The Nevada journal., 1854-10-20
News f'rOm China.


by late arrival at San Francisco we
have news twenty five days later from
China. The intelligence shows that the
insurgents are advancing on Canton, and
that the wealthy inhabitants are generally
taking to flight. 1t is said however that
Shanghae is probably recaptured by the
lmperialists. Trade was completely para.
lyzed. In Whampoa, say the accounts
the Mandarins had lost all control, and ruff.
hans were levying black mail on chop
boats containing tea on the river. Fight
ing was going on under the walls Of Can
ton, in which slight advantages are in fa-
vor OF the defense. The reports of the
various battles between the Insurgents and
government forces are contradictory and
uncertain, and little reliance seems to he
Iplaced upon them. AS tar as they prove
any thing, the rebels are slightly losing
ground.
The North China Herald gives the fol-
lowing account from a correspondent of
the strength of the rebels:
"Their numerical strength and the or.
tent OF territory under their control are bv
no means fnconsderable They said thew
had undlspated control from Chin -kiang- fn
400 miles up the Great River; and that.
besides the large numbers of troops oarri.
soned and entrenched about Chinkianp.
kwa'chau and the "Heavenly Capital :"
(Nankng,) } they had four armies in the
held carrying on active aggressive opera
tlons; two of these had gone northward,
one along the Grand Canal and one farther
westward; they were designed to co.ope-
rate, and after storming and destroying
feklng, to turn westward and march
through Shau-si, Shen-si, Kan-suh, into
S1'chu-en, where they were expected to
meet their other two armies, which from
Kiang-si and the Lake Provinces are to
move up the Great River and along thro'
the regions on its southern bank"
The American and British consulates at
Shanghae seem by the general tenor of
heir acts to rather hold with the Chinese
government than run with the rebels and
we are not sure it is not good policy. At
any rate the following orders are proper
|enough:
"The U. S. Consul, R. C. Murphy, and
the British Consul, B. Alcock, have noti
he'd their respective countrymen, owning
boats or vessels in the harbor of Shanehae,
that they must register them at the Con-
sulate f; otherwise they will forfeit all claims
to the protection of their respective Gov
ernments. 1t is also declared that neither
the American nor the British flag will pro-
tect either vessels or boats Of any kind, en-
gagged either in conveying contraband ar
ticles of war, or in the transport of persons
engaged or seeking to engage in the civil
disturbances at present existing in China
and all vessels SO offending are li:ble to
forfeiture and confscatlon by the Govern
ment of China"
There are said to be great fleets of
piratical vessels on the coast, and the gov
eminent is unable or unwilling to put them
down. The N. c. Herald calls upon the
foreign powers to put them down. The
Portuguese have taken the initiative, as
appears by the following
Hostilities have taken place at Ningpo,
an important seaport, just below ShaDghae,
between the Portuguese ard Chinese
Portuguese Corvette "Don Joao l." with
fleet of fifteen Portuguese Lorchas having
fired upon the Piratical fleet in the service
of the Taoutae of that place, &c.
AS we understand it, the Portuguese
Corvette was despatched from Macao last
May, to visit all the ports on the Coast
as far as Shanghae, and at the same time
to settle at Ningpo some difficulties which
had taken place there, between the Portu.
guese and Chinese, and to claim from the
latter indemnfcation for two or three
Lorchas plundered and captured by the
Plratical fleet, which has for some time
past been in the service of the Taou,ae Of
Ningpo. 0 y
ihe Corvette arrived at Ningpo about
z4th June, and Captain,Lopes made the
necessary demands, to which the Taoutae
gave evasive replies, that all would be
settled properly, &C., whilst at the same
time the piratical fleet commenced making
preparations for a fight, landing their
guns and mounting them on the top of the
city wall, threatening to blow the Corvette
out of the water, if she attempted anv at.
tack We have not got full particulars
: