as steep as a wall, and well stock-
aded. Our nien'ecured the saurs, but could ascend no
higher; on the right, the party moving along the heights
arrived at a chasm, beyond which was a strong breast-
work lined with riflemen.

" The guns firing at the stockades on the left had
their trails sunk iu the ground to afford the needful ele-
vation, and could do little mischief to the enemy. After
a short check, the whole column advanced and cleared
the remainder of the pass, leaving the heights in pos-
session of the enemy. The rear guard was most furi-
ously pressed by the enemy, and lost a peat many
men; some baggage also, of no great value, fell into their
hands, and the day's work cost us 116 killed and wounded,
including four officers. We arrived at Sourkaub, near
Gundamuck, at sunset, and were not again molested by
the enemy."
By the last accounts the force had left Gundamuck
(about three-fourths of the distance from Cabool to Jel-
lelabad), and commenced its march towards llindostan.
Lieutenant Jenkins, of the 35th Bengal N. 1., Captain
Wyndham, of the same regiment, and Ensign Icing, of
her Majesty's 13th Light Ifantry, are the officers who
have fallen.

The list of wounded comprises the names of General
Sale; Captain Younghusband, of the 35th 8.N.1.; Lieu-
tenants Jennings, Halcombe, Rattray, and Milne, of the
13th 8.N.1.; and Ensigns Oar, Combes, and Ocks, of the
35th B.N. I.
Although the pass has been forced, the enemy, no
doubt, are again in occupation of it, so that but little ad-
vantage has been gained 'to compensate for so heavy
loss. As might be expected, the conduct of the political
authorities, in withdrawing from the Ghilzie chiefs their
customary allowance, as well as in taking the subsequent
measures, has been generally complained of. The tone
in which the different correspondents speak of the cir-
cumstances is bitter in the extreme.
Six regiments have been ordered from Ferozepore to
reinforce General Sale's force.
ARRAsI KHAN.—This chief, who, it will be remem-
bered, joined Auchter Khan in the battle which took
place on the 17th August at Secunderabad, has been cap-
tured by Captain oily, and has since been ordered
for execution.
TEREE.—The force under General Nott, whose de-
parture for Teree I alluded to in my last, is expected
shortly to return to Candahar. Thirty-one of the chiefs
are said to have surrendered unconditionally ; and
Auchter Khan has also, it appears, submitted.
Zooamcr.—Colonel Oliver's force has returned from
the Zoormut Valley. The affair there has been arranged
without a recourse to hostilities, but we have not heard
particulars.