Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-12-31

Interesting Facts Concerning China.
A crowded meeting of the Royal Geo-.
graphical Society was held In London, on
Monday evening, November 20, at Burlington
House, Sir Roderiek /. Marchison. President,
10 the chair.
The papers read were 81. I" Notes, Geo
graphical and Commercial. on the Gulf of
Pecheli and the Peibo River" by Capt. Sher-l
ard Osborn. r. n, F. r. G. s, her Majesty's
ship Furious. The first portion of the paper
bore reference chiefly to the geographical and
commercial aspects of the countries passed in
the Journey from Shanghai to the Cult Of Pc
cheli, her Majesty's Ship Fnrions having been
one of the ships that accompanied Lord Elgin
in his journey mp the Great Canal to Tien-sin,
where the late treaty was signed. The author
dwells upon the rapid strides Shanghai has
made during the last sixteen years. on its IA
vorable positis1-i and climate. and ats extern
sive import and export trade, amounting to
nearly CT, 100000. Various causes have
combined to force the old canal traffic be-
tween Northern and Southern China into
coasting trade-such the rebellion in the
valley of the Yang-tse-Keang. the occupation
of Tching- Keang-foo. and to the change in
the course of the Yellow river After de
scribing the shoals which run ont from the
Shantnng coast, Captain Osborn urges the ne
cessity of an active nautical survey, which be
surveyors, and remarks that all the many
millions worth of property carried TO and fro
on the coasts and on the rivers are indebted
for safety to the charts of English officers.
The second portion of the paper referred to
the Gulf or Pecoeli and the Peiho river.
The author remarked upon the secure an
chorage in the Min-tao straits. affording gen
eral rendezvous for the tradisg juuks. and
furnished description of The anchorage off
the Peiho river. The Peihe has its. source in
the highlands not far from Pekfn, and runs.
for the greater portion of its tortuous course.
through a level country, the velocity OF It's
stream. rather than the volume of its waters,
having secured out a narrow bed IN the silf
clay which forms the substratum Of the plain
Chile. This securing force, however, becomes
so weakened as it approaches the sea, owing
to the low level of the shores allowing con-
slant overflow. that Instead of cuttings twelve
feet channel, straight out into the Gull OF Pc
cheli, the depth of the river suddenly decrcas-
es and the river discharges itself over an area
several miles in extent. The author notices
particularly the altered course of the Yellow
river, which empties itself in the Gulf 200
miles north of its original mouth, and the
mud banks that were forming there, threaten
ing to block up the navigation of the river to
Pekin. The paner contained some observa-
tons upon the direction of the tides, the char
acter of the country in ascending Peiho, with
a description of the towns, the ustoms of the
inhabitants. and various other objects.
Captain w. H. Hall, r. n, and Mr.. Lock
hart corroborated Capt. Osborns statements
respecting Shanghai and the altered course of
the Yellow river which confirmed the account
given by Mr. Lockbart In paper he had
read before the society last season, and which
was printed in the "ProceedingS," and copies
sent out to Lord Elgin and other authorities
on the China Station. n
The second paper read was 'On the Search
Of Leichhardt and the Australian Desert" by
the Rev. w. B. Clarke. of Sydney. T. r. G.. s.
After some ks from Sir Charles NichOl-
son, Captain Byron Drury, and Mr.. Crawford.
relative to the exploration of the interior of
the Australian continent and the formation of
a settlement in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and
from Admiral Fitzroy relative to the employ
ment of the camel in such explorations; the
chairman congratulated the society on the
fact that, although the discussion had depart
ed from the question of Leichhardt, it had
elected observations of great interest from
those we'll acquainted with the country. With
regard to North Australia, he entirely con-
CURED with Sir Charles Nicholson and Capt.
Drury on the necessity of establishing set
Element on some spot in that locality-a point
that he had ceaselessly advocated, and con-
sdered that, since the French had taken pos
session of some of the islands adjacent, it be-
came an absolute necessity for Great Britain
to have station for the protection of its
commerce. The meeting then adjourned TO
the 18th Of December.