The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-10-06 00:00:00

‘SNik_

FOREIGN /NM LIGPNCE.

CHINA, INDIA, AND EGYPT.

(Prom the Times of Yesterday.)
EXPRESS FROM MARSEILLES.
By an extraordinary express, in anticipation of the overland
mail, we have received papers, together with our private
correspondence, from Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta, and
also intelligence from the coasts of Egypt and Syria.
The mail was brought to Suez by the Victoria steamer,
which left Bombay on the 28th of August, and arrived at
Suez on the 18th of September, and Marseilles on the Ist of
October.

Nothing was known of the China expedition since the 13th
of June, when it was met near Poula. Sapata, half way be-
tween Singapore and Macao. The Canton papers of the end
of May contain accounts of an attack by some Chinese junks
on the Hellas schooner, which, after a serious conflict, suc-
ceeded in repelling them.
Admiral Elliott reached Singapore on the 16th of June,
and sailed after the expedition on the 18th.
Lord J. Churchill, captain of the Druid, died of dysentery
at Macao on the 2d of June.
Scinde continued in a disturbed state. The districts
around Khelat were occupied by a force of 6,000 insurgents
under the orders of Merab Khan, who had made himself
master of several towns, and massacred in one affair 150
sepoys. Affghanistan was tranquil, but Schah Sooja was
becoming every day more unpopular, and, were it not for the
energy of the British officers, peace would not be long pre-
served in his dominions. The government of the Nepaulese
evinced a most inimical feeling towards the British, and
would, it was feared, profit by the absence of the force em-
ployed on the China expedition to commence hostilities.
Preparations were accordingly making in Bengal to repel any
attack from that quarter.

Our advices from Beyrout, which have reached us by extra-
ordinary express, come down to the 20th ult. They mention
the arrival there of Turkish transports with 6,000 men. The
Turkish squadron, under the command of Rear-Admiral
Walker, consisted of one Turkish line-of-battle-ship, two
frigates, two corvettes, and 24 sail of transports, having on
board 5,400 troops. In the afternoon of the 9th ult., all the
vessels anchored off Beyrout, and preparations were made
for disembarkation ; and a body of Egyptian troops being
observed on the heights, the Cyclops threw fire-shells at
them. The disembarkation was effected on the 10th ult., in
a small bay to the north of Beyrout, without the slightest
casualty or opposition. The bombardment of Beyrout com-
menced en the 11th, and continued until the 20th, when the
Prometheus sailed for Alexandria with the intelligence of its
destruction.
On the 11th ult. Admirals Stopford and Bandeira addressed
a letter to Soliman Pasha, tin, governor of Beyrout, telling
him, that in order to spare the effusion of blood they had
slackened their fire, and calling on him to surrender the
town. Soliman Pasha replied, that he had orders from his
master and benefactor, Mehemet Ali, to defend the town, and
that he would do so, and that any demands they had to make
they should address to Mehemet Ali.
An attempt was made to take the fort of Gabiel, near Bey-
rout, on the 12th, by 150 marines, but they were forced to
retreat to the boats with the loss of 5 killed and 17 wounded.
The fort was evacuated on the following day, and taken pos-
session of by the mountaineers of Lebanon, who are described
as daily joining the allied forces in great numbers, under the
Emir Abdallah. Care was taken to supply them with arms
and ammunition. Many of the Egyptian troops were said to
be disaffected, and to have deserted.

We have received by extraordinary express our private ad-
vices from Alexandria, dated the 23d ult.
By these accounts we learn that the blockade of Beyrout
was executed with the greatest vigour while it lasted, and in-
telligence had been received at Alexandria that large offers
had been made to the Governors of Acre, Beyrout, and Da-
mascus to desert the cause of Mehemet Ali ; but, so far from
accepting these bribes, the Governors of those towns de-
spatched couriers to Alexandria to acquaint Mehemet Ali
with the offers made them.
All the sandbanks between the old and new harbours of
Alexandria were studded with cannon and mortars. Great
preparations were also making for the supply of the army in
Syria.
It is said that advices had been sent to Bombay, in antici-
pation of the commencement of hostilities, to forward the
next India mail overland either by Bagdad and Aleppo, or by
Trebisond and Constantinople.