Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-01-08
VERY INTERESTING FROM CHINA.
MARCH OF EVENTS THERE.
.nce of the London Timea.l


SHANGHAI, Oct. u.
A change has come over the policy ca the authori-
ties in the South The French Ambassador mss ar.
rived in the mouth Of the Canton river. The pro-
iected Northern voyage is definitely abandoned.
The Chinese officials, or ";he Mandarine," as it is
the custom TO call bela are Of opinion that our deci.
sive move in order to coe-ce the Court OF Pekin,
will he to cut off the supply Of food to the capital
HOW PLKIS Is FED.
There are nine OF the eighteen provinces of China
which produce rice, and have, or rather had means
of water communication with Pekin. These pro.
vncss sre-Fuhkien, CheliaDg, kiangs, Shsntung,
Hupeh, Human, kiangsi, Nganhwui, and Szohuen.-
These provinces, according 10 precedent, pay
their tribute to the capital IN rice They are bound
to contribute 10 the aggregate 10000 junks, each con-
tanning 900 picus Of 1873 lbs Engsh; but In the
rangement of the proportion Shuntung and Human,
on account of their poverty or their small extent on.
ly pay as half province each.
This arrangement gave au annual supply Of
10 900 6Us piculs to the Imperial city, which, at the
regular allowance cf II per day per month-sach ia
the capacity of the measure melted ont to the sol.
di.ry-would feed q population OF 3,0OO 00O. The
calculation, therefore "a ia necessary Ia o. large CAL
culstiuna allowed largely for difference between
figures and facts.
The rebellion, however, and especially the occupa.
ton of Chrkiang, upon the iaDg.tse, has deranged
this comfortable state Of things. The provinces South
of the Yangtse can no longer communicate With the
capital by the inner wsters; Szchuen is obliged to
which could not be sent from the province ITSELF
In recent years the 10000 006 piculs have been
enormously diminished; and the Pekin Gazette has
contained many lamentations on this score The num-
Der of the 10Th of September contains the answer OF
of officers the urgent orders already given to ool-
ect rice and send it around by Iiensin. There ID
trade at Pekin, and the supply is necessarily very
critical affair.
Nankir formerly sent three millions, and Nankin
has now other mocths to feed. The China merchants
,ho koun ia Syphcpti rica paid far
the four lacs of dollars sent froL that province 10 pay
for it were embezzlsd by the Gandsri;3. The other
provinces had experienced inundaooa Snd iccusts,
and had Imperial or rebel armies in their neighbOr-
hood and they paid their quotas with difficulty. But
still tans bien que mai, Pckin has been fed. The
supply however, no longer reaches the city az for
merly by the Imperial Canal and the other inner
waters but :he junkE start from the coast, and by
sesboard they voyage 70 tbs Gulf Of Pecbel and the
mouth of the Peiho.
The custom is to gather the rice together upon the
coast rs soon as the harvest is got in About the lat
OF January Of year the customhou lay embar-
20 upon the iunks, and retain them for the annual
voyage 10 Tiensin. Immediately after the commence.
meut of the new year, which occurs early in Febrna
ry the junks start, and struggling against the ad-
verse monsoon, make their way in, perhaps, i've or
six weeks. to tho mouth of the Peiho. About the
tsnth day of the second month the day calculated
Tor their arrival, for by this time the ice has disap-
pea-ed from the river.
with China will last for ~ months longer.
The Chinese are quite alive to this their vital diff
Gully. They are talking of assembling this years
fleet at Lehoo, place not marked in our maps abou!
fifty miles 10 the north Of Woosung which was used
for the same purpose when Shanghai was in the
hands OF the rebels four years since The Govern.
ment has lately also been buying some steamers.
They now have three in their service, and. although
chasing pirates and quein. rebels, is the osensble
objects, fancy that towing rice junks at a critical
moment is their real destination.
That rice is being collected with extraordinary &C.
tiviry in Kiangsu and that tho mandarns are under
strong pressure, lie evident. The Chinese cay there
il generally stand of wind the 10Th moon (Janu-
ary) under favour of which the junks can work up
north.
The scheme is not badly conceived, and i. may pos
sibly be successful.
If they can run into the Yellow River they will
also be safe, for thence northwards the inner waters
to Pekin are open. II is impossible to guess what
insuperabs impediments The courtesy Of the French
Emperor towards his ngtailed Imperial brother, or
ihe 'mother wit Of Mr.. Commissioner Reed, or the
instructions from Downingstreet, may nterpose to
block ade of the whole coast north Of Shanghai, but
take it that If left TO their devices neither Lord
Elgin nor Admiral Seymour is man to allow such q
march as this to be stolen upon them. With Canton
in hand and with this feet Of rice iunks kept out.
side, Lord Elgin's road 70 Pekin would be strewn
with flowers, and his negotiations at the Court would
be Of very curt and satisfactory character.
The Chinese all tell me that the Russians have
been 10 Tiensin. and that the two governments are
upon the most friendly terms.
II these statements are not true they are we'll in.
vented. The two Courts are undoubtedly Detts
Snj inst now.